What is your honest opinion about The Lazlo Society?

[Cybermancer]

I like it. Quite a bit, actually. But there is room for improvement.

It's a very difficult place for newbies to fit into unless they have someone taking them by the hand and showing them how things are done.

Policies could be clarified, I think.

I know not everyone will agree but for my tastes, more official moderation could go a long way. Another step in character generation where the player has to pitch the character concept, for example. Maybe not complete stats but abilities could be defined to some degree going in. A role-play mod or site GM('s) would also be helpful both for generating RP's for players to participate in and also to keep things from getting out of hand.

I'm not saying any of these things will or even should happen. It's just a couple of things I personally think could be improved. The trouble of course comes from the fact that this would require people to assist Mordred with his modding duties. And of course, not everyone is going to agree with the decisions of anyone who might be given such a position. Also, there are legitimate reasons for Palladium to want to keep the site as 'inclusive' as possible.

So I guess we'll just have to take the good with the bad.

[Holister]

Where to start is the question. The only reason I did not vote for scrapping everything and starting over is that some of us worked very hard to get to where we are right now.

There are numerous problems with the site, most can be settled with a half way decent IT department, the rest can be accomplished by members monitoring their own actions and posts, as well as handling matters themselves as diplomatically as possible. Morder is a nice guy, but I know how busy he is and cant afford to monitor the site 24/7. So maybe two or three on site moderators should be appointed to deal with player disputes.

As for everything else, I have a list I will post later on.

[Natasha]

I used to like it.

I think if I had to explain this on an elevator I'd say, "we've forgotten it's a game of horror".

I was turned off by two significant evolutions that happened there. Characters "venting" all over a story another is trying to tell and lack of BtS theming to the characters and stories. At the start me and my friends had good focus but lost it and may well become part of the problem ourselves. I don't remember when what or how precisely and it doesn't matter to me.

Venting and such. Part of the problem is that horror is a fairly broad genre. There's splatter, humour, erotic, psychological, etc. The site could have sampling from each sub-genre, but they don't necessarily mix well. Where does BtS fall in that? I think it smooths over the differences and incorporates most of them, but if to pick one, then I would say it's psychological. And that's what I'd like to see happen to the ls.org site. Nonetheless, one should have the wherewithal to see that somebody is telling a story and while a remark might be hilarious, it doesn't fit the story being told. I never accepted the "we're hunters, we have to vent" line and I don't think anybody should. Somebody is telling a story; our participation should be to read it and if we're going to participate, then to participate in a fitting manner - which probably means asking privately first, "do you mind if...".

Themes. The theme of monster as hero is anti-BtS. Monsters are monsters and unilaterally the threat, every last one of them. Power creep that has occurred - partly as a result of making monsters the good guys, partly by other means. It's looking more like HU or Nightspawn than BtS. BtS is a team-based game and individuals more of then not aren't equipped to handle the threat; even teams are generally out powered.

[Holister]

I agree with Natasha on this. Its actually a big flaw with the site that alot of others people have also pointed out. She is correct in that it is an RP website for the purpose of supplimenting BtS. There are too many characters more appropriate for HU, N&S, or NB; the Rifts characters are just over the top.

Someone once told me it was once more horror, but now it is like GI Joe with ghosts and monsters. I agree. There are more gun toting mercenaries running around the site than in a RECON game. As funny as that might be, its kind of sad that its true. Maybe we should try and abandon the style of Lazlo we are used to and try to stick to more BtS style stories like Natasha suggested. I ran a classic ghost hunt thread last week and I think everyone who participated liked the way it came out.

I know that Palladium is a " multi-verse " compatible game system, but using non BtS characters on Lazlo is like going to a Palladium FRPG site and using Glitter Boy.

Come to think about it, I also can see her point of view about non-human characters on Lazlo as well. I admit I liked the concept of monsters as heroes, when played right it works, but Natasha is correct in that the monsters are the " bad guys " for the BtS setting and shouldn't be used as PCs on the site.

