RE: [NetEpic ML] NetEpic Future

From: EPICentre Webmaster <gambit_at_...>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 17:00:21 +0100

Hello :), comments below.

Tom.
EPICentre Webmaster

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
I've recently turned a new eye on the latest release of the core
rules and Oh my! It's filled - I'd say crippled - by special rules
and optional rules. In the oldest version of Space Marine I own,
there was a french translation, including diagrams, of main rules. It
was two pages long.

[EPICentre Webmaster] A lite version would be cool, and I agree that
having the main version stripped down to the essentials is a fantastic
idea - allowing us to get new players started quickly before moving onto
the 'advanced' or 'optional' rules. Whilst I admit, I tend to use all
the rules straight away. There are a large number of people who don't.

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
NetEpic is great but NetEpic community has a problem. It seems that
the community is afraid of moving forward. By moving forward, I mean
gathering new players, promoting the game in events, making it
appealing to newcomers, and giving everyone an easy access to become
a new member of a growing community. There are 347 members in this
list where there should be thousands. And I'm not even speaking of
dead accounts among that number. I've seen several falling stars
around - gamers seduced by the game system, posting happily several
messages on the list, and then giving up for unknown reasons.

[EPICentre Webmaster] I can see your point, there is little promotion,
for one reason we don't want to clash swords with Games Workshop, at the
moment we are in a friendly co-existance. We start to treat NetEPIC like
a business and that friendliness ends. I am all up for promotion of the
system, and have worked with several websites to boost exposure. Any
further suggestions are welcome.

Currently the new EPICentre website features a straight HTML interface,
every page is meta tagged making it very search engine friendly and
secure. No SQL injection hacks to worry about :S.

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
In my opinion, YES, NetEpic group should cease to exist as a Yahoo!
Group, and so long to our old habits. Truly. It should become a forum
tree hosted somewhere. NetEpic.org webmaster implemented PhpNuke
which provide plenty of forums. We could have sorted forums,
moderators, administrators, smileys, pictures, quotes, avatars,
threaded views, recent posts, search feature, and an easy access to
archives.
Why not using those available features? Because we are hampered in
old habits. So, a couple good souls (Yar and Peter) are animating a
sleepy Yahoo! group and that's all of the NetEpic community, and it's
real sad.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Ramos [mailto:primarch_at_...]
Forums vs. Mailing list

I realize that there may be an emotional attachment to this mailing
list. I understand that, I have a soft spot for it too. But I consider
mailing list more formal and less accessible than forums where more
personal covnersations can evolve and a more intimate sense of community

can be harnessed.

-----Original Message-----
From: Luca Lettieri [mailto:magnus_at_...]
Mailing lists send messages on your PC where you can read them
at your leisure. Web forums don't. Enough said.

I won't comment on the rest as I'm more of a zombie than a lurker.
Hell, I hardly even remember the basic rules nowadays (sigh).

[EPICentre Webmaster] There is already a forum, however it has been
deactivated :). It can easily be activated but there is something to
think about. Can we guarantee enough people will use it? VOID will
supply some traffic, NetEPIC other traffic. The problem is that where as
a mailing list that goes quiet can be reanimated by a chance email, if a
forum goes quiet then people stop visiting and it dies. A bonus point
tho is accessibily as pointed out earlier, I cannot access mail at work
- yet I can access forums anywhere :).

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
Some people can answer that this group has 6 years of existence, and
that's a proof of its life. I beg to differ. Internet in 1998 is not
the same as in 2004, and any webmaster has to carry on with the
changes. Less than 500 members for a game with such a potential is
truly a shame. Do you consider NetEpic to be inferior to Games
Workshop's Space Marine game? I doubt it. But how many players for
the latter at its peak? How many players that should have switched to
NetEpic but did not because they weren't even aware of its existence?

[EPICentre Webmaster] The EpicA mailing list which is well advertised
has only 394 members. So are we are pretty much on a par with it.

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
Attracting new players is another weakness of NetEpic. The rules are
sound and complete, but unappealing. Adding pictures and a bit of
layout (not necessarily a background) could help. Definitely, there
should be color diagrams or pictures instead of those bland B&W
diagrams for examples. Non core-rules for should be pushed aside, and
sorry for the veterans that will need to browse into two books
instead of one. The KISS process should be applied again and again,
this rulebook should definitely be splitted and shrunk in size. I'm
speaking as a newcomer for that one; I don't remember what the polls
gave for that one, but I fear it has been affected by the old habits.

[EPICentre Webmaster] I totally agree with you on this.

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane [mailto:kotrin_at_...]
I sincerely apologise if I offended anyone with my long rant. But
sometimes I consider what NetEpic is and compare it to what it could
have become and I'm disappointed.

There's a great future for NetEpic, but it won't happen unless we
move forward.

[EPICentre Webmaster] NP, we love opinions :), without them there is no
life in the community.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Ramos [mailto:primarch_at_...]
The fact that I am working towards a "gold" version that is full color
and the current rules are getting more diagrams ans such is an effort to

make NetEpic visually appealing. Gone are the days where a text or word
file would suffice. The internet community is more demanding nowadays
and graphics and as best of a layout that we can provide is no longer a
luxury, but a necessity.

Add to this that I am revamping the army cards using the layout Sayth
from epicollector.com has so kindly sent me and I would say the "visual"

aspect and appeal is covered well at the moment.

[EPICentre Webmaster] I can't wait - it is gonna be VERY groovy stuff.

From: Peter Ramos [mailto:primarch_at_...]
Perhaps this "insular" behaviour was prolongued more than it was useful,

but in a real sense I became overwhelmed by Netepic's successes. When it

started I was content in having a small following and thats that. I dont

think I or any of us who work on netepic were prepared for the demand.
Thus I had no plan or preparation to take it to "the next level". Since
I wasn't even aware that could be a possibility.

[EPICentre Webmaster] NetEPIC Gold will be a big step in the right
direction ;).
Received on Sun Aug 15 2004 - 16:00:21 UTC