Just Curious? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Just Curious? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Arithian
06-10-07, 11:23 PM I have noticed a number of Threads dedicated to requests for help by different members of this board. I have also noticed a number of Threads generated to attempt to add some measure of additional subtance too or fleshing out of different items that have maybe not been completely fleshed out in canon material.

I have also noticed that most of these Threads get very limited if any attention and I have to believe that possibly more than a few of these peolpe may be new to Book and Dice RPG's.

I am curious as to why this is. It would seem that requests for help often times go generally unresponded to, while Threads dedicated to Humor and Endless Debate cant get enough posts. Why is this?

I post a serious thread, I get nothing...I post a completely DUMB and useless post (at least in regards to gaming), which I have done under other names on these boards and it becomes a HOT THREAD, thats sad.

There are some generally talented people on these boards that can greatly help enhance other gamers gaming experiences and all to often you keep it to yourselves.

Why?:confused:

The sad part is I am almost certain that this Thread will get many, many posts.

I say that because while it will help me better understand why this topic of discussion is the case, I would much rather just see more Threads of "substance" from the perspective of useful gaming material.
Rechan
06-10-07, 11:32 PM I actually don't see that happening. I always make a point of posting in someone's "Help my campaign" thread. A few weeks ago, I started one with regards to my Inquisitive/Detective game, and got up to 3 pages going back and forth with Shady.
Arithian
06-10-07, 11:41 PM I actually don't see that happening. I always make a point of posting in someone's "Help my campaign" thread. A few weeks ago, I started one with regards to my Inquisitive/Detective game, and got up to 3 pages going back and forth with Shady.

Unfortunately that is exactly my point. You are awesome and suffice it to say not one of the problems, I appreciate your contributions to "my" Thread (though your last one wasnt very nice.:weep: But oh well I'm a big boy, I can take it.) and generally your contributions as a whole (I checked out your posting profile earlier today:D );

But all to often I dont see alot of substance posts and substance help. Dont get me wrong Humor and Debate is cool, but it seems to be overly dominant while other potentially useful posts get left behind. It would seem that not only would those posts help the people who are starting them but could also become generally useful to the group as a whole.

Just my thoughts.
Kaizer_Ryu
06-10-07, 11:54 PM I don't really think that's a fair comparison. Most "Help me" threads have fairly simple answers (they're just overlooking it or something like that. Happens to me more than I'd like to admit) that can be answered by one person with the right bit of knowledge. Fleshing things out can be a bit different, since quite a few of the threads I've seen are about obscure things mentioned in the ECS, the supplementals, or the novels with very little to go off of.

Many times the question is some version of "is there anything else on this somewhere I haven't seen?" Since it's obscure, not many people would necessarily know of it in the first place. Of those who do know of it, if they aren't sure if anything more has been said, are they really gonna post just to say "I have no idea?" And if there isn't anything more on it, that leaves very few people who would be able to definitively say "No, there isn't. You have to make it up."

So it's not really all that strange that so many "Help me" threads would either be short or go unanswered. The humor threads are just good fun, a place for people to be less concerned about sticking to published material and more about just having fun playing the game, so they'd natually attract a wider audience.

Just my :twocents:
OctaviusIII
06-11-07, 12:04 AM Well, I certainly read through those posts, but I realize when I don't have anything good to add, or I don't have time to brainstorm something worth posting. Give me a place, however (i.e., "What's the vicinity of Vralkek like?") or politics and I'm all over that. They're what I'm good at, and it's in those threads that I'll most consistently post. I think people will generally post what they know will be good, productive, or funny, rather than throwing out an idea just because its the first thing that came to mind. That limits the postings in help threads but encourages them in debate or humor threads. That's my 2 cents, anyway.

Oh, and if you DO have a place question, feel free to ask. It's like mental SimCity.
Arithian
06-11-07, 12:24 AM Well, I certainly read through those posts, but I realize when I don't have anything good to add, or I don't have time to brainstorm something worth posting. Give me a place, however (i.e., "What's the vicinity of Vralkek like?") or politics and I'm all over that. They're what I'm good at, and it's in those threads that I'll most consistently post. I think people will generally post what they know will be good, productive, or funny, rather than throwing out an idea just because its the first thing that came to mind. That limits the postings in help threads but encourages them in debate or humor threads. That's my 2 cents, anyway.

Oh, and if you DO have a place question, feel free to ask. It's like mental SimCity.

Ok this is for OCTAVIUSIII ONLY. Please no one else post! Seriously, I dont want to get off topic. But I would like to see his skills. Better yet, Ocatavius I will send you a PM with my request...lets see what you've got.:D

It will be arriving shortley.

