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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?

Ahhh, a DakkaDakka noob. Don't worry my child, one day you will become one of us.

Honestly I like the 50/50 attitude because it keeps me on my toes, and being confronted about my opinion being wrong on whether I support/don't support a GW decision is healthy.

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.

People get frustrated about things and it feels good to vent. You get a good endorphine kick out of it - ironically, being angry can make you happy. It's not just a Dakka thing, nor is it even a 40k thing; every hobby community I've seen has it to some extent or other.

Personally, I tend to avoid it. 40k is a hobby I take part in to enjoy, so I like to focus on the positives and simply avoid engaging in the 'hate' topics.

My suggestion is to avoid the general discussion forum unless you intend to start a topic about something specific. Spend more time in the modelling & painting forums - those are generally more positive, and can provide useful inspiration.

Having said all that, sometimes I enjoy reading discussions about 'that guy' and 'WAAC players'. It's my guilty pleasure; my equivalent of trash TV. But normally, the 40k General Discussion forum is the last one I visit during my forum rounds, because I don't want to feel 'down' about a hobby I love.

Having been around here a while, there are a lot of passionate people on this forum. With passion comes criticism for the game to be the best it can be, which for the most part it isn't the best it can be.

While there are a good few shouty people that spout nonsense, the majority here are polite but critical of the game and that's the way it should be. If you want blatant censorship of anything negative go to Warhammer Community or go to Reddit.

It's not just a Dakka thing, but I've seen a lot of people refer to Dakka negatively for whatever reason.

 Tyranid Horde wrote:
Having been around here a while, there are a lot of passionate people on this forum. With passion comes criticism for the game to be the best it can be, which for the most part it isn't the best it can be.

While there are a good few shouty people that spout nonsense, the majority here are polite but critical of the game and that's the way it should be. If you want blatant censorship of anything negative go to Warhammer Community or go to Reddit.

It's not just a Dakka thing, but I've seen a lot of people refer to Dakka negatively for whatever reason.

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.... :(

DakkaDakka is without a doubt the best 40k forum online.

Sitting in an echo chamber will neither help you grow as a player or a person. Arguments are mostly a GOOD thing, as long as both sides are willing to actually listen and not babies about it.

Passion for the games that you love will bring all sorts of stuff out. You find this stuff on forums for all sorts of games and topics.

 Eihnlazer wrote:
DakkaDakka is without a doubt the best 40k forum online.

I came back after a few years away from 40k forums, and the landscape is quite a bit more barren. So many of them are ghost towns now, or just going along with a very small user bases.

rooster92 wrote:
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...

I think that complaining about GW is the 4th, secret, pillar of the hobby, alongside gaming, modelling and lore. Having a good old moan about something is a cathartic thing. Maybe the britishness of 40k is infecting everyone else? We do love a good grumble. Probably something to do with the weather...

In terms of "toxic community" 40k ranks pretty low. We only get a few threads that derail into ad-hominem mudslinging, and those are started by a minority of problematic individuals who think escalation is a form of argumentation. Even the mudslinging threads are pretty tame in comparison to say... the League of Legends community or other gaming forums.

I will admit though that dakka tends to be snarky and negative at times, especially about GW decisions that the community disagrees with, but I wouldn't call this place "toxic" by any means.

 Karthicus wrote:
Passion for the games that you love will bring all sorts of stuff out. You find this stuff on forums for all sorts of games and topics.

This. Given the immense time and money that is invested into this hobby - especially for long timers, conversations can get heated pretty quickly when something isn't to one's expectation on what it "should be"

It's mostly good stuff. Like anywhere else, there's a small percentage of people who are simply unpleasant all the time and/or vastly over-estimate their intelligence or faith in their ideas or assume that because other people disagree, that they must be wrong.

Use the ignore feature appropriately and it's a much better place.

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?

I don't care if someone loves or hates a game, but I do care when someone complains about what I am talking about. Why do you care about what other people discuss? You're basically asking for a forum that censors criticism of the game. If that's what you want, I've heard Facebook is good for that. Have fun over there.

I believe it's tangentially related to the OP, but it seems indicative of the "safe space" mentality that appears more pervasive these days.

Rampant negativity also does get old. One hopes that the critiques are at least interesting or have some thought put into them. The throngs of posters convinced they could make a better game than GW also get old. Easy to simply ignore those posts, though. There's also only so much utility in complaining ad nauseum about stuff on the internet. Sure, blow off some steam, express some feelings, it's all good and has its place. By the same token, it comes to a point where if someone is so unhappy with the hobby, maybe they should find something else to do with their time. Of course their time is their own to do with as they see fit, but there's gotta be a better way to spend it, is my thinking. It borders on pathetic, at times.

People care what other people discuss on a forum because that's essentially the whole point: having discussions with people. Otherwise, one could write a blog and avoid any possibility of dissent or being exposed to other people's ideas. Again, at the same time, it's pretty easy to scroll past a post that is blatantly negative with no substance or value. One need not get bent out of shape about toy soldiers or discussions about them.

 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.

