And Still AoS page remains empty...

[Insurgent]

I think it says a lot about this group that an entire game page is empty. I totally understand why my "THIS GAME SUCKS" thread was deleted simply as a matter of good housekeeping (sorry admins). But I don't feel a lot of appreciation for the direction GW is taking its games on here.

That said, I think my poll idea was pretty cool. Would a page for 5th and 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy be nice? I think the community we have would respond well to it.

 

[Loriel]

I have to admit that I find it rather amusing that AoS in this forum doesn't have a single thread. Main reason naturally is that yaktribe mostly exist because of Necromunda.

Thinking that 40k, blood bowl, battlefleet, epic etc. Doesn't have much traffic either, If I would have total autonomy over categories on the forum I would merge all of these topics under perhaps categories such as:

- Fantasy
- Scifi

or perhaps simly other games (which would include anything)

BUT if this category structure would still be used I think better choice would be renaming warhammer aos to simply warhammer fantasy battle which would include everything.

 

[Space Truckin]

I got your back man. Vote cast!

 

[Calyptra]

Why single out 5th and 6th ed, as opposed to a general Warhammer Fantasy page? I'm new on this forum (first post!), but it seems like various versions of Necromunda share pages. Plus it wouldn't exclude disgruntled Fantasy players who only played 7th or 8th.

We can all be disgruntled together!

Speaking as a disgruntled Fantasy player, AoS isn't the problem. When our game and setting were murdered, AoS got propped up as a surrogate on Fantasy's corpse. I'm still mad about that, but that has nothing to do with AoS's merits as a game. I didn't enjoy it, but lots of people do. I don't think they are wrong to do so.

The problem is that Fantasy didn't need to die for AoS to happen.

There are some Inq28 people who have applied that sensability to AoS and created some truly amazing things. If you google AoS28 you'll find some of it. It seems logical to me that a forum for Necromunda with a lot of overlap for Mordheim and Inq28 ought to have a place for AoS28 as well.

(And again, I'm new here, so maybe all of this has been discussed extensively elsewhere in the forum, and I just haven't seen it yet. In which case, uh, ignore me and carry on?)

 

[Ben_S]

These new forums haven't been around long, and Necromunda has always been the main game here, so it's not surprising that there hasn't been a lot of discussion of other systems.

I agree with @Calyptra that, if anything, it should simply be a WFB forum. Or perhaps 4th-8th edition, since I believe they were fairly continuous. I didn't play 3rd or earlier, but I could see an argument that that was practically a different game.

 

[Stoof]

There is only one edition of Warhammer Fantasy! All else is weakness!

Spoiler

 

[Punktaku]

i think i have a couple books from 2nd or 3rd edition... “Warhammer Armies” in hardcover. I liked the system’s different level heroes. Lvl 5, Lvl 10, etc. I never ever got to play. In all the years i collected and painted WFB i played exactly one game... So it was one of the first things to hit eBay...

 

[Malo]

As stated, there's a bunch of new forums that are literally a few weeks old and YakTribe is predominately Necromunda.

Would you like me to rename it to WarHammer FB & AoS? With some prefixes?

 

[Tiny]

I think a more generic Warhammer Fantasy / AoS category would be more likely to attract posts. Keeping it to 5/6 ed seems odd though. Why not 3/4th eds? What about 7/8th?
I only played 3rd, 4th, 8th and AoS though so I'm biased.

As for the new categories, give them time. The bfg section is starting to gain some traction. I am sure the other will too once people realise they're there.

 

[Blood Donor]

WHFB/AoS

 

[Ben_S]

Would you like me to rename it to WarHammer FB & AoS?

I don't know that it makes much sense to combine these, unless it's effectively to signal that they're not the main focus of this site.

If we were wanting to broaden our focus - which is a big IF - I'd say it would make more sense to distinguish different games types, e.g.:

Mass ranked battles (WFB, KoW, 9th Age)
'Skirmish' games (AoS, Dragon Rampant, Oathmark, LOTR/Hobbit, maybe Saga)

(Perhaps there's a better terms than 'skirmish' since to some people that means small units in loose formations, while to others it means individual models, as in Mordheim and indeed AoS Skirmish, but I can't currently think of a better term.)

