Why doesn't Castle have its own section of Eurobricks?

[Tomsche]

In my personal view, I tend to view the GoH forum, on which i`m like, only active mostly on Eurobricks, a bit as the `fantasy side` of Castle builds. not saying there is no fantasy or such in the regular forum, but it tends to be all fantasy in there though. Which for someone of the `pen and paper Red Dragon Generation` (I coining that term) is the niche to be and nice.

You don`t even need to know the lore (I`m on the site for about 2 years or so, and I still don`t know all the details) but the guilds mainly help as guideline to what style you like to build (vikings, knights, mummies or vampires in a VERY short generalisation), not as a set of rules in what someone has to do.

About the Wild West and Ninja`s and the likes... honestly, following a lot of moc sites and the likes, they are a small percentage of builds out there after all, it doesn`t seem to really matter where to put them, but they are to `small` to support a whole board by themselves imho

[ZCerberus]

Why is Wild West paired with this then? It has nothing to do with any of that? It's as closely related to Castle as it is Pirates.

Again, it is part of the evolution of the forum. Pirates was part of the history forum back in the day.

First - duration of an active account isn't always true to how long a person have spent time on a forum. People lurking forums they have interest with is very common, without creating an account. That was my very case. I probably came here for a year or 2 before I finally pulled the trigger to create an account.

Second - duration of an account has no bearing of the total value of a person's question or idea.

Lastly - if a person who did just join is bringing up a point of confusion about the organization of the forums, doesn't it stand to reason that more people who haven't joined may be experiencing that same confusion...preventing them from really investing in the forum experience?

I agree with you, the question is valid, and the time spent here has no baring on how organized, or unorganized we are. I will admit the forum structure isn't likely to change right now, but suggestions are okay.

[MassEditor]

Well, all I'm suggesting is that new folks (like myself) adapt to the forums, instead of getting the forum to adapt to them. I guess I just don't see where the confusion is on this issue. Like Kabel said, "castle" is the first word in the description. If you've lurked around here for a couple of years, then you'd probably know how to navigate EB. Actually, so could anyone with even the most basic understanding of English - this isn't, after all, the DoD website or something.

Just something to consider before you come to the History forum and declare it in a position of "lower status." Then again, these are the type of conversations which keep me warmly snug in the GoH subforum! Create a sigfig, build something and join us over there (in Nocturnus, of course) so you can lay this confusion to rest!

[tedbeard]

As the title states, ever since I've been lurking at these forums, I've found it very odd that Castle, one of Lego's 3 classic themes (city/town, castle, and sci-fi), doesn't have it's own section of the forums...

Because Castle has it's very own dedicated site: Classic-Castle.com which serves the needs of castle fans very well. On EB the Historical section (and its sub-sections) do a great job of serving the needs of fans here.

[ZCerberus]

Classic-Castle.com which serves the needs of castle fans very well.

It is a good site, but there are a few limitations there that we are free of here.

Just something to consider before you come to the History forum and declare it in a position of "lower status." Then again, these are the type of conversations which keep me warmly snug in the GoH subforum! Create a sigfig, build something and join us over there (in Nocturnus, of course) so you can lay this confusion to rest!

I am, of course, always on your side Mass. I just think it is fair point that improvements need not come from those who have been long time members. In fact, long term membership may make one blind to organizational issues. That being said, I think the organization is fine. Read the forum description and you know where your castles should go. And if you have a castle MOC and want to cut your teeth to get better, then GoH is your place to be!

[Deathleech]

You mean, kinda like how Space has been a lot over the past 15 years since Lego Star Wars was released?

Ehh, not really. Space has been a little sparse as of late, but in 2013 they had 2 waves of Galaxy Squad and a few years before that Alien Conquest. They have a new bunch of sets come out every year or two. With the Middle-Earth license, Castle has been on hiatus. Since 2009, only one wave of Castle sets have come out. That's one wave of Castle stuff in six years... a little different then skipping a year every now and then like with Space.

[SkaForHire]

It is fantasy. LOTR should clearly go in with the new Elves theme. :-)

Booyah!!!

So why did Castle become the odd man out then, being put in the vague "Historical" section? Castle has a bigger representation and following than Pirates through Lego history, so why does Castle stay in the vague historical section, along with other sub themes that have absolutely no similarity to Castle...such as Wild West.

I think Castle and pirates were about the same popularity in the late 80's early 90's. Pirates died down because TLG stopped releasing them every year. Off that topic, but many GOHers are people who started their adult love for Lego in the Pirates forum, so I think that helps point out how all of these forums are connected as well.