One more point she brought up was the whole thing about the PCs " venting ". This is true and we are all to blame. The venting, the melodrama (oh man the melodrama), the high school behavior, not to mention the bickering. This all needs to stop to help improve the quality of the site. I for one know that for this reason alone we have lost many great members. I know that I am willing to change (once it was made this apparently clear to me). The site behavior should be kept as IC (and as player courteous) as possible just like we were sitting at a table and rolling dice.

Another thing in my opinion that brings the site down, and I am guilty of this myself, is the bad guys that post. That stuff just should not be done. This is why I have decided to stop using my " villain " accounts and have also decided against my Jeremiah Dark thread(s) for this very reason. I will play that out through PMs only and will post an outcome in War Stories from the the PC point of view.

One more thing that I know many people have complained about is the way new players feel snubbed on the site. On numerous occasions I have seen the terms " too High School " or " clique mentality " used. I don't agree that new player need to be lead around by the hand, but they should be openly welcomed and possible filled in via PMs about some the characters and the current stories going on. There is an obvious " in crowd " mentality over the Lazlo site as of late and in my opinion that might turn away potential members.

I do agree that there should be moderators that help guide the stories of that affect the whole (or the majority) of the site. I do believe that there should be at least moderators amongst the members (not including Mordred who is the admin). These moderators will help settle things on the site between players. I frequently discuss this matter more than once off site and the most favorable solution was this;

Every three months we elect three new moderators by majority vote (a poll thread here on the BtS forum could decide that). No moderator can serve two consectutive terms in a row as moderator. And any important decisons are made with a majority vote. The moderators could balance out the site and keep the peace better this way. This is only a suggestion.

[Cybermancer]

I think the biggest problem with the Lazlo Society is that everyone comes to it with preconcieved notions of what it should be. Should is a very dangerous word. Should is a word we use to impose our expectations onto others. Therein lies the problem with the Lazlo Society.

To know what the Lazlo Society is, one must first look at what BtS is. Fortunately we have three primary sources of material to determine this. BtS (original), Boxed Nightmares and BtS2.

It was spring of 1990 when I picked up my first copy of Beyond the Supernatural. I saw on the front cover the same things that I see on it today. Two men and a woman dressed in blue coveralls fighting some unnamed monster.

Two of them are holding guns and one of them is firing at the beast. The third, the woman, is reaching for some arcane looking book. High-tech wrist band things can be clearly seen on the wrists of one of the men and the woman.

There are skulls, some of which are similar to, yet not quite human. In the background is a tablet with unearthly writing.

This image formed my very first image of BtS which is with me today. Sci-fi horror set in a contemporary setting that occasionally went out of this world.

Then I flipped the cover over and say these mishappen monsters that reflected as familar canines in the water. This provided me with my second impression.

Surreal, nightmarish horror.

Flipping through the book I come to the character backgrounds section where it talks about insanity, hauntings, ghost companions, shamans and families with psychic history.

As I continue to flip through I see monsters and people battling those monsters (often with guns).

The Arcanist! I love this class. Some guy reading a book in an alien language by candlelight. And check out the list of lore skills he gets! And on the next page is an image that could be right out of Heroes Unlimited. A magic user with a cape. And as I noted earlier with the education tables (which, for the record, included military and criminal options), this game will be rules compatible with the Heroes Unlimited book I already own! And before anyone had ever coined the phrase, "Megaverse".

Anyone get a load of the gun the Nega-Psychic is packing? Or the energy canon and high-tech goggles on the para-psychologist?

And don't get me started on the psi-mechanic.

Of course there are the psychic classes or the natural genius. Or ordinary people!

What I really loved was the take on magic. Ley lines, nexus points, the bermuda triangle (and dimensional travel) and everything else that was so new back then. It rooted modern horror to the past.

And of course we had the monster section with vampires and werewolves rubbing shoulders with haunting entities and even supernatural intelligences. Any level of power category could be easily accomodated within these pages.

Then there was the GM's section where it talked about victim game. In the adventures we could play teenaged girls trying to be cool or visit a haunted mansion that was a door way to other worlds and times. There was the adventure where gargoyles came streaming through a technologically created portal to another world or a monster hunt in the slums of a city not unlike the Blight.

