So I have been trying to figure out why there are 3 seperate websites for LotR SBG - would it be possible to combine them together along with their membership? I don't know about everyone else but I am a member of all One Ring and TLA and i also look at the palantir? Wouldn't it be great if we were all at the one spot? Maybe if we build the greatest online community GW will take note?
just a question - I really appreciate the work both OneRing and TLA do - and just thought i might be a good idea?

_________________
The board is set, the pieces are moving...

Some people prefer one site to the other, so its good that you give people a choice and alternative.

I just can't see much difference between the sites though?

_________________
The board is set, the pieces are moving...

The last alliance tends to be more gaming centered and more UK centered. O-R tends to be more hobby work centered and world wide based. O-R also tends to be a bit friendlier, (though I have said it before, the picky rules analysing tht goes on over at tla isa very helpful, it can just sometimes lead to arguments etc. Its easier to argue over a controversial rule than a wip picture.)

I'm not saying one site is better than the other, I'm a member of both. They just have different advantages and disadvantages.

Not sure if I agree with that necessarily. Both sites tend to have a slightly different culture, different enough to suit different types of hobbyists.

_________________
Feel free to check out my galleries and painting guides! www.freewebs.com/necromancer7

should we not try to unite & maybe pool the resources? - we are a relatively small hobby... i know bigger is not always better, but i don't see how it could hurt in this case.

_________________
The board is set, the pieces are moving...

You have to remember that these are all pretty old forums by now, with well-rooted communities. Merging would be tricky, as people taken as regulars on one may not even have been heard of elsewhere. Would something like that involve a whole new website or moving everyone to a new one anyway? It would be hard to get everyone to move - I'm already on enough forums for one lifetime, thank you - and a lot might be lost in the transfer.
Also, though the subjects of the three main sites are the same, the style is different. TLA is, as has been said, more SBG-oriented, while OR is more the Hobby and the Books. (Though I'm only a One-Ringer and don't actually visit the other sites, so my judgment is probably a bit off.) The communities are different from site to site to, as I said earlier, and to uproot us all and plant us in a new website wouldn't be taken to too kindly by everyone.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, as to spread everything might seen as a bad idea, but the hacking of OR might also suggest that it's for the best that we stay this way.

_________________
"Mustard the Rohirrim! We've got to ketchup with those Uruk-fries before they capture the Hornburger!"

Sorry for the late reply...while I think it would be a good idea, perhaps, to merge what is now limited amounts of webbing talent and enthusiasm, it won't happen...the 'communities' are too set in their ways. I think it's a pity that after the respective disasters, TLA or OR didn't make use of the outmoded but functioning software of TP, but that's how it goes. These three are the remainders of a crop of dozens of sites that surfed a wave of enthusiasm in the early 2000s...at the time there was the capacity for a number of sites, but that, and the knowledge to run them, has dwindled enormously. There are, I think, fewer differences between them than there used to be, but it's the nature of the web for things to be a bit haphazard at times.

SD.

_________________
Sons of Gondor is here! www.thepalantir.org

Sorry for not responding to this thread sooner, but I've been away for the past few weeks and have not had much time to check the site.


I was asked that very question not too long ago by one of the managers of TLA and we gave it some serious thought. It does seem odd that there are still two or three forums that serve a dwindling LOTR community and each, in their own way, has stagnated somewhat in recent times. But, as others here have pointed out, each forum has their own flavour and some who prefer TLA for example, may not like TP or the OR, and the same applies to members of each. Also, there are still some personality clashes with various key staff members on the different sites that would take a bit of time to overcome - it probably seems a bit petty in the general scheme of things, but that's just the way people are.

I am not against the idea in principle and will cheerfully work with the other sites to keep the community alive, even if it means eventually amalgamating and pooling our resources. As I said, we discussed it in the staff room here and ultimately rejected the idea because it seemed unnecessary at the time and would cause a fair bit of fur to fly for no real gain. And I know that TLA staff also discussed the idea amongst themselves and came to the same conclusion.

Oh, yes. As for the "friendly" tag some people use to describe the OR... while that is a nice thing to hear and is a bit flattering, I don't consider TP or TLA to be any less friendly than us. It seems to be a feature of the people who are attracted to our game - it's not a "PLAY LIKE YOU'VE GOT A PAIR™" sort of game, so there little of the testosterone-fuelled aggression seen in other game sites.

_________________
Dagster

Pretty sad but... LOL

_________________
My Lotr backlog: 305/952[][][][][][][][][][]32% completed
Painting Lineup: Mumakil x2, Rohan Heroes x8, Haradrim, SKoDA

Not just the key staff members. I recently left TLA after 8 years because of a disagreement with one particular member of the management for reasons I'm not going to go over again. People always clash wherever you go, it is inevitable, so a choice allows members to pick and choose where they want to spend their surf time.

_________________
You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

That's a fair point. Tis a pity, but there you go.

Incidentally, I know there are people who keep backups of articles etc from the three sites...I do myself, after nine years of watching valuable data get lost as supposed indestructible sites disappeared overnight. So even if it appears that things are a little bit random and illogical and appear at risk, I'm pretty sure that the data will be available for a while to come.

Sorry for bumping again. Last time I'll do it, I promise.

SD.

_________________
Sons of Gondor is here! www.thepalantir.org

I think that the current setup of the three different sites is fine, while im only a member on TLA and OR i like having the sites seperate because:

OR Is much more "noob friendly" because i seem to notice all the new players flock to this site for help and advice, and they receive very helpful advice for collecting and playing from all the community, whereas because of the abundance of highly skilled tournament players on TLA, they would likely be pointed straight toward "power models" and may be put off the hobby due to the lack of sensitivity regarding the cost of the hobby.

However TLA turns average players into really good players, i joined thinking i was relatively hot sh#t and was put in my place by the community and have been given alot of brilliant advice , especially regarding gameplay. OR seems a bit more understanding that not every army is for a GT and i think that if the two sites combined there would be alot of conflicting opinions.

If someone new to the game posted a thread asking how he could use the fellowship as an effective army, people on OR would say "well cast blinding light with gandalf to protect everyone, and make sure to keep boromir hidden from wraiths" whereas on TLA the poster would likely be told "Go out and but mounted versions of every model in the fellowship, drop gimli and the hobbits for mounted twins etc etc" while the advice from TLA is better it would probably discourage a new player due to the fact it requires them to go out and buy large quantities of expensive models, and possibly lose out on using their favourite characters.

P.S: this post is NOT meant to offend anyone from TLA or OR, i think both sites are totally excellent and have kept me constantly interested in the hobby and i have been able to constantly improve my playing skills thakns to both of them

And why only The One Ring and The Last Alliance? I also visit others great sites, like Mitril (Poland) or La Guerra del Anillo (Spain). I visit all these and others, and I think that everyone aport to me something.

http://www.mitril.pl/p1.html

http://www.laguerradelanillo.com/

If all these sites were only one I'm sure we lost things, I prefer everyone was independent from the rest, but with conections.