"Why we use TMP" Topic

There have been a few suggestions about things Bill could do to improve the user experience here of late. It's easy to state the negatives and leave the good things unstated, so it might be a good time to talk about why we like the place, too.

Here we go then: why do YOU use and enjoy TMP?

No negative comments please, no buts, no ifs. Just tell us what you like about the place.

For me:

People. Good folks who are happy to provide advice and input.

General hobby information. Both in the forum archives and when you need a bit of help *right now*.

Latest news. Hearing about new rules, figures, products, books, and so on; often getting reviews on them in very short order.

Experts. There are a few resident experts here. I won't embarrass them by naming names, but over time you get to know who they are, and we are very lucky to have them.

Encouragement. There is very rarely any outright negativity on hobby topics. You don't often see people being ridiculed for their painting, their scenario design, their write ups or anything else wargame-related. People are generally sensitive around those kinds of things and treat people with respect. It's a real plus that that is the attitude here.

It's welcoming. People are generally friendly, polite and helpful to new faces.

There are other things I've missed too, I'm sure. Anyway, please, if you enjoy TMP, take a moment to share what you like about the place.

Best wishes,
Aaron

A good list. It's a place to hang out. I like to look at other people's figures. TMP leads me to links I wouldn't otherwise find. I'm not bothered about the arguments personally, can always just ignore them, so that's not an issue for me.

More or less the same reasons as the OP. The vast majority of the people here are fine folk.

The massive amount of info to be found. Every now and then. Some really good long debates you learn a lot from.

And the inspiration. All the fantastically paint figures, buildings and scratch built models.

I generally have to stay away from blogs of war, because if I start reading those blogs, I'd end up with an infinite number of projects.

TMP's main attraction for me is the good hobby information across such a wide variety periods,scales, etc. if I need information this is the first place to go, hands down.

I like the international nature of the membership it means we often find out things that we wouldn't otherwise.

The gaming content is good and the resulting discussion is mostly polite and informative.

Its still the best place to post a query, no matter how obscure someone can usually come up with the info' requested.

Like most of y´all, I use it for information and inspiration. I have learned a lot here and there are folks here I really enjoy.

Aaron, it is a very nice topic you started.

Re the international nature of the membership – perhaps if there were more sites covering this aspect the world would be better. Tango fought against the UK, Barin is Russian and so would normally be considered 'the enemy' – here, they are friends as it should be away from here.

Same same with the above. It is the gentlemans club of war gaming. Sometimes when we go over the line we are reminded by a stay in the DH.

Folk willing to share arcane specialist information you could spend a lifetime searching for elsewhere, and usually doing it in a matter of hours.

Mollinary

Scope
Civility
Expertise
Moderation

It provides broad exposure and has a big membership.

Easy to get Information, see what others have done

Well there's the obvious practical help and advice of a large group of talented hobby enthusiasts and the occasional moment of been truly inspired by the talents or perspectives of others.

But apart from that and IMHO belonging to a community who share your own personal interests addresses a very fundamental hunger of the human person. With the obvious time constraints its not always practical or possible to seek out the physical presence of a community; whereas an online community seems ever present when life presents an opportunity to visit.

I enjoy the site because of all the information about uniforms, battles, etc. that the members contribute. I get inspiration from the many battle scenes and painted figures that the talented individuals display. I am kept up to date on new figures, terrain, rules sets, etc. by what people and companies contribute to this site. I sometimes get a laugh by what people with a sense of humor dump out in the middle of a serious conversation about whether a figure can move 6 inches or 8 across a swamp during the night when it's raining and they are trying to be quiet while they are all suffering from stomach pain because of what they ate for dinner the night before. And, most of all, I really appreciate the patience Bill suffers as he tries to keep us all happy as he wades his way thru computer problems while fighting bugs as if he was in the next 4th of July movie, dealing with vast personalities, trying to make positive changes, explaining himself over and over again on so many issues, all the while providing a place for us to enjoy all the other information that I just described. Well done Bill!

Ditto what others have already posted. Plus, if you feel feisty you can go to the Blue Fez for some good verbal(written) sparing. Plus, when I see other folks painted figures it keeps me humble.

Dave

And this reminds me I need to re-new my membership this week.

As above, I also like the layout, its so easy to look at, and I dont have to spend forever clicking on tabs and page links to find what I want.

All of the above and, even with the occasional bug that pops up, for me it's fast loading and structured well for how I like to search topics.

I find it easy to use, and I can generally find a discussion that relates to what I'm looking for (i.e., available figures, uniforms, paint colors). It's a tremendous resource!

Lots of information easily called upon. News about shows and gaming. Plus a good presentation (no silly quotations). Pictures and links.

