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Legacy

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This Board Shall Be My Legacy.

Xim (33): Board List | Topic List | Log Out | Help

From: Xim | Posted: 12/18/2004 5:54:08 AM | Message Detail

Yeah, assuming this stays around a long time. I'll post the story of the secret board hunter Xim for all future hunters to see.. right here. Then, one day after I'm long gone from GameFAQs, I will still live on through this topic.
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: TheLeaker | Posted: 12/18/2004 6:31:36 PM | Message Detail

Okay

From: Xim | Posted: 12/19/2004 6:29:17 PM | Message Detail

Well, that was quick. Didn't think someone would find me that fast! Even though you or anyone else that finds this place probably already knows, first I'll give a run down on what a secret board hunter is.

Secret board hunters.. well, they hunt for secret boards. That is, they go around GameFAQs to all the systems where there is no topicality rule (one cannot be modded for posting off-topic), and look for cool topic, boards, people, etc. Along the way, they post in every most every topic they can find, usually with a witty reply or somewhat topical response which induces humor. However, secret board hunting's not quite as simple as its premise. If you ask secret boarders, the majority will probably tell you board hunters simply go around posting inane messages all over the place as fast as they can or that they're just some people that go around looking for secret boards. Neither is entirely correct, especially the former. There are those that claim to be secret board hunters that simply go through secret boards posting smilies and other uninspired crap in every single post to, essentially, just raise their post count. They never read any of the interesting topics they find, nor do they ever intend to revisit any boards they come across. I don't think there is anything further from being a board hunter than that. Some of these alleged hunters have at least had the decency to acknowledge they're simply tarnishing the name of secret board hunters and have dubbed themselves "secret board wanderers". However, the terminology I prefer to use for such people is "Experts On Pissing Off Xim". Well, maybe they're not that bad, but it just makes me frustrated sometimes, trying to think of something witty and topical in every single one of my posts while following someone that posts "*walks past*" everywhere. Doesn't leave much room for inspiration, I tell you what. Then why do I do it when there are so many people like that? Why do it at all?

Because it's fun. Mostly. There's so many little colonies out there, interesting people to meet, stories to be told. It may sound dull to someone who's never tried it, but there is so, so much to see on the secret boards. There are hundreds, no, thousands of great topics and secret boarders out there. To me, there are four key points to board hunting; finding interesting boards and people, saving good topics from the purge, making somebody smile when they read my posts, and sharing laughs with fellow hunters.

Next time: Secret board hunting pointers!
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: Zoop | Posted: 12/20/2004 2:59:40 PM | Message Detail

I can hardly wait.
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"I'm sick of following my dreams, so I'm just going to ask where they're going
and hook up with them later." - Mitch Hedburg

From: Xim | Posted: 12/21/2004 5:52:25 PM | Message Detail

A couple of things new secret board hunters should keep in mind: First off, keep a list of cool boards you find in notepad or something. Back when I finished the Backwards Journey (I'll explain this in a later post if I remember) during the summer of 2003, I had two lists. One that was kind of like another Favorites list (ones you can add to your Boards list by clicking "Add To My Favorites" on any board), that listed the best secret boards I'd found (determined by people and topics, not post count) and another "Master list". The Master list contained information about tons of secret boards. The notes on each were quite varied, sometimes citing just one person I knew of had a topic there, to simply stating it was a faction, to maybe several sentences that explained the backstory of the board, so I'd know what was once there in case I ever went back and everything had purged. Just to give you an idea of the scale of this Master list, it has nearly 1600 boards listed today. That's just my thing though. It's a good way to keep tabs on people I've met so I can contact them if I need or want to. Most hunters don't go to that extreme. But I suggest you at least make a Favorites list (my Favorites list has about 150 boards listed. That may seem like a lot, but you have to consider the entire secret board system has about 5000 secret boards, minimum).

