I didn't even start reading them again until about 3 weeks ago, when I first heard of the 4e coming out.
I have been a player of D&D since I was 10, for about 26 years. Haven't played for about 4 or 5; I loved the 3.5 ruleset, but as a DM, I really couldn't find time to play (in my experience 3.5 took MUCH longer to do anything than when I played with Rules Cyclopedia; never really got into 2ed).
I have always loved D&D; it was my first taste of Roleplaying and there was something wondrous about participating in a world where dragons and magic existed.
I am very excited about 4e. It seems to me that I may be able to play once again ...with the streamlining of the mechanics I feel that I could run a game without hours of memorizing combat rules and spells and monster stats, and concentrate on the story and roleplaying...with some fun tactical stuff in there too.
Unfortunately, in my quest to learn more about the upcoming changes, I have run into HUGE bucketloads of negativity, angst and ego (in the spiritual sense) in these forums.
I just don't get it... I thought RP'ers prided themselves on being intelligent and non-judgemental...
I mean...its just a game. It's a game that I have a fondness for, and a long history with, but, its still just a game.
A lot of the posts I have read resonate with extreme anger; I mean there are some really ****** off people in here. Not only that, there is a lot of pointless debate, which just escalates on and on.
To be fair I have also read many cordial debates and exchanges of information. Astrid's is one of those places where it seems to be more commonly sane.
If I thought most of the poster's were angry young teenagers, I would understand it more, but I am not even sure if that is true.
Maybe the community has always been like this, but from the view of someone who hasn't been involved in it, it seems quite rabid.
I will go back to my lurking now... and get my info from the EN World updates.
..and of course check in here every now and then.
If anyone has any thoughts on what I said, would love to hear them...
I tried reading this forum for a while, but the sheer intolerance for (eventually rare) differing opinions and the self-congratulatory nature of the enforced consensus drove me away in a hurry. I wouldn't even be posting now, if I hadn't seen the topic line from the forum list and been incredibly amused.
Group-think is more powerful when the majority thinks it has Right on its side.
However, Meta-board discussions are most appropriate in the Community Business Board.
If you find certain sections of the boards to be filled with things you dislike, then I'd like to suggest not going there. I'm not being flippant - there are positive and negative posters everywhere, and I'd rather see you post in other areas than leave.
Anyways, every forum has people that have strong viewpoints on different things. Part of being on the internet.
Wait Astrid's has no flaming????
Holy crap I have to visit and see this...
Personally, I've been a member of this community for three years, and I've never seen things get this divisive before. My only hope is that when the dust settles, things will return to normal. I don't know what hope there is for that, but I encourage you to stick around for a while, and we'll see what happens in the months that are about to come.
If any forum has endless flaming and ranting, it's because the posters are endless flaming and ranting.
Why is Astrid's the only forum without endless flaming and ranting?
If this really is your question, it has flaws.
1. Very few forums have endless flaming and ranting.
Although there are certain threads that do, they often begin with an opening post very similar to this one.
2. Astrid's is not without its own flame and rant threads.
Both of your premises founded upon hyperbole. How then can your conclusions be worthy of consideration? And when your opening salvo indicates you're done with the Boards anyway (although this claim is made less ingenuous with your parting statements) it becomes less important to entertain the possibility that they are.
However, the answer to the questions you could have asked...
Welcome to the Internet, where anonymity has its price and its consequence.
Personally, I've been a member of this community for three years, and I've never seen things get this divisive before.
I agree with all of your above statements, but wanted to comment on this. I have been a lurker (not signed up - my brother was quite active on this forum) for a long time - a better part of five years. I've never seen the forum so upended and angry towards one another.
Arguably, from the looks of this forum (and honestly, real life, too) ... 4e has proven to be the most destabilizing (the discontinuation of paper Dragon and Dungeon magazines didn't help) thing to have occurred in a very, very long time. And I don't think it was a wise decision.
Look at otaku and trekkers, by example.
A lot of that come from fandomness, and well...
Look at otaku and trekkers, by example.
It's trekkies! For Bob's sake, get it right! ;)
Warning: This post was intended for humor, and not to get into a debate about whether 'trekkers' or 'trekkies' is the proper term to describe Star Trek fans.
I'm sorry to hear that you're not diggin the forums. Hopefully things will simmer down after 4E hits.
Good points Dove.
I'm assuming that you're referring to my points in Post #8 and not in Post #13.
It's trekkies! For Bob's sake, get it right!
I thought trekkies are the original fans of the original series and the term trekkers came about to describe a new generation of fans who grew up with next generation.
P.S. I guess that makes me a trekker, cuz Jean Luc Rules!
It's never as bad as people think it is. Or that they make it out to be.
For the first couple years, we had daily posts by Charles Ryan (one of the game developers).
Due to our calm and rational manner we were allowed to discuss "on topic" topics like real world religion, history, political and other current issues as they relate to the game. And for the most part this was carried on with reason for a very long time. This "privilege" has only recently been revoked, mostly due to receiving new moderators who were unaccustomed to frank and non inflammatory discussion of sensitive issues.
To this day, its one of the most hospitable boards I have ever seen. Though we did have a spat of trouble at one point, that has blown over.
BlackZero