not so much dead as extremely sleepy.

The site is functionally dead in terms of gaming. I'm sad about this, and I have sincere doubts that this will ever change - certainly that it will ever change to the point where we might experience another "golden age" where this place is a vibrant center of gaming.

I am not saying that it is dead in that I'm pulling the plug.

For those asking what they can do?

We don't need staff right now. There was a time that we needed staff for moderating threads, for keeping an eye on chat. Right now, adding staff would be like appointing lifeguards around the onboard swimming pool of the Titanic.

What people can do, I'd say, is post. Start games, join games, etc. Using the forums, period is good - share poems, talk about the news, make silly posting games, whatever - but what's killing the community, IMO, is lack of actual gaming taking place here.

I have to admit that I didn't see this coming. True, I've been as guilty as anyone of not being active, but I always knew that the Inn was there and that was a comfort.

Olan, I can see why you're feeling the way that you are, and the challenges of being a webmaster alone are often enough to take the wind out of one's sails. I shut down all of my websites a few months ago because of that very thing. I'll support you in whatever you wish to do, as always. However, I'd like to put this out there...

I've recently been thinking that the site could do with a Revival, and I've a number of ideas to discuss with you in that regards if you're so inclined. I've very little free time on my hands, but I believe that we could make it work without a ton of effort, and we've seen lulls in activity before—maybe not this bad, but all the same, the Inn has recovered.

I've had a divorce, been remarried, have had multiple challenges with blending a family and children going ape, enrolled in school seeking a degree, and become an executive officer in a company just in the past six years. My new wife makes fun of gaming, but she's supportive of me and my interests. In short, I know that I can't devote a ton of time to things right now, but I'm certainly interested in doing what I can as time permits.

Again, I'm not interested in pulling the plug. Sure, let's talk. I'm not optimistic, but if we made some improvements, a few games got going... who knows?

Olan, Alacrity, Brom and everyone else you know how much I love this place. This is my second home and always will be if its active online, sleepy, or sadly in my in my heart if it should end.

I have at times not been the best inmate, in fact a total asshole at times, however no matter what I never left or will I leave this Inn.

As I am now considered handicapped and no longer work I'm always checking in at the inn at 3-4 times a day while online just to see if anything new has been posted to my game Trilogy or just the Inn itself.

Being disabled I have the time to help get the Inn on its feet again and I promise you Olan I have changed from when I was staff. A lot of those reason's for my actions then no longer exist and even disabled my life is better then in the past.

So if you need help, anything, just ask and I'll be glad to help. I love the Inn and do not want to see it go.

I was "drawn" here by the Comics. Searching for D&D Webcomics led to the Inn...the stories and games kept me here.

If there was a way to attract guest artists..newbies that want a forum..that might help. The webcomics that were souly here were great but it just couldn't keep up. Other sites like Erfworld have gone through different artist doing the same characters, we ever did it a little. Now I guess they want paid and there isn't a fund, but could there be a kickstarter or something that funds Loaded Dice?

Perhaps not a continuing story but single panels or Sunday funnies type multi panels. Seeing that I have trouble drawing breath I tend to over simplify, but those visuals are a great draw. (See how I used that again,..hehe.)

This Old Pun maker is staying, it took too long to find the bar here at the Inn and then to step in as Barkeeper.

So even if the Boss brews his own Rebel Brew I'll keep serving our own "Good Old Froth-n-Slosh" in the common room until we have a crowd again.

Olan, you brought me to this site a few years ago from a Reddit thread, and when I logged in for the first time it felt like coming home. I admit I post less than the average user, but this place has something special about it. It's a holdout from when the internet was much different than it is today. I may not know every single user on the site but I certainly know their names. It's a little like Cheers, or Mayberry - only with Dragons and Elves and... well with you guys. Jozan, Chessic, Grugg, Philosopher, Nimu, Tann... everyone. We're not especially close but I consider my life enriched by the stories we've told. The stories we will tell.

I agree, the site may be past its "Golden Age" but that doesn't mean it's dead. Spring will return and this tree will flower again. And if that means I should drop a dollar here or there to keep the servers up, that's fine by me as well.

Again, I'm not looking for cash. The Inn costs me little to maintain, now that I have it sharing a server with my development platform.

I'll admit, it's nice to see some positive feedback. Maybe there is more hope than I thought.

I'm still not optimistic... but maybe there is a spark. Maybe that's enough.

This reminds me I still have to post for my game. Time gets away so easily suddenly I haven't updated in a week and a half.

I'm glad the inn isn't going anywhere at least. There's no where I can think of that I'd rather hold my play-by-post game, even if I'm only active about half the time between Kingmaker and Jade Regent.

I literally just heard of post by post gaming and saw about this website on a reddit thread, I don't have a lotta time to play and post by post is a phenomenal idea, i wonder how I haven't thought about it before, Looking forward to hanging out with you guys
I definitely have interest in starting up a game if anyone would like to!

See, the site is growing already!

Start a game and I will give it a try!

If Impulse found us then there is hope. And it is interesting that there is little information about play by post.

Is there a way to promote Play by Post and direct interested parties here to learn more?

Can We get on Wiki or something?

They are out there..we just got to get them here.

The Rate The Inn on Dice Roller seems to the last place we were highlighted.

Where can we get some exposure?

This site is my home away from home, my port in any storm. When the stresses of life get to be too much, this is my escape. It always will be until the day the site officially goes down and I can't log on. I admit that I was more of an active member a while back, but I still derive great pleasure reading the posts and creations of my friends here. Right now as I type this, it appears that a Red Dragon Inn revival is beginning. I certainly hope it keeps going! This is a great site, Olan! Don't give up on it. Everyone will realize the importance of this site sooner or later and the GREAT FANTASY will live again.

-Tiamat5774

I'm one of those long lost souls who drifted away into the entropy of life. To tell truth, while I haven't played in anything here in many years, I have visited to use dice roller often enough.

I recognize some screen names but many are unfamiliar. It was a place to pop in for some good memories but I can't say that I have the time to commit like I did ten years ago.

I mean, we still have our facebook

It's ironic I was just thinking about this site last week. I can say life has happened. The times are definitely changing, and I think the rise of mobile devices are what's killing site. Back in 2002 or so it was common to sit on the desktop and chat away into the late night hours, writing and posting. Now it's about browsing sites on your phone.

That and there is a component of fear. I fear getting so deeply involved in a game and then having to flake. So I just stopped joining and running games. But that doesn't excuse the lack of just being around. I have literally so many memories of this site and for some reason they all came flooding back last week. Actually that's a lie - a song that used to play on RPG Radio popped up on my Pandora and I think that's what triggered it.

Funny timing, eh?

Maybe this is the spark the site needs.