It goes in cycles, but generally things seem to be on a pretty even keel right now. All I have to do is visit other forums and compare the level of participation and discussion -- it's amazing how upbeat, friendly and focused EN World is by comparison.
That said, EN World does have somewhat of a reputation for having a rude Rules forum. Posters showing off their "rules skills" but failing to use their "people skills" -- posters not only interested in being right but making sure others have been verbally shredded along the way. I personally avoid the Rules forum. Granted, I haven't been in there in a long time and maybe the situation has resolved itself.
There will be times when EN World as a whole seems to get cranky -- it's when hot-button issues come up and people feel the need to takes sides, "win" arguments through underhanded tactics, equate gaming preference with morality or intellectual capacity, and just generally inflate little things into big things. Underlying these swells of discontent, I believe, is the spectre of the future -- a new edition that eventually forces EN World to decide which way it will go, and who will be left behind.
