The end of all edition wars?

[El Mahdi]

This question has already been answered in Post #51 (by all means, read it). When the majority of D&D-related posts seem to be edition wars, it's easier to ignore them all than trying to separate the few grains of wheat from the mountain of chaff.

Yet here you are. (Just saying.)

So, I read post #51, and I'm still puzzled.

I doubt anyone here has any problems with you making a decision based on your preferences and ideas. (At least I don't.) You have every right to that, and no-one can take that away. I think we are all just puzzled by the reasoning. You are under no obligation to explain, but we'll probably keep asking anyways.

How does not having a place to discuss D&D (because of the edition wars) equate to not playing D&D? They are two very seperate things. Using your reasoning, it seems it would be more logical to play D&D with your group, using your preferred edition (that is if your group likes D&D), and simply ignore forums and boards. I don't know too many people that would have ENWorld up on their computer while playing D&D. So, if playing D&D and talking about D&D on boards are two very seperate things, and one or the other can easily be ignored, the reasoning doesn't seem to make sense.

Now I understand you are using a preferred edition/system now (it's just not D&D, which is cool), but if D&D was also one of your preferred edition at one point, why couldn't you just ignore the boards and keep playing it? If you simply got tired of it, well, that makes sense. But giving it up, because people on a board are flaming you for your choice, seems like the best course of action would just be to ignore the board and play-on.

 

[lutecius]

This question has already been answered in Post #51 (by all means, read it). When the majority of D&D-related posts seem to be edition wars, it's easier to ignore them all than trying to separate the few grains of wheat from the mountain of chaff.

I was going to post something along the lines of what El Mahdi said.
I'm not judging or anything, whatever works for you. But I find your reasoning a bit odd.
Does your enjoyment of a game depend that much on forum discussions?

 

[jdrakeh]

Yet here you are. (Just saying.)

Also already addressed in Post #58.

How does not having a place to discuss D&D (because of the edition wars) equate to not playing D&D? They are two very seperate things.

Well, I never said that not having a place to discuss D&D equates to not playing D&D. I stated that I chose to quit playing D&D because I had no communities in which to discuss it civily. These are also two different things I'm describing a cause and effect situation (and, I think, a fairly logical one at that).

For me — and for a lot of other hobbyists, from fishermen to skydivers — a huge part of being a hobbyist is discussing your hobby and associating with fellow hobbyists. I've come to realize that many of my fellow hobbyists (mostly online, mind you) turn into complete jerks when D&D becomes the topic of discussion but are otherwise decent folks. This being the case, I avoided discussing D&D with them and, as if by magic, they all (well, most of them) became civil gentlemen and ladies!

[Note: And, no, Jaimie — I am not including the Tuesday night group in this lot. You're rarely gentlemen, but you guys always make gaming fun ]

Now, that said, I have never not bounced ideas for any RPG that I play off of other gamers. Playing a game without doing so is a completely foreign concept to me. I would be totally lost trying to run any game without having a diverse community of other hobbyists to bounce ideas off of. I suppose that I could try playing D&D without talking about it, but that seems like much more work than enjoying other games where this isn't an issue at all.

Frankly, D&D isn't worth it. No hobby is. IMHO, if you have to actively try to enjoy a hobby, it's time to hang it up. I mean, a hobby is something you enjoy, right? It's not something that you must force yourself to enjoy. Am I right?

 

[Shazman]

This question has already been answered in Post #51 (by all means, read it). When the majority of D&D-related posts seem to be edition wars, it's easier to ignore them all than trying to separate the few grains of wheat from the mountain of chaff.

I still see no need to quit playing the game altogether. Just don't read the messageboards. It seems silly to quit a beloved hobby just because some people are clamoring over it on messageboards.

 

[Spatula]

I suppose that I could try playing D&D without talking about it, but that seems like much more work than enjoying other games where this isn't an issue at all.

So you can't talk about games with your real life gaming buddies? Sorry to contribute to the derailment but your position is rather perplexing. What did you do before internet usage became widespread?

 

[jdrakeh]

I still see no need to quit playing the game altogether. Just don't read the messageboards. It seems silly to quit a beloved hobby just because some people are clamoring over it on messageboards.