We could also open/expand the current Mordheim forum to include Frostgrave, AoS Skirmish and any other similar fantasy systems. Skirmish systems in the smaller sense.

I think something like that would make more sense, were one creating a wargaming forum site from scratch. But the focus of this site has always been primarily on GW skirmish/specialist games, so it's probably not wise to lose that focus and become simply another general wargaming site. From that point of view, perhaps it makes sense to lump 'other Fantasy games' together.

 

[Tiny]

Well the site is (currently) dedicated to GW specialist games. Mordheim section for Mordheim, Necromunda section for Necromunda etc. I would rather it stayed that way.

The other sections (WHFB and WH40K) should be there for people who are already members to discuss other games they may play, rather than for Yaktribe to become another 40K / AoS centric community. There's a good reason I am not a member of Dakka or Warseer (anymore), despite playing the games they focus on. Therefore I think it is fine to label it "WHFB/AoS", much the same as anyone who plays Rogue Trader or 8th ed 40k can post in the 40k section.

What I would definitely not want to see is non-GW games on here too much. i.e. Keep Frostgrave, Oathmark, Kings of War, Malifaux, WM/H, Saga and other games away. Nobody wants to trawl through 100 threads about Frostgrave if they came for Mordheim content. A section for Non-GW games would be more than ample at this point.

 

[Malo]

This brings up an excellent discussion that involves YakTribe as a whole on the direction it has been going, primarily through my own efforts for the main site and expanding it beyond the niche world that it is. Since this is a community-driven site that I am somewhat a director for but mostly just a code-monkey, I love input from the 'tribe on what we're doing, how were going about it and what we can do instead.

Once of the main goals for the new site was to provide new tools to allow people to register games they'd like to play with others and arrange meet ups with local players. Whilst these tools are not quite complete, the infrastructure is there and has some potential to meet that need in a modern and simple way. I didn't want to limit it to simply a few old specialist GW games though. We often play lots of different tabletop games, even if we have a favorites and a lot of modelling time is dedicated to a few. But why not provide that same functionality that Necromunda fans starved for, to other games as well? GW and otherwise.

In order to do that, each game needed to be represented on YakTribe under the new Games module. Once it exists there, it then can be used by members to flag themselves and look for others. Each game can also have forums dedicated to them, tools (if needed and eventually time is available), links to store pages to buy etc etc. Hence my creation of some new forums, to link those to some of the games I've been adding to YakTribe in its infancy as something more than what it is today.

But the focus of this site has always been primarily on GW skirmish/specialist games, so it's probably not wise to lose that focus and become simply another general wargaming site.

So this is the real kicker in that regard. YakTribe has always been a highly niche site for Necromunda, with some support and unfinished tools for Mordheim and Gorkamorka, other great skirmish games from GW. Should YakTribe remain a sole niche? Does it have potential to grow beyond what it is and how it came to be without losing what makes it great to us? Would growing too much diminish the great community we have by becoming another "general wargaming site" that has its share of awesome and really nasty people that we don't seem to have today?

I don't have answers, I'm honestly just a guy who has really enjoyed creating and maintaining a community for you all over the years. This isn't a business, it's not something I have financial stake in, but I do have ideas on new directions to take the site that hopefully don't change what YakTribe represents to you all, and may or may not work. As I've said, I love feedback. oh and donations for a new microphone.

 

[maxwellrpower]

Personally I’d vote for keeping it dedicated to the niche games it’s known for. I’m not personally really into AoS and 40k but I’m assuming there are already tons of sites dedicated to those. I reckon trying to make the site too broad would possibly diminish the awesomeness of the great niche games community we have. Not to say that people shouldn’t post about the more mainstream titles here, but I don’t think the internet really needs another 40k or AoS site. I think a combined WFB/AoS heading would be most appropriate.
I’m very heavily biased though, skirmish games with RPG elements are what I love and I couldn’t really care less about the big army games
Love your work @Malo, I really think you’ve created possibly the best site ever in the history of the internet Don’t mess with the classic formula too much, it’s already fantastic!

