The EN World boards are great for discussing 5E

TheSword · May 11, 2018

So maybe this is an odd thread to create, but I just wanted to say how much I like these boards for discussing 5E and RPGs in general.

As most will see I’m relatively new to the boards but I’m impressed with how generous of spirit the posters are (liberally giving laughs and XP) and how relatively low conflict they are. What surprises me is that the moderation doesn’t seem heavy handed (particularly in comparison to a very large 3pp alternative to 3.5 (mentioning no names)) and yet I don’t really see people getting dirty or mean.

What really surprises me is that there are clearly some pretty wide gaps in experiences.
- Players from every edition (See iconic cities thread)
- Players with very different play styles (see World building threads)
- Players with very different tastes (see any thread mentioning Drizzt or Waterdeep)
- Balance of posts between crunch and fluff

Yet at the same time it seems we can still have massive discussions on some pretty meaty topics without coming to blows for the most part. The only real flaming I’ve seen (apart from myself) seems to be from people who log on new accounts for 1 or 2 posts for specific subjects that are short lived.

Anyway. I just wanted to say thanks for being interesting everybody and also to post open question...

Why do you think it works? The XP system, the moderation, or is it some factor of 5e itself?

Satyrn · May 11, 2018

TheSword said:
As most will see I’m relatively new to the boards

It's been a year now, give or take a few days.

I got you a card to celebrate the anniversary, but I think I mailed it to my mom. So, uh . . .

Nevvur · May 11, 2018

Here, have some XP.

Ed Laprade · May 11, 2018

I think, and I'm probably wrong, that we tend toward the mature side and the ban-hammer is used quickly when it is needed. So the trolls tend not to bother trying to stick around. Without them, we feel much more comfortable stating opinions that we may not have otherwise. So long as they are done politely.

Oofta · May 11, 2018

I agree. It's nice to be able to come up here and share ideas, the occasional sparring match notwithstanding. I may not agree with everyone but it's always interesting to see what other people think.

I think the moderators deserve credit for a lot of this, I suspect there's more moderation going on in the background than we realize. Just watch out for that Oofta guy. He's full of it, especially when he pulls out that tired old picture he photo-shopped a year ago just to get a handful more XP. Sweet, sweet XP.

Schmoe · May 11, 2018

Make no mistake, the atmosphere on these boards is closely monitored and cultivated by the mods (who do an excellent job, IMO). That being said, I think there are a lot of folks here who have been around the block a few times, and you tend to be more philosophical about things when it's the third time you've seen an argument.

houser2112 · May 11, 2018

TheSword said:
What surprises me is that the moderation doesn’t seem heavy handed (particularly in comparison to a very large 3pp alternative to 3.5 (mentioning no names)) and yet I don’t really see people getting dirty or mean.

If ENWorld got even close to the amount of posting traffic Paizo's boards do, I'd imagine they'd have to step up the moderation as well.

To be a fair comparison to Paizo's boards, you'd have to have one place that is THE place to discuss 5E, that place being a hypothetical WotC-ran board. They did have boards at one time, and they were awful (were they even moderated?).

But, absent WotC boards, the people who like to discuss 5E are diluted.

GlassJaw · May 11, 2018

Whoa, whoa, whoa...since when are positive posts allowed?!

Agreed OP, EN World has been a stand-up forum for a long time.

Warpiglet · May 11, 2018

I wasted time on a now extinct board for some time. It was toxic. I ended up reading arguments about things other than D&D much of the time to try to get the content I wanted.

Here I have actually used suggestions and so forth--tested ideas in theory--outside of my own gaming group.

So not only is it a fun time sink, it has also been useful for my gaming life. I don't think the original post here is off track at all. I have been using this site almost exclusively to discuss D&D content for some time as I started DMing again after many years (I still play too) and it has been invaluable.

Plus, I play with some of the same guys I played with 30 years ago. Thus it is almost imperative to get some outside perspectives sometimes to incorporate.

Jonathon Robinson · May 11, 2018

I am a recent join as well and have been very pleasantly surprised by the community we have here. The active members are all very open and are encouraging. I think the XP system does encourage the correct behaviour (the posts I got XP on tended to be more insightful or drawn from my own experiences, and getting XP on those posts encourages me to do more of the same).