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Okay, first off I AM NOT CRAPPING ON THE MODS HERE. They let me go a long way with this https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/493584.page#11563145 and I am very grateful that they did. I happen to love these old tables, and they generously let me add a new one, which was a lot of fun.

Again, very grateful, and I am NOT telling them or Dakka to get bent. I realize that thread necromancy is considered gauche online, and I am not asking that the rule be changed.

Rather, I guess I'm asking how it became a thing?

To me, it seems like a question of historical research.

If we want to know how things got the way they are in t he gaming world, or how somebody solved a gaming problem long ago, well, who are we to go to but the thread necromancer with his (pixalated) bell, book and candle.

Again, I'm not advocating revolution, and I do realize that its almost a unversal thing in online fora.

Just curious how it got this way.

Again, if this thread is considered to be in bad taste for raising the issue, I won't have a hissy fit if it gets nuked.

You're better off asking this in the Nuts and Bolts page.

I think creative threads its often less of an issue. Where it gets the bad reputation is when people start arguing with a thread no one has responded to in years, and suddenly you have someone arguing with something you said so long ago that it might no longer be how you feel or even relevant to the current state of things.

Research is fine, and reading old comments is useful.
But, like the Necro rules state, if you want to discuss something in an ancient thread, make a new, clean, one. If anyone wants to read though the old comments they can, but it isn't expected of anyone to have to do so.

 LunarSol wrote:
I think creative threads its often less of an issue. Where it gets the bad reputation is when people start arguing with a thread no one has responded to in years, and suddenly you have someone arguing with something you said so long ago that it might no longer be how you feel or even relevant to the current state of things.

Right creative threads are different, especially if they're fairly, even remotely active, they just don't want people stirring up topics on Games Workshop stuff which are totally outdated.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Well and events, and such topics that tend to change or expire.

Suspects that real necromancy is MUCH worse than thread necromancy.....

We ran into this a bit ago as some newer players have gone back to older editions of WFB and were looking for ideas and the like, but can't spark any debate through input in the thread. the tail pages of the WFB Legacy forum has a ton of 6th edition posts that have helped some players and sparked discussion over at the other site, but it seems redundant to me to start another thread to ask a question about something that's already in text in the forum.

Then link to the old thread (at a minimum), and copy over the relevant info to the new one.

To some people, necro threads are helpful, to new players it could really confuse them.

The reason necro threads is a socially not-accepted thing is for a few reasons:

1) Social groups are not just information resources but social gatherings. As such part of the function is to promote conversation and interaction with active members. Bumping very old threads brings back a lot of conversation between people who might no longer be active on the site; or who have moved on from the discussion.

As such many points raised earlier or questions might well not be responded too by those joining after the necro. As a result it becomes a dead space.

2) Lack of actual content. Often many bumps to necro threads don't really add anything to what was said. Bumping it up to "agree" or such or give a throw away statement is, again, eating up space.

3) Tangent. Necroing an old thread to ask your own question related to the topic in the thread. This happens a fair few times, but the result is that the new question is far into the thread so people often overlook it and focus on the original topic of the thread. Furthermore it means that anyone joining after a few replies have been made after the necro; ends up with a confusing thread where its basically a new thread shunted into an old one. Again its simply easier, superior and better to make your own.


NOTE a lot of the "eats up space" arguments and such are very relevant in the past when forums moved very fast; so having lots of old chats bumped up destroyed space in "new posts" and topic sections which new people starting new conversations were wanting to have the space for so that it promoted continued new chatter.

You can argue that this is not as much of a case today as many forums are far far less active than they were. However lots of necro in slower times would have the same effect of choking up space.

What is 'thread necromancy' (aka 'threadromancy') and why is it bad? from the Dakka Dakka FAQ.

stroller wrote:
Suspects that real necromancy is MUCH worse than thread necromancy.....

I agree. But, these kids today

Moving this to the proper sub forum and as for an official reply, both Overread and Ghaz have provided excellent replies, cheers!