Sorry back to the discussion at hand.
garner_adam
06-11-07, 08:18 AM I've noticed this trend too. But I'll say that there's two culprits. A lot of the 1001 threads fall flat on their face. Last two I noticed involved thefts and the Eldeen Reaches. But the original posters just up and disappear. You're not even sure your great ideas or help are going to the right person.
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=852810

Culprit #2 Rechan gets to the thread first. :P
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=858694

Although here's a decent thread to read over. About trying to run a chase scene. (All experienced GM's know the woes of the Chase)
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=863201
Rechan
06-11-07, 10:41 AM Culprit #2 Rechan gets to the thread first. :P
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=858694

:P
Edymnion
06-11-07, 12:31 PM I think that the main problem is that filling things out requires a much greater investment of time and energy on the responder's part. You'll notice that threads about filling out fluff don't tend to have problems when they are "Tell us what YOU did", where the implication is that you have already done the work and just need a place to show it off.

On the other hand, "Help ME with MY fluff" is differant, as it requires the poster to come up with material they would likely not use for their own game, which means they spend a lot of time and effort for very little in return.

Think of it in more of a physical sense.
Pretend you are a car buff (if you aren't). Now, you see two ads in the paper. One says "Come show off your classic car at the big car show!", the other says "Come help me build a classic car!" Which one are you going to be more likely to respond to? Sure, there are people that enjoy building these things just for the sake of building them, but most would rather get recognition for the work they did, than do the same work for somebody else.
Shady314
06-11-07, 03:12 PM I have noticed a number of Threads dedicated to requests for help by different members of this board. I have also noticed a number of Threads generated to attempt to add some measure of additional subtance too or fleshing out of different items that have maybe not been completely fleshed out in canon material.

Sometimes people aren't able to help. If someone wanted help putting TOB into Eberron I'd be pretty useless since I don't have the book nor read it. And sometimes people ask for help but have radically altered the setting so much (Which is fine but it does mean it's hard to suggest things when you're not coming from a shared source.) that it's hard to help them.