The forum has evolved over time. It used to have pirates, now they are in their own forum, it didn't have LotR, but we felt it was appropriate here, I tried to keep Lone Ranger, but stronger wills prevailed.

I still don't know LR fell out of here, it wasn't super popular to begin with and was closest to Wild West, for those poor folks that have no new members building in their style. :(

Also, how long ago was pirates part of this forum? You and I are coming near a decade here at EB, and ever since I think ever since I have been here it has been it's own forum -- that was the only forum I really visited for years.

(Not directed at Z here,) The point to that is, these two forums have been separate for almost 10 years, why merge them? Why would that make any sense? Why would it make sense to separate LOTR and Castle? There are not enough MOCs or really contagious threads for either subgroup.

[ZCerberus]

They have been separate for a long time. We had Lone Ranger for like 2 weeks before it was moved.

History isn't the only place where we have debated a theme's fit. We try to place things where people would expect to find them and we try to keep forums small enough to manage the discussion, but not so small that the forum gets neglected. We broke pirates out of history when it was too big to manage, we separated GoH when it was too big to manage, I tried and did not get LotR in it's own forum under the idea from staff that LotR would not be a lasting theme.

[Rogue Angel]

It may be odd, but I build in two themes: Historic and Star Wars. I don't build space outside of Star Wars, I don't build any of the licensed themes outside of Star Wars, and I don't build Pirates. I build Castle, Renaissance, Ancient History, Colonial History, Egyptian, Western, pretty much any era with CMFs. So the forums fit perfectly to my tastes. I see fantasy as being merely a Castle variant, and I buy LotR for my fantasy (GoH) building. I feel the division is perfect for what I build.

[ZCerberus]

It may be odd, but I build in two themes: Historic and Star Wars. I don't build space outside of Star Wars, I don't build any of the licensed themes outside of Star Wars, and I don't build Pirates. I build Castle, Renaissance, Ancient History, Colonial History, Egyptian, Western, pretty much any era with CMFs. So the forums fit perfectly to my tastes. I see fantasy as being merely a Castle variant, and I buy LotR for my fantasy (GoH) building. I feel the division is perfect for what I build.

There you have it. We organized the whole forum to fit the needs of Rogue!!

[Faefrost]

To be fair while there are forums here called Town and Sci Fi, neither is limited to just the designated theme of City or Space. Town encompasses City, Friends, Modulars, minifig scale car themes and some creator sets. SciFi encompasses Space and related themes as well as general SciFi MOC's which are very common. About the only single theme forums to get their own heading is Star Wars. And it's not hard to understand that one.

[Ardelon]

I dont have an issue with the problem as stated, because instead of Castle becoming subsumed in a Historical forum, I feel its more like the rest of history is being subsumed in the de facto Castle forum! Point being - whats in a name? Its still some 90% Castle. One remedy to the original complaint could be renaming the forum as Castle and Historical, which is rather redundant.

Ehh, not really. Space has been a little sparse as of late, but in 2013 they had 2 waves of Galaxy Squad and a few years before that Alien Conquest. They have a new bunch of sets come out every year or two. With the Middle-Earth license, Castle has been on hiatus. Since 2009, only one wave of Castle sets have come out. That's one wave of Castle stuff in six years... a little different then skipping a year every now and then like with Space.

Huh? There were Kingdoms waves in 2010 and 2011, the joust set in 2012, and the newest Catle theme in 2013...

[Deathleech]

Huh? There were Kingdoms waves in 2010 and 2011, the joust set in 2012, and the newest Catle theme in 2013...

The one joust set hardly constitutes a wave. And it was a D2C set? By that logic LotR actually got it's third wave with Orthanc since it was released several months after the second wave? I guess technically the last Castle wave was in 2011 (besides the 2013 release), but meh. I don't consider 4 sets spaced out over a year a real wave. Seems more like they were just giving fans SOMETHING. Especially when the highest price set was $70 and there were only two other sets released in the summer with it, and then a single set in Dec 2011. Regardless, if you exclude the 2013 wave that's almost 5 years of no Castle released if the next is indeed in 2016. If you do include the 2013 wave, that's a 1.5 year gap and then a 2.5 gap between releases.

[Artanis I]

Since 2009, only one wave of Castle sets have come out. That's one wave of Castle stuff in six years... a little different then skipping a year every now and then like with Space.

3 waves + D2Cs (Joust, chess, & battle packs) and a TLM set. And in that time there have been 4 waves of Space + nothing, and 1 wave of Pirates just coming out.

