Forumshire chat server

Forumshire Does Discord!

...and not in the sense that we sow discord--though that may or may not have happened at some points in the past.

Chatting with people off-site has long been an important part of the forum experience for me. It's played less of a role with Forumshire, probably in part because our tone is often already chatty on the forums, but I really value the many long conversations I've had with Forumshirans through other mediums. I don't have nearly everyone here on FB, though, and to be honest Messenger leaves a lot to be desired. So I've been playing around with the idea of creating a Forumshire Discord (chat) server for easier real-time text and voice messaging.

This is an experiment that I got Amarië's blessing for. I think it could be a nice extension of the forum, but whether anything comes of it is up to you guys and whether you find it useful. One concern that both Petty and I share is that it might cannibalize activity from the forum (if people join), but I think it can fill a different and complementary niche. And given the overall trend of activity on Tolkien forums (a much larger trend than just us), I feel mixing things up is worth a shot. If anything comes of this server, we can always reassess in the future.

For anyone who has not used Discord before, it's a free chat service similar to IRC; old IM programs like AIM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo; and the Planet Tolkien chatroom, for those who remember that. It can be used in your browser, or through an app for both desktop computers and smartphones. You need a Discord account to join, and one of the nice perks is that you don't need to pick a unique username. Rather, your name will be followed by a # and a unique four digit code. You can also change your nickname as it appears in an individual server without changing your overall username.

You can join the server by clicking the first link below. You can register for Discord by clicking the second link.

https://discord.gg/mxFxfBC

https://discordapp.com/register

Anyone with the link (ie, anyone reading this thread, including guests) can join the server, so I ask that forum members who join mention doing so in this thread, so I can tag people as verified. If you use a different name on Discord than on the forum, please also mention that (by PM if you prefer). Further details can be found in the server's #announcements channel.

I hope this is fun! The voice chat feature in particular adds an option we haven't had before. Whether by text or voice, though, I hope to get to chat with more of you guys in real time, including people with whom I've never previously had the chance.

Cool cool cool, I've thought before about voice chat options with forumshire peeps

Voice chat is definitely paying off so far! I had a really great hour-long conversation tonight with Forest about a whole bunch of stuff. Looking forward to more in the future--and hopefully with others too!

Indeed, it was most perspicacious!

{{Joined, twice I think- it seems to have got confused between browser and my app version }}

Good to have you aboard!

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{Joined, twice I think- it seems to have got confused between browser and my app version  }}

Oh aye? Now you use discord?!... lol

{{ No, but you bugging me over it is the only reason I already had the app installed if that's any consolation, I have what is now becoming a growing number of crabbit-inducing comms programs that never quite work properly, from facebook to discord and steam along the way. }}

Hey Petty do you have Discord up while you're gaming or on your computer? And if so, what time of day is that generally? I've been trying to catch you on there so we can have a voice chat about Roleplaying games and how the weather is and other fascinating topics. And, really, the same goes for anyone on the forum. I'd love to hear your voices and have a chat sometime, even if it's just about how bad the Amazon show is going to be. HMU

{{ Tricky one Forest.

Partly as I'm a crabbit unsociable sort who games to get away from other people as a general rule not to meet them    (one of the reasons I dont play multiplayer more than once in a blue moon).
Partly because my mic is built into my vr headest and switching to the mic in my normal headphones involves crawling about under my desk changing a cable.  
And partly because I work nights as does the Better Half so I tend to be gaming late UK time - from about 11pm -2am or alternatively random points during the day depending on which of us is working which nights and sleeping when!  

All of which makes it rather tricky to predict- ask Nagual- he's always trying to get me to join up in games and I'm always failing to make it. }}

Yeah, he hates playing with others.

Yeah I have a co-worker like that. He prefers hanging out on his couch playing Total War games to most social events.

{{ I'm not quite that bad! I haven't played total war in years!

