Oh dear, it seems I make neither the shit-list nor the top ten. Oh well.

I read alot more than I post, (because I rarly think/know anything worth posting) I didn't even join til recently. In general, all you guys are cool, diverse and almost as odd as me.

Tony, I don't know you or you father, but I did read a thing or two that your old man wrote, and I know good people leave us all to often.

Happy pink fluffy rainbow covered sunshiny bunny wishes to all.

If I make you laugh, something's wrong with you.

What annoys me is how certain people haven't been considered, and in spite of this being one of the biggest jokes of a thread I've seen in a long time, there are few people who contribute as much to DS as they do in terms of logical, coherent rules, ideas, commentary, and answers as a these people, ironically all of whom seem to be treated as outcasts because they don't buy into the DS "community" BS.

And they are mfb, Critias, and Wireknight.

Well, I guess they'd be included in your top ten list then.

Not that I necessarily agree or disagree. I have studiously avoided participating in this thread (in the manner which it was presented), because I think there are a ton of people that contribute to making this forum my favorite place on the internet.

Bump

Excuse me please.

QM

Group hug!

I will not say I have a top 10, but there are posters(outside of teh Devs) who's posts definately tend to make me take what they are saying seriously, even if I disagree with them.

Cain(frustrating as heck to read sometimes, and I disagree with alot of what he says, but...he does make one
think)

Critias(Sometimes dead on, sometimes leaves me with "what is he thinking?" but writes posts well.)

Stahlsteele(He might not touch SR4, but points of view on setting issues really do not change much...nice to
have some Punk out there, not just Professionals in Mirrorshades)

Ancient History(Come on...the guy knows his stuff! He probably has more Shadowrun Obscura running around his
head then the current developers!)

Fuchs(Sometimes, I think the guy is Cain's twin brother...has his fixations, but, again, he makes one think..and
he seems to have gotten a little better lately. )

Larme(Maybe a bit abrassive...but, hey...a finely honed sense of debate from constantly arguing with Cain.)

*hmmms* well, those are the only people who really stand out to me...

Not saying that these are anywhere in a "top 10," these are more the people I think who's posts, when I read, stand out in my mind, and make me think a bit more. As long as you are not posting in "l33t" speak, or needlessly throwing around LolCatz, I think everyone is, basicly, intelligent.

Now, if we could just break the habit of trying to make a house rule for everything...this could be as good a forum as the Battletech Forums!

ZOMG thread necromancy

What s/he said.

1:) Ancient History(yes, i am a bit of a fanboy sue me! <.<)
2.) Tiger Eyes(come on, she's that nice lady who gives us shadowrun stuff and likes cats, how could i not? *g*)
3.) Kerenshara(nice person, knows their stuff, sense of humor, what's not to like here?)
4.) Toturi(As asinine i might think that ones posting style to be most of the time, there's no denying Rules-Knowledge of scary levels sometimes)
5.) Critias(more or less the same as Toturi )
6.) Bull(seems not to be one of the most active ones around here, but what is posted by bull usually has hand and foot . . even if the number of hands/feet might not allways be the same ^^)
7.) Frank Trollman(Yes, even if his posting style was REALLY obnoxious, he had some good points and seemed more or less capable of listening to logic)
8,9,10 some oif the guys around here i do talk to on german boards too ^^

I haven't even been reading for long enough to know half the names mentioned here, which I think is my loss. I agree with many of the previous posters about people who are helpful and fun and such; the only name that comes to my mind which I haven't yet noticed is Kerenshara. Seems like a pretty cool dude.

I'm also intrigued by Crimsondude's attitude. He's either a decent person who gets upset by things (either things on DS, or things IRL that he takes out on DS) or he's going to turn into Clint Eastwood's character from Gran Torino.

Hmmm...just going from memory here and looking at some names that have been posted...

Tiger Eyes, Bull and Ancient History seem to "dev" to me. Out of those, only Ancient History seems to post occaisionally like a regular fan. The other two, as with most of the other Catalyst folks, only really seem to speak out for more "official" business. Which is cool, but because of that, I'd not put them in a normal top ten list with the rest of "us".

knasser, Critias, dashifen, toturi, Larme, Cain all come to mind as posters that I am going to read and try to understand. The latter two and Muspellshemir (sp?) all have a tendency to get a little flamey when provoked. But in essence, are smart, know their shit and have a clear point of view.

