BASEBALL GAMES FORUM GUIDELINES
These guidelines for participation in the Baseball Games forums are presented in the interest of maintaining
a friendly and civil ambience, streamlining message threads, and reducing unwanted advertising. Please read them
thoroughly and respect them when posting, and we'll all get along great. This is a cordial forum for inquiry, occasionally
even jocularity, not a place for heated debate. The founders / owners / moderators of this forum are cranky old buzzards
looking to have some fun with this and provide some fun for you as well. They have neither the time nor the patience
for trolls and troublemakers who seek to disrupt the board by subverting or circumventing these few simple guidelines.
There are seven separate but related forums at this site, which is an adjunct of our main website, Baseball Games,
at https://baseballgames.dreamhosters.com/ .
The main forum here, Baseball Games, is primarily for the exchange of information on antique, vintage,
and collectible tabletop baseball games, and for having a pleasant time in that pursuit. Off-topic posts related
to the primary aim of the forum are also welcome, providing that they are harmonious with the general ambience of
the discussion, and that the number or tone of such topics, the repetitious raising of such topics, or the length of
such threads, does not begin to overwhelm or distract from the primary purpose of the forum.
A second forum, Baseball Games Archive, is maintained to house the wealth of discussion of vintage games
posted from 2004 to 2013 at the forum's original Yahoo Groups site. Information there is accessible to members
of this forum, but there is no posting of new material except as the moderators add old posts to the archive.
The Archive forum is a work in progress, currently incomplete, but all posts from the old forum have been saved and
will be posted eventually.
A third forum, Baseball Games Files, is the library of game-related articles that had been posted
in the old Yahoo forum's Files section. These are generally essays containing advice for collectors, interviews with
game designers, and charts and innovations for gamers. The Files forum, too, is a work in progress and incomplete, but
all files will eventually be transcribed. Posting here, also, is restricted to the moderators, but comments on the articles
are welcome in the main Baseball Games forum.
A fourth forum, Baseball Sims, is for discussion of modern MLB-sim games, computer baseball, SABRmetrics,
modern game engine design, and tangentially-related matters. Please direct your messages regarding post-1970s
games, statistical analysis, and so on, to that forum, not to the main Baseball Games forum.
A fifth forum, Transactions, is for the use of members looking to buy specific tabletop baseball games or
related items, and for members offering games or related items or services for sale. Posting here is subject to some
general restrictions detailed further below.
A sixth forum, Open & Off-Topic, is for general banter unrelated to baseball boardgames. This is resolutely
a cordial and convivial board, however, so talk here about hockey, football, your vacation, your new housepet, your
favorite music or your favorite movie, whatever -- but absolutely, positively, no religion and no politics. Keep it light.
Absolutely no arguing or insults either.
The seventh forum is the Test Forum, in which you can experiment with posting images, formatting tabular material,
and just about anything else before posting to the Baseball Games or Baseball Sims forums. Questions concerning
technical issues with the forums, or problems encountered in navigating or posting to the forums, should also be
directed there.
Criticism or ridicule of any particular game, its designers, or its fans is sure to cause arguments and ill feelings, and
is therefore strictly limited by the moderators and subject to being edited or blocked entirely. Advertising is also
strictly limited according to the guidelines detailed below.
Courtesy to your fellow members is paramount, and courtesy to the forum's owners / moderators is appreciated.
If you do not extend the courtesy and respect expected in common discourse and as suggested in these guidelines,
you should not expect to receive it in return, and you will quickly get the boot.
That's the skinny. Below is a more detailed set of suggestions, most of which should go without saying, but may be
useful for some newcomers to this forum or for people who weren't never taught no manners.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The owners / moderators do not enjoy taking a strong hand in attempting to govern discourse on the forums, and
seek only to encourage it to stay cordial and on-topic. As it would be impossible to anticipate every potential tangent of
conversation, these are presented as guidelines, not as a complete set of absolute rules. We trust that the sort of
common sense and common courtesy already shown by almost all the members of this forum will obviate most trouble.
If trouble arises, however, the patience of the owners / moderators has an increasingly short limit.
Membership is open to anyone. Consider this an open house to which you have invited yourself. Conduct yourself in
a friendly and respectful manner. If you spit on the floor in your own house, however, do not expect that sort of behavior
to be tolerated here.
Arguments that the request to abide by these guidelines restricts one's "freedom of speech" do not hold a drop of water.
Being a member of this forum is not a right. Freedom of Speech applies to the government, not to any online forum.
* One additional simple requirement for membership: if you join the group and and wish to receive e-mail notification
of new posts at the forum, you must have a valid, working e-mail address. Don't worry, we won't try to
sell you anything. Odds approach certainty that we'll never contact you at all.
Messages are moderated, meaning they are subject to approval by the owners / moderators before being posted to
the forums, and as such may wait in queue for many hours before being posted.
* Messages posted in reply to previous posts or existing threads, and containing excessively long reiterations
of previously posted material, may be edited for space and / or relevance. Please be considerate of your fellow
forum members and the moderators, and edit the replied-to material in your message yourself before posting.
* Messages containing inflammatory, vulgar, obscene, or patently offensive material will be blocked,
and anyone attempting to post such messages will immediately be banned.
* Messages in violation of the spirit of any of the guidelines described in this document may be edited or may
be blocked entirely.
* Bleating, whinging, and throwing tantrums about the moderators' oppressive methods will get you absolutely nothing
except a faster exit.