In the weapons section, there were everything from ninja weapons to energy cannons.

This is Beyond the Supernatural, Old School!

This post is getting rather long and I haven't even touched on Boxed Nightmares or the more recent edition of BtS. But I will, probably after super.

[Natasha]

Yea. It's so many things. I was pointing to BtS's diversity of genre in a roundabout way. It's clearly one of the greatest strength's of the game but doesn't translate well without careful planning or at least realisation that this guy isn't interested in the same things I'm interested in on the ls.org site.

I look forward to your posts after super though.

[Cybermancer]

Supper is always super, Natasha.

Obviously I agree with you about the diversity. I'm just not done hammering my point across.

Okay, so my roommate didn't have the dishes done so I can't start supper for a bit. So I'll start on my look through Boxed Nightmares (still Old School BtS).

What an innovation this was, including a rag mag to provide clues to players to follow. A forerunner to the Lazlo Society. On the front page we have UFO's, monsters, an offer of one million dollars by a plantation owner to rid him of demons (can you just picture Nemmy drooling over this one?), Jack the Ripper, a medical mystery magic, murder and mayhem! Oh, and also, a horror... sorry horroscope.

Inside we see articles on the Bermuda Triangle, a monster attack at the local zoo, an ancient Chinese Bowl, a monster trashing a drug house, alien co-workers, Jack the Ripper, liquid air, turtles living in the sewers, an add for Robotech. Another one for Rifts, the South American plantation offering a reward, medical miracles, flying thieves, mystery death, UFO's, the link between caffiene and psionics revealed, More UFO's and a crazed killer.

There's a whole lot packed into that little magazine. Then we open the book itself up. One of the first things we see is how to build an organization. I recognize this. It's a lot like spy agencies out of Ninja's and Superspies.

The first adventure is a classic monster hunt but with criminals and gangs thrown in. I've occasionally used this one for starting Heroes Unlimited players.

Then we move along to Jack the Ripper and his little pocket dimension. Really makes me think of the dream stream or an astral domain. Like from Nightbane. But I've always seen this as pure psychological horror. Sure there's a monster but it's the hunt, not the kill, that is wild in this one.

The next couple are monster hunts although the South American one would work well with either Heroes Unlimited or Ninja's and Superspies. Get your horror game out of my Comic book hero and James Bond genres!

Speaking of which, there's that adventure with the mystic theives.

Then there's the possession story. You can't just shoot this one better. You need to find the clues and use your head to solve the problem.

But don't worry, it's followed immediately by a good old fashioned shoot'em adventure against were-wolves.

How I love Old School BtS. It really did have everything.

Next, I'll discuss the most recent edition and how it brought us the Lazlo Society.

[Cybermancer]

I love the cover to BtS2. It does real homage to the original. Anyone tell me what that is in her hand? Is it a high-tech gun? Is it a scanner? Is it both? It's to your imagination to decide. This time it's the guy with the arcane book. How do I know it's arcane? It's frikkin glowing! Let's not forget the unnamed horror dominating the scene. Or the smaller details such as the garbage cans or the shop in the background. They kinda dropped the ball on the back cover. What with the book of Contemporary Weapons and Nightbane. What could either of those have to do with a contemporary horror game?

Inside, the first twenty pages work hard at establishing the setting. All of it true to the original with more emphasis put on the hidden supernatural danger.

I have to say, I'm not a super huge fan of the ISP mechanic this edition introduced but it makes sense and is kinda innovative for the setting. I use it, which is saying a lot for a mechanic I don't like. It's just too flavorful to ignore.

Then we have the character classes. Some new comers join refurbished favorites. I miss the Arcanist though. But that's not the point of this. What I do like is that a lot of thought went into the flavor of the powers. They all make sense.

There are so many options. Everything from ordinary people to the superhuman Ghost Slayer. Actually, most of the PCC's are super human to some degree or another. And they should be. They're the modern mythic heroes.

Occupations. I have to say, for a contemporary game setting, I think this is an excellent way of working out character skills. And provides so much variety! You can be something as mundane as a store clerk or as fantastic as a criminal assassin or bounty hunter. There are even occupations that compliment being an investigator extremely well.