Also, make every post count. Don't fall into the habit of posting just emoticons everywhere or anything else uninspired like such. If you remember anything from all of what I've said here, remember that your post count means nothing if each post contains about 5 characters. Let me make that perfectly clear. How fast you hunt and your post count mean nothing at all to true hunters. Too many people do that, and it ruins it for other board hunters. There's a pretty common misconception (mostly with new hunters) that the faster you hunt, the better of a hunter you are. To quote Medea, a great hunter: ""It doesn't matter how many boards you've seen if you don't read the posts. It would be more impressive if someone has read every single post on gamefaqs, but that's probably impossible and there wouldn't be any way to tell. I like seeing what kind of different people post on these boards. Some of them are boring RPG crap, and some of them are just random silliness. Every once in a while you'll come across something really interesting or funny and that makes it all worth it!".

I'm not trying to make it sound like board hunting is a chore or anything, far from it. I do it for fun just like everybody else, but what you've gotta keep in mind is that you're not the only one that board hunts. Take the time to consider that people will respond after you do; leave them some room to make a good post. If you post something like just "^_^" in a post, chances are the next person will post another emoticon, maybe "v_v" then the next post will be "<_<" and then ">_>" and so on. It may seem amusing at first, but after seeing that tired old pattern so many times, it starts to lose its allure, to put things lightly. Not only that, but it brings down the quality of topics. So, make spirited, clever posts all the time, and you'll be one of the best hunters ever in my book; it doesn't matter if you never finish hunting through one system. A good reply will make someone laugh. To quote NinjaMaster, another great hunter: "It combines impeccable timing, hilarious slapstick, immense wit, and the power of puns all into one joke."
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: Xim | Posted: 12/21/2004 5:52:34 PM | Message Detail

I'm ashamed to admit it now, but, back then, when I first attempted to become a board hunter, I was doing it for glory, not for fun. I wanted secret boarders to look up to me, just like I looked up to the old board hunters. That's just wrong. Never go board hunting just for the post count or for fame. Staying true to this ideal is the honorable way, the hunter's way.

Note: If you're still reading this, which probably means you're a hunter, you might want to add this board to one of your lists I mentioned earlier, if you use them. I'll probably update this fairly often, at least enough to keep the purge away so it lasts a long time. If you become a veteran hunter, it'd be a great reference to new hunters.

Next time: Great hunters over the ages! Bonus: A partial list of present and past hunters alike!
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: Zoop | Posted: 12/31/2004 5:52:26 PM | Message Detail

Bump...FOR THE FUTURE!!
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Board 7303 - A good place to raise your kids up at
"Yeah, I was afraid of this... scorpion hobos." - Crow T. Robot

From: MSN02 zeong | Posted: 1/10/2005 2:32:53 AM | Message Detail

Bump
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"Of the many fetishes I've heard of and seen, I've not yet heard of loadings ones anus with live ammo"-Thirdtwin(don't ask)

From: Xim | Posted: 1/20/2005 2:27:05 PM | Message Detail

The following is a list of secret board hunters that have inspired me. They're not really around that much anymore, but if you ever see them in old topics, you'll know they're one of the greats.

Scum - Combines the wit of all, has a legendary apple obsession. I'll have a whole section dedicated to him later.

NinjaMaster - Him, Interceptor, and duckduckduck all are the most like what Scum was like, I think. In particular, NM is awesome at timing and wit. Most likely my favorite board hunter ever, if you don't count Scum.

Medea - She's really witty and sarcastic (but in a good way). Also known as Smed to Scum, much to her chagrin.

Starman Deluxe - He's not even a hunter, but he's definitely worthy of such a list. He is great with puns and always has some kind of witty retort. He was one of the only guys I know of that could go head-to-head with Scum in a battle of wits without losing.

Interceptor - Incredibly cheerful, Interceptor added the whole "nonchalant repartee" thing to Scum. He's one of my favorites because he doesn't really post often, but when his alias "Interceptorn" is mentioned in a topic, he'll post there with uncanny promptness.

Kinnison - A man of few words. Unlike Sam Kinison, Kinni always struck me as quite timid. Nevertheless, he's funny, and the only time I've EVER seen him angry was when Scum got banned. He's got a really cool head. He's pretty much the polar opposite of me.. and what I wish I was like, at times.

duckduckduck - Just.. just great at everything. Almost everything posted by him is quoteable, if it would make sense alone. He can raise a topic's humor rating by 50% just by posting a few times.

