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EN World does a lot of things: report news, share press releases, house reviews, host message boards for fans, hosts message boards for publishers, gathers fan-created materials, sells advertising, lots of other stuff. Should some of those things disappear? Should new things be added? What should EN World's focus be? What should its mission be?
I think ENWorld needs somehting harder to get- Realization of what it is for.
This needs to come not from above, but form the base. It is a fan site. Everyhting you listed is either a service for fans or somethign that makes this service possible. I think more folks need to step up and realize the whole service end.
The FREE service end. Ask not what ENWorld can do for you (we already know) ask what you can do for ENWorld. (my apologies to JFK)
I guess I can only answer this by saying what I use it for: Message boards (community), and product reviews.
The news aspect, I think, is a holder-over from the original site. News these days are not "scoops" but links to press-releases and features hosted on publisher sites.
If there must be a refocusing, I think "community support" should be the top part of the mission statement. Does ENWorld have a Mission Statement? Maybe that would help? If we knew what Morrus thought his mission was—what his goals are for the site—maybe we could help out with suggestions.
I think ENWorld needs somehting harder to get- Realization of what it is for.
This needs to come not from above, but form the base. It is a fan site. Everyhting you listed is either a service for fans or somethign that makes this service possible. I think more folks need to step up and realize the whole service end.
The FREE service end. Ask not what ENWorld can do for you (we already know) ask what you can do for ENWorld. (my apologies to JFK)
It needs to focus on the fans. And the fnas need to be willing to support it. If we have the fans, everything will fall in line.
I tend to disagree, but only in a way.
I think ENWorld is and should be a reflection of its users. Morrus, P-kitty, Eric, Henry, and all the others who "direct" the site will always be a direct reflection of the users.
If the mods seem too harsh we can almost always consider it a reflection of user activity. If there aren't enough reviews we can say the same. Too many publishers, too much non-d20, too much off-topic? All the fans.
Russ has broad controls over the board but has been smart enough to (mainain a tradition of?) allow the user control too. Same with the forum breakdown, users go here and there or don't and it determines what becomes important.
I rarely read the news page or the reviews. I come for creative input (and output), art, teh funney, and comraderie. I get it all in spades. Othersc ome here for the news and reviews almost exclusively. Consequently they probably won't even see and therefore cannot react to a nice query like this.
As the users shift focus the board management is forced to shift focus. At least to some extent. This is why I believe vagueness and generality SHOULD be the rule of the day.
If a mission statement is created or goals are stated publicly there will be pressure to make the site live up to them, instead of living up to how it is used.
This requires active, fluid response from the directors. I think we have seen this over and over again, not always, but darned near always. We had too many off-topic posts and no interest in an off-topic forum. Now there is one, and experiment that thrived. Lots of PDFs and some hard work by a certain prolific madman and we now have a staff reviewer for electronic products. The creature catalog, the art gallery, newshounds. All the same.
When we discusse this years ENnies (At least my end of it) Russ stressed consistency. No changes, keep the physical award the same for recognition. And I agreed. Now I see lots of people calling for a change to the award. And I think it will happen.
A steady eye on the group driven eveolution, which is dependant on polite user contribution and participation, is the correct response. Goals and statements are not. This is more difficult and requires a more constant effort but from what I have seen in my time as a user I have faith.
I visit EN World everyday, largely for news on d20 and related products. I tend not to use the boards too much, but Morrus' rant made me take a peek. I have a few suggestions for ENWorld:
1. Help shape the d20 present and future by having more editorials closer to or on the front page. (Although future editorials might not want to be as... er...forceful as Morrus' one today.
2. Welcome efforts to bring in news scoops, reading paraphrased press releases with links to publisher sites is helpful, but I could just go to the sites of origin and get the entire version.
3. (and this is more of a question) As a regular user, I feel obliged to help EN World keep moving along financially. Is EN World registered as a non-profit in the U.S.? It would be a lot easier for me to contribute to EN World if I could get a tax break out of it.
__________________ Here's to hoping that Paizo's 3.75 will allow me to avoid 4e for as long as possible...
Last edited by iwarrior-poet; 4th September 2004 at 08:43 PM..