Frank also had a clear point of view, but at the end, he just kinda exploded and couldn't look past his own ruleset and ideas. I agreed with about 50% of his ideas...the rest I understood where he was coming from, but didn't think it really fit. Again, the last few months he was on DSF, all of his posts were argumentative and he gave me the feeling he was trying to put together a grassroots movement and overthrow the direction Catalyst was going. Or was just sore about something going on behind closed doors...

There's also Aaron...not a whole lot of posts, but his site and contributions are top notch, so I usually check out what he's posting.

There's probably a ton more than I am missing. I'd really have to go back through either some of the longer threads or some that I started with specific questions to see who I normally pay attention to.

Generally speaking, there are a handful of people out there that know their shit, post what they know when asked or when clarification in a thread is needed, and go about their business. Then there are those that still know their shit, but 25% of the time, they are working an angle to get a flame or debate going. And then there's that other handful that really just post to debate and while they often have good points posted, just seem to always work at starting stuff...

I'm sure if someone posted the top 30 users from post count, I could pick my top ten from that list fairly easily.

EDIT:
I just looked at the memberlist...looking at those that have over 5,000 posts, names like Cain, Dr.Funkenstein, fistandantilus4.0, Fortune, hyzmarca, mfb and toturi all stick out to me. When you put that filter over 1,000 posts, there's a lot more that pop up that when I see their name, I have a good feeling the kind of post they will be writing.

This is one of the few boards that I frequent that seem to have 20-30 really active posters...which is nice when I'm used to most forums having less than 10...

hey, if i keep it up, i can be at the more than 5k posts limit this month too O.o
Yeah, dumpshock is one of the most active communities i know.
Only the CBT Boards create more of a ruckus than this one ^^

Who's in that list for me here? Anyone who helps me with a question & treats me with mutual respect, doesn't act like an arrogant know-it-all because they've read only ONE novel of the genre, and has enough of a sense of humor NOT to take everything so d*mned personal.

In other words, you have my respect; don't abuse the priveledge.

I was wondering what on earth I was getting a topic reply notification about.

Now I'd better leave before I start losing hours of my life every day to this place again

(Don't forget, thread necromancy is bad. You never know who you might dredge up.)

~J

Sweet Jeebus, talk about your Shedim threads.

Heh! You'll never escape forever. But why would you want to?

There are some names I'm fond of in this list that I haven't seen so much of lately. Yours was one. FrankTrollman I miss. I crossed sabres with him a couple of times but have a lot of respect for him. Fistandantilus was the most diplomatic of mods I ever did see. Fortune - always a gentleman. Kyoto Kid - likewise. I think mfb was killed off by the edition change, but they'll never be able to retcon him out of the history! Dr. Funkenstein I once had an epic battle with over a certain unmentionable piece of cyberware. I belatedly apologise for being too strident. Hyzmarca emerges from time to time like something hideously tentacled from the deepest depths of deep places. I don't think he'd mind such a description or I wouldn't use it - Hyz. writes the most disturbing posts of anyone here. Psychic, rapist dolphins with cyberlimbs? Who else could come up with that! Toturi has to get a mention because although he runs a game in a way that is RAW to the point of bleeding, he is unfailingly decent about us inferior GM's. Tisoz put time and effort and prizes into truly wonderful fiction competitions - that cannot go without mention. I hope there'll be another sometime. And there are so many others too. Shrike30 doesn't post anymore which is a great shame as he / she is one of the most intelligent posters I have ever seen. Larme I have to salute for dedication to reason and correct argument. Alex donated some material to my site which I'm grateful for. Demonseed Elite for reasons none need ask. Synner is mourned not only for posts, but for retiring from development. Method has been unfailingly helpful and insightful. Demerzel I miss if for no other than he and I combined forces to do battle with Frank Trollman in one of those epic debates. He used to post interesting things. Squinky drew my PC for me, as he did for many of us. And does anybody remember Emo Samurai? Not a long term Dumpshocker, but the things he came up with! His take on Shadowrun was like watching a Humphrey Bogart detective movie with a techno soundtrack. Power Armour was the very least of the things he shoe-horned into the setting and never once apologised for it.

I can't go on. Everyone who posts to Dumpshock is a great person by definition. That's what I say.

Khadim Nasser.

There are so many people here that I respect and enjoy seeing their points of view that if I try name them I would be doing a disservice to all those whose names slip my mind. Run on, I know. Kudos to all y'all.

