Here are some answers to a few of the questions that we are frequently asked at TGN. If you have an issue that isn’t addressed by this page or have a new questions then please feel free to email us. This document is a work in progress and will be updated with new material as we get time to add it and as reader’s send us in new questions.

News

Where does TGN find its news?
The writers at TGN scour over 300 websites a day looking for news about new miniatures, previews or interesting information. This used to be the primary source of news posts on the site but as the site expands we have had less time for this. The most efficient way for a company to get information on the site is to submit it themselves.

How do I submit news?
The most efficient way to submit news to TGN is by using the News Submission form on the site. You can use this to send in news stories as well as URLs to any images that you want to include in the story. The information in the form is sent to all of the writers at TGN which helps to ensure that it will be posted as soon as possible.

How do you determine what images get used in a story?
While we always suggest that people include photo links in their stories we typically only use one image per news story unless the news posting is a preview of new miniatures or products. Images are scaled to 350 to 400 pixels in width to fit into the content area on the site. We sometimes do not use images that are submitted if they are not related to the story directly. We also tend not to post company logos except in the case of a new company.

The main reason for this policy is to keep the load time of the main page to a minimum. TGN has 30 news items on the front page and so in order to keep this page loading as quickly as possible we limit the images we post.

Are there topics that are not “news”?
Typically there are only two areas that we don’t post news about. Issues that are perceived to be too regional and product announcements from someone other than the original manufacturer. We do not post “We are going to event X” announcements if we find them online but are more than happy to post them if they are submitted by the companies involved.

How does news get posted to TGN?
Every morning starts with a scan of the 300+ sites that TGN checks for news. Any information found on those sites is posted to TGN. Once those sites are checked then any news submitted via the News Submission form is then posted. This means that news submitted to TGN typically sits higher on the TGN main page than news that we find on our own. During the day news is then posted as it is found.

News is typically assigned to one or more categories, such as “Sci-fi” or “Ancients” so that readers of the site can browse for news by category in addition to seeing news updates on the front page.

Are there topic areas that you don’t cover?
TGN does not cover RPGs, computer games, or board games that do not have any miniatures in them. The site focuses on tabletop miniature gaming only. There are many sites that do a very good job of covering those other gaming areas and our intent is to keep the site as useful as possible to our readers by keeping the content on the site focused on miniature games and products related to those games.

How do I get a product reviewed on TGN?
If you are interested in having a product reviewed by one of the reviewers on TGN the please contact us and we will put you in touch with Grant Hill our Reviews Editor. He can then find a person to review your product.

Comments

What sort of comments are appropriate for TGN?
TGN has comments enabled for the news items and article that we post. Readers are always welcome to provide comments that pertain to the post or article they are reading. We do ask that people keep their comments limited to the news item, review or article at hand and do not stray into more general topic areas. The site is not intended to be a general hobby message board.

Can I complain about a figure or company?
Complain? No. Critique. Absolutely.

All that we ask is that if you are going to post criticisms of products or companies that you do so in an adult manner and that your criticisms are constructive. We also ask that if you want to critique something that you provide the other readers of TGN something with which to base a dialogue upon. Tell us why you don’t like something and explore the topic so other people can respond and build an interesting dialogue.

The internet is filled with message boards and sites that have, to be blunt, negative and crappy comments about minis, games and companies. Short, negative, pissy comments are a dime a dozen on the web and we want to build a community of gamers that post something more interesting when they post comments.

This subject is dealt with directly on TGN’s Comment Code of Conduct page.

What is constructive criticism?
A comment such as “that mini is horrible” is simply an opinion and don’t provide any reasons for the opinion. “That figure looks poorly sculpted because the arms are not propotionate to the body and the face lacks character” is an example of saying the same thing but in a constructive manner. Not only does it tell the sculptor or producer what you don’t like but it also provides the readers at TGN an example of why you don’t like a figure. The first comment is a conversational dead-end but the second opens up the topic and allows other people to expand on or debate the issue based on something other than an opinion.

Can I critique an advertiser of TGN?
There are no limits on commenting on products or services provided by TGN advertisers as long as those comments fit into the Comment Code of Conduct for the site. People who advertise on TGN are as much “fair game” as people who do not.

Is TGN just for “fanboys”?
We don’t think so but this is certainly an issue that comes up from time to time. Part of the reason for this is that the staff at TGN, specifically TGN “editor” Zac Belado, tend to take a dim view of people who post negative comments that don’t elaborate on the posters reasons for their opinions. People often get quite angry or annoyed at companies, sculptors or other gamers and we like to put out those flames before they start.

We also want to foster a more adult and opinionated culture here at TGN and this often means that people who just want to vent about a figure, game or company often find a less than welcoming atmosphere here.

Some people think that this means that the site only wants to see positive comments. This is simply not the case. What we want to see if well reasoned comments (positive or negative) and we often ask posters who do not want to participate in this to go elsewhere.

Will TGN ever open a message board?
No. TGN “editor” Zac Belado doesn’t currently have the time necessary to moderate a message board and, more importantly, the readers of TGN don’t think it is a good idea.

General

How long has the site been in operation?
TGN has been running since September 2005.

Who works for TGN?
TGN is run part-time by several staffers. The site does not, as of yet, have any full time writers or editors. You can read their bios on the site’s About page. TGN is run by fans, for fans and we hope to keep the site running in this fashion.

Can I write reviews for TGN?
TGN is always looking for new writers to help add new reviews to the site. If you are interested in writing for the site please send us a writing sample (or a URL to samples of your writing) as well as a list of genres or areas that you feel confident in covering. Reviewers will be required to own and operate a digital camera.

What are the traffic stats for TGN?
Traffic stats are a tricky subject for several reasons. First, they are highly subjective and depend on the software you use and what you qualify as a “page view”. TGN has three different stats packages that we use and all three give different values for the traffic that the site gets. As a metric, web stats are often quite useless. We use them simply to track site traffic compared to historical data.

The second issue is that TGN is developed in a manner that exposes readers to 30 news items from a single “page view”. This is deliberate as the developers of TGN hate having to open multiple tabs or load multiple pages to read news. TGN also does not sell individual ad impressions and so we have no reason to develop a site that artificially creates page views and therefore ad impressions.

The site generates a fraction of the page views that many similar sites do but, we think, provides more news and content in those page views. This makes the traffic stats for TGN not fully reflect the amount of information that readers get from the site.

How can I advertise on TGN?
Information about ad rates can be obtained by contacting us. Please note, we do not accept ads for products or companies that are outside of the content focus of the site. From time to time Google ads show up that are not for topic areas covered by the site but we try to limit that as much as we can.