FBI Porker - Hammy is not only funny, but likeable. All of the previously mentioned hunters have a certain charm, but he in particular is quite enthralling. I bet it's his winning smile and devilish good looks.

RdDragon - Actually, I don't really know much about him. He's kind of like me in the sense that he's rather well-known in his field without ever really being part of any of the larger groups. But I've seen him post on the secret boards several times. He's a pro.

There are tons of other hunters that are really good, but these are the ones that really made me want to become a secret board hunter. And I'd add SECRET B0ARD P0LICE as he inspired me as well, but I always got confused with all his shared accounts, so I wouldn't know what to say. But he does belong on that list regardless. Of the more "recent" hunters, the ones that remind me the most of the hunters of old are dwimmerlaik and slobr.
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: Xim | Posted: 1/20/2005 2:27:42 PM | Message Detail

Here's a list of lots of the hunters in backwards alphabetical order. There are a lot more, obviously, but these are the ones my hunting friends and I could come up with:

Xim (I'm at the top because I threw a tantrum when zeldagirl was added and I was no longer the first one on the list)
dwimmerlaik (he's this far up on the list because he put his name there)
zeldagirl
warutrid
thebestporter
teflon
supraielman
SuPeR SpY
Starman Deluxe (He's not a hunter, I tell you!)
spud2002
SoftReset
slobr
Skobrev
secretboardhunter
SECRET B0ARD P0LICE
Scum Bag
Scum
Ryu Tsui Sen (Ma Chao)
RockMFR 5
Risky
Red Maw
RdDragon
ravenwarrior
pyramidxhead
pepper2000
outbreakorn
Oni Lupe
NinjaMaster
NickBush24
misterbum
Muck
Mr Agent Guy
Minnow/flyingpigsunited
Medea
Matt J100
Math Murderer
mario man4
man of videogames
Mannequin Depressive
Lorelai
littleman1314
lisanne
LiMiTeDmOoN
LCC
Kinnison
Kaas
IONO
Interceptor
Icarus Ascending
Gypsy
gtrgamer
Groovilicious
FBI Porker
Elite Gamer
duckduckduck
DocProc
Deep Phat Fry
Dawn7
DanKirby
Cow Lover
Console Gamer
ColdFusion
ch4
Cait Sith Cat
Black Mist
Axxel

Yeah, it's not finished, but these are the ones we could think of, and by the time someone reads this, there will undoubtedly be more to add.

Note: If any passing hunters want to add to this topic, please feel free. Everything I've said here is just what I honestly believe about board hunting. It'd be nice to get other people's views on it.

Next time: Hunting methods.
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: ElementSk8er87 | Posted: 1/26/2005 12:21:12 AM | Message Detail

Oh yeah..and zoop..about your car..uhh....

*runs*

<_<
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[+--..] (+--::) The good ol' days....

From: Zoop | Posted: 2/3/2005 10:02:02 PM | Message Detail

I'm a newbie myself, but I've got a good lesson I've just learned over the past few days. If you don't like another hunter, just let it slide. Start slinging mud, and you'll only bring the party down for everybody.

Wait... my car!?! *runs outside*
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"2012 is the end of the Mayan calender" - spud2002
"oh noes! good thing I'm not Mayan" - ActJef1077

From: Xim | Posted: 2/4/2005 12:20:07 AM | Message Detail

Yeah, I'm a veteran hunter and I just learned that one myself awhile back. I made a point several times that I didn't like the hunter Luster Soldier, and then everyone jumped in. I know it's not entirely my fault, but as far as I know, I'm the first one that started ranting about what an ass he is. Then a couple of guys I know went way over the top and started stalking him through Commodore 64, saying what an uninspired loser he is. They even started this little secret board where people basically just dissed on him. Lord knows he needed to be informed, but that was just too far. I didn't participate in anything beyond my little rants, but I'm definitely not doing something like that in the future. The guys who did it were both new hunters, and that's not the kind of example I should have set. Ah, and now that you've confirmed it, I'll add your name to that list, Zoop.