Really I respet you all equally even the more obnoxious ones of you. Some of your I respect for the work you put in to the community others for the quality of their posts.
Excluding the devs.
AH
Bull
Toturi
Knasser
and Aaron stand out as people who's posts or work comes to mind but all you who make char gen and management tools or do art are up there as well.

Adam, Tiger Eyes, Bull and AH are automatic shoutouts.

My contribution is to Muspellheimer. As much as he is a pain in the ass, no-one knows the rules better than he. I can always rely on him to provide clarity in the event of a rules dispute or misunderstanding.

- J.

PS: Malachi, Knasser, Toturi, DWH also get my vote for top notch posters.

So, basically, Dumpshock needs a JackPoint like rep system?

I mostly lurk, but the Cain and Larme debates are always interesting and exciting. Ancient History makes my day with every post, and Kerenshara is making bold attempts at intellectual debate.

Though I occasionally get into some heated debates with Muspelheimr, Falconer, and Cain, they are indeed top notch when it comes to the topics they are involverd in...

Tiger Eyes and Ancient History always earn Kudos...

And like several have said so far... Kerenshara is a hell of an individual...

Of course there are lots of others as well... Knasser, Toturi, Larme and Fuchs to name a few off the top of my head, no slights intended for those not named...

Keep the Faith...

It has something roughly like a rep system. Go to any user page by clicking on their name. See the stars under their avatar? You can click those and vote how many stars out of 5 you think they are worth.

Cumbersome, but there.

I'm just going to sit in a corner and sulk!

Weird. Did you guys hear something just now?

*HUGS*

Ancient History, for being on top of his addiction. I'm not sure who's winning that fight, but I'm not sure who I'm rooting for, either.

Cain, for getting the thinking juices flowing, and knowing his stuff.

Toturi, for his well-thought out posts.

Draco18whatever, because he's a fun sort of individual, and actually shares a lot of similarities with me (not sure how he'll take that).

Fortune, for his respectful and knowledgeable posts.

Stahlseele, for always having something interesting to say.

There are other names that I look for when I need answers, but mainly people who post their ideas and actually quote sources gain a lot of standing in my eyes, as opposed to people who say things to the effect of "no 'cause of I don't think so."

And of course Snow Fox has always added a touch of glamour (and firearms knowledge) to community. For some reason I always picture her on a motorbike with a pistol of some sort hidden under her jacket.

K.

OK, I have to say I'm seriously surprised to have shown up on the list, and more than once no less.

I need to go away and think about who I would put on my objective top ten, though like everybody seems to be saying, you can always count on Ancient History to provide humor or clarity at need.

I hate to say this, but I haven't thought so much in terms of people I WANT to see posting so much as people whose posts I tend to skim right by (or threads I won't even venture to open).

Cheer up, Snow Fox, I had you on my short list from the beginning. Making the final cuts is going to be harder, though, and I haven't been here long enough to get the kind of solid instant list of names some people are able to throw together; I will say, however, that I never skim your posts and ALWAYS make a point of ducking into your threads, no matter the topic.

For sheer humor, mostly of the "I spent my loot on ale and whores" variety, and despite trying to hide an analytical mind, Stahlseele has to be on the first cut. You may play a troll, but as far as the board would be concerned, you most definitely are NOT a troll.

But how to really choose? Intelligent commentary? Sense of humor? Good discourse? 6^th World perspective (aAbility to get in-character)? Strong grasp of the rules and an ability to explain them? Experience as a player or game master, and a willingness to share inspirational stories? All of these are things that make a handle stand out for me in turn, but how to weigh them?

And do you exclude somebody because they have a tendency to nitpick, or become argumenative without actually debating a point on its merits? Because they ignore mechanics for fluff, or aspects of the fluff they dislike especially when it conflicts with the mechanics? Because they're unable to look beyond the Crunch & Munch? Because they can't quote the rules chapter and verse, and need help keeping things straight?

I guess, for the moment, I will settle for this:

Thank you to everybody who actively contributes to the collaborative project we call Dumpshock with the intent of improving our understanding and/or appreciation of the game we all come here because of.

Thank you to every person who has sent me a supportive personal message; They tell me I'm doing something right and worthwhile and encourage me to keep posting.

Thank you to every person who answered one of my threads in the spirit with which it was posted; Thank you to each of you who took the time to answer one of my un-scientific but enlightening surveys.

Thank you to every person who makes us laugh; If we can't laugh (at ourselves?) then we're doing it all wrong.

