# To the old board members: Do the same threads always come up?



## Stalker0 (Feb 18, 2004)

I'm curious for those who has browsed here for years. In the general forum, do the same old threads just cycle all the time, or has there been a change in the kinds of threads you see over time?


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## Crothian (Feb 18, 2004)

Yes, threads cylce.  And not just in the general forum, the rukles forum and house rulses forum are good for this type of thing as well.


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## Quickbeam (Feb 18, 2004)

Crothian speaks the truth...except there never seem to be any threads about the morality of paladin's actions within their codes and/or alignment.  We need more of those .


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## the Jester (Feb 18, 2004)

Yeah, the same topics come up again and again.  That's why you'll see comments like "Not this again!" in some threads... or the "Go search and you'll find your answers" sort of comments...


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## Kesh (Feb 18, 2004)

Yes, and no.

There are a few posts that are staples of any gaming community:


Music for gaming
Inspiration (the "weird events" thread, or "stuff from the news" thread or "books in the genre" thread)
"What novels/suppliments should I read to learn about setting X?" (most commonly Dragonlance or FR)
"X got the shaft!"
"X is overpowered!"
Best/worst gaming moments
Best/worst players/DMs
The "new edition" speculation threads
The complaints about newly released editions/revisions to said game
"How do I play the game _correctly_?" or "The other players aren't gaming right, how do I change them?" (aka role-play vs. roll-play threads)
"Don't buy from company X, they're bad people!" (aka boycott threads)
"Game X / Setting X is dead, why do you still play it?" (can be done constructively or in a flamebait manner)
"Let's bring back game X / setting x!"
"I hate game X / setting X" (for various reasons... usually flamebait, not always)

Those are the most common recycled threads I see. For the record, I've been on EN World for three versions of the boards, since 3e was just a rumor. I remember playing an online one-shot as a gnome cleric of Garl Glittergold with a mace, for one reason: that was the only race, class, god and weapon we had solid numbers on to play with.


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## Zappo (Feb 18, 2004)

That said, the majority of threads at any given moment are original, or at least deal with an original aspect of an old question.

 There's also the jack chick thing I reckon.


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## Joshua Randall (Feb 18, 2004)

I think these should be added to the list of staples:

* What's the best Olde Skool (tm) setting / module / whatever? (a.k.a. the old timers make you feel bad about not being as old as they are)
* How should I interpret this vague, poorly-conceived rule? (generally confined to the Rules forum, here)
* I found a great price on product X at Wal-Mart / Amazon / OtherLargeFacelessCorporation. (usually followed by huge flame war about why you should support you Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) instead of Wal-Mart, etc.)
* Please help me solve an intricate plot / role-playing problem in my incredibly detailed campaign that takes twenty paragraphs to explain. (sometimes these die after no responses; other times they blossom into something cool)
* My spouse / significant other / parents / friends / church don't like me to play D&D. (usually followed by a massive flame war)
* My gaming group suxxors. (following discussion will be evenly split between "ditch 'em and find other" (even if the poster lives at an Antarctic research base) and "work it out and quit whining")
* How do I convert Batman / James Bond / Luke Skywalker into game stats? (pointless argument ensues)
* Help me munchkinize my PC so he can do a lot of damage / have a lot of hit points / cast a lot of spells / be uber. (the WotC Character Optimization board is better for this, but it comes up in the Rules forum here also)

-- _What, me jaded?_


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## Ashrem Bayle (Feb 18, 2004)

Yea, most of the threads I see, I've never seen before. Thats said, there are a lot of topics that seem to pop up at least once a month or so.


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## dreaded_beast (Feb 18, 2004)

One thing I love about these boards are the sense of maturity and understanding from the majority of the posters.

On other boards I have visited, when you start a thread thay may have been discussed 6 months, 1 year or more ago, the thread is usually locked with a note saying that this thread has already been discussed and to go to the original thread to find your answers.

That is, if you don't get ridiculed and flamed by old-time posters calling you a "st00pid n00b"

 

Anyways, I love the EN World Boards, and have been here, (mainly as a lurker until recently) when this was "Eric Noah's 3rd Ed. News" or whatever it was called back then.


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## Turjan (Feb 18, 2004)

Well, you will find the same threads all the time. As the search function only works for community supporters, everyone else has to open a new thread on the same old topic if he doesn't find it on the first three pages .


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## med stud (Feb 18, 2004)

Lots of things arent as bad as they used to be, though; I havent seen millions of PrCs at the house rules- forums and there hasnt been so much whining about class balance lately.

This might be due to people getting used to the system, though.


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## Wolfspirit (Feb 18, 2004)

Didn't someone just ask this recently? (j/k )

Seriously, as allready mentioned, yes, there have been times when different topics have surfaced again and again.

