>>535736591
My hypothesis regarding /bgg/ threads is that a form of social contagion is the main driving force behind a thread's quality. It's monkey see, monkey do. Posts themselves become memetic vectors, even if they are not intended to be memes (the DNA of the soul). If the OP is ugly, e.g., a close-up of a fat, ugly drag queen or a dragonfreak no one wants to see, it signals that the thread (general) is not to be taken seriously, and that shitposting is therefore expected. If the OP is beautiful, e.g., a close-up of Lae'zel or Shadowheart or Karlach or Minthara, it signals that the thread (general) is one where beauty is celebrated - although that sometimes backfires and provokes shitposters into a frenzy, but that's another issue. Frogposting begets more Frogposting. Astarion posting begets more Astarion posting. Pigslop shared for absolutely no reason begets more ugly pigslop. Mintharafag dropping another essay (short paragraph) on the moral code of Minthara "let them eat cake" Baenre begets unrelated and loud whining. And so on and so forth. Civilized discussion is unlikely to take place if drowned out by twenty shitposts about whether Astarion is a fag. Of course, one could argue that nothing about this is exclusive to /bgg/, and that other generals follow similar dynamics. Where the main difference lies, in my opinion, is that most generals are not schizophrenic about their identities. Pick any gacha general, filter by the OPs, and you're likely to find an unbroken streak of a hundred cute (by their respective standards) gacha waifus. Trolls are unlikely to stubbornly stay in a general for a game they detest. There is an unspoken agreement to make the general pleasant for like-minded anons. /bgg/ is an anomaly in that regard - populated seemingly equally by fans and haters, even two years in. I believe choosing truth and beauty over falsehood and ugliness is a moral duty. It might be the most important one yet. Beauty begets beauty.