Thank you to anybody who has debated a point with me because you wanted me to understand your point of view (and double thanks to everybody who corrected me with an actual citation and page reference); Thank you for giving other readers a chance to come to their own conclusions about which of us is right, wrong, or maybe has a bit of the puzzle they can use to form their OWN independent ideas.

Every person who those statements describe makes my first cut, and if I haven't mentioned you by name, please don't feel slighted, because you have been appreciated sincerely in your own right when I read your contributions, messages and critiques. If I get a chance, I'll try to actually work on the other nine (behind Ancient History, of course).

Alright, that's pretty cool. I just discovered the drop down next to each user's name, that shows their rating as well. Maybe I should pay more attention while I lurk.

i think i'm pretty cool.. but i like all you guys there.

I really miss Raygun as the firearms expert.
I have some skill and some degree of knowledge I can share but he was just amazing.
RAYGUN COME BACK SO I CAN SAY YOU ARE AMAZING!

Yeah - Raygun was pretty damned fantastic!

well i can comment on the most memorable posters.

AH is your groups avatar spirit hear.

i saw a post by black jack once.

what ever happened to emo samurai. i actually thought he livened up the place, in his own way.

snow fox seams to pop you in the threads i also post in.

i rember when ray gun still pasted regularly, mcmackie too.

waht ever hapened to synner and Kyoto Kid

EDIT
"looks down"
and yes backgammon. there is a staple too.

Hah hah emo samurai... good time, good times.

Yeah, KK has been gone for some time. I've only been around these boards for 3 years or so, but I remember he was posting regularly until a year or so ago.

If it makes you feel better, Kerenshara, I'm surprised you made a couple people's lists too. Not because I don't think you are a solid poster, just because you've not been here all that long. You're memorable to me mostly due to your initial horrid green font and the transition to what you currently use:) You are still about the only poster I see not using the standard font, so all your posts stick out to me!

That was my thought, the time thing.

As to the font, apparently the original green thing is something I will never live down, but I suppose it's a far-sight better than other things that I could be living down. And I DID go back and edit EVERY single one of the orginal posts to get rid of the color. As to the non-standard but base-color font, it helps me pick out when somebody replies to me with a quote if I'm in a rush. I know I occasionally miss something or wind up having real life interfere with my ability to follow up, but I like to try to keep a dialogue going where I can. Otherwise I just look for my signature and read down from there.

Boy thats tough... I mean since the removal of the general offtopic area and the crash of 02' (I think it was 02') a lot of the dumpshockers I remember best are no longer posting, heck I only come on in spurts...

In talking with a few of the "older" DumpShockers, it sounds like I missed some... colorful individuals. In a way, I think it's almost analagous to those of us who remember Dodger and Sally Tsung and Ghost, or Hatchet Man, the Smiling Bandit or Kam fondly and wonder how they're doing, and what they would say about things as they are now. I think I would have liked a lot of them... if they didn't decide I was an iritating chit and blow me in digital flinders. *grin*

Besides the Catalyst people..

(No Particular Order)
Wounded Ronin (Ultimate UCAS soldier from hell!)
Toturi (Well-rounded poster who always has some insight)
Ancient History (He knows everything!)
Kagetenshi (Same as Toturi. Good contributer, always constructive)
Knasser (Makes his Shadowrun a little more reality-bound, which is my favorite SR flavor)
Fuchs (I love the way he formats posts and presents ideas)
Cain (Love him; caustic yet well-spoken)
Kyoto Kid (Just a cool fella')

Apologies if any of you are females. I'll also go on the record and say that I liked Frank a lot, because his house rules were put together nicely, he did a lot of work on the Shadowrun Arkham Horror, and his paranoid rants were pretty funny.

Bah, nobody mentioned me. I hope you all know by yourself, what will happen to you if i manage to rule the world some time? ^^ (i am thinking of this princess Leia-thing, with me as Jabba...all praying and chanting for ME.....MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH....like it.^^

While I do not always (sometimes rarely) agree with them, those listed below qualify for respect, generally due to well written & thought out posting or their ability to support their position. There are others that tend to stand out, but not to the point I can recall them off-hand.

Knasser
Ancient History
Fortune
Kerenshara




Also, while I can easily understand not being particularly liked, I had thought I was fairly respected on these boards. I do tend to present my position as fact, & seem to enjoy a good level of profanity, I know the mechanical aspect of the game better than nearly anyone else (frequently even better than the developers, I think), and will usually post in a clear, coherent manner. As such, I would like to thank Tymeaus & Jake for the mention.