Some other topics that have shown up repeatedly

- Jack Chick (followed by various religious debates)
- Female Gamers (followed by hitting on various females on the boards)
- NPC X is shallow / twinky / has too many books / has been copied in my game (various debates defending and flaming the NPC that began a stereotype)
- Various person in the gaming industry (past or present) sucks

I'm sure I'm missing some


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## Hand of Evil (Feb 18, 2004)

For the most part.  What surprises me are how the answers/comments change, I know I have change my thoughts and ideas over the years and my answers reflect that.


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## Mort (Feb 18, 2004)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> For the most part.  What surprises me are how the answers/comments change, I know I have change my thoughts and ideas over the years and my answers reflect that.




That's my impression too. I was particularly amused by the various monk threads. First everyone couldn't bash monks enough for how uber-powerful they were. Then a few months later, same question: and a flurry of responses about how the monk just plain stinks.


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## Mort (Feb 18, 2004)

_edit: double post_


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## Fieari (Feb 18, 2004)

Although I'm a relative newcommer to this board, I suspect that one thing that keeps people polite around here is the knowledge that new posters -can't- search, and telling them to do so is futile.

Personally, as soon as I get some money (college and broke are practically synonymns) I'm going to donate simply because sometimes I really do need to search... but until then...

I do love these boards though.  The maturity level is greatly appreciated.  A fellow student was looking over my shoulder while I was browsing a while ago, and when I told him it was a D&D message board, his first question was "I wonder how many threads need to be locked per day"

He was shocked when I said "I haven't seen any, and only seen one that was headed in that directio (but with a gentle nudge from a mod, things were polite again)"


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## Psion (Feb 18, 2004)

Some threads cycle, though some more than others.

I could live without any alignment debate threads. There is, I beleive, literally no angle on alignment debates which has not been hashed to death.


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## trentonjoe (Feb 18, 2004)

One thing I have noticed is that there are ALOT less "flame wars", "trolls", and references to "squirrels".  Very positive in my opinion.

Although the one thread about the female gamer who didn't wear undergarments around children still makes me laugh when I think of it.


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## NewJeffCT (Feb 18, 2004)

Stalker0 said:
			
		

> I'm curious for those who has browsed here for years. In the general forum, do the same old threads just cycle all the time, or has there been a change in the kinds of threads you see over time?




Yes, you will definitely see old threads recycled.  Save a few headlines from when they announced 3.5 and go back to when they announced 3.0 and you'll see how similar they are.  Then take the 3.0 headlines and go back to your old Dragon magazine LTTEs (Letters to the Editor) and you will see similar rantings, I mean comments.  And, I'm sure you can save the 3.5 and 3.0 headlines from here and they will be remarkably similar as to when they announce 4.0 in 3-5 years.


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## Desdichado (Feb 19, 2004)

I've been pretty selective lately in what I look into, though.  Not just any thread interests me for just this reason; you start to feel a strong sense of _deja vu_.  I'm always up for some homebrew discussion, though, especially if it involves low magic.


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## Hypersmurf (Feb 19, 2004)

Joshua Randall said:
			
		

> * How should I interpret this vague, poorly-conceived rule? (generally confined to the Rules forum, here)




Not to be confused with the "How should I interpret this perfectly clear and unambiguous rule?" threads... but fortunately there seem to be a far higher percentage of those on the WotC boards 

-Hyp.


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## LightPhoenix (Feb 19, 2004)

The best thread ever was the "Fireball/pellet" thread, followed closely by the "I can cast magic after my head is cut off" thread.    We haven't had one of those in a loooong time though.

I would add the various Katana vs. Longsword/Japan vs. Europe threads to the list of highly regurgitated topics.


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## Altalazar (Mar 24, 2004)

I think threads that show up show up because people still have something to say about them (plus there are always new members joining - unless you read the boards every eight hours, you will miss many topics forever, unless you have time to dig through past the first page of posts).  

I do admit it annoys me when I bring up a thread that has been discussed before, or when I "ressurrect it" by posting to an old one, and people just respond to it to point out that it has already been discussed before, or even worse for the old threads, to make snide comments about bringing back a thread from the "dead."  Seems like a big waste of bandwidth to me.  

In any event, I think the topics that resurface do so because they haven't been exhausted - there is still something useful to say.  The really meaty topics probably will NEVER be exhausted - they are the things you can be sitting on the porch in the rocking chair, your teeth in the glass next to you, talking about until you shrivel up and die.  Those tend to be the most interesting discussions, too, because you can really dig deep into the topic and get to its soul.  Sometimes threads go on for a long time before that really even begins to happen.


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## Henry (Mar 24, 2004)

Actually, I would take out the _"Jack Chick"_ and "Industry Person X sucks" thread, and just widen it into the _"I can't believe he said that!" _ thread.

It can then apply to Jack Chick, your 12th grade English Teacher who scoffed at D&D, or one of a half-dozen industry pundits who make controversial statements on a recurring basis. 


Also, don't forget the _"are you an X?"_ poll - stingy DM, grim& gritty gamer, male/female/geeky/autobot/thundercat...


