Introducing...The Roundtable!

[Klippy]

Welcome to the Roundtable!

​

We've decided to do away with the old dusty Professor D&D! While we still want you to bring a well-reasoned argument to the fold when debating, we also want to re-inforce positive discussions, focus more on current events and news, and try and bring all kinds of people to a literal 'table' to talk about important issues in our world.

What this means is that we're trying to create a more inclusive environment for posting, and we're trying to relax the atmosphere D&D has been known for, whether fairly or unfairly, in the past. The requirements for sourcing, as well as the nature of the debates themselves (SRS BSNS!!!!!) made it pretty hard to not only enjoy posting there, but to post at all, it seems.

While you should still try and be knowledgable and informed when you're discussing, providing extensive sources will not be a concrete requirement per say. For the sake of having a good, thoughtful discussion, you should still present facts and and figures when appropriate, depending on what kind of thread you are in. You should still expect to see the same kinds of threads as before, but they should be discussed more calmly, and with a great deal more tact and open-mindedness. Lighter, non-academic, non-news, etc., discussions should still go in The Treehouse, just as before.


Feel free to head over to The Roundtable now and check out some of our topics or create your own! Feel free to contact Klippy or Livewire if you have any questions!​

 

[Zehn]

Why does it say "come be a knight" lol?

 

[Her]

I think a point should be made that if the OP wants a more 'analytical' discussion, similar to what D&D was for in the past, then posters in the thread should respect the OP's wishes.

 

[moon]

What is meant by "more conversation"?

Also, I've seen a lot of pretty deep topics in Treehouse before. So where is the line drawn now? Is it in the nature of the topic itself (ie no abortion topics in Treehouse) or in the nature of the topic? Like, if you ask in TT "what are you wearing?" you'll get a lot of outfit of the day responses, while in Roundtable you'd rather want an in depth discussion on what we choose to wear and why or...?

 

[Klippy]

I think a point should be made that if the OP wants a more 'analytical' discussion, similar to what D&D was for in the past, then posters in the thread should respect the OP's wishes.

What is meant by "more conversation"?

Also, I've seen a lot of pretty deep topics in Treehouse before. So where is the line drawn now? Is it in the nature of the topic itself (ie no abortion topics in Treehouse) or in the nature of the topic? Like, if you ask in TT "what are you wearing?" you'll get a lot of outfit of the day responses, while in Roundtable you'd rather want an in depth discussion on what we choose to wear and why or...?

Harley answered this somewhat. Treehouse is a place where you'd be okay getting gifs and funny replies, whereas Roundtable can ask questions like, "Have you ever had sex?", "Are you comfortable with who you are?", "What do you think of the wars in the Middle East?", "Are you happy?" and similar questions where you're going to want people to think, discuss, and talk about it. Treehouse has threads like this now, but the idea will be going forward to transition those over here if the OP desires actual discussion that D&D was meant for, but with less of a strictness about how we go about it.

We're loosening up the types of threads you can put here - no longer is it just debate/discussion strictly, but you can just ask for some advice or help on a topic you're unfamiliar with, get guidance from your fellow members, or just come to talk and have a real chat if that's your desire.

 

[Salzorrah]

Imagine TT as a fun loving little kid that just wants to talk about simple things, share funny pics, and basically be carefree as fuck. Now imagine TR as TT in his adolescence to early adulthood stage, where life starts getting serious, trying to find help in this miserable world we live in, and we get to talk about mature stuff that we just can't casually talk back in TT.

... I really wish this analogy made any sense. :P

 

[Klippy]

So basically it's like The Thunderdome's little brother.

An honestly fair assessment. I actually looked at the T-dome tonight to decide if I wanted to compare it to that. ;)

 

[gimmepie]

This in interesting to say the least, I look forward to seeing what happens with our new section.

 

[Salzorrah]

inb4 Forum Games gets renamed to The Playground and Off Topic Discussions gets renamed to The The's

 

[Nihilego]

The re-branding definitely looks more laid-back and friendly, but I am... really confused in all honesty. I feel like the lines between The Treehouse and The Roundtable are massively blurred right now. Scrolling over the first few topics just now in the forum we have "Have you ever drunk alcohol?" "Are you a vain person?" "Who are your role models?" "Are you a loner?" "How fast does your life seem to flow?". None of the threads that I listed (bar, arguably, the alcohol one) are in any way "mature" or more relating to "things about life like growing up, relationships, issues in the world and society" than, say, "Overprotective parents.", "I really want to talk to you, but I am to shy...", "CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE", "I wish I could get out of this hell hole..." and many, many others. The distinction between The Treehouse and The Roundtable seems to be almost non-existent beyond gut feeling; objectively I can't see why some of the threads I listed were moved and others weren't. As I say it's cool that you're going for a more laid-back thing but if there aren't actual, hard limits defined you'll just end up with The Treehouse v2 holding very similar content discussed in a very similar way but sans the pizza toppings and weather. I mean if that's what you're going for then that's all good but... I just think as it is it's very, very unclear what goes where in the forums, and it just kinda looks like a drain from The Treehouse now (and I know that this isn't going to be discussed here - and I definitely agree that it shouldn't be - but I have to point out that you've siphoned off a load of activity from a section that you just stuck four mods into).