Well, I came here for news and the messageboards, and found community.
I think the site needs to stay fan oriented as well. I'd like to see it be the central clearing house for all things d20, where publishers and fans can rub elbows, share ideas, and find resources to increase enjoyment of the games we play.
I think the Ennies have become a liability. I think they should be spun off elsewhere, pehaps become the GenCon awards. Perhaps Gama, RPG.net, ENWorld, and a few other sites could hold their own elections and send 1-2 delegates each, who would then provide judging in the same manner that it si now, with the fans voting on a website. (I have not followed the Ennies thread at all, sorry...).
Regardless, the rift caused by the Ennies is not worth it to me. If it means ENWorld coming back to it's roots, I say kiss the Ennies goodbye.
Something else I'd like to see:
You know those Co-Op Dungeons? I'd like see a whole range of community developed accessories like them developed and sold for $2 each or 6/$10, with all of the money going striaght back into supporting the site.
well, there is my 2 cent worth, such as it is.
__________________
Roleplaying is a mindset. Not a ruleset.
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I'm not trying to write the next great fantasy novel. I'm not an amateur thespian. Nor am I a number crunching, power gaming munchkin, or a rules lawyer. I'm not trying to emulate my favorite movie or novel. I'm not here to tell you how to play or that how you play is wrong or right. I'm neither a "role" or "roll" player. I'm here to have fun. I'm here to enjoy high adventure. I'm a D&D player. Pick up your dice, and start rolling. I'm here to play.
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HINT: Gaming comes down to having fun. If somebody at the table doesn't have the same expectations as the rest of the group, you're going to have trouble. Doesn't matter if it's rule set preferences, roll vs. role play, or bringing the right munchies. You need to set the expectations for the campaign when you gen chars or you are going to get hosed at some point.
I use every aspect of this site: check the forums regularly, read reviews when I'm on the fence about a product or hearing good things about a book I hadn't considered before, and check in daily around midnight to see the news postings--news is fun for keeping me informed about what's coming out and other activities around the net.
So I can't think of anything I'd change other than replacing the server with a super-Cray so there'd only be a nanosecond gap between when I click on a link and it comes up...
Gotta say the comments about the ENnies and their value vs. their cost are really speaking to me right now.
There was always the potential for them to create some conflict, because there's competition to get nominated plus people have different ideas about what they ultimately are for (are they for the fans so they can see an entertaining contest or hear about products they might have missed? are they for the publishers, to help us as a community say "well done"? are they an incentive to put out a great product? are they a marketing tool for EN World and/or the publishers? are they a way for EN World to have some sway with the publishers and get them to participate in our community?) and will try to sway the shape of the awards to best fit their needs. And some will take not getting nominated as some kind of backhanded insult.
I come to EN World every day that I sit behind a computer, to (1) check the news page so I don't have to visit a hundred sites to see what's going on, and (2) visit with the community through the message boards. I really don't use the other features, including the reviews -- there's enough product information floating through the boards that I don't find specific reviews necessary.
As to the ENnies, I always thought they were a great way of saying "Atta Boy!" to writers/artists/publishers who have done a good job. Anything beyond that is someone's own interpretation -- I like that the fans get a say, though. At ENWorld, it's always felt like the little guy has a voice.
Regardless, the rift caused by the Ennies is not worth it to me. If it means ENWorld coming back to it's roots, I say kiss the Ennies goodbye.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Quote:
Something else I'd like to see:
You know those Co-Op Dungeons? I'd like see a whole range of community developed accessories like them developed and sold for $2 each or 6/$10, with all of the money going striaght back into supporting the site.
Being the project leader of Cooperative Dungeons, I must warn you about that idea. It is great in concept to use them for such a purpose, but they actually need the editing and administrative responsibilities of full-fledged publishing companies. Some have said that these adventures are even better (in substance and format) than some of what you can buy (PDF or print).
My point is, they take a lot of effort. As you can see, we have yet to deliver the next one (CD3) because of some editing problems. It's one thing to create one, it's another thing altogether to make bundles of them, and still expect quality.