I like you. Never had a problem with your posts. And Critias seems to share my sense of humor...so is a cool guy/girl? too. Ancient History is always a good source for serious and quick informations here, and he takes his job for real. I appreciate that.

This answer always breaks down into the good guys club, like fistandalus and Fuchs, and then the wild card picks - like say FrankTrollman, Dr Funk or Cain.

I notice going back through this that if you picked one of those three you didn't pick any of the others. Three extremely divisive figures.

Thanks for the mention. We have crossed swords on occasion, but I do respect your ability to argue and I personally have little problem with you being a bit abrasive in delivering your arguments and profanity just shows you're engaged in what you're writing, as far as I'm concerned. As a principle, I try to focus on facts, not presentation. What I have objected to in others is when they use linguistic tricks and subtle shifts of argument in order to "win" rather than maintaining a focus on the issue and adhering to reason. And I'll give you your dues, you're very good in this respect. It wont be apparent, but on a few of instances I have started to type a reply to a post of yours, stopped, looked at what you've written and decided: "no - that's airtight, it's a supportable position".

Not saying there wont be more arguments in the future, of course.

Peace,

Khadim.

It's my list not of most helpful dumpshock forum members, but ppl that personally I call "Shadowrun scene", that influenced me to my vision of shadowrun.rpg.pl :

- Paolo (THAT Paolo). Steve from Canada showed me Paolos chargen generator. That's how I've learned about SR fans in the web.
- Adam. DS forum, 1 of first sites I've visited when I get access to teh Internet. And idea of connect fan sites in some form of coalition was very enlightening.
- DV8. Great site.
- author of Big Knobi site (he changed nick n I forgot both of them... )

tissoz mentioned AH, Raygun...

On old ds.com was site of some erm... girl (?) that make list of 100 (?) SR movies.

And many more that I forgot at the moment

...

btt.

Since I've joined in 2003? there was always one user that always did his best to help me - Synner, thx. I was really worried when I've heard that Peter quit dev position - what a blow for system (imvho)!
And mmu1 - dzieki

I never felt offended by any dumpshockers, thx for replies to my questions here guys

No worries. I just call it like I see it.

FWIW, I don't think I've ever seen anyone with a grasp of the mechanics of this game better than you - be it online or face to face.

BTW, I miss TW. TW was a solid poster a few years back and I think he was a writer at some stage too.

- J.

Hmm. I don't know here. I do know that there are some posters I tend to agree with more than others. Knasser's posts are mostly fun, as are AH's. Stahl and I are kindred spirits in a way I believe(even though he doesn't like elves like I do we at least have the love of the melee and other oddball things like the Dwarf Mage in a Can on the Troll's Back going. )

I also have to give a big ol' shoutout to Squinky for alllllllll of his work with our characters.

Myself, I tend to be the easygoing dumpshocker who is more for opening up options and less about shutting them down, and more into my somewhat 'gritty-manga' slightly higher power style games, thus my sometimes outspokeness against houserule nerfs. (My motto is ''don't tell people what they can't do, ask them to tell you what they want to do and try to arrange something to make both sides happy.'')

In no praticual order. (With one notable exception of course.)

FrankTrollman

Frank probably had the ability to look at all of the unintended results of various rules better than anyone else, and although I still think he was completely off base with brain hacking I'm still of the belief that Fourth Edition's rules would be much, much solider if he had his way more often than he did.

knasser

We may not agree very often, but he always has good points backing up his positions and his posts are always a joy to read.

Dr Funk

Dr Funk's posts simply had style, it's hard to put my actual finger on it but I always enjoyed reading the threads he posted in.

Cain

Although I question the man's history with "Killer DMs" as an excuse to min-max, you've got to respect his singleminded passion and crusade against the Edge Rules.

mfb

It's all about the 80s! Need I say more?

Ancient History

But only when he's not wearing his "dev hat", which sadly seems like less and less often.

Fisty

As far as mods go, he was pretty easy going and seemed like a "real person" even when he was exercising his authority.

Emo Sam

I simply enjoyed reading his posts, although I have a feeling that I would end up choking him to death if we had to spend any real amount of time together.

...

And although I no longer remember his posting names, in the old Dumpshock there was once a poster who pretty much singlehandedly waged a war against one of the mods, and with the exception of one time I don't remember him actually whining.


Basically what I enjoy is passion and the ability to reason out your positions without falling back on the tired mantra of "But it's RAW !"