Here we go, the Lazlo Society. As inventive and innovative as After Midnight was. Because how can you have modern horror without the internet, right? It was a brilliant concept. Still is.

What the Lazlo Society is, is a bunch of fans coming together each with their own idea of what BtS should be and trying to make it all fit together. What we need to remember, is that it has always, to some degree or another, been all these things. Bring what you like to the site, and take away what you like from the site as well. Ignore everything else.

And Natasha is right, it has to be handled very carefully when you mix it with other elements. It can be done, and it can be done very well. I wouldn't want to lose that option. I don't want to see it abused, either. Also like she said, be aware that your BtS is not my BtS and is not the other person's BtS. A little respect and acknowledgement of other peoples limitations and letting people have fun goes a long way towards making the whole thing work.

But only with open discussion, compromise and a willingness to share the toys in the sandbox.

[Holister]

I have those same old books BtS 1st edition & Boxed Nightmares. Both are very great books. I love the story ideas from both.

Maybe thats what we should do. Maybe we should run a few of those games from those books, I don't recall any of them being used.

[Cybermancer]

That's not actually such a bad idea.

Which is to say I think it's a good idea.

*Edit*

Although they would probably need some modifications. But what GM worth their salt runs a book adventure without liberal applications of their own spice?

[Holister]

Maybe we should ask around and see who would get on board with this idea. It could make for a decent collaboration attempt while getting back to BTS basics (so to speak).

[Cybermancer]

I agree. I'll point this thread out to anyone I see.

[Holister]

We actually agree on something... Im going to check the weather in heck right now.

[Cybermancer]

We actually agree on something... Im going to check the weather in heck right now.

Please don't think that just because I can be blunt and brutally honest when taking a stand and that sometimes those stands oppose yours to mean that I am out to get you or don't agree with you on other matters. I'm just more likely to say something when I disagree than when I agree.

Case in point, I applaud that you have been open with your plots by using the Palladium boards as a place to discuss them. Even when I haven't supported them to the fullest.

In this particular part of Hades, it's warm with a nice breeze.

[Holister]

I take you'll be creating an membership account then?

I do have to say thanks to this thread I have seen the errors of my ways and I am going to try and be a better presence on Lazlo becuase of it.

[Natasha]

Since I'm permanently retired from there, all I'll say is its too limited in the storytelling nature. That's all I have to add.

So the Bermuda adventure is off entirely?

[Holister]

Well then welcome to Lazlo Bob. I thought that might be you.

[Tearstone]

I have a couple issues with the Lazlo boards.

For new players starting out it can be bewildering. There is not an evident way to communicate with the other players in the community. No real way to talk to them without just using IM's which really comes across as a lot of loners just randomly running their heads on the board posts.

We need to put together a commited communications directory here on this board so when a new player is accepted they can be directed here to quickly get in touch with the people active on the board.

Second, we need to get better connected and on the same page when it comes to RP. Not all of us can be here all the time, so perhaps getting some sort of an idea of a schedule can help with this.

And as was said by Mephisto, the storytelling does kinda have a limited avenue.

Other than that, I agree with what has already been said in the rest of this thread.

[Holister]

I personally think we just need to cut back on the action adventure gun play stuff, and focus more on the horror stuff. The bad guy villain stuff probably should be cut WAY back too. I think if we do that, the story telling would deffinitely improve.

[Cybermancer]

I don't see a requirement to cut down on either gun play or having actual villians to deal with. Especially if they also include horror. Which basically makes it a false delima. You can have both, as they are not mutually exclusive.

That having been said, there's nothing wrong with running some horror focused stories.

[sasha]

To answer you question Holister. I already have one. I opened it today. I will be the PC known as Hi Im Bob!. I will see where it all goes.

There's a post around here somewhere that you could put more details about the character so that others might know more about your character and possibly contact you with an idea.

[Cybermancer]

To answer you question Holister. I already have one. I opened it today. I will be the PC known as Hi Im Bob!. I will see where it all goes.

