Big Dummy, while you have stated that you've been to this site on and off for 7ish years, your posts come across as broad, swooping generalizations of an e-board with nearly FORTY THOUSAND members. That's a big ol' chunk of gamers right there, I'd have to say. In my experience on EN World, I've found this to be a welcoming, friendly community with great character, memorable people, justified mods and a warm atmosphere. EN World is a great, great place - I can't stress that enough in one measly little post. People here on this thread have given great advice for how to conduct oneself on an e-board like this, and I have to say that I took a step back after going through the posts here on this thread. From post one in this thread, I was inflamed, let me tell you. You statements were, from your own mouth "venomous, vicious spiteful attacks" on (regular) board members and was completely uncalled for. Saying that, I'll try to give you a fair go of it and go through your original post.
big dummy said:
Why is it that any time any discussion about D&D comes up which could even remotely somehow be construed as some kind of criticism of D&D as-is, a select few of the forum regulars swoop down with such venomous, vicious spiteful attacks to shut it down?
Big Dummy, a "select few" regular board members is a big chunk. Frankly, from the get-go, your post and thread name sounds like something that belongs in a "Report Post" rather than in an actual thread. But you are upset that your Low Magic thread got closed, and wanted to start a a new thread which, while titled "Why are D&D discussions so angry?" is
actually about "why are D&D discussions about critism about D&D so angry?".
You need to take more time in constructing your posts, because you are talking about two different beasts in the same breathe, and are thirdly insulting the EN World populace by declaring a few anonymous En World regualrs as being "venomous, vicious (and conductors of) spiteful attacks" on posters who talk in threads about how D&D discussions about critism about D&D are so angry in threads entitled "Why are D&D discussions so angry?".
big dummy said:
I've been on every kind of forum, I currently spend time on historical, technical, and even political forums. On some of these, peoples entire professional reputations can be at stake based on the credibility of say an article they wrote which is under discussion. And yet, while you can always get the odd forum crazy and find a certain amount of intractibility in discussions, no other forum I know of is anywhere near as vicious as an RPG forum. I can honestly say that the RPG forums, especially any D&D forum, are both the most vicious and the most utterly intractable and cynical in terms of peoples positions.
Frankly, your past experiences are no more valid then mine. En World is my first and only forum, but it is how one conducts oneslef in it that counts. You are being rude to us and hypocritical by creating the
very sort of discussion you say you loathe, and make it the equivalent of a loaded gun with the construction of your posts, and the name-calling and generalizations of board members in your posts.
big dummy said:
Anyone who knows these forums knows that unless you are ready for a big fight, to avoid a WIDE swath of subjects, or else face the near certainty that your thread will be hijacked (as mine recently was) into a completely off-topic diatribe of insults and vicious demands to "love it or leave it" until the temperature of the "debate" inevitably gets hot enough that the moderators shut the thread down, which is exactly what the attackers want from the start.
BD, a lot of peoepl who come to these forums are new - thus they have no reason to just "know" how to properly conduct themselves at all times. Also, manyn RPGs are playing by pimple-faced teens with braces and greasy hair (c'mon, we were all somehting liek that at one point

) who can be really rude, due to lack of real world EXP - or simply board EXP. You are again generalizing many people who post here, and not allow for every person who comes here - out of curiosity, recommendation, googling, et al - a chance at adjusting to the board and the style of the the internet.
big dummy said:
The net result is a de-facto censorship. This is in many ways a great forum, but there cannot be any rational discussion about anything real about D&D in here in terms of improving it in any way or addressing anything but techincal or balance problems. Anything else will instantly turn into an all-or-nothing debate about D&D.
Not true. False. Uninformed. There have been great threads about improving D&D, in one form or another. DM and Player advice, new ideas for DMs and Players, rule clarifications, etc etc etc etc etc. These all improve D&D for those involved, do they not? They do not all turn into flamewars, do they not? Tehy do not all turn into all-or-nothing debates, do they not. No, they don't.
big dummy said:
Why does a role playing game bring out such intense feelings of hostility? What is it about D&D that makes people to devote hours to willing to insult and ridicule complete strangers? What is the ultimate effect of this self-censorship and passive aggression on the game itself?
It is not the gun that kills, but the one whom pulls the trigger. An RPG by itself will not bring out intense feeling of hostility, rather it is the person who chooses to funnel their feelings in such a way that intense hostility is the flavour of the week. Man, I think you just got into the wrong discussion at such a tie that you felt the need to bring it up again in another thinly veiled thread which is a meta-discussion of why your other thread failed.
You need to take a step back from your keyboard. You are painting EN World one colour, withot letting some of the quieter, less *ahem* "hostile" regulars help show EN Worlds true colours. And indeed, there are many in this rainbow. But man, just because your one thread closed down does not give you the right to call out us and give us the impression the regulars here, or a select few therein are a bunch of stalking predators waiting to swoop down on the little guy with the little postcount. We really, in all honestly, are not truely like that, and I can only hope that somewhere, you realise this adn can become a part of the community, rather than picking a fight with us.