After sharing my thoughts on the "what makes D&D feel like D&D" poll here, I recreated the poll in Google Forms and shared it on a thread on rpg.net. Got 47 responses (compared to ENWorld's 132 responses), which I just posted my thoughts on here.
While the rpg.net poll had less than half the responses of the ENWorld version, I think there were still some interesting comparisons, which I will go into below.
Important caveat up front: I specifically asked folks who responded to the ENWorld poll here to refrain from responding to the rpg.net version, because I wanted to see how each forums' preferences differed. So really, the "rpg.net" results are "rpg.net users, minus anyone who had already responded on ENWorld". I still think this indicates some different forum cultures, however.
Anyway, here are the tiers I used before, as seen in both sets of results (items in bold are in different tiers between each set of responses):
Some observations:
Bonus! If I combine both sets of results (to make a total of 179 responses), this is what the tiers look like:
Very important to D&D's feel (80% and up):
Levels: 160 [89.39%]
Distinct character classes: 155 [86.59%]
Ability scores (Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha): 154 [86.03%]
Hit points: 149 [83.24%]
Important to D&D's feel (60% to 80%):
Armor Class: 136 [75.98%]
Using multiple types of dice: 121 [67.60%]
Saving throws: 121 [67.60%]
Debatable importance (40% to 60%):
Distinct character races/lineages: 103 [57.54%]
Experience points: 94 [52.51%]
Lists of specific spells: 94 [52.51%]
Alignment: 75 [41.90%]
Less important to D&D's feel (20% to 40%):
Initiative: 66 [36.87%]
Lists of specific magic items: 69 [38.55%]
Hit dice: 51 [28.49%]
Lists of specific equipment: 47 [26.26%]
Not important to D&D's feel (20% and below):
Creature types: 35 [19.55%]
Deities: 34 [18.99%]
Multiclassing: 30 [16.76%]
Great Wheel cosmology: 27 [15.08%]
Proficiencies: 20 [11.17%]
Damage types: 18 [10.06%]
Feats: 16 [8.94%]
Surprise: 15 [8.38%]
Conditions: 9 [5.03%]
Challenge ratings: 9 [5.03%]
Advantage/disadvantage: 7 [3.91%]
World Axis cosmology: 6 [3.35%]
Backgrounds: 5 [2.79%]
Of course, a sample size so small probably doesn't say anything about D&D fans generally, but it does at least indicate what both forums agree on (and may say something about "D&D players who still frequent forums").
Thoughts, everyone?
While the rpg.net poll had less than half the responses of the ENWorld version, I think there were still some interesting comparisons, which I will go into below.
Important caveat up front: I specifically asked folks who responded to the ENWorld poll here to refrain from responding to the rpg.net version, because I wanted to see how each forums' preferences differed. So really, the "rpg.net" results are "rpg.net users, minus anyone who had already responded on ENWorld". I still think this indicates some different forum cultures, however.