You know what? I've suddenly realized that all of the people criticizing my choice as "silly" or "excessive" are right!

Not wanting to indulge a hobby that has become more frustrating than fun is silly. I mean, why would I ever want to give up frustration in favor of fun? Hobbies are meant to be fun? That's just absurd! I don't know what I was thinking!

Obviously, hobbies are supposed to be masochistic endeavors where you endure the screaming criticism of dozens of fellow hobbyists because you don't do X the way that they prescribe. Man, I don't know how I ever missed that! It's so obvious!

I absolutely am silly for wanting to put all that behind me and find a hobby that revolves around mutual good will amongst fellow hobbyists and focusing on our similarities rather than shouting at each other and calling each other names because of our differences. Dear god!

Good will toward others? Fun? Inclusion? Thppt! That sounds like some kind of Communist propaganda! Why would I ever want any of that? Thanks for setting me straight, folks!

 

[kibbitz]

Is jdrakeh's position and choice really that unbelievable?

jdrakeh has mentioned (if I'm not mistaken) that the amount of clamoring on the messageboards over D&D was too much to take, and that there was hostility directed personally as well. If jdrakeh decided to quit over this, shouldn't it be reasonable to assume that instead of quitting in a fit of rage, jdrakeh really felt that:

1. D&D is not really the same without the sense of community from the messageboards, and
2. rl gaming friends don't replace that missing *something*?

Edit: Oops, looks like jdrakeh already replied

 

[Jack99]

I think most people will agree that I spend a decent amount of time on these boards, at least since I actually started posting. And sure, they (the boards) are extremely helpful, and some of the talks we have here, I could probably never have with my gaming group either, I would just draw some very blank stares, if I brought certain subjects up.

When that is said, I played D&D for 10 years (89-99) before I discovered Eric's original page, and I honestly say that I had plenty of fun back then too, despite me not being able to talk about certain aspects of D&D with my friends.

Maybe it's a matter of getting used to not talking about certain things. Sure, it would suck not to be able to get all the help and useful ideas we get here, but I would never trade my D&D for something else, because I didn't want to post here about it here.

But of course, it's your life, your game.

I just hope you have fun.

Cheers

 

[jdrakeh]

Edit: Oops, looks like jdrakeh already replied

Yes, but you sum up the position that I've already explained at length, multiple times now, quite eloquently.

I normally wouldn't launch into full-on sarcasm as I did, but I keep getting these baiting "I've read what you wrote. . . " responses to my posts on this thread followed by a remark that clearly demonstrates the individual hasn't read what I've written (e.g., "If you enjoy D&D. . ." when I've said several times now that I no longer do) coupled with a dismissive "silly" or "excessive" condemnation/value judgement.

It has dawned on me that many of these people probably don't want an explantion — they want an argument. I think that this is evidenced by their continued refusal to read the explanation that I've both offered and elaborated on several times now in this very thread. They just keep ignoring it and making value judgements based on motives that they've invented from wholecloth, as if I haven't written a single word explaining my decision.

This is why civil D&D discussion isn't possible. This is why I no longer wish to discuss D&D at the current time. Undoubtedly, some 'concerned individual' will come back with a "Well, you're talking about it now, you big liar!" remark. I'll go ahead and address it right now by acknowledging that they're absolutely right. I am talking about D&D in this thread. And I apologize — I should have known better.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Good will toward others? Fun? Inclusion? Thppt! That sounds like some kind of Communist propaganda! Why would I ever want any of that? Thanks for setting me straight, folks!

D&D is serious business, my friend. If there was anything fun to it, that couldn't be the case.

The only thing I wonder is - if you dislike the kind of hatred and vitriol sometimes (often?) spread around in the D&D community - why are you still in the community. I can see not being able to play if you can't have a community to bounce ideas off, or because you constantly reminded of the latest edition war. But then I would avoid visiting the very forums where I meet these guys all the time?

Oh, well, unless maybe I am a masochist or it's a kind of addiction, I suppose. (If I was in the situation it would certainly be the latter...)