The Campaign Builder's Guild

If you are interested in getting back old people (like Elemental Elf, Xathan, etc.) Is it possible for you to send a mass email to members of this board (through the board software to the registered email addresses) concerning the move/changes?
May be worth a try.

Also, once again not a Discord expert- can people start sub discord chat rooms? If an admin can, maybe one thing the CBG can do is give each very active member 1 sub-discord channel if they are actively working on a setting, for specific discussion/development. e.g. (#cadaverousearth) if it was still active. Since each person could only have 1 or (max. 2 in certain cases--maybe it could be further limited to only settings where players are running games), it may encourage people to focus development. And others could drop by from time to time like in a thread to comment on their setting (or games being run therein)?

Best wishes!

As an idea--> Not entirely sure how Discord works; however, if I am guessing properly--- if there is a sub-discussion about a campaign setting or specific issue that is separate from the main discord hosted "room", perhaps it could be copy/pasted into a thread into the new "reddit" or new forum, like Sparkletwist has done with the old chatbox conversations that sprawled a bit. That would ensure the conversation is preserved in a way it can reasonably accessed in the future.

Good thoughts, Mason!

That sounds reasonable! Reddit obviously has failings as a true message board, but I cannot think of anything much better outside of actual forums with free hosting other than Proboards. https://www.proboards.com/  (single login for all proboard forums) AND https://www.createaforum.com/ ; have you already considered those options?

Quotelike people hosting their content on free cloud services (Google Drive, the Microsoft equivalent, hell even GitHub - I've used it) and linking them in the sidebar or a sticky post. Such a system would be easy enough; what I'd do in theory is create a list of everyone's settings with links (if you were around when the CBG started on the WotC forums, this'll sound familiar). The only difference is that the content might be off-site - but again, whether that's at a wiki we host or individual accounts elsewhere remains to be seen.

Sounds good, like the old Directory mixed with the Wiki landing page: http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,4761.0.html ; http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php?title=CBG_Wiki
What would really be great (though maybe not possible) would be to have some sort of feed indicating when things on the subpages are updated. People could auto-ping a blog or something similar. Another feature that is great here is the new post feed on the home page--I have solely used that these past few years to catch up with what is going on since I can see at a glance what is developing.

One idea- locate one of the free hosting blog providers that has free plugins and rss feeds, use that provider as the landing page and have the "links out" go to the discord and subreddits that are specifically directed to the games on the discord and settings (if any) and have the subreddits feed into the rss (if possible?). For what cannot be automated: 5 or 6 people would have posting rights to post up "blog post" news announcing games, etc. and arranging schedules (e.g. like on the "team scheduler" program (Doodle)) (obviously only the core 3 would have the superadmin rights) and people can always comment on blog posts.

It is probably important to have a feedback loop --some way to obviously comment on what is being seen. Otherwise, like with the wiki sometimes (despite the talk pages) people would o't really see/know what is happening... no way to motivate each other in a "drive-by" sense.

There are a lot of good ideas among what you wrote!

Thank you for the thoughtful explanation and exposition, Hoers!

Also, thank you for the explanation of Discord- had thought it was primarily a voice program; good to know it's more like IRC+sometimes voice.

As a related point- what is the way for the CBG to grow? Not much is happening now obviously. Things that have happened include the following:

1-Play by Post games (traditional RPG, and things like Republic Reborn and Underdeep)
2-Settings (on forums and on the wiki)
3-Collaborative World Building (on forums and on the wiki)
4-IRC games (and rules information and organization for same)
5-CBG Magazine
6-Contests
7-Advice/Questions about world building/settings
8-Everything Else (Off Topic, etc.)

So I guess there are at least two questions from that.

1. Why aren't we doing any of that? Time? the Creators/People running things stopped doing it? Or there weren't enough participants? Or People just have different interests in their lives? If the community is dead in some aspects of its interests, then is it worthwhile to preserve anything except that which interests the people who are putting the time into preservation (e.g. what interests Sparkletwist, Hoers, Nomadic...)

2. What of the above options would we continue to use in the future that could sustain the existing community (and maybe grow it)?

It's just my guess, but assuming no additional people join the site, I think "we" might still continue the following which are unique to this community, so whatever is chosen to go forward should focus on a format that promotes the following:
1. Off Topic Discussions Real time in IRC/etc. Chit Chat
2. Occasional Live games.
3. Occasional Play by Post Game (If there is a motivated organizer and a good topic).
4. Maybe a wiki/blog by someone or a collaborative worldbuilding blog (like Steerpike's Blog (individual) or collaborative projects (like on the wiki)).

As to fulfilling those goals... maybe:
1. Reddit (static) or Discord (live)
2. Discord or Roll20
3. Reddit??? Can Discord save multiple sessions like a forum to function for play by post?
4. Blogspot, other free Blog hosting software that is linked from the site (maybe the landing site could have a RSS feed from that blog)?
5. Archive for the older things.

Best case would be maybe the site act as a landing page with live "feeds" with events and other items that automatically update, e.g. "grab" metadata from one of the other free options- so no one has to manually update things? Not sure how feasible that would be, but it would certainly be financially better to outsource the hosting of most data to the free sites.

Sorry to hear; not surprised though. Also suspect that the costs are relatively high for hosting the remaining data.

Would the Domain stay? I think that is a valuable part of the site- being able to type that in and go direct rather than through some sort of "Reddit" seems valuable.

