We'd like to avoid sub-forums as much as possible, which to me means entirely. If a topic draws enough traffic to merit a forum, then it deserves a place in the main lineup. Sub-forums just add confusion to the "where should I post" question.
Steve
If your only tool is a warhammer, every problem looks like a gnoll.
We'd like to avoid sub-forums as much as possible, which to me means entirely. If a topic draws enough traffic to merit a forum, then it deserves a place in the main lineup. Sub-forums just add confusion to the "where should I post" question.
Knowing this is your take on the re-org is very helpful. Thank you. It will inform our feedback.
Here are the PHB essentia, in my opinion:
Three Basic Rules (p 11)
Power Types and Usage (p 54)
Skills (p178-179)
Feats (p 192)
Rest and Recovery (p 263)
All of Chapter 9 [Combat] (p 264-295)
A player needs to read the sections for building his or her character -- race, class, powers, feats, equipment, etc. But those are PC-specific. The above list is for everyone, regardless of the race or class or build or concept they are playing.
We'd like to avoid sub-forums as much as possible, which to me means entirely. If a topic draws enough traffic to merit a forum, then it deserves a place in the main lineup. Sub-forums just add confusion to the "where should I post" question.
Steve
I can get behind that as a motivation, but I remind you of Albert Einstein: Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.
For instance, under this system, the d20 Character Optimization forum (a place of pure mechanical help aimed primarily at D&D 3.5) would be merged with the Character Development forum (pure story), the d20 Modern forum (story and lore of a completely different system, which never gets enough support on its own and shoehorning it in here will just sweep it under the rug), and the RPG General board (which is pure off-topic compared to the other three, and has served as a dumping ground for 4e-comparison threads by the community supervisors' own admission). These have nothing to do with each other and will only make finding key threads harder - which is of particular concern on the CO boards, especially after the d20 fiasco a few years ago and forum pruning resorted in losing (and I sincerely wish I were joking here) lifetimes of man-hours of work on the system. (At one point, that board in particular was considered valuable by WotC - several of us were actually recruited by Wizards to give 4e its first stab at true optimization, strictly because we loved the game and were good at spotting mechanical synergies. We couldn't have done that if we didn't have a good resource for this, and one of the hallmarks of that was the high signal:noise ratio on the CO boards.)
I also have a semi-related question: What will happen to sticky threads in subforums that are merged? In the Previous Editions forums (which will become Vintage Rules Discussion, I believe), for instance, you find a number of very useful sticky threads... but they're most useful for the subforum in question.
These are NOT all my creations! The lead authors are identified as follows: [TS] Tempest Stormwind, [AR] Andarious Rosethorn, [RT] Radical Taoist, [SN] Sionnis, [DH] DisposableHero_, [SH] Seishi.
[TS] The Pinball Brothers: Large And In Charge (Melee, Lockdown, Charge, Juggling) [TS] Ashardalon Reborn: I Will Swallow Your Soul (Melee, Fear, Negative Levels, AoE, Theme) [AR] "A"-Game Paladin: Play That Funky Music, Knight Boy! (Team Support, Melee, Theme, Single-Class) [RT] Uncanny Trapsmith: Get in, make it look like an accident, get out. (Skillmonkey, Stealth/Scout/Infiltration, Unorthodox Methods, Theme) [AR] Wizsassin: *Everything* is permitted. (Spellcaster, Support, Sneak Attack, Utility) [TS] Phantom Rush: General Gish Gouda. (Gish, Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Early-Entry PrC) [TS] Storm Knight: Another kind of gish. (Melee/"Gish", Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Unorthodox Methods) [TS] Inevitable Nightmare: The weapon you only have to fire once. (Melee, "Unorthodox" Methods (no charging), Reliability) [AR] Captain Constitution: The number one threat to America. (Melee, TOUGHTOUGHTOUGH, Defense, Theme) [AR] Nuker: