|
MAJOR RAKAL'S BBS TIPS 6: WHAT SHALL WE TALK ABOUT?
Now that I've gameplayed how (and how not) to write a subject line, that brings
up the question, what are appropriate subjects for the various BBSs? In their
posted Rules of Usage, accessible from the index screen and via a link at the
top of each board, Decipher tells us the bulletin boards are meant "to provide
a forum for a robust and free-flowing exchange of information, opinions and comments
about Decipher's Star Trek Customizable Card Game." That's pretty open-ended,
so to make it easier to find information about the things you're interested in,
they've given us seven separate boards. On the BBS
index page you'll find links to the seven boards with a brief line describing
the purpose of each. And don't forget that Star Wars has a matching set of boards
for that game.
Auction: For card auctions only
Decks for Review: Post your deck designs for review
Discussion: For on-topic Star Trek CCG posts
The Buzz: Wide-ranging, free form gameplay
Rendezvous: Set meetings by posting here
Tournaments: Post your tournament information here
Trading: Post your trades here
The first two and last three are pretty specific, so I'm going to address
each of them briefly before talking about the broader-based boards.
AUCTION
If you want to sell your extra STCCG cards by auction - taking bids over a
period of time and selling to the highest bidder - post here. You can post periodic
followups to let people know what the current bidding is. Please don't use the
Trading board for auctions.
DECKS FOR REVIEW
Post your deck designs here, and a multitude of knowledgeable players will
critique them and offer suggestions for improvements. One of the narrow-focus
boards; you should keep your posts to deck designs, and questions and comments
about them.
RENDEZVOUS
This board is for making contact with people. You can get a message to someone
whose email is down, inquire about other players in your area, arrange an online
game, or set up a meeting with another player, in a chat room, by telephone, or
even face-to-face. It's not intended for holding meetings, for playing games,
for trading, or for chatting.
Because many of us can't find opponents locally (or not enough of them), playing
online has become popular. Find an available chat room and a willing opponent,
set aside about 3-4 hours, and have fun. If you ask for opponents on the board,
always include your email address and do any lengthy "setting up" via email, not
on the board. For an enjoyable experience for both players, make sure you agree
on your ground rules ahead of time. Wesley Crusher has developed a FAQ on playing
online, which you find (along with several chat/playing rooms and a BBS) on his
website. He runs online tournaments
as well.
TOURNAMENTS
Looking for tournaments in your area? Holding a tournament? Post the details
here. Once you've held a tournament, you can post the results or a full tournament
report here. This is a very specificpurpose board, so if your message is not directly
related to STCCG tournaments, it should not be posted here. (Make sure you register
your sanctioned tournaments properly through the tournament pages of the website;
posting on the BBS does not register an event.)
TRADING
If you want to buy, sell, or trade STCCG cards (except by auction), post your
messages here. This is the one case where you may want to post certain messages
on both the Star Trek and Star Wars Trading boards, that is, if you're interested
in trading cards among the two games. Again, a very focused board, where posts
should be kept to trading.
DISCUSSION
This covers a lot of territory, so I'm going to talk about it in detail. There
is a lot of controversy over what is "on-topic." Here's a working definition:
That means trading, auctions, deck designs and tournament talk don't belong
here, because they have their own dedicated boards. Arranging meetings should
likewise be confined to the Rendezvous, though you may need to post a message
here directing someone to look for you on the Rendezvous, since people don't necessarily
browse there. Chatting belongs on the Buzz (see below). What are some of the "on-topic"
topics that are appropriate here?
Ask Questions
Have a question about the rules? Ask it here, and you'll get an answer. Probably
quite a few, and don't be surprised if they don't all agree. "Official" answers
come from me, Major Rakal (Kathy McCracken), the Decipher rep. (But note that
new rulings are subject to review by the full rules committee and are not
"tournament-official" until they appear in an official FAQ or Current Ruling document.)