I'm thinking of turning this topic into more of a Board Hunting FAQ than my legacy. And now, hunting methods.
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003

From: Xim | Posted: 2/4/2005 12:29:42 AM | Message Detail

How does one go about hunting? Firstly, it should be known that one only hunts on systems that one cannot be modded for posting off-topic (posts that have nothing to do with the game the message board is for). That's not to say some hunters don't hunt topicality systems, they just don't post there. Some hunters don't even post when they hunt, except for very, very rarely. These are those that hunt solely for finding cool secret boards. Dawn7 and Axxel are particularly notorious for this. To quote Secret Board Hunter: "Just because I haven't posted doesn't mean I haven't found you. It's called lurking. Get used to it."

Here's a list of non-topicality systems:

3DO
Amiga
APF-*1000/IM
Apple II
Arcadia 2001
Astrocade
Atari 2600
Atari 5200
Atari 7800
Atari 8-bit
BBS Door
CD-I
Channel F
Colecovision
Commodore 64
DVD Player
Famicom Disc System
Game.com
GameGear
GP32
Intellivision
Jaguar
Jaguar CD
Lynx
Macintosh
Microvision
MSX
Neo-Geo CD
NeoGeo
Nintendo 64DD
Nuon
Odyssey
Odyssey^2
OS/2
Palm OS
PC-FX
Pinball
Playdia
Pocket PC
Redemption
Sega 32X
Sega CD
Sega Master System
SG-1000
Turbo CD
TurboGrafx-16
Unix/Linux
Vectrex
VIC-20
VirtualBoy
WonderSwan
WonderSwan Color
Zodiac

There are quite a few methods of hunting. Following the alphabet is basically what most hunters do. That is, they go to a certain non-topicality system, enter the lettered section, and visit every board in descending order. There are other styles too; hunting by typing in a board number in the address bar is popular among thorough hunters. Lots of boards are unlisted, which means they don't have a link to them anywhere on GameFAQs. Typing the number in the address bar is basically the only way to find them, and is probably how you found this place. This is also how people found the Special Boards. Special Boards are not secret boards, but are often mistaken for them by newer hunters. These are hidden boards added by CJayC to either give secret board hunters a little treat or to discourage hunting (as it takes too much bandwidth) by giving hunters a place to hang out. Lots of these places suck these days, except for a few. They're mostly places to post overrused ascii art or to brag about how many active posted messages you have. This is a list of Special Boards I know of in the order I found them: Brilliant, Board 250 (bet you can't find this one), Eggbeater, Spatula, Spork, Toaster Oven, Semprini, Pie, Jenny, Toaster Oven (it's a fake one CJayC made on April Fools Day of 2004 because people were always saying the real one didn't exist. The real one is a lot cooler and hardly anyone has found it even after all these years), Nine (another toughie to find), Lame, Rnd(), Angela (actually made on the same day as Jenny but it took me a long time to find it). There might be others, but these are all the ones I know of. Like I said, they don't interest me that much, excluding the original Toaster Oven which is a cool place to lurk. I was told where Brilliant, Board 250, Egg Beater, Spatula and Angela were, the rest are ones I've found on my own.

Hunting by category (Action, RPG etc) is another method I use from time to time. It's cool because it gives you the illusion you're going fast when you actually aren't! Then there's typing random words in the search box (fake hunting). But the one I use the most is called the Backwards Journey. You follow the alphabet, but backwards, starting on WonderSwan Color with Yakusoku no Chi: Riviera and moving from the bottom to top of letters and up the systems to end on 20th Century Video Almanac for 3DO. It's insanely long, but fun. It took me almost all of summer 2003 to do. Well, these are pretty much all of the methods I can think of.

And that, my friends, is how I saved Christmas.

Next Time: Scum rant!

From: Nightmare Kojiro | Posted: 2/16/2005 5:48:43 AM | Message Detail

Zodiac doesn't allow off-topic posting <.<

From: Xim | Posted: 2/16/2005 6:46:33 PM | Message Detail

Except for the fact that there's no way to mark a message for being off topic on Zodiac, I agree completely.
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...(Ż\/Ż)(Ż) (Ż)_(Ż) ...R.I.P. Scum
...(_/\_)(_)(_/\_/\_)...4/18/2001 - 5/26/2003