# 10 years of ENW



## EricNoah

It's occurring to me that Aug 2009 will mark 10 years since the start of Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News and thus we are hitting a major milestone for the community.  Should we celebrate it somehow?  Maybe a chat party, or a retrospective of some kind, or a series of interviews with folks who were around at the beginning, or whathaveyou?


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## Kid Charlemagne

I think that would be pretty cool, myself.  How many people are still around who were here from the beginning?  I didn't join until well into 2000, IIRC.  Most of the other mods were here before me.  I've always thought that shooting interviews at GenCon with the intent of making a video would be a cool idea, and GenCon is right around that time.  Did you start the site right after GenCon in 1999?


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## EricNoah

Kid Charlemagne said:


> Did you start the site right after GenCon in 1999?




Pretty much.  However, there was no forum for the site until I think Feb 2000, though I was in contact with lots of scoopers via e-mail and participating on WotC's usenet/message board thingy prior to that.


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## Piratecat

No, must be earlier than that, Eric. I found the forums in Fall of 1999, back when we were playtesting.

Can't believe it's been a decade!


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## Morrus

That is actually quite scary - it means I was a youthful 24 at the time!


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## Plane Sailing

I remember finding your original forums in Oct/Nov 99 (when I was goofing off a bit at my new job and doing some random searches). Wasn't so much forums then as one big threaded discussion page, as I recall.

Some of the names I remember from the very earliest time include Forgotten Hater, Cyberzombie and Ruin Explorer. I think I remember when Piratecat joined, confirming some rumours in a very not-breaking-any-NDA fashion, and spinning the yarn about his players fighting minotaur pirates. I think I remember when Henry ("C'mon August!") joined us from the WotC boards, as the owner of the then-most-memorable sig.



			
				Morrus said:
			
		

> That is actually quite scary - it means I was a youthful 24 at the time!




Hey, you'll always seem youthful to me, you spring chicken!


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## EricNoah

Piratecat said:


> No, must be earlier than that, Eric. I found the forums in Fall of 1999, back when we were playtesting.
> 
> Can't believe it's been a decade!




Let's compromise and say  ... January 2, 2000.   Found this in my archive...



> January 2, 2000
> 
> New Message Board Available:  I have thrown together a message board for the discussion of 3E rules and speculations.  My guidelines are simple:  keep it civil, keep it clean, and keep it focused.  While I do not anticipate that this board will replace the official 3E Message Board or DND-L, I think it will serve as a good place for general question-and-answer type posts.  I encourage you to test it out!  You can link to it here, or use the link under the 3E logo.




The Internet Archive doesn't go back far enough to catch us still using it, but you can see the remnants of it here: old 3e board

And yes, "one long thread" really did describe the first forum!


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## Psionicist

With a little luck the very first message board might still be at archive.org. For example, searching for the third(?) incarnation of the forums, when the forum url was dynamic.gamespy.com/~dnd3e, yields nothing interesting in the index:

Internet Archive Wayback Machine
According to the index there's only one archived copy, from May 18 2001 (which is broken).

However, there are still archived copies around. Here's one from june 6 the same year:

D&D 3rd Edition News Board - powered by Infopop

Not sure how to find these hidden copies though.

*Edit* Alright, found something from february 2000: The "post message"-page, complete with the red/black color scheme: http://web.archive.org/web/20000229101310/beseen2.looksmart.com/boardroom/z/46117/Post


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## EricNoah

More internet archive fun...

1) The move to RPG Planet (where I stayed until the end) took place in late Feb 2000.  Internet Archive only goes back to Aug 2000.  Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition News - and here's where you can see more archived stuff - Internet Archive Wayback Machine

2) Shortly after that we then set up shop on RPG Planet's forums.  Couple of links for you - again we're looking at around Aug 2000 - the second one in particular shows you some usernames and you might see some familiar ones on the list.

Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition News

Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition News


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## Morrus

Feeling nostalgic, Eric?


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## Piratecat

Psionicist, do you realize that from our perspective you've virtually grown up on these boards?


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## Mark

Piratecat said:


> Psionicist, do you realize that from our perspective you've virtually grown up on these boards?





No doubt.


Defintely a chatroom get together should be planned.  Maybe Labor Day weekend?


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## Psionicist

Cheers  This forum means a lot to me. Thinking back I was quite obnoxious at times but it always worked out, and I’m grateful I’m still a part of the community. 