I'm also concerned about the fact that debates (which I think will kinda drown under the mass of incoming Treehouse-esque threads) can now be carried out on entirely anecdotal evidence with actual sources and research being made a non-requirement. Like, evidence is in the very nature of a debate, and I feel like it should still be strongly encouraged as opposed to being almost mocked on the basis that it's school-like. I know that most people here aren't into that but D&D has a long-established community of regulars who want to be involved in that sort of thing and if I was still involved in it I'd feel pretty palmed off right now. :\

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I definitely feel like lightening up D&D is a good idea and the community has made that very clear for a long time now. Buuuut I kinda feel like oversights have been made and there need to be much clearer guidelines on what this section is, what goes there, and how it contrasts with The Treehouse. I know there's a bit in The Roundtable's rules right now about the difference in conversation but... I thought that difference was something that we'd been trying to achieve - and had been getting close to - in The Treehouse for ages now (and furthermore, if more in-depth and varied conversation is for The Roundtable, where does that leave The Treehouse now?). The Treehouse has been a massive success and I think that this will be too but I feel like the idea of bringing D&D more in line with The Treehouse has been hugely overshot and needs a little revision.

 

[Nakala Pri]

^ cries from all the characters

Can Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire get renamed to Dino & Whale? And can Fan Clubs & Groups get renamed to Gangs and Mobs? :)

 

[Auticorn]

I actually kind of like it. It makes the place easier to post in without someone jumping down your throat because your opinions suck. I am also as confused as others though... I mean, how are we supposed to know which of our threads goes where? That's my only concern right there.

 

[antemortem]

I honestly saw the concept of the Thunderdome with more potential to be satire, for the most part, but this feels like it should be taken a little more seriously than that, so it doesn't feel like a "mini-Thunderdome" to me. I sort of like the idea, though. We'll see.

 

[Her]

I'm also concerned about the fact that debates (which I think will kinda drown under the mass of incoming Treehouse-esque threads) can now be carried out on entirely anecdotal evidence with actual sources and research being made a non-requirement. Like, evidence is in the very nature of a debate, and I feel like it should still be strongly encouraged as opposed to being almost mocked on the basis that it's school-like. I know that most people here aren't into that but D&D has a long-established community of regulars who want to be involved in that sort of thing and if I was still involved in it I'd feel pretty palmed off right now. :\

This is my main issue. I feel like this is a misguided attempt to compensate for those who felt that D&D was closed off and laced with barbed wire and whatever. Those who say that tend to be people who got called out for whatever reason and left in a huff.

The idea has good intentions and can be adjusted very easily, but as it is right now, it's too casual. Was D&D too stringent at times? Certainly. But in my eyes, this is overcompensating. The new forum needs to cater to more people and garner a larger circle of members, given that I am basically the only regular that comes to anyone's mind. But it's essentially The Treehouse 2.0 if some well-defined guidelines and higher expectations aren't laid out.

 

[Auticorn]

I think the Thunderdome was worse though... amirite? I was never in it, but I was around when it was. I heard that it had actually gone too far with certain topics. I highly doubt that will happen with the new concept for The Round Table.

 

[Nah]

I kinda agree with Harley and Alex. I know that lately the thing has been to be more lax and all that, but I don't know if that needed to be applied to every single section. I thought that what we were trying to go for in D&D was to promote more formal discussion in an attempt to deal with the fact that, more often than not, threads (on more hot button issues anyway) become shouting matches with unsubstantiated claims and whatnot. Wasn't there also a time when there was concern about the lines between what goes in TT/GC and what goes in D&D not being clear?

Why does it say "come be a knight" lol?

Have you ever heard of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table?

 

[Pendraflare]

I think this is a good name for it - it's reminiscent of when there'd be meetings in one room full of people, so that name can fit well.

 

[gimmepie]

Looking into the new section and comparing the threads between it and TT, I have to say that whilst I think it is not necessarily a bad thing to try and open up the section to more people and tone down the intensity a bit that the essence of D&D has been killed. There needs to be more defined guidelines otherwise it might as well be merged with TT.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

This would be the perfect time for a [Mature] tag, only instead of the tag it's The Roundtable combined with normal D&D topics. That being said, as people have stated, there needs to be a strict line as to where things fall between TTT and TRT in order to defuse the confusion that a lot of people already are having as to where topics and discussions belong.

It's a cute idea, but The Roundtable needs some refining.

 

[Livewire]

It's meant to be more "lax" in the sense that it needed to move away from the "OMG WHERE ARE YOUR SOURCES" card that people kept playing. The forum, and the discussions, needed to take a collective chill pill. The discussions themselves are still meant to be in-depth, academic, "deep" and intellectual, but they don't have to be as structured as before, with sources and concrete arguments and the like. The content doesn't have to change, the only thing that changed is how they are discussed. There's a difference there.

As for the "blurring" between the Treehouse and The Roundtable, let's remember that the TT is still OVP, and TRT is still Other Chat/D&D. Notice how those threads listed before were all questions - "What are you wearing?", "What's your favorite color?", etc., where it poses a central question and you just "post and go". Those are not the kind of threads you'll be seeing in TRT. That's still Treehouse material - light discussion, but mostly still a post and go environment. The Round Table will still cover the same kinds of threads you've been accustomed to seeing in D&D for awhile now. The only thing that's really changing, with this name, is the atmosphere and the mellowing out of some of D&D's dusty old rules and traditions.

So, some takeaways:

1. You can still debate, but it doesn't have to be the focus of the forum anymore
2. The topics will largely be the same as before
3. TT is still for light threads, traditionally OVP material. RT is still for more "academic" topics
4. Expect some TT threads to be moved and some prefixes to be changed
5. If your thread is mostly a question, asking something that can easily be answered, it should probably go in the Treehouse

Like, if you ask in TT "what are you wearing?" you'll get a lot of outfit of the day responses, while in Roundtable you'd rather want an in depth discussion on what we choose to wear and why or...?

Precisely. Treehouse is the who or the what, Roundtable is why.