I casts the spells that makes the peoples fall down! (Spellcaster, damage, blasting, damage) [TS] Dread Lord of the Dead: Let the Reaping Begin! (NPC-only, Variable (combat/casting/leadership), Iconic Villain, Theme) [AR] Heavy Crusader: No Rest. No Mercy. No Matter What. (Melee, Damage (No charging), Variable, Theme). [TS] Gun Fu: It's bullet time (Ranged, THEORETICAL, Twin weapons, Theme) [RT] Face First: We should talk. (Psionic, social, mind-control, info-management) [SN] Chaingun Porcupine: Never Enuff Dakka. (Ranged, Skirmishing, Spike Damage, Incarnum) [RT] Always On Edge: The Mortal Draw deals death. (Melee, Generalist, Dungeoneering, Stunt) [AR] Feral Druid: Real feral taste. Zero druid calories. (Melee, offense, damage, murder) [RT] Rusty!: Man's Best Friend (Sentry, Support, Backup, Rearguard) [RT] The T3 (Tashalatora Triple Threat): My Kung Fu is More Powerful (Hybrid, Flex-Function, Melee, Caster) [RT] The #1 Snoipah: Boom. 'Eadshot. (Caster, Theme, Spike, Trapscout) [AR] Dreamblade: Rest in Pieces. (Melee, Damage, Single-Class, Combo/Momentum) [AR] Evasion Tank: “When fighting angry blind men, is best to stay out of the way.” (Melee, Tank, Unorthodox Methods (attack negation), Theme) [DH] Psycarnum Warrior: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA Start (Melee, Tank, Psionics, Incarnum, 1337 h4x) [AR] Heavy Weapons Elf: WHO TOUCHED MY BOW? (Ranged, Cohort, Damage, Unorthodox Methods (ranged ToB)) [RT] Gnowhere Gnome: A little man who wasn't there (Caster, Stealth, Single-Class, Elusive) [AR] Uberflank: I got your back. (Melee, support, stunt, teamwork) [TS] Flip the Bird: Everyday I'm shuffling (Ranged, harrier, unorthodox methods (ranged ToB / off-turn movement), support) [DH] Eat Sleep Gank: Real Ultimate Power (Stealth, Assassination, Spike, Magic Versatility) [AR] Slash and Burn: Mind, Body, Blade, Flame / Aspects of a greater whole / which delivers death. (Melee, Theme (flex-style), Damage, Stunt) [RT] Edge of the Light: Cut, Fade to Black (Melee, Defense/Offense, Momentum, Tactical) [RT] Quiet Murder: Cut throats, not corners. (Melee, Stealth, Harrier, Tactical) [TS] Wand Overdrive: Say Hello to my little friends. (Caster, support/artillery/variable, wand specialist) [RT] God Hand: What did the five fingers say to the face? (Melee/Gish, Unarmed, SAD, Theme) [AR] Zero Buff Time Gish: Try to keep up! (Gish, Speed, Movement, Opportunity) [TS] Robo Tackle: I Am Iron Man. (Melee, setting-specific (Eberron), positioning, theme, stunt)
I may be one of those who didn't embrace 4e but still frequent the Previous Edition boards. I'll admit they don't see much traffic so merging them into a single form wouldn't have things swept away daily but it certainly would make anyone who casually visits hard pressed to find anything. My thought would be to merge the character hard stuff (classes, prc, equipment/skills/feats, race, psionics, and spells/magic) into one forum and merge the other stuff (general, adventures) into a second forum.
Unless you're moving them in from somewhere else I do NOT see where all the campaign worlds should fall into Previous Editions. Very few questions currently asked are world specific. Game mechanics specific to campaign worlds can still fall into the normal categories but I'd guess that all of the fluff involved in any campaign setting could go into one world specific forum.
We'd like to avoid sub-forums as much as possible, which to me means entirely. If a topic draws enough traffic to merit a forum, then it deserves a place in the main lineup. Sub-forums just add confusion to the "where should I post" question.
Steve
Thanks for the info! In that case, I strongly urge that What's a DM to Do? be moved adjacent to What's a Player to Do?, either above or below.
The potential existence of campaign-specific boards for earlier editions doesn't protect existing resources from potential loss any better than being in a combined board.
Yes, it does. If I search in the Dark Sun forum for an NPC by name, I know I am unlikely to find threads about a similarly named person from Dragonlance, Planescape, or Birthright. That's the whole point of having a campaign-specific forum.
