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For me Dakkadakka is like a zoo. Sometimes I wake up and think "That thread last night was on fire, I cant wait to read wat X poster has written" and people here never dissapoints.
Maybe is because I dont take anything seriously.
It also helped to improve my english skills like, a lot.
Today I dont post as much just because Im in a hiatus until february of 2019 from the game.

The thing is, many people here have been playing the game for a decade or even several decades. I've been coming to Dakka in one form or another since it was on EZ Board and was attached to an actual FLGS. For people like me (I started playing in 1996 although I took a long break where I still followed things but couldn't play) it's passion about the game, and how we feel there are huge issues in the design of the game that constantly gets glossed over because "but pretty models". Many of us have played other games so we are exposed to the non-GW world where game design usually matters as much, if not more, as the design of the models while in the GW world you have a large swathe of people who don't care how bad the game is as long as they can buy pretty plastic.

Dakka is one of the few places left that hasn't tried to stifle anything that could remotely be construed as not thinking the game is 100% perfect and GW is the best company in the world. I've been to forums and groups like that, where any sort of criticism is met with open hostility for being "negative" and it's clear the mods might as well be pushing GW propaganda because they want a community to echo chamber praise for GW, not levy criticism at what many players think is a shoddy product that could be worlds better if only the proper effort was put into it.

At best, Dakka Dakka is the a fantastic forum to speak on every aspect of the hobby and to talk with like minded people.

The worst is when we all devolve into REEEing nerd rage filled balls of hate, which is the norm for most wargamers.

Dakka is like reading Fox news. You don't want to.. but being stuck in your own echo chamber is worse.

Like anything there are some legit issues with some things. Never as bad as it appears here, but worth knowing about.

Reemule wrote:
Dakka is like reading Fox news. You don't want to.. but being stuck in your own echo chamber is worse.

Like anything there are some legit issues with some things. Never as bad as it appears here, but worth knowing about.

Well as I always say... anyone who says dakkadakka should change and is full of people who should quite the game should just quite the forums and make their own. XD

Naw, Social media is already killing Dakka on its own. No one needs to change to let it die.

In 2005 Every 40K player I knew was on here. Now out of the 15+ in my gaming group I'm the only one on here, and its only cause I'm on my work machine.

I figure another 10 years and newer gamers will be like.. A board? Why not just use smoke signals?

Reemule wrote:
I figure another 10 years and newer gamers will be like.. A board? Why not just use smoke signals?

Then something new comes along and starts replacing social media, it is just how things work.

I love Dakka. I've only been active about a year .. and I don't post much anyway ... and even then I get some flak for some things I post in Geek Media, usually from the Geek Media In-Crowd (and there absolutely is such a thing!), but I still come out of it better informed than before, and know a lot more than a year ago about various movie & comic universes/backgrounds that I'm really into, so it's totally worth it.

I've also learned way too much about painting & modelling.

I also read pretty much everything in OT (but don't really participate actively). I'd say there are some ferociously knowledgeable folk here. There are also some ferociously obnoxious debaters ... who seem more interested in the actual art of debating (which I "suspect" might be more of an American thing? Or possibly a Uni thing?) and belittling their opponents than actually "adding" to the discourse ... but I find even that interesting, and I feel I definitely "gain" something from just reading it. I wouldn't dream of "ignoring" anyone ... very much not into echo chambers.

Maybe because I'm more a generalist modeler/wargamer than stricly a GW modeler/gamer, a lot of stuff just goes woosh ...
Still the best community I've ever been in (and I've been in quite a few since about 1992/3).

I used to hang out at warseer for many years but swapped to dakkadakka. The reason was simply because I worked in a court house at the time which blocked most internet pages but for some reason not Dakka Dakka. I think it had something to do with the cookies on the site. I actually found the dakka community to be more pleasant then the warseer one. I mostly hang out in the background section though and have generally gotten quite good response whenever I’ve put serious effort in a thread. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t find this community toxic really and I’m never scared of posting stuff for fear of it getting bashed. Usually there’s always posters bringing up most sides of argument so the Gw hate is met with reasons why hate is justified or not justified. I don’t know, guess this turned into a bit of a ramble, but I’ve certainly grown fond of both dakka dakka and of safety posting stuff here. People are mostly just polite you know. When not the mods are usually quick to act.