There's a post around here somewhere that you could put more details about the character so that others might know more about your character and possibly contact you with an idea.

Where you refering to this thread?

[Beatmeclever]

Hi all. I initially signed on with the LS thinking it would be a place for players to talk about their adventures and discuss new ideas for monsters, ghosts, and other supernatural horrors. I have been most active in the Philosopher's corner because the rest of the site just didn't appeal to me so much.

I think there needs to be a place where BTS GMs can discuss games they are running or have run, where they can post NPCs, evil mages and crazed psychics, and Monster ideas. I know there is the Classifieds, but that seems to be somehow short on the game content and more on the "here, you should be able to do something with this"-side.

My 12.5 cents. Thanks.

[vika]

I like your idea Beatmeclever. I think your idea (at least some part of it) is possible. You can post such things in some "in character" kind of way. One idea I have is to post as a researcher pages from a found journal of a hunter/investigator and just share descriptions of things. Kind of like skeptic did at the start before he become more involved.

Also you can share such things on blue boards, of course.

[Natasha]

Since I'm permanently retired from there, all I'll say is its too limited in the storytelling nature. That's all I have to add.

So the Bermuda adventure is off entirely?

I'd like to run it, but would need a better medium to run it in.

Any that you can think of?

[Jefffar]

Mephisto,

I think part of the problem is that you want to use the Boards to run the game. That is not what they are for.

The boards are where you can leave clues for those who will participate in the game. It is where the players can have in character discussions and leave in character messages for each other. It is the place where the characters can recount what happened in the game.

The game itself will happen off the boards. The boards are just a resource to support the game.

[Lord Z]

I've read only through Hollister's first post. Sorry, it's a long thread. I will try to read more soon. For now, I'll give some gut reactions.

The site itself is a joke. It's supposed to be a hub for many thousand of characters according to the book. In reality, it's a board frequented by a few dozen posters. The way it is laid out isn't nearly well enough organized for even a suspension of disbelief. As an infrequent poster myself, I know that browsing to try to get caught up after a two week break is nearly impossible.

We posters make this worse by starting threads in random and inappropriate places, often with unclear titles. New forums could include forums based on geographic location, a newbie area, or storylines for crossover characters or monster characters thus isolating them from most storylines.

A small number of user with mod authority would help a heck of a lot. Just having someone with the power to move a thread or start a new forum would be great. Elections of mods is fine, but they still won't technically have the power to do anything with an existing administrator (probably just NMI at this point) giving permission to these accounts.

The technology driving this site is mid-nineties tech if that. There is no place for graphics like eye witness photos or maps. There is no place for video. We don't even have a wiki for creating an actual pool of information about locations or monsters. That would be free and take, what, an hour to set up?

[Lord Z]

Caught up! Thank you all for deepening the discussion, especially Natasha early in the thread.

I'm busy, but I would make time for a run-through of a classic adventure. I always enjoy seeing how different groups tackle the same scenarios. There is one Star Wars adventure that I've run at about four times. I think that idea, however, needs its own thread.

[Holister]

Ok, The Lazlo Society website has MAJOR technical difficulties. Their IT department ust take the short bus to work. I yet lost another story post before it even got posted as I was typing it. Thats not the only thing, who ever is the sites programmer/IT caretaker should be dragged out into a dimmly lit alley and pelted with sharpened bricks...SLOWLY.

FIX THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ALREADY......

Lets see where to begin....

1) No site wide PM function anymore? Yeah, that sucks. Get that working again and like 90% of our communication problems will be solved.

2) What...a limited word count on posts & PM. "That can't be true..?" Ah, but it is. Once you get to a certain word count the posting gets all nutso and if you go higher you lose what your working on as the site automatically redirects you back to the log in page. They don't expect us to spam, yet they limit our word count....Now thats progress...

3) The automatic log in feature has stopped working...for like months that I know of. What wonders of technology would it take to fix this dilema..maybe a trained monkey flipping a switch that says "ON".

4) The fact the whole Avatar thing they have here, but over at Lazlo it never worked. That would be a pretty cool feature to have, but alas, someone fell asleep at the ol' programming wheel and drove headlong into a tree with a sign that reads "FAIL".

