ENWorld Article for RPG Examiner

[Mathew_Freeman]

What brought you to ENWorld?

My brother Neal found the site, and as I was just starting at University and experiencing online access for the first time, he was able to send me a link. We started reading all the pre-3e stuff as it came along, and then at some point I registered and started posting on the boards.

If you were to categorize ENWorld's community, how would you describe it?

Diverse. There are all sorts of people on here, but mostly what unites them is a desire to game, to discuss gaming, and to find ways to help themselves enjoy the game more.

Once you arrived here, what made you stay?

The community, and the fact that the majority of the opinions expressed chimed well with my own. Plus, I was involved in the original Hivemind stuff way back (when it was still hosted in the Meta forum!) and I had a lot of friends come out of that. Most of those have since left the boards, but others have replaced them here and there are new people whom I'm coming across all the time.

How has ENWorld helped your gaming experience? Has anything you read here affected your current games?

Ye gods, yes. Getting a grip on 4e was so much easier with all the experience of everyone else to draw on. Rules, suggestions, changes to published modules and just the confidence of knowing that lots of other people are trying this out too and having the same problems really helps.

My 4e Cleric drew heavily on some suggestions from the boards when I was building him, and my Keep on the Shadowfell game is a lot better from the advice I've taken here.

How has ENWorld affected you personally, outside gaming?

In 2000 - 2001 I went through a tough time, personally, and spent a lot of time online escaping from it. The community here really helped with the Hivemind providing a lot of emotional support, and now that I'm happier it's great to see that it still exists for those people that need it. I also made some great friends, including some I've never actually met, through ENWorld.

Anything else you feel should be included in the article.

As an independent site, I don't think it can be beaten for D&D discussion.

 

[talien]

Hi Guys,

Another question: Where can I get the history of ENWorld? I don't suppose it's all in one place...?

 

[Arivendel]

· What brought you to ENWorld?

4e, I was looking for information regarding 4e and I found this site had a comprehensive list of the ongoing rumors and news.

· If you were to categorize ENWorld's community, how would you describe it?

Helpful and Creative, the community is always there to give suggestions, tips, and information to all who ask.

· Once you arrived here, what made you stay?

Mostly the community and the fact that theres always something interesting being posted.

· Anything else you feel should be included in the article.

Yes you should include how this site has such a great impact in the community and that even WotC own staff have accounts and are as active as allowed in the community.

 

[EricNoah]

Hi Guys,

Another question: Where can I get the history of ENWorld? I don't suppose it's all in one place...?

Well there is a Wikipedia entry. EN World - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Rel]

I don't recall the exact date when I first came to ENWorld. It was probably sometime in early 2000. I do recall the reason: I had a rules question about whether it required an action to reload a bow. I got immediate, friendly responses. Been here ever since.

By way of a bit of background about myself, I have always had excellent friends. Solid, lifelong friends, the sort which any person would feel blessed to have. So I did not come here looking for friends since I had all that a guy could ever want.

But I found some anyway. Great friends that I crave the opportunity to see as frequently as possible. Brilliant, funny, creative and caring people who I am better for having associated with. It is the primary reason that I organize the NC Game Days three times a year (it also helps that these folks run games that are simply kickass). I find it bizarre and improbable that of the dozens and dozens of ENWorld folks that I've met that I can hardly name any that I wouldn't go out of my way to hang out with. I mean, you can't ALL be above average, right? Right?

Best not to question it really.

Anyway, I could never have foreseen when I came here that I'd be spending my summer vacation in 2009 visiting a few of my favorite ENWorlders along the east coast. But I look forward to it with uncontained glee at the chance to see friends that I'd never have known but through this website.

 

[talien]

Well there is a Wikipedia entry. EN World - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks, that will help me get the dates right. For the record, I've been around since you were running it.