D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

[DinoInDisguise]

Verisimilitude and feeling real are not what exploration-oriented play does better. Puzzle solving and digging into details are what it does better. Focusing more on the fun of exploration that sandboxes offer and less on claims of comparative realism would do a much better job of explaining what makes something like Worlds Without Number so fun to play and run (and would elicit far less ire).

I just want to briefly explain my response to @hawkeyefan earlier.

I’ve noticed a recurring pattern where posts—maybe unintentionally—come across as dismissive of other play styles, at least to me. I’ve even called out Micah Sweet earlier in this very thread for the same kind of thing.

This week, a member with over ten thousand posts left the forums, citing a “cantankerous” and “hostile” environment. That happened here, in this very discussion. And honestly, it’s left me reflecting. Reflecting on how I post and just in general.

Almost every interaction I’ve had on these forums has been overwhelmingly positive. The few exceptions have mostly been my own missteps. So maybe this is just my inexperience talking. Maybe I’m idealizing how things should be. Or maybe I still don’t fully understand the tone and rhythm of how this community communicates.

But I came here because many said this was the best place to have high-level, thoughtful discussion about the hobby. And most of the time, that’s exactly what I find. But when I read posts that sound like one group saying “I do what you do, but better,” it breaks that childish idealism a little.

That’s why I spoke up. Not to pick a fight, but because I care about this space, and I don’t want to see more people turned away from it. Especially, not people who's posts I've become accustom to reading day in and day out, like Hawkeye and Micah.

One member once said that sometimes they kick too many balls. Maybe this time, I kicked one I shouldn’t have.