Online Character Builder is LIVE!

[Dausuul]

And yet it describes 50% of my group perfectly. Outside of a Monday night, they couldn't care less about D&D.

Most groups I've played in have only had 1 or 2 "hardcore" gamers who buy magazines or browse gaming websites. They will very occassionally pop into a gaming store when they're in town with their spouse shopping, but that, and the weekly game, is the limit to their exposure to gaming.

Yeah, this sums it up pretty well. Out of my group, I'm the only one who regularly reads ENWorld or follows what's going on with D&D outside the gaming table. Nobody else even knew there was a new character builder, until I told them today.

And that's the pattern in most groups I've seen. You get one person who's heavily into D&D, keeping up with the latest news, buying lots of books, and so on. That person is usually the DM. If there happens to be a second enthusiast, that person takes the role of "player rules master," guiding the less rules-savvy players and advocating on the PCs' behalf when questions about the rules come up. The rest of the group is made up of more casual gamers who just show up to play and have fun.

Very rarely have I seen a group with more than two hardcore gamers.

 

[Scribble]

We're old heads though... So it makes sense about the not being on the internet thing.

I doubt they give a crap what old heads like us say, and would probably make fun of us for some of the arguments we have- But if there are still kids and teens playin this game I can almost guarantee they're on the interwebs talking about the game.


If there aren't that's a REAL bad sign.

 

[Dausuul]

We're old heads though... So it makes sense about the not being on the internet thing.

I doubt they give a crap what old heads like us say, and would probably make fun of us for some of the arguments we have- But if there are still kids and teens playin this game I can almost guarantee they're on the interwebs talking about the game.

"Old heads?" I don't know about your group, but the folks at my gaming table are in our late 20s/early 30s. Three of us work for an Internet-based company and three more work at Radio Shack. And I think the last one is a software developer. We're a techy bunch.

Nor are we all grognards--I'm the only one who could claim anything like that status. Besides me, there's a guy who started in 2E, then went on hiatus until 4E, but he's always been a casual gamer-type as far as I can tell. For the rest, three of them started in 3.5 and two started in 4E.

Out of all of us, I am the oldest and the grognardiest, and I'm the only one who hangs around these forums or pays any attention to what's going on in the D&D community. Everyone else just shows up to play.

 

[Scribble]

"Old heads?" I don't know about your group, but the folks at my gaming table are in our late 20s/early 30s. Three of us work for an Internet-based company and three more work at Radio Shack. And I think the last one is a software developer. We're a techy bunch.

Nor are we all grognards--I'm the only one who could claim grognard status, having started with BECMI back in the day. There's one guy who started in 2E, then went on hiatus until 4E, but he's always been a casual gamer-type as far as I can tell. For the rest, three of them started in 3.5 and two started in 4E.

Yes- you're no longer a teenager, so to a teenager you are old. So am I.

It sucks- but we're old heads.

(That also makes us boring. )

 

[Dausuul]

Yes- you're no longer a teenager, so to a teenager you are old. So am I.

It sucks- but we're old heads.

(That also makes us boring. )

Heh, fair enough. But my point was that I don't think teens are engaging on forums like this one any more than older folks--in fact, from what I've seen, ENWorld is disproportionately populated by people who know what "THAC0" stands for. Newbies are a minority around here.

I'm sure teen players are more likely to chat about their games on Facebook, but that doesn't mean they're connecting with the larger D&D community; it's just another way of talking with your friends, which people have been doing since the invention of language.

 

[IronWolf]

ENWorld is disproportionately populated by people who know what "THAC0" stands for.

Wait... Everyone doesn't know that?

 

[Scribble]

Heh, fair enough. But my point was that I don't think teens are engaging on forums like this one any more than older folks--in fact, from what I've seen, ENWorld is disproportionately populated by people who know what "THAC0" stands for. Newbies are a minority around here.

Yeah- we're also a board that caters to old heads.

We have things like moderators who actively promote "thoughtful discussion" of gaming "subjects," while actively dissuading raging on each other, and off topic posts.

Since we also have a lot of old heads, our topics of conversation are boring.

I'm sure teen players are more likely to chat about their games on Facebook, but that doesn't mean they're connecting with the larger D&D community.

And I say that's a bad thing. Take a look at the xbox forums, or sony forums. They're alive with kids. It's not just hardcore xbox players posting.

If there aren't any forums where kids are posting- thats not a good sign I would say.

 

[Insight]

Has anyone tried to make a Bard recently? I've found problems with both the "Classic" and the online version in terms of using magical instruments. The bonuses both from the item itself and the feat bonus from Versatile Expertise (Instrument) do not display on the power cards. The "Classic" version doesn't even allow you to equip the instrument, whereas the online builder does, but it doesn't make any difference in reflecting the proper bonus.

Example: I have a Changeling Bard level 2 with an 18 CHA. He has a +1 Fochlucan Bandore and the Versatile Expertise feat (Light Blade and Instrument are the choices). His attack bonus with Bard Implement powers should be CHA (4) + 1/2 Level (1) + Magic Item (1) + Feat Bonus (1). The displayed bonus (in both the Classic and Online builders) shows +5 on all of his Implement powers. It apppears that the builders are ignoring both his magic item's enhancement bonus and the feat bonus.

Interestingly, the Light Blade portion of Versatile Expertise is adding to his Dagger attack bonus.

I played a Gnome Bard about 6 months ago and I know that this wasn't a problem then. This was before Versatile Expertise seemed to have "taken over" Implement Expertise (which is what I used back then). It seems as though the programming for "Instrument" isn't being implemented properly, nor are the enhancement bonuses for magical instruments.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I've found problems with both the "Classic" and the online version in terms of using magical instruments. The bonuses both from the item itself and the feat bonus from Versatile Expertise (Instrument) do not display on the power cards.

With my dwarf bard, it's the same thing.

I think it's an issue with "equipping" instruments. Like, the system doesn't recognize them as implements that can be equipped and used. All of my implement powers default to "unarmed" or (weirder) my weapon -- the waraxe.

 

[renau1g]

Anyone able to attach a dragonshard augment to a weapon?