Important: Please Read! Changes Are Coming!

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Not entirely true: and this is exactly why I was mentioning communication earlier. Russ mentioned both the Gamers Seeking Gamers idea as well as online gaming tools at the site, but the latter seems to keep getting lost in the rest of the noise in the thread.



Along with chat rooms and dice rolling, I suggest some robust logging features to allow folks to save sessions for later reference (although I'm pretty sure someone else already mentioned that above, too).

Other possible value-adding ideas:

- campaign web sites, wikis, and blogs, with RSS feeds/email notifications for subscription updates
- robust tagging and tag clouds to help folks find things even if they don't have search ;D
- campaign management tools: storage space for maps, PCs, etc.
- robust OGL and d20 content databases, to help folks decide which version of the ranger they want to run, etc.
- adventures, classes, races, monsters, spells, magic items, and other in-game content
- start publishing ENWorld magazine again, and get it back into stores (along with WotBS if it's not already)
- slice and dice the forums to offer different views/dashboards: I'd love a widget to let me track all of Sep's or PC's rules-oriented-posts, for example (and while the tags do this a little bit, they rely on folks actually doing the tagging, and then knowing that the URL is still available; having a widget to show me a user's posts containing a specific keyword or whatever would be pretty cool)

Several of these ideas are really in different areas (publishing vs. forum/community resources vs. campaign resources, for example), and I wouldn't necessarily do them all, all at once: focus on the community and the features that will enable your near-term features/vision (Gamers Seeking Gamers and online game tools), and branch out from there after you have some credible capabilities. Ideally they'd be credible capabilities that were unique to ENWorld.

That's what I'm thinking, this morning anyway

By the way, how is GoogleWave doing?

I've heard alternative systems exist? Maybe one could use that to support online games? The nice thing is that you basically mix the benefits of Chat and Forum. You have persistance, but you can also share information.

Of course, one could just use GoogleWave and not use an EN World specific solution.

 

[Shemeska]

Just use Planescape Faction terminology then:

Namer, Factor, Factol

The planes are used in every edition of D&D. If you don't use factions, then now would be a good time to start. If you don't use the planes in D&D, then there is no reason you can't change your campaign setting. After you have changed your game to reflect these new tiers, nobody will have anything to complain about!

[sarcasm.maybe]

*guffaw* I demand a special user title of 'King of the Crosstrade'. And I reserve the right to laugh at you and throw you into the bear baiting pit at the Fortune's Wheel if you talk about the 4e planes rather than the 1e/2e/3e ones.

[/sarcasm.sorta kinda]

More seriously though, something edition neutral and even game neutral would be for the best.

 

[Noumenon]

Well, as I mentioned the boards are now self-sustaining, and I now need to facilitate growth - not in terms of size, but in quality.

I think you might be getting cocky about that self-sustaining thing. I don't see how you know that people are less likely to cancel the $3 subscriptions than yearly subscriptions when (IIRC) this offer has been running for less than a year. Especially when it's the first time that you really made an appeal for subscriptions to support Enworld (at least since I started coming here, all there was was the "new server -- nuke from orbit!" thing). That first-time response might not be sustainable.

If I were you I'd bank that money and work on retention rather than spending it on expansion.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Of course, one could just use GoogleWave and not use an EN World specific solution.

I'm using Wave as online communication and information repository for my table-top M&M game, and it's buggy. If it gets that far, it's going to be a great tool for roleplaying -- which is why they invented it, right? -- but as of right now I don't think I'd trust it with an active online game.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

This next song is a Cliff Richard's song....

No, I was away from my computer enjoying the awesome Spring weather we are having.

Why not use something like: Initiate, Wizard and Archmage? or how about: Kobold, Giant and Dragon? Both fairly edition neutral?

I always liked the WHFRP dwarven careers of Giant Slayer and Dragon Slayer. Those titles would pertain to a vast array of fantasy RPGs.

Edit: Remove mean-spirited comment.

 

[Mark]

oops, double post?

 

[blargney the second]

Some feature ideas for tiered subscribers:
1) Increasingly large ignore lists. (users, threads, forums, entire editions/subjects, etc. Could also affect the maximum number of ignorable objects.)
2) Increasingly large and complicated sigs.
3) The ability to turn off lower tier sigs. (necessary if others are paying for sigs)
4) Increasing access to EN Publishing products.
5) Access to reciprocal partnerships (ie Kobold Quarterly, Wolfgang's projects, etc)
6) Private areas (not that kind). I'd love to have a place here to store campaign info. Higher tiers could allow more guests.
7) Some way to make threads attract a bit more attention.
8) Unified on-site game resources. The number of times I've lamented to myself the lack of an NPC/monster builder on this site...

I hope this helps!
-blarg

ps- One of the coolest signs I have ever seen on the wall of a small restaurant: "I'm sorry, my friends, I must charge you money because my enemies won't shop here."

 

[Gog]

If you will seperate the off topic and media forums I'll subscribe right now. I understand why it was done, I just really don't like the mis mash look of it in media.

 

[I'm A Banana]

1 Kobold Slinger
2 Goblin Sharpshooter
3 Hobgoblin Soldier
4 Orc Berserker
5 Gnoll Huntmaster
6 Bugbear Strangler
7 Snaketongue Initiate
8 - Shadar-Kai Warrior

10 - Dragonborn Gladiator

I don't know what 9 is, though. I'm gonna give Nifft some XP and let's find out!

I think the level names are fun. I don't mind that they're tied to 4e. It's really not worth mentioning for me.

 

[Dice4Hire]

10 - Dragonborn Gladiator

I don't know what 9 is, though. I'm gonna give Nifft some XP and let's find out!

I think the level names are fun. I don't mind that they're tied to 4e. It's really not worth mentioning for me.

I hereby offer to accept enough xp to make me level 9 to find out......