5) We can't dowload photos, maps, or pics t the website. I believe someone pointed this out already. Good eye to catch this one.I tried and was told basically "Unable to comply pictures can not be downloaded. "

6) This whole site needs to be more user friendly, by, oh I don't know, bringing its programming into this time period. Sure it was great back then, but so was disco and bell bottoms. Times chane people, the site's IT department should be expected to keep up with those changes.

7) Here a little tid bit many of you may not know....thanks to Lazlo every frickin' spam bot in the northern hemisphere has my address. The " protection " of the site is based on a "are you a spam bot" question on the account sign up page. We all know that a third of the accounts are BS and should be blocked or removed outright. They should also just fork over $50 for a decent security system for the site. There are actually days my McAffee just goes grey, this is not neccasarily bad, but it isn't good either.

Well that is my two cents again. Thanks for listening.

[Cybermancer]

Ok, The Lazlo Society website has MAJOR technical difficulties. Their IT department ust take the short bus to work. I yet lost another story post before it even got posted as I was typing it. Thats not the only thing, who ever is the sites programmer/IT caretaker should be dragged out into a dimmly lit alley and pelted with sharpened bricks...SLOWLY.

That's right, insulting and then suggesting that the one, single mod present should be stoned will achieved your desired results. This may be an attempt at humor but I don't see it as being at all funny. At the very least, it's in poor taste.

2) What...a limited word count on posts & PM. "That can't be true..?" Ah, but it is. Once you get to a certain word count the posting gets all nutso and if you go higher you lose what your working on as the site automatically redirects you back to the log in page. They don't expect us to spam, yet they limit our word count....Now thats progress...

I've never encountered this problem at Lazlo. Although most forums I've encountered do have maximum word counts. I've seen them around 50,000 words or so. I don't know what Lazlo is set at but I've posted with over 2,000 words in a single post without issue.

3) The automatic log in feature has stopped working...for like months that I know of. What wonders of technology would it take to fix this dilema..maybe a trained monkey flipping a switch that says "ON".

Works fine for me. Maybe the issue is on your end and not the site? Check with your trained monkey.

6) This whole site needs to be more user friendly, by, oh I don't know, bringing its programming into this time period. Sure it was great back then, but so was disco and bell bottoms. Times chane people, the site's IT department should be expected to keep up with those changes.

Just a reminder that the "IT Department" is one person. I'm not sure what if any compensation they're getting for running the site.

Really, it doesn't really need to be more than it is. A basic forum is all you really need to have a story telling tool for GM's to drop hints on their players and to have forum goers tell their various stories. Sure it's limited. It's not intended to do more.

Considering that there is only one person maintaining the site, it's probably not really worth the resources it would take to make it into more. Especially when you consider that there aren't that many people who actually use the site at any one given time. If there actually were thousands of people using the site, I could see upgrades being justified. But for the what, two dozen (and I'm being very generaous with that estimate) or so people who may be posting in any given month? I don't think so.

You'll get a lot more milage out of the site if you learn to accept it for what it is.

[Cybermancer]

New forums could include forums based on geographic location, a newbie area, or storylines for crossover characters or monster characters thus isolating them from most storylines.

I don't see how adding more forums will make it easier to navigate. It will spread out an already limited poster base out over a wider area.

A small number of user with mod authority would help a heck of a lot. Just having someone with the power to move a thread or start a new forum would be great. Elections of mods is fine, but they still won't technically have the power to do anything with an existing administrator (probably just NMI at this point) giving permission to these accounts.

If people think the Lazlo Society is cliqueish now, try making it into a popularity contest where people are being elected into mod positions. Any new mods would have to be appointed and by NMI because as you've pointed out, any elections would be pointless without any actual authority backing them up.

While I'm on the subject, I will further add that Holisters' idea of three months seems way too short and not being able to elect the same person over and over is too limiting. If someone is doing a good job and wants to continue doing so, there is no reason not to keep them in the mod position instead of setting arbitrary limits.