This reminds me though, that there should be an "Other Published Worlds" forum in the Vintage section to accommodate obscure settings like Council of Wyrms, Rokugan, and Lankmar, and worlds published by third-parties
Good point.
To Slagger, it really is a mess when you combine forums from different worlds. It stops being a useful forum to visit if you can't monitor it for threads about "your" setting and have to sift through other settings. These are generally really discrete audiences. You want to go read and talk about Planescape, not Al'Quadim. And you can't expect people to label each thread correctly. There are places on the Internet where this is done and I steer clear of those forums because it isn't worth my time.
Low volume can be ok. It still means that an audience can get their needs met and feel good about WotC in the process. It also means that low volume can get noticed. A fan can step up and stir up some activity. In a larger forum worlds can get lost and people just walk away. Give them a place and there is a chance for growth.
The potential existence of campaign-specific boards for earlier editions doesn't protect existing resources from potential loss any better than being in a combined board.
Yes, it does. If I search in the Dark Sun forum for an NPC by name, I know I am unlikely to find threads about a similarly named person from Dragonlance, Planescape, or Birthright. That's the whole point of having a campaign-specific forum.
Right, but the confusion present in multi-edition worlds easily outweighs the small possibility that there's more than one King Kaius, Zagyg, Agis of Asticles, Elminster, Strahd, Lady of Pain or similar.
Pretty much the only terms I can think of that show up in multiple worlds referring to radically different concepts is "Tyr" (FR and DS), and it's usually pretty obvious if they're talking about a place or a god. On the flipside, the enormous mechanical and lore differences between the thri-kreen of assorted editions of DS make it almost impossible to answer questions quickly and effectively without people specifying an edition in every thread. And as a regular of the Previous Editions forum (where there's an "implicit" edition of 3.5 but frequent posts from earlier editions, similar to how the new world boards would have an implicit 4e edition but access to earlier ones), I can clearly say that this is quite unlikely.
Plus, take a look through those boards. Most of the threads you get will be discussing a rules question in some way, shape, or form (even those that sound like What's a DM/Player To Do In [This World] threads will come down to some mechanical discussion sooner or later.) If the edition is unclear, you're only making resolving those issues harder.
These are NOT all my creations! The lead authors are identified as follows: [TS] Tempest Stormwind, [AR] Andarious Rosethorn, [RT] Radical Taoist, [SN] Sionnis, [DH] DisposableHero_, [SH] Seishi.
[TS] The Pinball Brothers: Large And In Charge (Melee, Lockdown, Charge, Juggling) [TS] Ashardalon Reborn: I Will Swallow Your Soul (Melee, Fear, Negative Levels, AoE, Theme) [AR] "A"-Game Paladin: Play That Funky Music, Knight Boy! (Team Support, Melee, Theme, Single-Class) [RT] Uncanny Trapsmith: Get in, make it look like an accident, get out. (Skillmonkey, Stealth/Scout/Infiltration, Unorthodox Methods, Theme) [AR] Wizsassin: *Everything* is permitted. (Spellcaster, Support, Sneak Attack, Utility) [TS] Phantom Rush: General Gish Gouda. (Gish, Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Early-Entry PrC) [TS] Storm Knight: Another kind of gish. (Melee/"Gish", Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Unorthodox Methods) [TS] Inevitable Nightmare: The weapon you only have to fire once. (Melee, "Unorthodox" Methods (no charging), Reliability) [AR] Captain Constitution: The number one threat to America. (Melee, TOUGHTOUGHTOUGH, Defense, Theme) [AR] Nuker: I casts the spells that makes the peoples fall down! (Spellcaster, damage, blasting, damage) [TS] Dread Lord of the Dead: Let the Reaping Begin! (NPC-only, Variable (combat/casting/leadership), Iconic