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## Henry (Mar 24, 2004)

LightPhoenix said:
			
		

> ...followed closely by the "I can cast magic after my head is cut off" thread.    We haven't had one of those in a loooong time though.




I think we decided if the spell was stilled, silent, componentless, AND had a hefty concentration check, it could be done... 



			
				Altalazar said:
			
		

> I do admit it annoys me when I bring up a thread that has been discussed before, or when I "ressurrect it" by posting to an old one, and people just respond to it to point out that it has already been discussed before, or even worse for the old threads, to make snide comments about bringing back a thread from the "dead."  Seems like a big waste of bandwidth to me.




I don't think anyone means any harm in bringing it up, but it may be disconcerting to them to start reading a "new topic" and suddenly find that it is a month to a year old, and they've even replied to it before!  

And personally I think you should wear your Badge of "Patron Saint of Thread Necromancy" with pride.  I had something new to add to one myself today.


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## diaglo (Mar 25, 2004)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> Not to be confused with the "How should I interpret this perfectly clear and unambiguous rule?" threads... but fortunately there seem to be a far higher percentage of those on the WotC boards
> 
> -Hyp.




and on the WotC board they always get rude responses...like

RTFM from guys like....



Spoiler



tarkin


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## Hypersmurf (Mar 25, 2004)

diaglo said:
			
		

> ... from guys like...




Bleh.  Yeah.

And a good percentage of the time, the rules he preaches (in bold capitals) are wrong anyway.

-Hyp.


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## hong (Mar 25, 2004)

Altalazar said:
			
		

> In any event, I think the topics that resurface do so because they haven't been exhausted - there is still something useful to say.




You confuse "wanting to hear the sound of my own voice" with "something useful to say".



> The really meaty topics probably will NEVER be exhausted - they are the things you can be sitting on the porch in the rocking chair, your teeth in the glass next to you, talking about until you shrivel up and die.  Those tend to be the most interesting discussions, too, because you can really dig deep into the topic and get to its soul.




How idealistic. Hang around for another five years and see if you're saying the same thing.


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## EricNoah (Mar 25, 2004)

Now, now, hong, be nice.  Plus "there is still  wanting to hear the sound of my own voice" doesn't make grammatical sense! 

The real reason topics crop up repeatedly isn't necessarily because there's more to say on the subject -- it's because not everyone is here and paying attention at the time the topic originally comes up.  So it's new people discussing new-to-them/old-to-others topics rather than old people (you know what I mean!) discussing old topics.  We "old" people (the ones around when we heard the topic discussed before) should just butt out and let the "new" people have the same fun discussing it just like we did the first time. Or participate but be nice about it.  Rubbing people's faces in the obvious truth that something's been discussed before is just kind of pointless.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it!


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## Hypersmurf (Mar 25, 2004)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> We "old" people (the ones around when we heard the topic discussed before) should just butt out and let the "new" people have the same fun discussing it just like we did the first time. Or participate but be nice about it.  Rubbing people's faces in the obvious truth that something's been discussed before is just kind of pointless.




Although occasionally a link to old threads may provide exactly the answers that the thread starters are looking for...

-Hyp.


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## EricNoah (Mar 25, 2004)

Oh, sure, no question especially if it's a topic that can be addressed with facts.  I was thinking more in terms of debatable issues like alignment, is this-or-that broken/nerfed/shafted, etc.


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## Henry (Mar 25, 2004)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> ...I was thinking more in terms of debatable issues like alignment, is this-or-that broken/nerfed/shafted, etc.




Y'know, I think I DID make my Will save last time I saw one of those... and if I did, it would be a first.


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## Hypersmurf (Mar 25, 2004)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> Oh, sure, no question especially if it's a topic that can be addressed with facts.  I was thinking more in terms of debatable issues like alignment, is this-or-that broken/nerfed/shafted, etc.




I don't understand what you mean.

Alignment _is_ a topic that can be addressed with facts.  The nine alignments are clearly defined in the PHB.

What possible alignment question could come up that can't be addressed incontrovertibly with a quote from the rules?

Are you just having me on?

-Hyp.


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## the Jester (Mar 25, 2004)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> I don't understand what you mean.
> 
> Alignment _is_ a topic that can be addressed with facts.  The nine alignments are clearly defined in the PHB.
> 
> ...




God DAMN but I love this guy!


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## Gez (Mar 25, 2004)

Just look at the number of threads a minor sub-topic alone creates... For example, "Spellcasting Prodigy", or "Whirlwind Attack + Great Cleave". Of course, the 3.5 fixing/nerfing/revising/whatevering of rules may finally kill these topics (while spawning others at the same time), but even then, they enjoy a long, tormented agony.


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## der_kluge (Mar 25, 2004)

My favorites are the:

Let's analyze gamers threads
and
characters of the opposite sex threads

Those seem to pop up every now and again.


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