So yeah I try to post in them when I can (Just ask korcheck) to keep the OP from getting discouraged. But those posts can be a bit of work and require thought whereas goofing around threads or threads that are just asking for someone's opinion are quick and easy to post in and anyone can do it. Who doesn't have an opinion? Then there are the hot button issues and the repeated issues. Not much get's more posts than starting an argument/discussion. And it's easy to get responses for topics that have already been brought up and discussed 20 times before. We're well practiced for those. ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Arithian 06-10-07, 11:23 PM	I have noticed a number of Threads dedicated to requests for help by different members of this board. I have also noticed a number of Threads generated to attempt to add some measure of additional subtance too or fleshing out of different items that have maybe not been completely fleshed out in canon material. I have also noticed that most of these Threads get very limited if any attention and I have to believe that possibly more than a few of these peolpe may be new to Book and Dice RPG's. I am curious as to why this is. It would seem that requests for help often times go generally unresponded to, while Threads dedicated to Humor and Endless Debate cant get enough posts. Why is this? I post a serious thread, I get nothing...I post a completely DUMB and useless post (at least in regards to gaming), which I have done under other names on these boards and it becomes a HOT THREAD, thats sad. There are some generally talented people on these boards that can greatly help enhance other gamers gaming experiences and all to often you keep it to yourselves. Why?:confused: The sad part is I am almost certain that this Thread will get many, many posts. I say that because while it will help me better understand why this topic of discussion is the case, I would much rather just see more Threads of "substance" from the perspective of useful gaming material.
Rechan 06-10-07, 11:32 PM	I actually don't see that happening. I always make a point of posting in someone's "Help my campaign" thread. A few weeks ago, I started one with regards to my Inquisitive/Detective game, and got up to 3 pages going back and forth with Shady.
Arithian 06-10-07, 11:41 PM	I actually don't see that happening. I always make a point of posting in someone's "Help my campaign" thread. A few weeks ago, I started one with regards to my Inquisitive/Detective game, and got up to 3 pages going back and forth with Shady. Unfortunately that is exactly my point. You are awesome and suffice it to say not one of the problems, I appreciate your contributions to "my" Thread (though your last one wasnt very nice.:weep: But oh well I'm a big boy, I can take it.) and generally your contributions as a whole (I checked out your posting profile earlier today:D ); But all to often I dont see alot of substance posts and substance help. Dont get me wrong Humor and Debate is cool, but it seems to be overly dominant while other potentially useful posts get left behind. It would seem that not only would those posts help the people who are starting them but could also become generally useful to the group as a whole. Just my thoughts.
Kaizer_Ryu 06-10-07, 11:54 PM	I don't really think that's a fair comparison. Most "Help me" threads have fairly simple answers (they're just overlooking it or something like that. Happens to me more than I'd like to admit) that can be answered by one person with the right bit of knowledge. Fleshing things out can be a bit different, since quite a few of the threads I've seen are about obscure things mentioned in the ECS, the supplementals, or the novels with very little to go off of. Many times the question is some version of "is there anything else on this somewhere I haven't seen?" Since it's obscure, not many people would necessarily know of it in the first place. Of those who do know of it, if they aren't sure if anything more has been said, are they really gonna post just to say "I have no idea?" And if there isn't anything more on it, that leaves very few people who would be able to definitively say "No, there isn't. You have to make it up." So it's not really all that strange that so many "Help me" threads would either be short or go unanswered. The humor threads are just good fun, a place for people to be less concerned about sticking to published material and more about just having fun playing the game, so they'd natually attract a wider audience. Just my :twocents:
OctaviusIII 06-11-07, 12:04 AM	Well, I certainly read through those posts, but I realize when I don't have anything good to add, or I don't have time to brainstorm something worth posting. Give me a place, however (i.e., "What's the vicinity of Vralkek like?") or politics and I'm all over that. They're what I'm good at, and it's in those threads that I'll most consistently post. I think people will generally post what they know will be good, productive, or funny, rather than throwing out an idea just because its the first thing that came to mind. That limits the postings in help threads but encourages them in debate or humor threads. That's my 2 cents, anyway. Oh, and if you DO have a place question, feel free to ask. It's like mental SimCity.
Arithian 06-11-07, 12:24 AM	Well, I certainly read through those posts, but I realize when I don't have anything good to add, or I don't have time to brainstorm something worth posting. Give me a place, however (i.e., "What's the vicinity of Vralkek like?") or politics and I'm all over that. They're what I'm good at, and it's in those threads that I'll most consistently post. I think people will generally post what they know will be good, productive, or funny, rather than throwing out an idea just because its the first thing that came to mind. That limits the postings in help threads but encourages them in debate or humor threads. That's my 2 cents, anyway. Oh, and if you DO have a place question, feel free to ask. It's like mental SimCity. Ok this is for OCTAVIUSIII ONLY. Please no one else post! Seriously, I dont want to get off topic. But I would like to see his skills. Better yet, Ocatavius I will send you a PM with my request...lets see what you've got.:D It will be arriving shortley. Sorry back to the discussion at hand.
garner_adam 06-11-07, 08:18 AM	I've noticed this trend too. But I'll say that there's two culprits. A lot of the 1001 threads fall flat on their face. Last two I noticed involved thefts and the Eldeen Reaches. But the original posters just up and disappear. You're not even sure your great ideas or help are going to the right person. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=852810 Culprit #2 Rechan gets to the thread first. :P http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=858694 Although here's a decent thread to read over. About trying to run a chase scene. (All experienced GM's know the woes of the Chase) http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=863201
Rechan 06-11-07, 10:41 AM	Culprit #2 Rechan gets to the thread first. :P http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=858694 :P
Edymnion 06-11-07, 12:31 PM	I think that the main problem is that filling things out requires a much greater investment of time and energy on the responder's part. You'll notice that threads about filling out fluff don't tend to have problems when they are "Tell us what YOU did", where the implication is that you have already done the work and just need a place to show it off. On the other hand, "Help ME with MY fluff" is differant, as it requires the poster to come up with material they would likely not use for their own game, which means they spend a lot of time and effort for very little in return. Think of it in more of a physical sense. Pretend you are a car buff (if you aren't). Now, you see two ads in the paper. One says "Come show off your classic car at the big car show!", the other says "Come help me build a classic car!" Which one are you going to be more likely to respond to? Sure, there are people that enjoy building these things just for the sake of building them, but most would rather get recognition for the work they did, than do the same work for somebody else.
Shady314 06-11-07, 03:12 PM	I have noticed a number of Threads dedicated to requests for help by different members of this board. I have also noticed a number of Threads generated to attempt to add some measure of additional subtance too or fleshing out of different items that have maybe not been completely fleshed out in canon material. Sometimes people aren't able to help. If someone wanted help putting TOB into Eberron I'd be pretty useless since I don't have the book nor read it. And sometimes people ask for help but have radically altered the setting so much (Which is fine but it does mean it's hard to suggest things when you're not coming from a shared source.) that it's hard to help them. So yeah I try to post in them when I can (Just ask korcheck) to keep the OP from getting discouraged. But those posts can be a bit of work and require thought whereas goofing around threads or threads that are just asking for someone's opinion are quick and easy to post in and anyone can do it. Who doesn't have an opinion? Then there are the hot button issues and the repeated issues. Not much get's more posts than starting an argument/discussion. And it's easy to get responses for topics that have already been brought up and discussed 20 times before. We're well practiced for those. ;)