I've been here a while, and I stay for the news, mostly.
OT discussion is not a pretty place at times, so be careful what you do in there.
P&M is much 'quieter', and a good place to chill.

If you have a question, about where to play, how to do something, what to buy next, you'll get many answer. Most of your questions have been asked before, but be careful of when it was asked, as 40k and the hobby as a whole moves so quickly.

Which leads to the pace of change. That winds up a lot of people, and a good, balanced army might be 'useless' a book-release later. That is when people get shouty about GW and 40k most.

It's not bad, given that nobody's opinion on here actually changes in response to new information, but as someone mentioned earlier, that's hardly a failing of the Dakka community, that's just human nature.

Admitting error in realtime is probably the greatest failing of the human condition. The world around you stands as testament to that concept.

That being said, avoid MEQ vs GEQ arguments, bow out as soon as the mathhammer fanatics show up, and always assume GW is just trying to sell you more minis with whatever they do.

 Brutus_Apex wrote:
My criticism of 40K stems from my love of it, and my desire for it to become better than it is.

My vitriol comes from them destroying things that I love like Warhammer Fantasy and Space Marines and introducing garbage like AoS and Primaris.

My feelings exactly.

Perhaps one of the more frustrating things is seeing these short comings, changes, etc and making any expression of frustration or criticism with the game is met with rebuttals that make it seem like the current state of warhammer is the best thing since sliced bread. I love this hobby and yet I am objectively having less fun with 40k than ever before because of what direction GW has taken the game. Dakka is at least decent about entertaining dissenting opinion unlike some other places that want you to drink the kool-aid without question.

This place took me by surprise when I first joined. I’d only ever been a member of Arcade and Console collecting forums before, and the way people spoke to each other here shocked me. There’s a handful of posters who I haven’t seen write a single positive post in the year or so i’ve been here. You soon learn who is who though, and if they really bother you, or your mental filtering of negative dross isn’t up to the task you can just block them. There is some great conversation to be had here, it just takes a while to figure out who is worth talking to.

These forums are mostly a cesspool. There is a reason its a the laughing stock of the 40k community. That being said if you can spend the time shifting through the junk there are some hidden gems.

 lolman1c wrote:


WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUUUUT YOU FOOL! THE GAME SUCKS REEEEEEEEEEEE! <3 xxxxx

No, but honestly. DakkaDakka is a great place to just unwind and let out how you feel about the game and have good ol' British banter with people who don't understand what British banter is. Sometimes we say controversial things to get new ideas and the best arguments out of people to help define the game and push it forward. Sometimes we say controversial stuff to wind people up but it's always in good none malicious ways... kinda. Maybe. Sometimes. But it always results in a good argument that let's us kearn about the game and each other.... there is beauty in the chaos, you just have to learn to see it.

I mean, I've used forums for about 15 years now and that's the whole purpose of them. To just post your opinions good or bad without threat of censorship or being banned for being too negative. People here are actually pretty nice... the majority of real dicks I've met were all on Facebook pages where they force you to be positive. You'll just post a suggestion (positive one) and there's always a psychotic dude who's ready to post like 5 comments about how you're the worst and should die.... :(

This.

Uncontested ideas are usually bad ones. I love coming here and getting "shouted" at about my "dumb" ideas. It doesn't hurt my feelings, hell it's just an opinion and you know what they say about opinions. It's not a good space for people that can't separate what they think from who they are and don't like getting their ideas challenged (most threads stay away from personal attacks but sometimes the frustration boils over but even in these situations the mods do a pretty good job of stepping in). I feel that I sharpen my ideas coming out of here reading all sides of the issue.

What do you guys call it across the pond "taking a piss"? The hyperbole is strong but in that exaggerated space it's easier to see the flaws in your arguments (at least in my experience). Although I probably do spend too much time here worrying that "someone is wrong on the internet" but I'm an argumentative person and I enjoy that banter.

No one here knows anything so read it all and use it to form your opinion. There is a lot of experience here and if you can get over the "feels" it is a great place to get in touch with the hobby. Even if it's to shake your head and think "most people that play this game are idiots" at least you are getting some insight into the game.