But again, it's pointless talk. The Lazlo Society is not a democracy and I don't think it would work as such. While I do favor one or more new moderators and a few more rules governing conduct of characters and play, I favor appointment over election in this case. Or possibly appointments influenced by polls. Because anyone being a mod there absolutely needs the authority to back up their decisions. And that authority can only come from one source.

The technology driving this site is mid-nineties tech if that. There is no place for graphics like eye witness photos or maps. There is no place for video. We don't even have a wiki for creating an actual pool of information about locations or monsters.

A user wiki would be a great idea. An official wiki with contributions from Lazlo Agency members would be cool as well. I don't see video as an advantage given the nature of the site. Unless there are players out there filming these events. And if they are, a link to Youtube works just as well. Same goes for photos and sound files.

That would be free and take, what, an hour to set up?

Are you volunteering your hour to do this? If so, you should maybe contact NMI or Mordred with your ideas.

[Lord Z]

I can look into it. I would guess that establishing a wiki would involve physically installing the software on the server. This again is something that only a person with access could do. That's probably only NMI. My volunteered hour would bed worthless in this case.

Would anyone here contribute to a Lazlo Wiki? It would seem to me that this sort of database would be more directly useful as a gaming resource than forums.

[Natasha]

What can you do with the wiki that you can't here or there?

[Lord Z]

Regarding a Wiki: That was just an example off the top of my head, but it would work. For example, a Monster Wiki could be established which features information about critters written by the characters who investigated them. Finding data on such a site would be easier beyond comparison due to a better format.

[Cybermancer]

After giving it some thought, it occurs to me that the addition of a couple more forums to the boards might be a good idea after all.

A "How Prepared Are We?" or similar vein to what Holister attempted in the Community Outreach forum might be a good start. I actually liked the concept for the most part. It could be combined with threads on common monsters, entities and manifestations where information could be shared. If handled properly, it could be a decent tool for GM's and players alike. Including too much meta-game knowledge might be a pit fall one would want to avoid. But so called 'common knowledge' information on various creatures would certainly be useful. Especially if seeded with a few false 'facts'.

For a moment I considered a "Skeptic's Corner" forum. While it seems like a good idea, there aren't many players and even fewer skeptics present so it would likely go unused for the most part.

That, I think is the trick to considering new forums. They have to add something to the theme of the site without dividing the limited poster base unnecessarily.

*Edit*

John Doe,

I can report that the automatic log in feature does work. From multiple locations (across North America) and log in's. Same goes for the word count issue. There must be a commonality to the problem you and Holister are having that has nothing to do with the site. Perhaps you are both using the same ISP and the problem is there?

[Cybermancer]

Mordred/NMI is the only site adminster for Lazlo.

I do however travel quite a bit and know people all over North America.

So far, you and Holister are the only ones to report this problem.

Therefore, the logical conclusion is that it is not a site problem, but a common issue shared by you and Holister.

The mostly likely is that you share an internet service provider or computer.

Since you've asked each other questions on this site that could as easily be answered in person if you were sharing a computer, I assumed it was a broader spectrum issue, such as common internet service provider. Perhaps you should contact Holister privately to see if you share a geographical location and provider.

Similarily, you could contact a mod or admin here. As IP addresses are recorded and attacthed to posts on these sorts of boards, a connection could be quickly ascertained by either a mod or adminstrator.

If the problem persists, I suggest you contact Mordred or NMI.

Hope that helps the issue.

[Holister]

*Bows* The all knowing has spoeken. Thank for your all knowing input. If it helps, I live in Jersey, have Verizon internet, my internet is Yahoo, my software is Acer with Windows Vista as well. The fact that Vista works for crap to begin may be the common thread here. Since Cyber knows everything to know about everything, I say we just take his word as the final one then.

In the meanwhile John, my suggestion is you ask to see if anyone has problems using the Lazlo Site, get their names and handles, and then contact Morded/A.Pendragon or Deific NMI about these problems if they persist. The log in isn't a big deal, but the other problems are. Maybe Lazlo uses Vista.

