Ok, so it's only tangentially related to AGoT itself, but I find it an interesting move for FFG as a company. I miss many things about the most previous AGoT site and forum, don't get me wrong. But what they've created now (once the bugs have been worked out) is something new. Sure, WotC has been trying with Gleemax, but it's not nearly slick and easy enough for me yet. FFG's community site is now a pretty sweet social networking site for gamers. It's easy to find the discussion areas you want to participate in, and with a glance see the other games that the players you are conversing with are interested in. Then you can easily track down information on that game. Or you can track down more players for the games you play by browsing those who have the game in their collection. The networking possiblities of the new setup are pretty great I think. The only real downside is that I rather wish it wasn't company specific. Don't get me wrong, FFG has some great games and I certainly understand that as a company they wouldn't want to advertise competitors products, but danged if I don't wish players had a site this sweet to find players of games of sorts.

Yeah, I find it pretty awesome. And with the advent of facebook and myspace, the only question I have is "why didn't they think of it sooner?"

Yeah, there's a few more features that it would be great to have to make the whole experience finally click though.

This website upgrade was something that they have been working on for some time, and I have to say that the more time I spend here the more I am coming to enjoy the setup. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that by clicking the game images underneath my avatar I can jump to that website -- makes it easy to move around the site as a whole.

Gleemax just didn't work for me, but what FFg has done is amazing, and could really make for a new shift in the gaming community if it were applied to the industry as a whole. But I wouldn't count on it.

Now, if FFG really, really wanted to make me happier, they could buy WizKids.

Now that would be cool.

FFG isn't the only one making the shift.  AEG has set a Ning Networking system (much like facebook or myspace) for the Legend of the Five Rings CCG.  Haven't played with it much but it's a slick way for it's members to communicate with each other.