Pretty much as the OP. I like the fact that there is coverage of so many different periods. I tend to have a few favourite periods for gaming, but dip into many others from time to time and can always find something useful even inspirational, in the archives. There are also some quick- witted and humorous folks on here who can find something funny to say on many topics and , lets face it, we all need a good laugh with the present state of the world.

Though I enjoy other sites, TMP remains the one hobby forum I visit regularly. Most of the reasons have already been said by other posters, but may bear repeating:

1.) The depth of knowledge available: recently I asked a rather silly question on how to say something in both French and Spanish, to provide a touch more authenticity to a project of mine; I had friendly, helpful answers from fellow gamers in Spain and France within minutes. As nice as other wargaming sites are, I don't know that such a question would "fit" at those places. They are almost too focused on figures and gaming, if that makes sense.

2.) Breadth of approach: the vast bulk of my gaming over the past years has been in the bigger scales, 42mm, 54mm, etc. This is the only place I've found that consistently has posts from gamers in the big scale. Other sites seem almost exclusively focused on 28mm, with the occasional nod to 15's. Though I don't use them currently, it also seems the smaller scales (6mm, 10mm) have a bigger voice here than on other forums. Nothing at all wrong with 28mm, mind, (I've painted thousands of them) it's just nice to see the hobby in all its variety.

3.) Activity: on another thread the loss of various members has been lamented. I'm sure there are a number of good, knowledgeable people who no longer visit TMP (at least "officially") – there likely an equal number of thoroughly poisonous types who have been shown the door. Having said this, the discussions here, to me, still seem vibrant and informative as ever. I've been visiting for well over ten years, and at least in topics that I follow, the change in level and general tone has been negligible. The fact is there are still loads of wonderful people here.

Once again speaking only on topics I follow (Colonials, WWII, Pulp, sometimes Ancients, Medieval and Fantasy), I love the number of topics and posts to be perused here. Except the last, the activity on these topics at other sites is pretty quiet, occasionally nonexistent.

Saying all this doesn't mean things can't or shouldn't change to become even better, but the OP wisely wants no "buts" in the thread. I'll finish by saying I've spent many happy years here on TMP and hope to spend many more!

Always great advice to be had.
Plenty of inspiration on the boards.
Loads of stuff to read and enjoy.

I might add, I probably spend more time on tmp than any other forum I'm on.

Unless I'm doghoused, I post daily.
This is my home on the interweb.

Good folks good info great hobby work (figures, terrain,
buildings, scenario/rule design)

and it can be quite entertaining (Lounge….)

Great advice.
Painting and figure suggestions.
Wonderful pictures of well painted figures.
Great looking games tables.
AAR's.
Laughs.
What's new.

Best overall gaming site on the net.

Everything. Political humor, insight, criticism, art, quality control for my hobby budget, intelligent, knowledgable discourse on esoteric subjects, nostalgia, kepping basic history/geography/culture/society relevant in today's world perception….and growing old whithout getting lost. Thank you all.

And a great BS detector.

The above have covered all I could think of.

I appreciate all Bill does to make this happen. I rarely, if ever, miss a day.

Thanks for starting this thread Aaron

Tom

inspiration and the serendipitous discovery.

I take a look at TMP daily. It has plenty of information. It is easy to use. I appreciate the viewpoints of the membership.

The information, new techniques, inspiring posts and photographs, the sense of sharing and the world wide community of purpose.

Imho… people are the gem… (smile)

And I have to congratulate Temporary like Achilles for this necessary thread … who reminds us why we are here… sorrounded by so good fellow members… (smile).

Amicalement
Armand

TMP is my site to go for on a daily basis. Lots of good people who will help you out. I used to post on other sites, but now I only do TMP as there are so many different areas and you can post without having to go elsewhere.

The time it takes to ask something and get a reply is often very rapid and the replies are very good.

As a solo wargamer I find that TMP keeps me attached to the hobby. Without it I'd be pretty much on my own. So it motivates me.

I can sometimes see something that gets me all fired up to try something new. For example I don't think I'd have got into sculpting, mould making and casting without the support of the people here.

All in all TMP does it for me.

Good people, good information, good discussion.

I spend more time here than any other forum, miniatures-related or not.

Thanks,

Perry

In addition to all the cool hobby stuff, I never worry about chiming in on a topic. The TMP community (left, right, and center) is one that I am proud to know. Oh, and Tango. Where does he find the time to dig up his eclectic and informative posts. I'm jealous.

Partly the expertise and variety of topics, Mostly its because its the only gaming site I can access whilst at work.

I posted a question yesterday. Had an answer in an hour(thanks,steamingdave!).

It's the only place where we can place an add and get hundreds if not 1000s of "hits" in such a short period.
The best advertising bang for the buck going!!
Personally, I ignore all the silly stuff and only read what I am interested in. People just are no longer thick skinned I suppose? 🤔

Regards
Russ Dunawsy