Hell, I even had to deal with something akin (but to a much smaller degree) to what Morrus is dealing with right now with CD's ! And, again, all of this for no profit.
I would consider such a venture only with a carte blanche and tight reigns, which would actually hinder the "communal" feel of it all.
That said, ENworld publishing does create profitable products, many of which are made by ENworlders, and a portion of that money goes back to pay for ENworld's expanses, so maybe that venue is already tapped.
My two coppers...
Anyways, I also feel that if the Ennies are turning the whole thing ugly, maybe one should stop feeding the mouth that bites back. The Ennies are mostly a form of "payback" to the publishers, so, hell, if they don't want the gift, let's not give it to them.
Do we need a change in focus? Yeah, I guess we do.
The rant has made me feel much better; letting off steam does a world of good. I'm not totally sure what to change or how to do it, though. I suppose it comes back to that mission statement concept - right now, I feel it is a press/news/media outlet, and I don't think that's what the site should be about.
Unofficial 4E rumours - now that's what it should be about! But we'll have to wait a while for that!
1. News on forthcoming D20/D&D products that I may not hear of otherwise.
and
2. To discuss D&D and roleplaying with fellow gamers.
My advice for what its worth, keep the site/forums as they are. I'm not behind the driving seat but I don't think theres a need to change anything.
__________________ I'm not asking for characters to be lawful stupid. I want characters who care, who want to be heroes, aren’t scared of doing the right thing, and players who try to help make the campaign more heroic.
Remember, the DM is just as, if not more so, important than the players. Players don't always come first.
Current Campaign: Legends of Midgard (3.5). Books Used Last Session: 3.5 Core Books, Deities & Demigods, Monster Manual IV, Draconomicon and Dragons of Autumn module. Updated: 24th November 2008.
Do we need a change in focus? Yeah, I guess we do.
The rant has made me feel much better; letting off steam does a world of good. I'm not totally sure what to change or how to do it, though. I suppose it comes back to that mission statement concept - right now, I feel it is a press/news/media outlet, and I don't think that's what the site should be about.
Morrus, I want to point out that I'm very sympathetic to your concerns about feeling like a press release outlet (as I mention in The Big Thread , near the middle at post 286).
However, as a fan and someone who happily owns far more d20 books than I'll ever need or use, I really value the press releases and info on upcoming products. I grab bits and pieces from all over the place and include them in my campaigns and I know my players like them. So it's great to have a spot where I can come and find out what's interesting out there--or find out that something I would have otherwise dismissed is actually pretty interesting.
Morrus, I want to point out that I'm very sympathetic to your concerns about feeling like a press release outlet
This site is much much more than a mere press release outlet.
The forums on this site are a damn good place to come and discuss roleplaying games and the hobby in general. Most publisher forums are not so dedicated.
Though I don't rely on others opinions, I do come here to check out the reviews on something that I am really considering buying. A lot of the visitors to the site do go through them.
At the end of the day, personal aside, ENW is the best gaming centre on the net. You should be proud of what you have here.
__________________ I'm not asking for characters to be lawful stupid. I want characters who care, who want to be heroes, aren’t scared of doing the right thing, and players who try to help make the campaign more heroic.
Remember, the DM is just as, if not more so, important than the players. Players don't always come first.
Current Campaign: Legends of Midgard (3.5). Books Used Last Session: 3.5 Core Books, Deities & Demigods, Monster Manual IV, Draconomicon and Dragons of Autumn module. Updated: 24th November 2008.
I come her for news, reviews, and community forums. I love talking with you all and I would sorely miss the news function.
If anything, I advocate a change to a gaming society. I know that this can be a tired concept coming from me, but I think ENWorld perfectly fills the role of international society with tons of room to expand.
It should be a sire for the fans, but also an arena for fan-publisher relations and a force to help promote, grow and sustain the hobby we all love. The hobby to to important to leave to the market and WOTC alone.
__________________ Joined the NC EnWorld Yahoo group yet? It is a must join group for EnWorlders in North Carolina!
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