I feel the official spaces are too groomed and regulated to get any type of honest discussion. Also, who wouldn't complain about grav costing more than dissie cannons. It's obvious the game is flawed by all of the changes since the index days (ask BCB about shooting pistols/assault weapons..) and any attempt to just sweep that under the rug reeks of corporate shilling and I can't stand the "everything is awesome or else" stance of a lot of other forums.

I only found these boards after I came back to the game from 5th edition and wish I would have started here before I chose to resurrect my Black Templars (that's 6 months of painting/purchase that looks great on my shelf...). Definitely a more competitive slant here (at least the stuff I read) but the hobby advice and painting skill is impressive as well.

bananathug wrote:

 lolman1c wrote:


WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUUUUT YOU FOOL! THE GAME SUCKS REEEEEEEEEEEE! <3 xxxxx

No, but honestly. DakkaDakka is a great place to just unwind and let out how you feel about the game and have good ol' British banter with people who don't understand what British banter is. Sometimes we say controversial things to get new ideas and the best arguments out of people to help define the game and push it forward. Sometimes we say controversial stuff to wind people up but it's always in good none malicious ways... kinda. Maybe. Sometimes. But it always results in a good argument that let's us kearn about the game and each other.... there is beauty in the chaos, you just have to learn to see it.

I mean, I've used forums for about 15 years now and that's the whole purpose of them. To just post your opinions good or bad without threat of censorship or being banned for being too negative. People here are actually pretty nice... the majority of real dicks I've met were all on Facebook pages where they force you to be positive. You'll just post a suggestion (positive one) and there's always a psychotic dude who's ready to post like 5 comments about how you're the worst and should die.... :(

This.

Uncontested ideas are usually bad ones. I love coming here and getting "shouted" at about my "dumb" ideas. It doesn't hurt my feelings, hell it's just an opinion and you know what they say about opinions. It's not a good space for people that can't separate what they think from who they are and don't like getting their ideas challenged (most threads stay away from personal attacks but sometimes the frustration boils over but even in these situations the mods do a pretty good job of stepping in). I feel that I sharpen my ideas coming out of here reading all sides of the issue.

What do you guys call it across the pond "taking a piss"? The hyperbole is strong but in that exaggerated space it's easier to see the flaws in your arguments (at least in my experience). Although I probably do spend too much time here worrying that "someone is wrong on the internet" but I'm an argumentative person and I enjoy that banter.

No one here knows anything so read it all and use it to form your opinion. There is a lot of experience here and if you can get over the "feels" it is a great place to get in touch with the hobby. Even if it's to shake your head and think "most people that play this game are idiots" at least you are getting some insight into the game.

I feel the official spaces are too groomed and regulated to get any type of honest discussion. Also, who wouldn't complain about grav costing more than dissie cannons. It's obvious the game is flawed by all of the changes since the index days (ask BCB about shooting pistols/assault weapons..) and any attempt to just sweep that under the rug reeks of corporate shilling and I can't stand the "everything is awesome or else" stance of a lot of other forums.

I only found these boards after I came back to the game from 5th edition and wish I would have started here before I chose to resurrect my Black Templars (that's 6 months of painting/purchase that looks great on my shelf...). Definitely a more competitive slant here (at least the stuff I read) but the hobby advice and painting skill is impressive as well.

It is 'extracting the urine' i.e. 'taking the piss'.

Sorry, I don't know how to shorten quotes.

rooster92 wrote:
So I have been reading more posts on this site lately, and have been looking for good 40k forums in general. A theme I've noticed lately is that a large percentage of dakka dakka threads and comments are either based around hating GW and the ruleset in general, or off topic shouting matches over "who started it". I enjoy 40k, even though I think the ruleset has flaws. That's fine. Lots of games do, but I like the lore and have lots of good memories playing the game since I was a kid. Other people don't have to like the game, that's fine. But if that's the case, why put so much effort into discussing something you hate? I dunno, I guess I'm just asking; Is negativity and flame warring typical of the 40k community, or is it a dakka dakka thing? If it's a dakka dakka thing, where can I find a forum of people who are polite and positive?

We are hoping that maybe one day GW will take rules as seriously as they take making models, realize competitive play is a thing that exists, and fix them. The fact that chapter approved is a thing that exists now is a step in the right direction. The fact that soup still hasn't been properly addressed and Imperial Knights received no changes of any kind in CA18 is proof that they still have a LONG way to go before we stop needing house rules and mission packets for serious competitive play.