* Attachments within messages are allowed but are basically limited to photos. If you have files in another format
(text files, video, .pdf, &c') that you wish to share or contribute, we recommend that you put them on-line elsewhere
and include a URL link to that location in your message. If you have questions about what type of attachments can be
posted or how to post them, inquire of the moderators in the Test Forum.
* Advertising of relevant items for sale with potential interest to the membership is allowed only under the following
conditions:
advertisers must be members of the group for 90 days before their for-sale announcements can be posted, and
only one such for-sale message may be made each month by any one member / advertiser, with a maximum of
100 words and one URL per post.
Such messages should be placed only in the Transactions forum. Messages in violation of this policy will be blocked.
* $p@m of any sort will not be tolerated. This is a moderated forum, so $p@m messages will never reach the
membership, and anyone attempting to $p@m the message boards will immediately be banned.
* An FAQ page is accessible from the front page of this Forum. If you are having trouble with technical issues
such as registering, signing in, posting, or navigation, we recommend that you consult that page first. If your
difficulty is not solved after consulting the FAQ page, please describe the technical difficulty you're experiencing
in the Test Forum here. If you can not access the forums at all, the moderators can be contacted by e-mail at
[ Butch7999(at)aol.com ].
Again, the main purpose of this forum is the exchange of information on antique, vintage, and collectible
tabletop baseball games.
* Questions and answers concerning the history, manufacturers, graphics, contents, mechanics, repair, availability, and
market values of older and out-of-print / out-of-production baseball-themed board games, dice games, card games,
dart games, action games, dexterity games, mechanical, electrical, and pinball games are typical and most welcome
topics for posts. Results and statistics, from tabletop baseball games played by the use of such games, and / or
from tabletop leagues formed around such games, and opinions on those games' "playability," are likewise welcome.
We recommend that you browse recent forum posts and the Baseball Games Archive forum and familiarize yourself
with the "temperature of the room" before posting to the forum / e-list for the first time.
* Similar topics of discussion relating to mostly post-1970s MLB-sim games (including, but not limited to, Strat-O-Matic,
APBA, All-Star Baseball, Replay, Statis Pro, Pursue the Pennant / Dynasty League / IBL, Sports Illustrated Baseball,
Sherco Baseball, ASG Baseball, Big League Manager, Negamco Major League Baseball, ABC Table-Top Baseball,
All-Star Baseball Card Game, Ball Park Baseball, Baseball Classics, Bases Loaded Baseball, Box Seat Baseball,
Bench Coach Baseball, Dugout Dreams, Extra Innings, Great Play! Baseball, Inning-A-Minute Baseball, LF Baseball,
MLB Showdown, Nine Inning Classic, Triple Play Baseball, Triple Threat Baseball, and When the Grass Was Real),
and discussions of computer games, accuracy and realism in baseball sims, SABRmetrics, statistical analysis,
modern game engine design, and results and statistics, from the playing of MLB-sim games and / or from leagues
formed around such games, and opinions on those games' "playability," are likewise welcome but should be directed
to the Baseball Sims forum here -- again, providing that the questions, answers, and opinions offered are
respectful of those games' many current players and enthusiasts, and of their designers.
Some of the many fans of those games and several of the inventors / developers of those games are among
the membership of this forum. Nothing related to the main focus of this forum is more certain to start a fight than
suggesting someone's favorite game is flawed, a fraud, or a failure. You are welcome to say you do not enjoy a
particular game and why, but say it once and be done with it. Belittling or berating any game, its fans, or its makers,
nor repeated complaints and criticisms about a particular game, nor insinuating remarks in such a vein cravenly
attempting to masquerade as innocent inquiry, will not be tolerated here. Almost all of the games named above
have their own corporate websites or fan forums, and you have every opportunity those afford, and afforded by any
number of other tabletop sports gaming sites and forums, to proclaim the superiority of your game of choice and
the inferiority of any others.
* Once more, off-topic posts (including, but not limited to, "real-life" baseball, tabletop versions of other sports, and
so on) related to the primary aim of the forum are welcome, providing that they conform with the general ambience
of previous discussions, and that the number or tone of such topics, the repetitious raising of such topics, or the
length of such threads, does not begin to overwhelm or distract from the primary purpose of the forums. The forum
allows a fair amount of latitude for such stuff, and veteran members of the forum who have amply demonstrated their
interest in the forum's main focus, and their respect for the topic and for their fellow members of the forum, will
naturally be allowed a bit more latitude than a disruptive newcomer.
* Your moderators may be slow, but they're not entirely dim. Messages, no matter how politely or circuitously
worded, that are calculated to spark an argument, to attack, insult, or undermine the opinions, character, products,
ideas, or tastes of another member, to alter the fundamental focus of the forum, or to bicker about these guidelines,
will not be permitted. Come in here with a smile and spread it around. This is supposed to be a happy place.
The owners / moderators have enough conflict and controversy to deal with in the real world, thank you, so
contribute something other than negativity. Come in here with a smirk or a snarl and you will be shown the door.
If you have come here mainly to agitate, aggravate, criticize, antagonize, or advertise, you can take your agenda
and leave right now.
* These guidelines are not set in stone, and may adapt as unforeseen situations develop.
* These guidelines apply to all members, but not necessarily to the owners / moderators, who are a law unto themselves.
* How much did you pay to get in here?
* No pepper.
Forum Policy -- Butch, Kerm, Fred, & Win, Baseball Games, February 2006
edited November 2008 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
September 2009 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
November 2013 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
January 2014 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
May 2014 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
September 2015 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
February 2020 (Butch, Kerm, & Win)
|