Villain, Theme) [AR] Heavy Crusader: No Rest. No Mercy. No Matter What. (Melee, Damage (No charging), Variable, Theme). [TS] Gun Fu: It's bullet time (Ranged, THEORETICAL, Twin weapons, Theme) [RT] Face First: We should talk. (Psionic, social, mind-control, info-management) [SN] Chaingun Porcupine: Never Enuff Dakka. (Ranged, Skirmishing, Spike Damage, Incarnum) [RT] Always On Edge: The Mortal Draw deals death. (Melee, Generalist, Dungeoneering, Stunt) [AR] Feral Druid: Real feral taste. Zero druid calories. (Melee, offense, damage, murder) [RT] Rusty!: Man's Best Friend (Sentry, Support, Backup, Rearguard) [RT] The T3 (Tashalatora Triple Threat): My Kung Fu is More Powerful (Hybrid, Flex-Function, Melee, Caster) [RT] The #1 Snoipah: Boom. 'Eadshot. (Caster, Theme, Spike, Trapscout) [AR] Dreamblade: Rest in Pieces. (Melee, Damage, Single-Class, Combo/Momentum) [AR] Evasion Tank: “When fighting angry blind men, is best to stay out of the way.” (Melee, Tank, Unorthodox Methods (attack negation), Theme) [DH] Psycarnum Warrior: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA Start (Melee, Tank, Psionics, Incarnum, 1337 h4x) [AR] Heavy Weapons Elf: WHO TOUCHED MY BOW? (Ranged, Cohort, Damage, Unorthodox Methods (ranged ToB)) [RT] Gnowhere Gnome: A little man who wasn't there (Caster, Stealth, Single-Class, Elusive) [AR] Uberflank: I got your back. (Melee, support, stunt, teamwork) [TS] Flip the Bird: Everyday I'm shuffling (Ranged, harrier, unorthodox methods (ranged ToB / off-turn movement), support) [DH] Eat Sleep Gank: Real Ultimate Power (Stealth, Assassination, Spike, Magic Versatility) [AR] Slash and Burn: Mind, Body, Blade, Flame / Aspects of a greater whole / which delivers death. (Melee, Theme (flex-style), Damage, Stunt) [RT] Edge of the Light: Cut, Fade to Black (Melee, Defense/Offense, Momentum, Tactical) [RT] Quiet Murder: Cut throats, not corners. (Melee, Stealth, Harrier, Tactical) [TS] Wand Overdrive: Say Hello to my little friends. (Caster, support/artillery/variable, wand specialist) [RT] God Hand: What did the five fingers say to the face? (Melee/Gish, Unarmed, SAD, Theme) [AR] Zero Buff Time Gish: Try to keep up! (Gish, Speed, Movement, Opportunity) [TS] Robo Tackle: I Am Iron Man. (Melee, setting-specific (Eberron), positioning, theme, stunt)
The potential existence of campaign-specific boards for earlier editions doesn't protect existing resources from potential loss any better than being in a combined board.
Yes, it does. If I search in the Dark Sun forum for an NPC by name, I know I am unlikely to find threads about a similarly named person from Dragonlance, Planescape, or Birthright. That's the whole point of having a campaign-specific forum.
That makes it easier to find, not better protected against destruction by some kind of shenanigans involving merging and unmerging boards.
Searching for an NPC's specific name in a combined board isn't going to generate a lot of confusing results unless the board has an inordinate amount of activity (enough to generate a lot of NPCs that just happen to have very similar names), and even if there was a sudden and fantastic spike in activity, any decent NPC has plenty of related details to narrow a search.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
If I'm a fan of Planescape and I go to a forum that has Planescape and Dark Sun in it, I will be confused. If I look at the first page of the Dark Sun forum I see plenty of threads where I don't immediately know the setting if I don't know that setting.
If I'm a Planescape fan, could "How to become a dragon" be worth reading? How about "silt horrors"? "Crown of Dust"? "Dungeon 193 the Ravenous"? "Just thought I'd share this"? "Help a DM out"? It goes on and on. Fully half of the titles are recognized as Dark Sun only if you know the setting well. Why create confusion and dilute the benefit?
I don't play a lot of Spelljammer, but if I end up doing it again I don't want to sift through a forum that has all the other worlds. I want to read about other worlds only in the context of Spelljammer. I want a discrete forum on that topic.