I think what gets people so upset is that it's very easy to take a tight, competitive ruleset and decide that you don't want to use certain parts for your beer and pretzels games with friends. It's infinitely more difficult to take a clusterfeth of a ruleset and tighten it up for competitive play in a way that everyone can agree on.

If you think Dakka is savage, go read a forum aimed at women. Health and beauty, that kind of thing. You'll never complain again.

 Sleep Spell wrote:

Forums with a more narrow scope (Bolter&Chainsword, Advanced Tau Tactica) seem more positive in general but perhaps that's just a side effect of everyone playing a similar army, thus having something in common.

Partly that, and partly, in some cases at least, due to moderators actively shutting down 'negative' discussion.


A lot of the perceived negativity on Dakka is simply due to volume. The larger your community gets, the more people with wider ranging viewpoints you get... and within that, the posts that you strongly disagree with tend to catch the eye, forming the perception that they are the majority whether they actually are or not. Case in point - the Dakka FB feed grabs active discussions and cross-posts them to FB. I remember a few months back seeing a comment on one particular FB post to the effect that Dakka 'always' posts negative stuff - despite the previous 10 posts on the FB feed being pretty positive. The positive stuff was ignored by that particular commenter, because it wasn't memorable.



For the rest, it comes down to the same thing I always point out when this sort of topic comes up - the community is made up of you, the posters. If you, as a member of the community, want to see more positive discussion, the way to achieve that is to engage in more positive discussion.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 lord_blackfang wrote:
If you think Dakka is savage, go read a forum aimed at women. Health and beauty, that kind of thing. You'll never complain again.

Parenting blogs can be an eye-opener, as well.

I was on warseer for years and years and it was mostly a big whinge fest. IMHO dakka was more focused on rules, tactics and playing where as warseer was a big (and hugely entertaining) whinefest. Whineseer. In the vacuum left by warseer’s decline in popularity dakka has become one big bitchfest. Flame wars, whinging aplenty, and trolls galore. I don’t post much here, I lurk mostly. When I first began frequenting this forum I drunk posted a few rants about the then new chaos codex. Oh wow what a mistake. I call it “getting ripped a new arsehole by millennials”. It was pretty brutal. I have a feeling many folks here post often at r/politics on Reddit...

Reemule wrote:
Dakka is like reading Fox news. You don't want to.. but being stuck in your own echo chamber is worse.

Like anything there are some legit issues with some things. Never as bad as it appears here, but worth knowing about.

I wouldn't want to trade one echo chamber for another either. A more objective approach to both news and discussion is appreciated, I don't think the Fox comparison is quite apt

Welcome to the world of internet forums. Passionate people quibble and nitpick things that they really love, and everyone has different ideas as to what would make the hobby better.

Some of us just want to play a fun game.

Some of us just want to paint and convert cool models.

Some of us just like reading the books and enjoy the lore.

All are acceptable and just fine. Try not to let negativity ruin it for you, I myself just got back into the hobby and these forums earlier this year, Dakka Dakka has been very helpful to learning tips and tricks with this game. Welcome to the community!

rooster92 wrote:
So I have been reading more posts on this site lately, and have been looking for good 40k forums in general. A theme I've noticed lately is that a large percentage of dakka dakka threads and comments are either based around hating GW and the ruleset in general, or off topic shouting matches over "who started it". I enjoy 40k, even though I think the ruleset has flaws. That's fine. Lots of games do, but I like the lore and have lots of good memories playing the game since I was a kid. Other people don't have to like the game, that's fine. But if that's the case, why put so much effort into discussing something you hate? I dunno, I guess I'm just asking; Is negativity and flame warring typical of the 40k community, or is it a dakka dakka thing? If it's a dakka dakka thing, where can I find a forum of people who are polite and positive?

Just look at some of my past discussions to see prime examples of what you're talking about. I'm normally pretty relaxed, even more so in person. But, the internet can bring out bad qualities in people. A lot of this comes from the internet.

Internet culture has driven down a road of depravity for so long that almost every place you could think of to go is a rotting cesspool. In North America, constant political bickering, anti this or that has taken hold so much, that people drag it along with them wherever they go. That said, I think this forum is alright. It's not the worst I've been on, by a longshot!