Anyway, here are the tiers I used before, as seen in both sets of results (items in bold are in different tiers between each set of responses):
| ENWorld | rpg.net | |
| Very important to D&D's feel (80% and up) | Ability scores (Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha) [87.1%] Distinct character classes [87.1%] Levels [87.1%] Hit points [81.8%] | Levels [95.7%] Hit points [87.2%] Distinct character classes [85.1%] Ability scores (Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha) [83.0%] Armor Class [83.0%] |
| Important to D&D's feel (60% to 80%) | Armor Class [73.5%] Using multiple types of dice [70.5%] Saving throws [66.7%] | Saving throws [70.2%] Lists of specific spells [61.7%] |
| Debatable importance (40% to 60%) | Distinct character races/lineages [58.3%] Experience points [50.8%] Lists of specific spells [49.2%] Alignment [45.5%] | Using multiple types of dice [59.6%] Experience points [57.4%] Distinct character races/lineages: 26 (55.3%) Hit dice [40.4%] |
| Less important to D&D's feel (20% to 40%) | Lists of specific magic items [39.4%] Initiative [36.4%] Hit dice [24.2%] Lists of specific equipment [24.2%] | Initiative [38.3%] Lists of specific magic items [36.2%] Alignment [31.9%] Lists of specific equipment [31.9%] Deities [25.5%] Creature types [25.5%] |
| Not important to D&D's feel (20% and below) | Creature types [17.4%] Deities [16.7%] Great Wheel cosmology [15.9%] Multiclassing [15.9%] Feats [10.6%] Proficiencies [10.6%] Damage types [9.1%] Surprise [5.3%] Advantage/disadvantage [4.5%] Conditions [4.5%] Challenge ratings [3.8%] World Axis cosmology [3.0%] Backgrounds [2.3%] | Multiclassing [19.1%] Surprise [17.0%] Proficiencies [12.8%] Damage types [12.8%] Great Wheel cosmology [12.8%] Challenge ratings [8.5%] Conditions [6.4%] Backgrounds [4.3%] Feats [4.3%] World Axis cosmology [4.3%] Advantage/disadvantage [2.1%] |
Some observations:
- Both forums agree on the most important stuff to D&D's feel, except that levels and HP rank highest on rpg.net. Also, Armor Class is a top-tier element to rpg.net folks.
- Multiple types of dice were much more important to ENWorld folks than to rpg.net folks.
- Both forums are divided when it comes to races and XP, suggesting this might be a general feeling among D&D fans, and not just here on ENWorld.
- Alignment is much less important to rpg.net folks than ENWorld folks as far as feel. However, Hit Dice are much less important to ENWorld folks than rpg.net folks. I note these two because they're both D&D elements that could be termed both iconic and possibly obsolete... but I'm not sure what the contrast actually means.
- Deities and creature types are seen as slightly more important to D&D's "feel" by the rpg.net crowd.
- The Great Wheel is considered less part of what makes D&D "D&D" on rpg.net, while the World Axis a little more so - suggesting a very tiny 4E bias (but probably not a statistically significant one).
- As far as 5E elements, ENWorld folks think advantage/disadvantage outranks backgrounds, while rpg.net folks think backgrounds outrank advantage/disadvantage. I'd note one of those is mainly a game mechanic, and the other mainly a roleplaying mechanic. Though again, so small a difference as to possibly have no significance.
Bonus! If I combine both sets of results (to make a total of 179 responses), this is what the tiers look like:
Very important to D&D's feel (80% and up):
Levels: 160 [89.39%]
Distinct character classes: 155 [86.59%]
Ability scores (Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha): 154 [86.03%]
Hit points: 149 [83.24%]
Important to D&D's feel (60% to 80%):
Armor Class: 136 [75.98%]
Using multiple types of dice: 121 [67.60%]
Saving throws: 121 [67.60%]
Debatable importance (40% to 60%):
Distinct character races/lineages: 103 [57.54%]
Experience points: 94 [52.51%]
Lists of specific spells: 94 [52.51%]
Alignment: 75 [41.90%]
Less important to D&D's feel (20% to 40%):
Initiative: 66 [36.87%]
Lists of specific magic items: 69 [38.55%]
Hit dice: 51 [28.49%]
Lists of specific equipment: 47 [26.26%]
Not important to D&D's feel (20% and below):
Creature types: 35 [19.55%]
Deities: 34 [18.99%]
Multiclassing: 30 [16.76%]
Great Wheel cosmology: 27 [15.08%]
Proficiencies: 20 [11.17%]
Damage types: 18 [10.06%]
Feats: 16 [8.94%]
Surprise: 15 [8.38%]
Conditions: 9 [5.03%]
Challenge ratings: 9 [5.03%]
Advantage/disadvantage: 7 [3.91%]
World Axis cosmology: 6 [3.35%]
Backgrounds: 5 [2.79%]
Of course, a sample size so small probably doesn't say anything about D&D fans generally, but it does at least indicate what both forums agree on (and may say something about "D&D players who still frequent forums").
Thoughts, everyone?
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