Lurker curious about e-mail

[Duck One]

*waddles in dragging an obviously old and well-used soap box...stands on same...raises a wing as he addresses the masses*

I got an e-mail from here. It went into my spam folder, but I noticed it nonetheless, and read it. It said ALFA is reformed and I should expect marginal drama should I visit these forums. Given that I have periodically lurked here out of morbid curiousity, I was understandably dubious but also curious. So I have scanned the forums to see what has changed.

I didn't immediately notice any ten page flaming threads, and I was somewhat ready to start to believe, but then I looked up at the announcements which I had initially skipped over. There I did indeed find a thread ironically on censorship of all things started by a new group of would-be web warriors ready to try to tame the deeply rooted malcontents who have found a home like so many weeds in my back yard, and 10 pages of responses by all the usual suspects, complete with shiny new examples of the promised censorship and punctuated by the all-too-familiar lock at the end.

Then further scan of the announcements reveals another much shorter thread: a list of administrative actions doling out punishment to some who have apparently failed to heed the warning of the new sheriff and the deputies including a good ole-fashioned lynching. Well, I'm sure one example is not enough to completely change the attitude and there are more gunslingers who doubt the mettle of this group, but I'll pay closer attention.

If ALFA is worth all the effort you all put into it, then show it the respect of any fine exclusive club, and insist upon its membership to do the same. We're out here, waiting and hoping.

*steps off of soap box, picks it up, waddles off...gooses Wynner and nods to Fluffer before making an exit*

[dergon darkhelm]

Hi Duck. Glad you're at least poking your head in.

I'm not ALFA leadership and we don't know each other well (you DM'd me once as I did a fly by in NWN1 Silverymoon) so my commentary is merely that of an avid player.

What would you like to see to encourage you to come back and play (or DM or build god willing)?

I know there are old players out there who siimply will never be able to find their way back for a variety of reason. All I want is to see more quality roleplayers involved in the community.

What would you like to see to convince you to roll up a PC (preferrably a Helmite ) and get in game?

[Wynna]

*Quack* Although it tempts fate.... Welcome to ALFA, drama free since July 2008 (when the drama was over trying to get drama-free and a couple of blips since involving enforcing said drama-freeness.)

[Rotku]

The secret lies behind the little dwarves we've got enslaved, checking each individual post before it is made public.

[danielmn]

I have to second Wynna. Admin, HDM's, DM's, Builders, Players are smoothly working with, not against, each other for many many months now. I can't even think of the last big fire...of coarse, that doesn't mean there isn't disagreement...but it is extremely level headed disagreement and really doesn't get personal...more of contributing as to the best way to do something rather than demanding something be done a certain way. I for one have certainly enjoyed this past year a lot more than I have some other years in alfa (even though I'm relatively new...*waits for Mags to chime in with how long he's been in ALFA...*)

The peeps on the boards are mostly contributors in one form or another, and there is a def. feeling of sharing vs. the old entitlement b.s. I used to see. I still dodge the main chat channel, as I really have no need for it. THere are other channels to log into for various things, keeping us all conected, like specific server channels or builder channels...I can honestly say the sour grape crowd has dramatically thinned, and most who are here are working in one form or another for a better community at large. Step in, take a peek around for a week or two. I'm sure you'll find sour grapers who remember you and wil razz you a couple of days, but don't let that stop you from enjoying what is now an extremely layed back and collaborative community.

Daniel

[oldgrayrogue]

Here here Dan.

[zicada]

Good to see you again Duck, you big troll

Thanks for reminding me to clean up the announcements section in GD: *done*

[zicada]

Also, to anyone whose curious, here's the email i sent out to about 4000 or so old members going all the way back to when we started up the new forums after the quake in early 2004. About 1000 of them turned out to be spammers who plagued the boards for a time when the internets hadn't yet invented captchas And quite a large number of them no longer existed.

Anyway here it is:

Greetings!

You are receiving this email because you were at one time or another a member of ALFA,- A Land Far Away,
but is showing as inactive in our database.

We are sending this to inform you that our community is still going strong,- 10 years after its initial conception.

Lately, focus has shifted from NWN to the newer NWN2,- and two servers are already live:

Baldurs Gate
The Silver Marches

They are of course connected via portals in true ALFA fashion.
In addition, three more servers are actively being worked on and will go live in the near future.

We currently have quite good DM coverage for our servers, and often see over 10 and even 15 players
on line on one of the servers at the same time.

Many of the things members have complained about in the past are now history,- and have been for quite some time.
Relations are good among our members, and we are happy to report that the "drama-levels" are quite low.

With this email, we wish to invite you to consider returning to ALFA, and joining in on all the fun.

Simply click 'Sign up NOW' in the top right corner of the website, and mention that you are a returning member.

We have created a special forum titled 'Returning members' under the ALFA General section of our forums that you will have
access to immediately after submitting your application. Applications are normally reviewed within 24-48 hours.

We can be found on irc at irc.sorcery.net channel #alandfaraway

Our website: http://www.alandfaraway.org
Forums: http://www.alandfaraway.org/forums


Welcome back to ALFA!

-- The ALFA Administration
(faeryl, ayergo, acadiuslost, rotku, zicada)

As a result, we did get a nice spike in traffic, and quite a few new applications as well as former members who still had their account intact who has now returned.

All in all i'd say it was a success

[Electryc]

Oh duck your such a tease.

[Riotnrrd]

Nice to hear from you, Duck!

[Lasu]

Duck! Welcome!

[Veilan]

Yeah, ALFA is drowning in drama, and the nazi moderators are reigning supreme. We probably need saving.

I guess this is the thread where I post pictures of Otto von Bismarck?

[Mikayla]

Its nice to read that ALFA is doing well. I tried coming back a couple months ago, but I could not bring myself to do it. Probably for the best. C'est la vie. Perhaps another time. Still, its nice to think of ALFA as a happy place rather than what it was when I left. Ciao.

[johnlewismcleod]

It really is a happy place. I'm a newb here...joined in Sept. or Oct. of '08...but from what I've seen you should both reconsider and come give it another try. The forums and servers are civil, mature, and great fun from what I've seen.

Come on back and have a cruise...what have you to lose but a bit of download time?

[Rotku]

Come on back and have a cruise...what have you to lose but a bit of download time?

Apart from all those hours and hours caught up in game?