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Where are all the really cool discussions that used to happen on this board? Somewhere between the transfer (where I lost a bunch of posts), things seemed to have bogged down. I could be looking at a board for any system. Where are all the cool ideas, the posters that used to rattle off cool campaign #655? I dunno, something seems to be missing. And it's not my love of D&D, which remains just as strong. The community just seems...I dunno, less inspired.
I get bored here too on Sundays. I usually use the time to ferret out threads I haven't looked at, or visit forums I haven't spent time in before.
Overall, I guess I haven't noticed the change you're talking about. From what I've seen, most boards are cyclical -- maybe there's something about the current ENW cycle that's different from what you're used to, I don't know.
This will inspire you ... a trip to fabulous Metaville! All aboard!
Well, is this a meta question, viz. about the boards, themselves, or about the topics that present themselves on the boards, which I feel belongs more in Open? You be the judge, since you're the one who got most of us to love D&D 3 in the first place
In all seriousness, I think the original poster is quite right:
It was more interesting here years ago than it is today.
But that's to be expected - it's not like the board is doing anything wrong. It's just that RPG'ing isn't as interesting as it was years ago, IMO.
__________________ "(Narnia) is a kids film, one that will separate the wheat from the chaff in geek culture as to who still lets their inner child come out to play and who strangled theirs to death with the banality of their own existence years ago."
I would have loved to see the boards as they were before. While I have only started coming to ENWorld within the past six months, I know what you mean about the game in general. It seems that some of the creativity and energy is dying out. I think a major "somthing" is in order to inject some life back into the hobby. What? I have no idea. Just "something".
Though I hesitate to say it, maybe some sort of D&D/computer integration might be in order? The major component that D&D (and all RPG's) have going for them is the limitless possibilities - anything can happen. In this age of internet and computing, people are heading more for the graphical games than for RPG's*. I wonder, if one were to create a form of MMORPG that allowed for DM's to use a 'world builder' to form their own worlds for their players to interact in - how would this go over? Something like Neverwinter Nights does right now, only more streamlined, more customizable, and more everything....
This is just an idea I had. Really, I have no idea what needs to be done, only that something does - as is often the case
* I have no idea how many (RPG) gamers there actually are compared to computer (RPG) gaming, but the shift is obvious.
People come, people go. That's the way of online forae.
The boards haven't really changed, in aggregate. Many of the people you knew two years ago, however, have moved on. You haven't got the same connect with the people who replace them. Thus things feel different, and not as cosy as they used to be.
Of course, you can also only see so many "smiting paladins got teh shaft in grim 'n gritty campaigns with dungeonpunk art which suxx0rs" threads before getting bored, which might also have something to do with it.
In all seriousness, I think the original poster is quite right:
It was more interesting here years ago than it is today.
But that's to be expected - it's not like the board is doing anything wrong. It's just that RPG'ing isn't as interesting as it was years ago, IMO.
Oh, I think that rpging is still a vital and fascinating hobby. It just seems to me (and take this with the biggest grain of salt that you like) that threads here used to have an excitement. Is it 3.5 ennui? I dunno, but there seem to still be a lot of 3.0 vs. 3.5 threads, even though the change occured more than a year ago.
Is that really all people have to talk about? That and the eternal questions about the lame alignment system, which have been dogging the hobby since Supplement 1: Greyhawk?
I'm curious what exactly you mean by they used to have an excitement? Were there more intense discussions? More flame wars? More threads shut down and users banned? Do you just see it as "been there, done that"? I've only been on these boards for about 6 months and even in that time I've seen periods where the discussions ongoing hold little interest to me, and others where I'm screaming at slow boards because I don't have time to read it all.
Maby your just suggesting its time for 4e?
__________________ "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." - Albert Einstein
If they release another revision in the next 3 years, I will lead the assault, with torch in hand to burn Hasbro, WoTC and stores who sell those items to the ground..
Rampage, Kill, Loot and Burn....
Seriously, it bothers me that not even everyone in my gaming group has access to all books that the others have. I wish they would make 3 gigantic books for 100 dollars each, then 12 small books for 20 bucks....too much to lug to seesions...
__________________ And you Barbarian, what is lifes greatest joy? " To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women"
If they release another revision in the next 3 years, I will lead the assault, with torch in hand to burn Hasbro, WoTC and stores who sell those items to the ground..
Rampage, Kill, Loot and Burn....
Seriously, it bothers me that not even everyone in my gaming group has access to all books that the others have. I wish they would make 3 gigantic books for 100 dollars each, then 12 small books for 20 bucks....too much to lug to seesions...
A pdf of the SRD is your pal. Weighs nothing, costs nothing.
I usually use the time to ferret out threads I haven't looked at, or visit forums I haven't spent time in before.
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