el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
Reading these forums (esp. after something like 12 year break from them) often makes me feel like I just don't understand how other people play D&D. Their concerns and experiences are often not my concerns or experiences - often threads offer solutions to things that have never been a problem at my table (even if in theory I can sometimes imagine they could be, arguing about their solution seems to take a lot more energy and be a lot less productive than simply solving it yourself) or they bring up edge case problems that a quick table ruling will handle and allow the game to go on rather than trying to argue a definitive way to handle it.
It is a weird feeling to simultaneously feel so adrift from so many other people in the hobby (and sense that they are adrift from each other), while also running two great games with separate groups and D&D itself is more popular than it has ever been, meaning countless people are finding ways to play together and not let those differences get in the way of having fun.
Anyway, I guess the topic I am bringing up for discussion is if the boards and the people who tend to frequent them have a warping effect on viewing the game and game style/approach and its players. ENworld is the only online gaming community I am a part of, so as far as I know they are all like that (or worse - this board at least has moderation). I am not claiming to have never met up in real life with other D&Ders whose approach to the game was totally at odds with how I like to play/run, but those cases have been rare, sometimes people are willing to at least try another style, and unlike on an internet community, assuming we're not already friends, I never have to interact with that person again (if we can't come to an accord) and if we are already friends we can hang out and do other things besides play D&D together.
It is a weird feeling to simultaneously feel so adrift from so many other people in the hobby (and sense that they are adrift from each other), while also running two great games with separate groups and D&D itself is more popular than it has ever been, meaning countless people are finding ways to play together and not let those differences get in the way of having fun.
Anyway, I guess the topic I am bringing up for discussion is if the boards and the people who tend to frequent them have a warping effect on viewing the game and game style/approach and its players. ENworld is the only online gaming community I am a part of, so as far as I know they are all like that (or worse - this board at least has moderation). I am not claiming to have never met up in real life with other D&Ders whose approach to the game was totally at odds with how I like to play/run, but those cases have been rare, sometimes people are willing to at least try another style, and unlike on an internet community, assuming we're not already friends, I never have to interact with that person again (if we can't come to an accord) and if we are already friends we can hang out and do other things besides play D&D together.