However, the traffic on the board, especially after a new expansion appears, is
such that I don't have quite the time to personally answer everything that
comes up. Since several of the board "regulars" answer questions on a regular
basis and are quite knowledgeable about the rules, I rely on them to cover a large
portion of the questions, monitoring the answers and intervening when necessary
for correction, clarification, or arbitration. There are many people here who
are willing and capable to answer questions, including, but certainly not limited
to, Mot the Barber, Wesley Crusher, Unimatrix Zero One, Taibak, and Alidar Jarok.
You can also ask questions about upcoming expansions and the like.
Discuss Strategy
If you have a neat idea for a card combo or game strategy, and are wondering
how well it might work, present it here. (Full deck designs have been split off
to their own board, as critiques may be extensive.) You'll probably get plenty
of comments, with pointers on possible improvements as well as notes of any flaws
in your strategy. Series of card reviews and other articles (such as Mot's Useless
Card Reviews ) also fall in this category. If you want to get gameplay going,
don't just ask for others' opinions or ideas on something; express your own, and
if it's a topic that others care about, you'll get responses.
Dream Cards
I'll admit it-dream cards are not my favorite thing, but they are extremely
popular with many board-browsers and certainly fall under the guideline of exchanging
opinions about the game. Just a few caveats:
-
Don't flood the board with dozens of ideas at once after seeing the latest
DS9 episode. Give others a chance to come up with ideas, too.
-
We've already seen at least 50 variations on the major series characters, the
DS9 station, the Voyager ship, etc. Try to find something new and different if
you want people to be interested in your posts.
-
Don't forget that this is Star Trek CCG. Dream cards based on non-Star
Trek themes are inappropriate here. If you have a good game mechanic idea, carry
it out with a Star Trek concept, please. (Non-Star Trek-related "dream cards"
may be posted on The Buzz.)
-
Remember that not everyone sees the new episodes at the same time; they don't
want the story lines spoiled for them. If you base your ideas on a recent episode,
use a subject line like: Dream Cards from "Valiant" (Warning: Spoiler Info!) so
they will not read it prematurely.
-
Because images cannot be posted on the BBSs, you can post only texts for dream
cards. Please don't post links to images you have created using scanned card artwork
and/or images from the shows; Decipher does not allow their artwork to be used
in posted images, even on your own web site.
-
Decipher does not collect card ideas from this board to use in the game. Due
to legal and ethical considerations, Decipher cannot accept, review, comment on,
publish, or use in any form serious player-submitted card ideas.
Surveys
This is another area that can easily get out of hand; sometimes it seems as
though every other thread is another survey, especially when it's been a while
since the last expansion. But most players are curious about other players: their
backgrounds; their preferences in affiliations, characters, and series; their
experiences in casual and tournament play. As long as it's related to the Star
Trek CCG, this is the place to conduct your survey.
THE BUZZ
It's hard to set guidelines for The Buzz. "Wide-ranging, free-form gameplay"
says it all. Pretty much anything goes here, as long as it's clean, non-defamatory,
and not disruptive. Although not designed as a chat room (Wesley Crusher's chat
rooms are much easier to use), chatting is acceptable here. Discussion of the
Star Trek shows themselves (separate from their implementation in the game) belongs
here rather than on the game gameplay board.
WHAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE
There are some topics that are not appropriate for any of these boards, either
because they clutter up the board and prevent users from finding what they need,
or because they are just simply inappropriate behavior.
-
Vulgar, suggestive, obscene or profane language. Parents complain - rightfully
- when their children see four-letter words here.
-
Flaming, attacking or harassing individuals or groups.
-
Star Wars vs. Star Trek "wars." Both are great games; let's not argue about
which one is "better."
-
Discussion of the Star Wars CCG. They have their own BBSs.
-
Discussion of the "other" Star Trek card game. Always remember that Decipher
provides this site.
-
Anything else that is miscellany, i.e., not related to Star Trek CCG (except
on the Buzz).
Jolan tru,
Major Rakal
|
|
MESSAGE BOARD TOPIC CHOICES
YOUNG JEDI CCG
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs
and
dream cards
STAR WARS CCG
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs
and dream cards
STAR TREK CCG
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs
and
dream cards
|
