I used to go to RPG.net a lot, but have really stopped except to occasionally read a review (they have an extensive collection and it is being added to all the time). I used to read the columns but have stopped because it is not a place I like to go. Why? Because of the No Fun Forums.
The forums at RPG.net are the most populated in the role-play games community. There are tons of members. So shy do I hate it? The moderation has become out-of-control. The moderators are very inconsistent. Many are okay, but some are very heavy handed. There is no real guidelines for what gets you a ban or time out. It is basically anything a moderator dislikes. What is okay for most, another will come down way heavy handed. There is no appealing to them, PM'ing them is an automatic time out for several days. There is an appeals process that takes a long time and as I have read usually ends up being in favor of the moderator unless they do something really egregious extraordinary.
Humor, often used to make a point, is a no-no because many moderators, if they do not get it, mead out punishment. RPG gaming is not that serious, but these mods seem to think they are working for the UN or something.
I have seen it all, and complained about someone who got suspended in a way I thought was unfair and capricious, and I got suspended.
I am not saying that moderation is bad. There is unacceptable posts: haters, trollers, racists or sexist comments, and so on. None should be allowed. However, the personal whim of the moderator should not be so heavy handed. If they get complaints do something; if you do not agree or get a point do not pull the trigger.
Like I said, there are some very good mods there. The few spoil it for everyone (you mod by the name of "Emprint") as the fun has been sucked away as if a fun-vampire (funpire?) came in the night. This was not always this way, but has evolved over the years into a mess.
The problem is there are other forums that are a lot more fun, but the traffic at RPG.net is so high other cannot compete with it.