 

[Punktaku]

I’d have to say I agree with @maxwellrpower here. i joined for Necromunda. i liked that the Tribe also supported Mordheim and Gorkamorka, but i tend to ignore those sections. that’s not to say i’ll bail if you expand, it’s just that there’ll be more stuff to ignore. just my two cents.

 

[spafe]

The other sections (WHFB and WH40K) should be there for people who are already members to discuss other games they may play, rather than for Yaktribe to become another 40K / AoS centric community.

This struck a chord with me... There is the ... honoured Yak members area right. Could these extra ones be in there, not so much as a pay to access but more as a 'the core focus of the site is for people who play necomrunda, mordheim and gorka, but those members who play them, and want then want to share other stuff they also play/collect with the tribe can do so in these forums'. If that makes sense?

It might be a terrible idea (most of mine are, hence I dont usually have much to say on these type of threads), but food for thought maybe.

I also agree, as much as I love malifaux and xwing, this isnt the plce to disucss them (although I like that folk can post their minis from those games here too to share with other tribe members too).

 

[Ben_S]

Well the site is (currently) dedicated to GW specialist games... What I would definitely not want to see is non-GW games on here too much. i.e. Keep Frostgrave, Oathmark, Kings of War, Malifaux, WM/H, Saga and other games away.

I don't think it's clear, at the moment, what the site is dedicated to.

It used to be mostly Necro, with a bit of Mordheim and GoMo. All of those are GW specialist games, of course, but it didn't cover other specialist games.

From that starting point, I'd argue that it would make more sense to include Frostgrave or Deadzone than BFG or Blood Bowl. These are all similar games and often the same models and scenery can do double duty anyway.

I suppose this depends in part on what you like seeing here. If you're mainly here to discuss rules and tactics then, in fairness, there's hardly any - if any - devoted to these other systems. But if you're mainly here for painting and modelling then I'm inclined to think more or less anything goes (which is presumably why the miniatures and terrain forum is separate from any particular system).

 

[Tiny]

No harm in putting Frostgrave minis in your painting plog. Just no need IMO to have a separate area for asking Frostgrave rules questions. Swap Frostgrave for other non GW games as you like.

I like having the other GW games sections. Even if there are only a few posts in them. I had never even seen a BFG ship in the flesh until Yaktribe had a BFG section and people were discussing it here. Now, a month later I have 3 fleets and looking forward to playing it at tribe meet in February. Maybe one day I will want to play some 40k vs some fine Yakmen and what better place to talk about it than our own 40k section?

That said, I could see the sense in keeping it to "Specialist Games" only and leaving the larger games out?

Maybe 2 sub sections on the main forum page. The one currently entitled "Games Workshop" changed to "Specialist Games" and then another section entitled "Other GW Games" lower down with WHFB / AoS, 40k and LOTR?

 

[Calyptra]

I came here primarily for Necromunda, though also Blood Bowl, Mordheim, etc. And though I've been lurking for a little while, I only recently made an account and started posting, so my comments should be consumed with salt. I'm still an interloper.

I'm not aware of other internet communities with a similar focus, and I think the flavor and focus of this forum is unique and worth preserving. I came here for Necromunda and specialist games, because as far as I'm aware, this is the place to go for Necromunda and specialist games.

Which, I think, leads to the question:

What's a specialist game? No, seriously.

I mean, there's nothing "specialist" about them. They're just games. As far as I can tell, GW coined the term as a way of suggesting that we could play them on the side, as long as we focused on 40k and WHFB. And then they canceled the specialist games, because they wanted us to focus on 40k and WHFB.

So is a "specialist game" just a game that was on that list? Is it a GW game that GW canceled because they didn't want us to play it anymore? What makes a specialist game a specialist game?

Now that it's been canceled, exploded, and replaced with AoS, has WHFB become a specialist game?

 

[maxwellrpower]

I would probably argue that WFB is a specialist game now. Though you can still buy appropriate minis for most of the armies the community that plays it must have gotten a lot smaller since AoS, a lot of people simply sold all their stuff in despair when it was cancelled and many others would have just switched over to AoS.

It might be more accurate to classify this site as dedicated to skirmish level GW games, ie. games with campaign systems and low model counts. So WFB is still kind of an outlier here, ‘specialist’ or not.