I guess technically the last Castle wave was in 2011 (besides the 2013 release), but meh. I don't consider 4 sets spaced out over a year a real wave.

4 sets is a normal 2nd wave: Space Police 3, Galaxy Squad, Kingdoms, LOTR, The Hobbit etc. And Kingdoms 2nd wave sets weren't spaced out over a year.

From 2004, we have only had 4 years (of 12) without a wave of Castle sets, including 2015. 10 years without Pirates.

[Deathleech]

3 waves + D2Cs (Joust, chess, & battle packs) and a TLM set. And in that time there have been 4 waves of Space + nothing, and 1 wave of Pirates just coming out.

4 sets is a normal 2nd wave: Space Police 3, Galaxy Squad, Kingdoms, LOTR, The Hobbit etc. And Kingdoms 2nd wave sets weren't spaced out over a year.

From 2004, we have only had 4 years (of 12) without a wave of Castle sets, including 2015. 10 years without Pirates.

Yes, but Galaxy Squad came out in 2013 and got 6 initial sets in the first wave, and then 4 more sets in the second wave all of which were released the same year. It also got 2 polybags. The 2013 Castle line got one wave of 5 sets, and then the 2 battlepacks. The 2013 Castle theme was almost half the size of the 2013 Space theme.

In 2011 a measly 4 Castle sets were released. The same year Alien Conquest came out and you know how many sets it had? 7, plus 1 BP, plus 2 polybags. Again, way more than Castle at almost triple. So since 2011 Space has had 22 sets including polybags while Castle has had 12. I was originally responding to the guy who was saying Space has had as few sets in recent years as Castle but that simply isn't true. Space has had way more waves and each wave has been bigger.

Pirates would have been a much better example.. but I am sure it would be a nightmare to go combining and splitting forums every time a theme goes on hiatus. It's pretty obvious the forum themes are just grouped based on subject AND what is scheduled to come out. The mods try to keep each section of the forum lively by putting themes there that would fit and based on what is coming out.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Deathleech

[kabel]

these are the type of conversations which keep me warmly snug in the GoH subforum!

that's the best compliment I've ever heard about GoH up to this date. And yes you are right, I does indeed feel "warm and cozy" this one click away!

[Peppermint_M]

It is fantasy. LOTR should clearly go in with the new Elves theme. :-)

Keep your Middle Earth, it just gives me a headache!

Historic is a great banner to organise these things under. Though once upon a time Adventurers lived here until things were sorted around a bit to make Action, just think, you could have Ninjago in here too if 'tweren't for A&A. The forums are organised as best they can be when considering activity levels, fuel for said activity (Like theme popularity and sub-theme refresh rate) and if something looks to be taking up a lot of space and will continue to do so. Heroica started as some threads in Mafia and Roleplay but swiftly drowned out the Mafia game threads so had to be split off to a subforum. As did GoH, ZC mentioned.

That said, things change over time which is why the forum does too.

[DaleDVM]

I agree with the Original poster. In my opinion the forums would have been better divided if it was split as castle and a historic forum for wild west, pirates, and others. LOTR, Prince of Persia, and vikings very well could have been included in the castle forum as they all included castle type structures. Lone ranger would have fit in well with wild west, and pirates. Perhaps they could have been divided as an ancient history forum (before the Renaissance) and recent history forum (the Renaissance and later periods)

@Deathleech I would give up on splitting hairs about what would constitute a wave. I understand what you were trying to get at but... the statement that only one wave of castle has been released since 2009 is misleading. You would have to consider all of Kingdoms and 2013 castle one wave. I don't think anyone is going along with that notion but I do get your point.

[Deathleech]

@Deathleech I would give up on splitting hairs about what would constitute a wave. I understand what you were trying to get at but... the statement that only one wave of castle has been released since 2009 is misleading. You would have to consider all of Kingdoms and 2013 castle one wave. I don't think anyone is going along with that notion but I do get your point.

Ya, I suppose. Maybe I should have said there haven't been any substantial Castle waves since 2010? Unless we get something late 2015, there will only have been 12 sets released in five years, and two of them were the blister battlepacks. That's like one years worth of waves, or two normal waves basically.

Regardless of how you look at it, that's not a ton of sets released. Fewer sets means less to talk about. I think that's what the mods try to hit on most when placing themes in the forums.. what will keep the forum going and give it something to be talked about. The actual theme is a close second.. but like LotR, LR, PoP could all fit in the History forum, OR Licensed since they are both technically (well not real history, but you get my point).