Feeling really nostalgic reading the archives; Bugaboo, Caliban, Ruin Explorer, Chris Nightwing, Cyberzombie, Forgotten Hater, Angelsboi, Squirrel Nutkin, KarinsDad, angramainyou, Dragoth the Destroyer, Crypt King, muaddib… lots of names and personalities, and that’s just a few of those I haven’t seen around lately (some understandably).

I’m all for a chat!


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## PaulofCthulhu

You should do something. It's a landmark.

We did a DVD for ours. It has a sense of permanence.


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## Intrope

Has it actually been 10 years already? Man...

And thanks Eric! You started something rather cool here!


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## DaveMage

If I had the talent, I would volunteer to do it, but maybe someone would be willing to create a youtube slideshow or something that shows screen caps and/or pictures from the site (and ENnies) through the years would be cool - along with some memorable posts from the archives (such as Gygax posts or maybe even some of the first posts from memorable threads like shilsen's paladin thread or some of the more popular story hours).  It could also feature some shots from the archived pages Eric links to above.


Edit - and if we want to get sentimental, maybe a part of it could honor those who have passed, such as angelsboi.


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## Morrus

We should try and figure out an actual birthday.

It might be cool to redo the logo for the 10 year anniversary, with a subtitile of "10 years and counting..." or something.


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## Psionicist

Celebrating 10 years +- d12 months!


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## Charwoman Gene

I wasn't on the boards from the beginning, although I came close.  EnWorld's anniversary is about a month past my wedding anniversary.


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## Mark

Morrus said:


> We should try and figure out an actual birthday.
> 
> It might be cool to redo the logo for the 10 year anniversary, with a subtitile of "10 years and counting..." or something.





Or maybe "10 Years and Gaming . . ."?


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## LightPhoenix

It's been almost ten years?  Wow.

I don't think I've been here since the beginning, but I know I first started coming here before 3E came out.  At least long enough to recognize "C'mon August!"  Though I think I first saw Henry's sig on one of the newsgroups.

[EDIT]This gave me the idea of trying to track down the birth of the site via newsgroup postings, which are forever archived.  I have not found a source as of yet that mentions the site, but I did find this post:  Prescience!

[MORE EDIT]This post lists a website on mailbag.com that is of course no longer there.

[EVEN MORE EDIT]I found this posting on July 29th, 1999 that does not contain the Mailbag link.  The first link I can find is on August 22nd, 1999.  I'll see if I can do a more complete search between those two dates tomorrow.  Or, if someone wants to get really nostalgic, there you go.

[FINAL EDIT... I PROMISE]Well duh.  I was reviewing the links, and the very first one I posted has the site listed on August 13th, 1999.  That narrows it down to a couple of weeks.


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## EricNoah

The oldest scoop I have in my news archive is August 10, 1999.  I probably started the site a day or two before that but I don't know for sure.


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## Jack99

10 years already? That's a while. I can still remember the rush I felt when I found the page for the first time, around the time when the speculations and previews for 3e were starting to roll in. Finally some more people with the same interest as me, who like to talk about it (my players love to play the game, but talking about game mechanics and the like isn't their thing).

Cheers


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## Morrus

EricNoah said:


> The oldest scoop I have in my news archive is August 10, 1999.  I probably started the site a day or two before that but I don't know for sure.




Well let's adopt August 10 as the official birthday, then!


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## Mark

Morrus said:


> Well let's adopt August 10 as the official birthday, then!





Time for a banner/artwork contest?


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## Morrus

Mark said:


> Time for a banner/artwork contest?




That could be a great idea.  Make an event of it, see if we can rope in some celebrity judges, offer a cool prize...


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## Crothian

I can supply gaming prizes if you want.


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## Mark

There might need to be a list or pool of elements/components you definitely want incorporated into any banner or art piece.  Might even be that a t-shirt design could be created and sold to help fund continued operations.  You might want to get one of the local lawyer-types to scratch out some release forms for you, too, just to CYOA on the art usage down the line.  I know of CafePress.com but what was the place that had the D&D shirt vending license a while ago?


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## Umbran

Mark said:


> Might even be that a t-shirt design could be created and sold to help fund continued operations.




This is an _excellent_ idea.


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## thalmin

I remember discovering the site during GenCon. August 10 was a Tuesday, 2 days after the Con closed. Does that fit Eric's timetable?


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## KB9JMQ

*10 Years? Wow*

I can't remember the date but I do remember turning in my first scoop within a few days of Eric taking them. I spent hours scouring other boards and sites to find one only to get beat by someone else most of the time.

