After a day or so break - mostly spent wasting the golden hours of my youth on City of Heroes - I checked back here and read Don's announcement. To say that I was shocked...well, no, not really. Disappointed and sad...well, yeah. Probably more than I should be.
I first became acquainted with this site - through the LUG homepage recommendation - in Sept. '00, shortly after the announcement of the RPG licence transfer over to Decipher was released. I very quickly became greatly enamoured of the wit, literacy and general good comradeship of the crew around here; even occasional Richard Daystrom's popping up, like Red Quacker, were of some real amusement value. Although I refrained from joining until May of last year, I was a very loyal lurker and had this site as my opening page from the moment I got my Dell, and my Internet hookup, in March '01.
Don, I know I write for everyone here when I thank you for the enormous effort that you've expended over the last six years. You provided a home for people who shared a common interest, forwarded the funds for housing and support without complaint; gave us some spectacular extra special stuff, like requisitioning the lost Icon material; and fought like hell to bring life back to the Coda project when certain parties decided that doing the job they signed on for just wasn't worth the effort. I certainly do hope to see you around the 'Net in future; either on another site of your own construction or on one of the spin-offs Trek-RPG.net has - and is sure to - inspire. Whatever form your sabbatical takes, you've more than earned it.
So everyone stand and raise your glasses: Here's to Don Mappin. You came in the front door, like a gentleman, and left the same way. Thank you again, and once more hoping that this is only another step in the continued evolution of the Star Trek RPG community.
P.S.: I hope that everyone here realizes, even though I've never posted a single message to it, that I'm going to submit the final post to the "Be a Winner" thread 1.5 seconds before the shutdown.