And I can be dragged to social occasions by the Better Half (got one coming up next weekend in fact ) and I'm fine socialising and such in those circumstances once a few buckies are down
Its just not my preferred activity due to my crabbitness meaning I can't be arsed with almost everyone I meet

As to not gaming multiplayer or chatting to others whilst gaming- well that really goes back to the fact that for the first 10-20 years of my gaming life playing multiplayer meant you had a mate round your place, a two player game and two joysticks plugged in. Gaming was a for the most part a single player thing, multiplayer in the modern sense didn't exist.
So for me my game time is like reading time, its me time, its unwind time, its get away from everything time.
As such using that time to socialise more etc, however pleasant, is wasting that precious gaming me time which can be so hard to snatch.
Hope that makes sense, somewhat.

Of course Nagual will probably come on now and tell you no, it really is just because I am a crabbit miserable unsociable old arsehole- and that might be true too! }}

Multiple player gaming is only satisfying with room-mates or office mates, when you know who you are playing with and are both hit by inspiration at the same time. Haven't had a chance to do that in maybe 25 years.

I've really enjoyed multi-player gaming in the past with internet acquaintances. I used to run raids and such in the Lord of the Rings MMO for example.

socialising is one of my top 3 most irritating things, the other two are crumbs in the bed and sweaty t-shirts in a cold wind. I HATE THAT!!

Usually if you have a sweaty T-shirt you'd appreciate a cold wind.

If by socializing you mean making small talk with people you don't know very well, then I'm with you. But if hanging out with people you know very well and choose to be with, there's nothing better.

small talk with people I don't know

Only works if you're drunk.

Multiple player gaming is only satisfying with room-mates or office mates, when you know who you are playing with- Halfy

{{Throughout my twenties my house was the gathering place, was not unusual to have anything from a couple to 8 or 9 folk hanging about. Would have been oh ps1 days, and few other consoles hanging about like snes and megadrive I think- so Tekken, Soul Caliber, FIFA and ISS Pro, wipeout, gran turismo, v-rally, time splitters, street fighter 2, streets of rage and the like would have been the games of choice, 2 controllers, 1 tv and turn about or little mini leagues if a lot of folk were about,  lots of fun nights and often days in smoky drunken haze trying to get through the last song in Parappa the Rappa.

Where I am not at all comfortable is gatherings of folk I dont know, or dont know well, work gatherings with work colleagues I'd normally never see outside work and who move in different social circles, official events, and public ones with large crowds. I can do the thing, be pleasant, jokey and chatty, I'm not a go sit in the kitchen or a dark corner and hope it all goes away type, but I am inside my head the entire time I'm having to be nice to people!   }}

Yeah I feel that a lot of people are there with you on that one, myself included. Maintaining the proper amount of eye-contact is an ever-present concern.

halfwise wrote:

 But if hanging out with people you know very well and choose to be with, there's nothing better.

Even after all these years I sometimes wonder just how well we actually 'know' each other rather than our online persona's, how many of us have actually met IRL, or actually know each other's real names?

I always look forward to dropping by the forum and chatting with you guys/girls/crabbit hobbits, but I wonder what a in person conversation would be like...

And chalk me up as another one who dislikes mulitiplayer games, I play video-games to be a loner and get away from people and reality not to have arguments or competitions with others.

It's not in-person, but if you have discord you can chat through that and get to know some people better.

malickfan wrote:I always look forward to dropping by the forum and chatting with you guys/girls/crabbit hobbits, but I wonder what a in person conversation would be like...

My experience of forum meetups is that they're not dissimilar to the forum experience itself. When halfy, Radaghast, and I met in NYC in 2016, we got something to eat at a bar, went for a scenic walk, chatted about a bunch of different things, and then halfy and I both attended a Tolkien conference the next day. I tagged along for a Tolkien tumblr meetup after the conference and it was much the same, though longer. Just a small group of people sitting around a table, eating appetizers, drinking (non-alcoholic for some), and shooting the shit for like five or six hours. Good times.

Forest Shepherd wrote:It's not in-person, but if you have discord you can chat through that and get to know some people better.

This is very true.