I loved waking up to check the site to see what possible tidbit had been discovered and read all the speculations on what it meant


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## Klaus

I don't know what scares me most: that I've been coming here for a decade, that I've been working on this for 9 years or that I'm Morrus' age!



I remember when I used to update my Geocities gallery, then go to Wizards' chat room and then Eric's to announce it. And then Eric invited me over to be hosted, and Mo' took up the baton after that.

Man, what a crazy ride! I think I still have some 2e stuff on my computer! And I bought the damn 2e Core Rules CD Rom!

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind...


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## Achan hiArusa

Wow, its been that long.  I was working at the University of Arkansas Libraries and hadn't even gone to graduate school yet, when I found Eric Noah's Third Edition News.  And being new to the internet culture I still didn't understand everyone's dislike of TSR and got into a flamewar about the brand being absorbed into Wizards.


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## fba827

i've been visiting enworld for a long time.  thinking back (and comparing it to the dates mentioned above) i guess i've been visiting (as both lurker and member) since almost the start!  I can't believe it's been almost 10 years! wow...


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## RangerWickett

I'm just waiting for the 10th anniversary of the actual "EN World" website. We can pull out all our old nostalgic Daemonforge material, and recall the woe and lament about turning the forums over from a Wisconsinite to a Brit.


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## Knightfall

Morrus said:


> That is actually quite scary - it means I was a youthful 24 at the time!



I would have been 27 in August of 1999.

Yikes!!! 

Wow, has it really been that long!

Good times!


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## Mark

I was 63 and dyslexic.


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## Lanefan

Morrus said:


> That could be a great idea.  Make an event of it, see if we can rope in some celebrity judges, offer a cool prize...



Would you want this all in place before the birthday (currently, Aug 10)?  If not, the winner(s) could be announced at GenCon; which is the following week...

Lan-"I still feel like a rookie"-efan


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## EricNoah

thalmin said:


> I remember discovering the site during GenCon. August 10 was a Tuesday, 2 days after the Con closed. Does that fit Eric's timetable?




Yeah, could be. I think it took me a couple of days to see that I was going to have to organize the tidbits I was gathering and so didn't start marking my material with dates until then.


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## Mark

EricNoah said:


> (. . .) I was going to have to organize the tidbits (. . .)





There's a good slogan for the back of the t-shirts.


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## Derulbaskul

I remember finding the site from a link on Flat Earth Games (which I used to go to because it had a random plot generator). I know it was the very first incarnation because I remember the migration to the second board. It was also not long after I moved to Singapore.

Of course, as my appalling low post count indicates I have always basically lurked. 

Anyway, a 10th anniversary is worth celebrating.


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## Dyson Logos

I found it when I was looking for 3e resources right after the release of 3e. Been lurking on and off ever since - well until a week or two ago when I delurked.


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## Mark

Dyson Logos said:


> (. . .) until a week or two ago when I delurked.





There's a salve for that.


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## Torx

Mark said:


> There's a salve for that.




Though he has to wait a couple more levels before it's affordable.

Believe me. It's expensive.


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## reveal

Morrus said:


> That could be a great idea.  Make an event of it, see if we can rope in some celebrity judges, offer a cool prize...



We could also use it at the ENnies booth at GenCon and, if approved, in the ENnies program.


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## Hand of Evil

10 years!  Dang, this is the longest time that I have ever stayed on a site that was not porn driven! 


Kind of amazing!


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## LightPhoenix

How wrong is it if I start referring to it as the "ENiversary?"


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## reveal

LightPhoenix said:


> How wrong is it if I start referring to it as the "ENiversary?"



Very.


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## TheHeretic

Yes, you could abort censorship and respect my freedom to use swear words!


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## qstor

Maybe we/someone could make 10 anniversary tshirts with the blue globe EN symbol to help Morrus to defray the costs of the server?

Something like "Enworld 10 years and still gaming strong?"

I didn't join until January 2002.

Mike


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## qstor

Mark said:


> There's a good slogan for the back of the t-shirts.




I missed your t-shirt post before 

Mike


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## EricNoah

TheHeretic said:


> Yes, you could abort censorship and respect my freedom to use swear words!




I'm sure Russ will get right on that.


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## TheHeretic

EricNoah said:


> I'm sure Russ will get right on that.



