The Forge is the website community that really kicked me in the butt when it came to game design. I'd been sort of groping in the dark when I was designing my first game and trying to get my friends, who had little time and less inclination, to help me and give me feedback on the game. Finally an acquaintance of mine pointed me toward the Forge, which is a community dedicated to independently owned and published RPGs. They take their mission very seriously, and use sometimes intimidating catchphrases as "System Does Matter", "Fantasy Heart-breaker" and "The Lumpley Principle". However, once you've waded through the jargon and gotten a handle on what they're talking about, you'll find that they're a very insightful group of individuals who are impassioned about making good games. Many times they've been snubbed as elitist by other popular online gaming and game design communities, but that is mostly because they do have immense pride in their mission and their community, and have a no-tolerance policy toward flame-wars, idle chatter, and anything that is not productive and on-topic. Visit the Forge