The most valuable part of the world-building kit that the CBG has that no other site has (that I know of) are the canned special formatting tools, the [ic]In Character[/ic] and [ooc]Out of Character[/ooc] and floating note box. [note]Floating Note box[/note]

That formatting made creating worlds here like laying out a PDF. Obviously though, I have not posted many new settings in recent years.

I doubt I would use the site (other than to read an occasional post) if it was solely on Reddit- it lacks those world building tools and is frankly ugly, whereas this site is elegant.
I do not know much about Discord. Does it require you to link it with other social media? How does it work?

QuoteUsing both is also an option, of course, although not deciding on a definitive new home for our community is probably not the best thing if we're trying to keep a solid community together.

Couldn't you use both and have this website be a "portal" into both- have the landing page, have the wiki, have a reddit, have a discord/IRC with the running chatbox as a supplement and lose the active forums, which I suspect are what costs the most... The reddit could be used as a written announcement for when things are happening on the discord, or when someone wants to announce that they've posted something on the Wiki, or to request access to the Wikis?

Another idea, if some people here run games on Roll20, or have an open lobby on Roll20, you could have a link to a CBG "Roll20" Lobby or get-together with posted times for gaming.
I would tentatively be interested in participating in games like Fiasco! and some of the avant garde one shot indie games. Timing obviously will be a problem though.

Quoteso the current setting threads that exist on the CBG will probably have to be hosted on an external wiki,

If that is done... maybe give some thought to the "rights" issues. On certain external wikis, the rights revert to the wiki host rather than the person who posted the settings. As I recall, back in the day that was an important point and it certainly would present some issues to be throwing some peoples' work into the public domain or other people's ownership without their permission

Toward the archive issue: Would you be hosting the data from certain boards in a static form- e.g. the data from the Campaign Creation subforums? Personally, I think everything else could probably go zap (with the possible exceptions of Contests and Fantaseum), but those subforums are special.

Thank you for your service sparkletwist and Nomadic for the hosting (and Ishmayl before you!)

QuoteI think there is some material missing from this, but it may be lost forever. Think of it like that burned patch in Beowulf or a missing reel.

ha.

Thank you greatly!

QuoteKaius - You! Shaman! Undo your work, or die. You have blinded me.
* Kaius  points slightly to the left of one of the shaman menacingly

One of the shamans mutters a hex.  Your vision clears.

Ah, the imperiousness :D

Quotemade pregnant by an inconceivably ancient spectre.

Anyone have any idea how that happened? :o

Quote from: Steerpike

Congratulations on the art as always;
What is the story behind the integrated skulls; were they hauled in later, are they made of stone? What about decomposition?

It has been a while...but Steerpike, any chance you could please post Rose of Vellum's edited part? I assume the other parts would take far more work, but the part Rose edited presumably is in ready to go format?

Quote from: Steerpike

Quote from: LDA question though, why does the city end immediately at its walls; why no slums just outside? I assume it is because the city is totalitarian and can enforce the law against people trying to build shanties.

There's actually some shanties in the lower right hand corner, but I picture the city as sort like a 17th/18th-century European city in style. Looking at period maps, many such cities seem to be mostly surrounded by farmland outside the walls rather than massive shanties.

For example: Milan, Amsterdam, Berlin. Even the massive Paris has a mostly agrarian hinterland.

Did not realize that! Had thought most medieval cities were like London: http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/17th-century-map-of-London.jpg (note the walls). Thank you for the maps.

QuoteThere was a period where the whole city was ruled by a kind of mage-emperor, whose fortress, Delirium Castle, can be seen in the southeast (he retreated inside after a rebellion against him, and has not come out in centuries).

Interesting.

QuoteYou can actually see some old walls in the district of Catch-All in the southwest, which has been converted into a quarantined district for the city's magically ill. These were more for a small walled portion of the city rather than the walls for the entire city, though. Again, looking at period maps of those old cities, not all of them seem to have a ton of old walls.

Was thinking of cities like Jerusalem: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yERZHhMLinI/ViozncfT9eI/AAAAAAAAUik/A7jItCAtibw/s1600/Jerusalem%2Bmap%2B1.jpg

[q]
I do imagine that the main walls themselves have shifted over time. But this is a very magical city, so when they need to expand, city wizards enchant the bricks to disassemble and reassemble themselves, duplicating as necessary.[/q]
Magic always seems to make things work out. Not criticizing, though. It's a fair solution :)

Thank you for the explanations.

Really impressive and beautiful! Also, The Seven Deadly Sins bridge is particularly very cute.

A question though, why does the city end immediately at its walls; why no slums just outside? I assume it is because the city is totalitarian and can enforce the law against people trying to build shanties.

Also, does it have old and new walls as it grew? If so, where are the ruins of the old walls and why is it not growing any more? I know you take attention to age in the structures and worlds you build (figure I just missed something since I am not too familiar with your Hex world).

Also, I probably missed it, but where does potable water come from? Priests creating water? Wells? I do not see aqueducts except one by Sawtooth Sound on the far right (possibly). Where are entrances to sewers? Really, I ask these questions because you're so great at what you do, does not matter if it does not have it or not, but wanted to ask.

And garbage and inhuman/human bodily waste? Does it all get dropped in the Radula river?

Are there crypts in the city? (Wonder what the city looks like underground  :weirdo: (!))

I like the scattered statues, it reminds me of Rome- with scattered triumphs littered everywhere- each with their own historical significance and secrets.

The rhyming word choices are surprisingly well done in that. (with the exception maybe of page 2).