Edit: nm

I don't see a whole lot of unwarranted negativity on Dakka. I can think of two possible reasons.

a) It all takes place in the rules subforums I don't read.

b) I'm part of the problem.

Either way, I'm quite enjoying the Dakka experience.

I came to dakka for 40k and very quickly grew to find the GD and YMTC sections unreadable due to a select dozen posters who always jumped into threads and made them unbearable even when their issues were nothing to do with the thread at all. Similarly I found the army list forum to be annoying when someone would come in and say I have an army of xyz and am thinking of buying abc what do people think, and the inevitable response was along the lines of 'your list is gak, you should throw away what you have an instead buy fgh'.

However the rest of dakka I find fantastic, the P&M sections are a massive source of inspiration/envy, the gallery is great and the other boards I frequent are full of good and interesting posters (though x-wing participation has dropped way down since 2.0).

So ironically I would say dakka is not a resource I like for 40k but is wonderful for expanding ones horizons.

Forums are for discussions, social media is for broadcastings .

For all those who think social media will kill forums, just look at all the gak storms recently over faceache and advertising, faceache and privacy, social media companies selling data and social media companies being bought to book by national governments. Many are leaving or stopping posting on them. With social media there is the little bubble you live in, only 'friends' and those you agree with need show alongside your own opinions.

I don't know the figures for here, but generally forum posters stay fairly constant over a period. There are peeks and troughs, old members stop posting or die, new members come, snowflakes either get harder or rage quit. The discussions continue though, not always as the OP wishes or intended.

If the OP wants GW hate, try looking back at the Kirby years. The company made some bad decisions, divided the community and we are still suffering with the consequences.

To a large degree though, it's the modern world and instant messaging. Some will post a question, publish a photo or show a film clip and expect replies and comments within seconds. After a couple of minutes, they repost or make snarky comments about being ignored. This gets peoples backs up.

Also remember the game isn't simply 'the games. You've got multiple layers of it:-
The tournament players are very black and white, "the rules state...." must win at all costs.
The serious club/shop players, want to be tourny players. A bit more flexible, but just as serious on winning
The 'it gets me out the house' club players. more flexible on rules and etiquette. Fairly normal person.
The casual players. The majority, often older players.. Want a game, proxy and count as are fine, mix and match to create an army. Will loose a game to teach a newbie how to play.
The modeler. Doesn't play, doesn't care about rules, as long as I looks right/cool.
It is possible to be all, some or none at the same time,

 ingtaer wrote:
I came to dakka for 40k and very quickly grew to find the GD and YMTC sections unreadable...

YMDC is a great resource, as long as you know exactly what you want to ask and the nature of it. If you do not specify that you want a HYWPI or RAW answer, things can spiral into insanity involing models having no eyes or other such nonsense. Some posters argue RAW from a purely technical standpoint. That is fine, but if you take it to mean that they would actually play like that then you would think they are TFG. They probably aren't, it's just that arguing the minor technicalities of the rules is a fun exercise for some people.

So I usually go in to find possible problems with the rules and if I would need to bring them up before the game. For example, I know that the new Hammer of Sunderance tank relic technically doesn't get to use grinding advance. Now I know that, you can bet I'm discussing it before the game and not when I first fire it.

 Trickstick wrote:

YMDC is a great resource, as long as you know exactly what you want to ask and the nature of it. If you do not specify that you want a HYWPI or RAW answer, things can spiral into insanity involing models having no eyes or other such nonsense. Some posters argue RAW from a purely technical standpoint. That is fine, but if you take it to mean that they would actually play like that then you would think they are TFG. They probably aren't, it's just that arguing the minor technicalities of the rules is a fun exercise for some people.

So I usually go in to find possible problems with the rules and if I would need to bring them up before the game. For example, I know that the new Hammer of Sunderance tank relic technically doesn't get to use grinding advance. Now I know that, you can bet I'm discussing it before the game and not when I first fire it.

It's also worth keeping in mind that straightforward questions are usually answered within the first couple of posts. If you're not interested in debate over the fine points of less clear-cut rules, not reading past page 1 will do wonders for your stress levels. The longer rules debates are really just there for those who like to get into the fine details and examine the various possible interpretations, although they do often get bogged down into one or two people screaming 'No, my way is the only possible right way!' at the masses.