Well said. If I take the time to complain about it, it's worth something to me. I'd just shake my head and walk away otherwise. Complaints about extreme players provides warning about social no-no's, GW gives us plenty to complain about and also praise but they'd get more of my money with less of the former which is ok by me. One thing I like about the proposed rules area in particular is being able to test ones rationality in deconstructing and re-imagining the game by getting feedback or lack thereof.

Yeah, DakkaDakka kinda sucks and I don't know why I tolerate this toxic vitriol.

No sarcasm. Like, legit, this site is 90% hating GW though everyone keeps buying their product.

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?

It's been kind of rough the whole time I've been here, but it's become vastly more toxic in the last few years. I see stuff like long running posters adamantly claiming (and reiterating) that he doesn't think of casual 40k players as "people". I just shake my head and think "holy gak, it's just a GAME." I've heard other people refer to dakka as the "GW Complaint Box". This is not a good place, most of the time.

My advice is to stick to P&M for a while. As far as I can tell, dakka has one of the best painting communities out there.

The block button is a wonderful thing here. I generally only block those who I feel don't contribute much to the forum except antagonism for it's own sake and consistent attacks on fellow posters. It certainly saves time on many threads. There is a lot of negativity here, but that is generally balanced by some really passionate and thought provoking posters.

I've always found the Bolter and Chainsword to be much more pleasant, and stronger on the hobby end, but they won't get into the nitty gritty of the rules as much. People get frustrated here because they get into the details. I read B&C for the hobby, and dakkadakka for tactica and rules analysis.

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?

Dakkadakka is trash. Come here because you don't have to care about other peoples feelings. If you want real, reasoned discussion with people, go down to the FLGS and talk to other gamers in meat space. I will warn you though, the whole 'polite and positive' stepford wives thing you're looking for isn't all that much healthier than flame wars are.

drbored wrote:
Yeah, DakkaDakka kinda sucks and I don't know why I tolerate this toxic vitriol.

No sarcasm. Like, legit, this site is 90% hating GW though everyone keeps buying their product.

Lately, I've been feeling this way as well.

I have the sense that there are a lot of people here who were former customers of GW but were driven out by the "Dark Times" of the last 8-10 years or so. Some have been away so long, they can't go back - but there is something about the 40K world they still like. It certainly seems to describe my feelings towards GW at times.

Originally, I came here to find out what was in the pipe for GW's releases, since GW itself did its best to keep everyone in the dark until release day. For a while, I and my son tried to get into 40K, but we never got too deep; the rules never engaged us. Now, I don't really know what I'm doing here, it just seems habit. Haven't played 40K for quite some time, couldn't even tell you when the last game was. And if anything, I'd rather play Kill Team than a bloated game of 40K. As for the forum, while there is a mix of opinion, it tends towards the negative and I'm getting sick of listening to it.

It's like that Australian guy on youtube where every single one of his uploads is him ranting on and hating GW.

Like, just play a different game man if you're not having fun!

No matter which forum you go on people will try peddling their wears in bile and spite, or be downright argumentitive hiding behind the anonymity of the tinterwebs.

In fairness Dakka is nowhere near the worst.

In part I think a lot of the negativity comes from frustration with GW and their ineptitude at writing clear and concise rules / idiotic balancing decisions.

I came to dakkadakka back in 4th/5th edition when no matter what I tried I just couldn't beat anyone with my orks army. I had no understanding of the specifics of strategic listbuilding and tactical gaming and the nuances of mathhammer and target selection.

I learned that the reason why I was losing so much was a combination of my lack of tactical depth and poor rules writing. I did however start to win the odd game here or there so thank you to the wider dakka community for that.

There is a huge amount of negativity here and in my opinion an equal amount of positivity. As in the real world there are a lot of very smart tactically astute players on this forum and a lot of angry bitter players but the funny thing is those two groups are not mutually exclusive.

Enjoy it for what it is not what you want it to be.

I was on Warseer for 13 years with like thousands of posts before it was hacked, fixed, hacked again, bought out then hacked and i gave up

warseer was the same, every internet forum i have ever been on is the same. Negative stuff sticks out its not the norm, look at the painting ans showcase section... nothing but positivity. Certain topics in 40k rile people up much like in the real world like politics etc.

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?

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.

Dakka seems more active, gets a bunch of crazy or nonsensical threads which can be fun and usually has some of the most veteran long term posters pushing their agendas come rain or shine. Honestly I'd say stick around if you want to embrace the chaos, have a good laugh now and then or dig to find some hidden gems. Find a more specialty forum if you're seeking advice on your army and don't want someone to pop in and tell you to buy Knights/IG, inform you GK are still trash and then derail the thread into whether or not to ban Forgeworld. At least that's been my experience...

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?

This is one of the best forums out there. There are people on here however who are rude, overly blunt and a little obnoxious, so just do what I do and block those posters. Everyone else will give you go good information and advise.

To be honest, the old 'noise to signal' ratio on Dakka isn't all that bad.

Just takes a while to know which threads are likely to be a decent read, and which are likely to devolve into the same old tired opinions yet again.

Also, judicious use of the 'ignore' button can be useful if needed. Don't be scare of it

There's a lot of needless whining. That being said, there is also great tactics discussion and good players on here worth listening to. Tactics section is very different to the scumpits that is 40k General.