[Cybermancer]

*Bows* The all knowing has spoeken. Thank for your all knowing input. If it helps, I live in Jersey, have Verizon internet, my internet is Yahoo, my software is Acer with Windows Vista as well. The fact that Vista works for crap to begin may be the common thread here. Since Cyber knows everything to know about everything, I say we just take his word as the final one then.

Your sarcasm seems odd and out of place as I've not claimed to know everything. There are things I do know. That the site works from different locations and log in's (and different OS's) is one of the things I do know and am mentioning in an attempt to help. Given that as being true, the site can logically be eliminated as being the problem. In order to troubleshoot the problem, it is easiest to begin closest to the area where it is being reported. In this case, with your's and John Doe's accounts. Looking for common factors is a logical way to go about that.

Find what the two of you have in common and we'll be that much closer to finding what the issue with the automatic log in is.

So why the attitude?

[Holister]

Sorry to derail your topic John. Im gonna bow out gracefully before this goes where I think this is gonna go. Good luck with you character and welcome again to the site. Hope you have fun.

[Lord Z]

Yeah, installing a Wiki does require server access initially. Specifically, the server needs to be running Apache, and some SQL helps too. Okay, it's not so easy that it would take an amateur just an hour, but a pro could do it in that amount of time.

[Cybermancer]

You ever set up a Wiki before, Lord Z? I've got no experience in it what-so-ever so I'm curious about it. How much server access is required? Can it be set up on another server and then linked somehow?

Personally, I think a sort of monster wiki would be a useful tool for all users of LS.Org. I'd even be willing to write an article or two if it is something that has a decent chance of getting off the ground. Other wiki's might be worthwhile as well. Like a psionics wiki or a magic wiki. I might need help with the article(s) but I'm pretty fair at churing out text.

Because lets face it, things like this will only happen if we volunteer our various abilities. A joint labor of love, if you will.

[Natasha]

It requires complete access. There are free wikis such as wikidot.com but I am still not seeing the advantage.

[Lord Z]

Yes, a wiki could be hosted on any server connected to the internet anywhere in the world. However, it does require actually touching a server. I don't even have home internet access. I usually interface with this website using a smart phone. Even renting space on a commercial server requires shelling out a minimum of five US dollars per month.

Wikipedia is the classic example of what can be done by a community to create a well organized knowledge base. There are, however, much smaller applications. Some gamers set up wikis for specific campaigns. Here is another example: linki!

It would appear, Cyber, that you and I are the only people who see any value in the attempt. I wouldn't use the site if it were written from the point of view of just one or two gamers. I am a believer in the wisdom of groups.

[Natasha]

I'm not opposed to it (I like wikis), I'm just not sure what you can do with it that you can't already do with what's available. Perhaps it's because I'm not actually sure what you're trying to accomplish with it, which would go towards explaining how it's more useful than forums. (hint, hint)

[Cybermancer]

I see a wiki as a good organizational tool. It's not so much that you can't store and retreive information on a forum as well, it's just that a wiki seems (to me at least) better suited and more organized.

Take for example, the articles that Ron Caliburn is always posting up. They usually, eventually get buried on the forums. And sure, you could go searching for them in amongst everything else. But if there was a wiki devoted to them, you wouldn't have to sort through spam and non-relevant information. Same if we had a 'monster' wiki. The presentation of a wiki also tends to be cleaner and easier to read.

I have a headache at the moment so I hope I've managed to relate effectively what I'm trying to say. It's kinda hard to focus.

[Natasha]

You're saying wikis impose organisation on a chaotic crowd?

Feel better

[Cybermancer]

Thanks Natasha.

That is pretty much what I mean.

I would seem that someone started something similar about 8 or 9 months ago. Didn't get very far with it though.

Actually looks like it was meant to be in opposition to the Lazlo Society/Agency. Some details appear incorrect.

[Natasha]

Wew look at the ads on wikia.

I bet wikis are vulnerable to chaos, too - even if there aren't so many ads that you can actually find the content.

[Cybermancer]

To be honest, I never actually noticed the ads. I've gotten used to visually filtering out spam on the internet.

But yes, if the forces of chaos are strong enough, no amount of order will overcome them.

[Natasha]

I notice ads even if I'm not trying, I think.