I'd like to apologize for the cockiness of my post, but i recently posted a sarcastic linked which linked to the actual page of "www.justf******googleit.com" or so, and the boards censorship module broke the link. I'm not into swearing&cursing much, but censorship is never ever a good idea. You censure profane language, but do you censure racist&fascist stuff, too? 
*just asking out of curiosity*


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## Morrus

TheHeretic said:


> but censorship is never ever a good idea.




I respectfully disagree. In a privately owned publication, censorship (otherwise known as my right to spend my hard earned money publishing what I choose, not what other people decide I should publish) is an _excellent_ idea!



> You censure profane language, but do you censure racist&fascist stuff, too?
> *just asking out of curiosity*




If you haven't before (and your question suggests you didn't when you signed up, although you did agree to them) check out the rules as to what is not permitted here. Both of those types of post are not allowed, along with many others.


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## TheHeretic

Morrus said:


> I respectfully disagree. In a privately owned publication, censorship (otherwise known as my right to spend my hard earned money publishing what I choose, not what other people decide I should publish) is an _excellent_ idea!
> 
> 
> 
> If you haven't before (and your question suggests you didn't when you signed up, although you did agree to them) check out the rules as to what is not permitted here. Both of those types of post are not allowed, along with many others.




True, i did. I just wondered why you do censure things. 
I've been to about more than 12 boards/forums and i've never seen automated censorship scripts. 

Anyways, your forum, your rules.


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## LightPhoenix

So, with that out of the way, when do we get to partying?

Any plans for the EN... er, anniversary?


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## fba827

LightPhoenix said:


> So, with that out of the way, when do we get to partying?
> 
> Any plans for the EN... er, anniversary?





Will this be a BYOD* party?

(*bring your own dice)

And, please, let this not be a pant-optional party. ... because we all remember what happened last time!  

Thank you.


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## LightPhoenix

Yeah I do... everyone wore pants but me!  

It should be pants-forbidden.


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## Mathew_Freeman

Mark said:


> There might need to be a list or pool of elements/components you definitely want incorporated into any banner or art piece.  Might even be that a t-shirt design could be created and sold to help fund continued operations.  You might want to get one of the local lawyer-types to scratch out some release forms for you, too, just to CYOA on the art usage down the line.  I know of CafePress.com but what was the place that had the D&D shirt vending license a while ago?




I'd buy an ENWorld t-shirt.

I remember seeing this place back when I was at University. My brother (who occasionally posts as Heselbine) threw me a link to the 3e news, and I devoured it as I went along.

Can't quite remember why I joined the forums, but I'm really glad I did! I got sucked into the Hivemind threads, back when they were hosted in this forum having seen Crothian start the "World's Longest Thread" trick, met a lot of people and made a lot of friends on randomlingshouse when that was up and running, and had a great time getting drunk with Morrus in Southampton one evening (incidentally, do you still have a Jedi on your toilet?)

I still want to get out to the States sometime and meet some more of you (and get a guest spot in one of Piratecat's games, if at all possible! ) but I'm really proud to be a part of this community and would love to get involved in celebrating 10 years of it.

Oh, and for old time's sake:

*beats hong with a stick*


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## wedgeski

Mathew_Freeman said:


> I'd buy an ENWorld t-shirt.



So would I. Great way to support the site!


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## dogoftheunderworld

I think I came here right after 3E released.  I was on the Wizards board for a hiccup before some kind soul pointed me here... and I never looked back.

I still love coming here almost daily to check up on things.. new products, reviews, problems, solutions... all good stuff.

And thank you very much for the censorship & Grandma Rule.  This is one of the few places I can go (on the 'net or in real life) where I know most of the people will be courteous and positive.

Thanks again Eric, Morrus, and all the Mods!

Peace,

brian
<><


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## JoeBlank

I remember finding this site when I first heard about 3e, and I started checking it almost daily. It took me a while to join, since I didn't have much to say, and I'm not the most prolific of posters, but I'll alway have fond memories of the site that brought me back to the world of RPGs. 

And I'd love to have shirt honoring the 10th anniversary!


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## wedgeski

Hmm, seems like the demand for t-shirts is snowballing! Morrus, you should get right on it!


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## Keefe the Thief

I would pay good money for a complete copy of all threads every created on the site from the beginning - i love to browse through stuff like this. The first thing i did when i found ENworld was go back to the first posts archived and browse through everything ever posted (not reading even 1/10 of the threads, of course). It´s so cool to see a board like this develop and grow.

Happy Birthday, ENworld!


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## Anand

I remember to eagerly wait for new scoops on 3rd edition D&D around. Great times, and they only improved since then. Congratulation to ENWorld!


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