"Should the Ultramodern Board........." Topic

….be:

A. Placed on hiatus for 180 days

B. Have all posts be under Moderation

C. Remain as is, but:
1. First offense mandatory DH for 3 days
2. Second offense mandatory DH for 7 days
3. Third offense Account Locked

Discussions on this Board have degenerated into politics and nothing to do with gaming or miniatures.
Recent examples:
TMP link
TMP link

How say you?

How eminently sensible these suggestions are, SMM.

I suspect any—or indeed all—of the measures you propose would be widely welcomed by a large majority of the membership.
B. may prove rather too laborious to administer, however.

I am also fairly certain that, whatever the poll result, Bill is unlikely to change anything—which is a pity. I suspect that, were even some of these measures adopted, membership might well increase.

I cannot help but think that without the political boards, TMP's atmosphere would improve markedly, and traffic devoted to genuine hobby discussion would increase accordingly.

This proposal is based on my post here:
TMP link

I saw it & was going to give it a "+1" but I was logged out & couldn't be bothered to log in.

At any rate, I 'tips me lid' to you. I'll probably drop by in a week or so & see what the result is.

D. Even handed enforcement of existing regulations and protocols. Particularly regarding whose posts are "political" and whose aren't.

E. Free fire zone with ABSOLUTELY NO MODERATION.

Almost everyone admits "something is wrong".

Does anyone go to the Blue Fez anymore?
I seem to recall that it was envisioned as a Free Fire Zone with Free Speech.
Yet, it often resulted in DH and Locked Accounts.

Stone you had my perspective in the other link:

"Honestly Stone, I have no issue with Bill doing that. No discussions of the Ukraine, Iran or anything going on in the last 20 years.

Although somehow, it would worm its way into posts in other venues. I'd put money on it."

But I'll add in here:

No one forces anyone to read ultramodern warfare. There are literally a 100 other threads to go to.

By its very subject matter, it is political. You cannot talk about the war in the Ukraine without bringing in the leaders of both countries.

Also there are other topics that have nothing to do with the hobby. Most are for fun, but not always.

How about just get rid of the Ultra-Modern board all together. Very few, if any are playing games that fit this category. Nuke the whole board.

I don't go to the Blue Fez, and I blocked Ultramodern years ago so I don't have to see all this crap. There are plenty of other places on the internet for rage bait. Sounds like Ultramodern has just turned back 8nto the old Current Affairs board, which was inevitable.

So just leave it as it is and I can go on ignoring it.

I'll add that all non-military "what if?" posts should be nuked immediately, and that goes double for "Was X a Good Thing?" topics. The whole good/bad thing is or should be outside the range of TMP.

I blocked that board immediately after it was created. Didn't see any chance of good gaming topics coming out of it or surviving as such around here.

"War is politics by other means."
Clausewitz

I finally learned to avoid that which upset me and stick to the history I enjoy. Nice to know I am not alone in this thinking.

I blocked the ultramodern board for the same reasons that I blocked the American Civil War and the TMP Talk boards. I just was sick of all the political crap.

Not part of that board, though I have popped in a few times to get answers to questions about the Ukraine War.

I see that one of the topics on the Ultramodern Board has drawn 1,530 comments. Is that a record, Bill, or has something--probably on the Napoleonic Discussion Board--had more comments?

Grelber
Who saw The Mandalorian and Grogu yesterday

I play Ultramoderns and do actually get relevant info from the board. I also have never been dawghoused as I am old enough to remain quiet when people start frothing from the mouth over this or that latest hot take.

Seriously folks, it's an Internet forum. People can be wrong and you don't have to argue with them over it.

Arguing over the internet is like wrestling a pig. You get all frustrated, tired and angry and in the end, the pig enjoys it.

Keep the board lest "discussions [that degenerate] into politics and nothing to do with gaming or miniatures" pop up more frequently in other boards with 'proper' gaming and miniatures discussions. With the board in place at least we know where not to go – unless we so choose.

If you want, put a banner on the top of the board with "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" – which is the spelling of the original text – not modern Italian. I prefer that, but that might be obscure – so, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" will suffice. 😮

You can decide for yourself, if you choose to enter, which circle is best suited to your 'sins'. Niven's and Pournelle's retelling of Inferno might help in that regard.

"Abbandonate ogni speranza, voi che entrate qui." in colloquial Italian. I tried Dante's line on my (Italian) wife. She asked if I was having a stroke.

I do have that motto is pasted on my Spare Parts Box

—Somewhere in there is the missing left arm of a grenadier. Somewhere.

Yep. I enjoy Ultramoderns for folks saying things so I don't feel the need. Dante is appropriate for many situations these days. Then there is Confucious' "May you live in interesting times."

The speed with which the GlobalEye thread…

TMP link

…shifted from procurement and capability to domestic political narratives is telling. I flagged it because it could have been a substantive discussion about operational requirements, but instead it immediately became partisan.

That's the core issue with the Ultramodern Board. It isn't drifting into politics by accident. The board functions as a space for expressing political identity, perceived grievance, and broader anxieties – not for discussing ultramodern conflict or systems analysis. The pattern repeats in thread after thread, and the GlobalEye discussion is simply one more example.