G'day guys just a quick thread about the what if section.

I have noticed people make posts regarding the what if sections, some good some bad.

So lets find out how many of us like that section some reasons would be great, come on don't be shy

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

What if people who posted what ifs read the rules on What If threads and kept them in the realms of "what could...." rather than "what bizzare fantasy is in my ill educated mind... cos I know ***k all about WW2 and am just inventing sh*te to really p*ss peolpe off who like to learn about what did happen, why it did and what the outcome was."

It's not my forum so what do you hope to achieve with this Poll?
What If we all vote No, will Otto remove the What If section...I doubt it, as he likes it.
It's his forum.
But if people make ridiculous what if threads I'll be a miserable old sod and take the p*ss out of them.

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OK mate fair enough I respect your opinion on it and I it is fun to tear apart people who do make the quite bizarre ones. But I do like the possible ones, although real history is far more fasinating

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

Exactly, so why do people go for stupid what ifs...is it fault of the education system ?
Or are some people actually on another planet?

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*Moved to the feedback forum.*

Come on WW, let's be blunt and tell us how you really feel.

To be honest, I don't really like the "What If?" section. I stopped reading these about two years ago when somebody asked "What if Hitler had the A-bomb?" for the tenth time. Every now and then somebody like Tony Williams shows up and post something realistic and well thought out, but we bin as many threads as we keep.

Our guidelines help when the Rogues choose to follow them, but on the whole I find this section the weakest of all, despite being the second most popular forum of all.

I'm not going to get rid of this section. Maybe if we had a new mod with some Alternate History knowhow to take things in hand and approve threads before they appeared we may have better discussions? I just don't have the time these days to babysit a specific forum.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

A busy man otto, you run the ww2 talk forum as well dont you?

I still like it, and I still learn which is all I want

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

something different?

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

Yes WW2 Talk is mine also, but in the interest of keeping a unique character I try to keep my nose out of their business as much as I can. The mod/admin team over there is top notch and does the lions' share of the work.

I will add though that people who constantly bitch about the What If? section that keep going back in there to bitch again, and again, and again, and again annoy me more than anyone who comes up with an overly creative alternate history scenario. If you don't like it, stay away.

I don't like the taste of tripe, so I don't eat it. It makes absolutely no sense to me to keep eating it and then complain to people who like it how much I think it sucks. I'll have a cheeseburger + french fries please, and leave the tripe eaters to their own devices.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

er..that'll be me then.
cos I got a masochistic streak.
And I'm bored...

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didn't like where I had the thread?

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

I'm not that keen on it, and as of this day will stay away, granted a lot of the way out ones have gone due to the new rules. But I feel there of plenty of what I call bland ones, too put it another way scrapping the bottom of the barrel. I'm sure there are a number of members here like the what if forum and I suspect Otto would put it to the vote to scrap the forum in the name of democratic decision if such a thing was to come about.

I was not bothered any way but as of today I finally came to my personal decision that I am not a fan so I will vote no.

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Regards, Richard


"Open channel D"

I'm not especially fond of it for the most part.

Some of the discussions lately, such as those generated by Terry, Carl Schwamburger or Falcon Jun have been very good. They seem to avoid fantasy.

The Malaysia and Midway ones have been interesting. I prefer threads with a definative end, such how could the same outcome been effected, provided plausible changes in history had occured, not these opened ended "what if the Germans had X or done Y, what would have have happened?" that we see all the time. Midway certainly could have been a different battle had small, believable events have happened or not happened.

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Best Regards,
JW

Personally I think it has its uses, sometimes it can be interesting and thought provoking, just be handy if the rules were kept to. Counterfactual history is always an interesting exercise, just a shame about some of the flights of fancy that some people insist on indulging in.

Sounds like you need this chap for 'alternate history knowhow':

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

I like it when they are more logical and not fantasy like some others have been . And the trend of the Germany winning ones get really old. What is funny is that some who have posted dont like it when they are proven wrong LOL.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman

Not fussed. When I first joined I glanced at it and saw too many flights of fantasy and people being rude and misinformed.

I eventually joined in the odd thread when I felt strongly enough to make a comment. I sometimes like "what if" when it has strong possibilities, but they have to be based in reality and remember that every theatre was still affected by what was happening elsewhere. Often, it seems that the "what if" poster forgets that it was a World War meaning the cause, process, and outcome were still affected by actions occurring elsewhere.

I've liked a couple of the more recent ones like the Phillipines and Malaysia. I know I have one that I keep thinking about but want to research and explore further before I post. Perhaps that is one of the things those who start new threads should do prior to posting it. My

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

I think that is abit harsh! We all love history and one of a historians favorite past-times and fanticies is thinking "what if". We all know it is not hard core academic history but it is fun.

If we were to be so purist as you advise we should also remove the games section as a player may make a move that "did not happen" or a game might not be depicting history 100%.

For all of those members out there that dislike the "what if" section, some sound advice... DONT POST in it and DONT READ IT. There are so many different threads to follow and so many different interests on this fine fourm that I think there is room for everything related to WW2 including a little fun and a few thought experiments... No?

I personaly like the section and have been involved in some interesting discussions in regards to Axis minors and neutrals as of late... Although the threads were thought experiments I enjoyed them and also learned a great deal from the discussions as members pooled their knowledge on the individual nations in question and the political/military situations of each of them during the period.

I know I am relativley new here (one purple heart gives me little say) but I was drawn to this fourm by it's wide range of topical discussion which includes research, historical discussion, book reviews and god forbid... alittle fun.

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"If your going to get it, take one with you!"

Otto or the other mods can correct me on this if I am wrong, but most cooler time and permanent bannings are the results of posts in the What If section.

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Best Regards,
JW

I picked yes, if for nothing else, I enjoy reading them. Some of them have there uses. However many time someone posts a WI on Seelowe it can still add to your knowledge whether its on England's shore defenses, state of readiness in the Home Guard etc.

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"When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." -General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
"The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed."-Karl von Clausewitz

I voted 'yes', though only because I enjoy reading the plausable ones.

Most of them look like there from a Japanese comic.



No offence to Japanese people.

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