# Keywords in my Forbidden Thread Subject List



## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

These are the words that will force me to avoid reading a thread here on Enworld, and comments on why.

*Paladin*.  Oh no, not again!

*Vow of Poverty*.  I hated it even before it started cropping up in the boards like flies on a rotting hotdog.

*Guns, gunpowder, or firearms*.  Why do people need to make this more complicated than it is? If you want guns in a game, put 'em in. If not, don't.

*I have a question*. Fine, you have a question. Why not _put the question in the subject line where it will actually be useful_.

*Help me please!* Maybe, but again, why not put some info in the subject, like "help me with pricing this item."

*Gloria Estefan*  The rhythm is going to get me, but not on Enworld.


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## Warrior Poet (Dec 15, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> These are the words that will force me to avoid reading a thread here on Enworld, and comments on why.
> 
> *Paladin*.  Oh no, not again!



Agreed.   

*The RPG Industry is Failing* or other Sky-Is-Falling variants thereof.

Warrior Poet


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## Dragonbait (Dec 15, 2005)

What about the "I hate [race]" threads?


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## freebfrost (Dec 15, 2005)

So what about my upcoming thread:

"Query:  I need assistance with Impoverished Pistol-wielding Holy Warriors attacking the Miami Sound Machine"?


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## GQuail (Dec 15, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> *I have a question*. Fine, you have a question. Why not _put the question in the subject line where it will actually be useful_.
> 
> *Help me please!* Maybe, but again, why not put some info in the subject, like "help me with pricing this item."




Totally agree with this.  When I skim the forums I might mouse over an odd title to work out what's going on: but I'm more likely to not give a damn because the person clearly doesn't want to help us help them.

Perhaps a generic title is excuseable if you're trying to ask a question related to your game and you want to avoid tipping off your players, who also read the forum, but please give us everything you can!


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## Warrior Poet (Dec 15, 2005)

Dragonbait said:
			
		

> What about the "I hate [race]" threads?



Another good one.

Also, *How Would You Stat Tolkien's World?* or *Gandalf Is Only 5th Level!* and variants.

Warrior Poet


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## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

Another pet peeve is when someone asks "what's the best race for a <class>?" And one person will write something useful like: "Dwarves make awesome wizards here's why..." and the rest of the suggestions will be: "half-dragon rakshasa! Shadow-touched jungle elf! beholder-grafted ruby-throated hummingbird!!!!!"


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## Dragonbait (Dec 15, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> Another pet peeve is when someone asks "what's the best race for a <class>?" And one person will write something useful like: "Dwarves make awesome wizards here's why..." and the rest of the suggestions will be: "half-dragon rakshasa! Shadow-touched jungle elf! beholder-grafted ruby-throated hummingbird!!!!!"




*coughcatfolkcough*


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## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

Good point. And now we should add *Narnia*.  



			
				Warrior Poet said:
			
		

> Another good one.
> 
> Also, *How Would You Stat Tolkien's World?* or *Gandalf Is Only 5th Level!* and variants.
> 
> Warrior Poet


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## diaglo (Dec 15, 2005)

*OGC or OGL*  ... IANAL so don't ask me questions about what is or isn't legal. and don't ask on some general geek messageboard.


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## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

The first time I saw "IANAL" I said "you what?!?!?!?" 



			
				diaglo said:
			
		

> *OGC or OGL*  ... IANAL so don't ask me questions about what is or isn't legal. and don't ask on some general geek messageboard.


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## diaglo (Dec 15, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> The first time I saw "IANAL" I said "you what?!?!?!?"



i think it means I'm anal. but i never really understand what the heck you kids are talking about more than half the time.


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## StupidSmurf (Dec 15, 2005)

Two words:

"Fourth Edition"


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## Patryn of Elvenshae (Dec 15, 2005)

How about variations on "My Players Have Deep-Seated Emotional Problems"?

They're always entertaining, yet simultaneously sad.


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## Dragonbait (Dec 15, 2005)

While I don't see this on Enworld much, the WoTC boards had this a lot: WoTC, stop publishing information about [Core class or Core Race] because my campaign does not use them!

Personalizing a setting is fine. Dropping a core race or class (like dwarves or wizards) is fine. Getting angry at a company and choking up their MBs for referencing those core races and classes in products because, y'know, they should know that you don’t use that race or class in your setting/campaign, which is the only one in existence, is not fine.


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## diaglo (Dec 15, 2005)

*Sell me on..*  Since when has it become the public's job to pimp products for publishers. If you are interested about product X and you want to buy it but don't know enough about it. Go ask the publisher. If you don't want to buy it... don't buy it and leave sleeping dogs lie. If you want to read a review. Go to the review section.


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## jezter6 (Dec 15, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> *Sell me on..*  Since when has it become the public's job to pimp products for publishers. If you are interested about product X and you want to buy it but don't know enough about it. Go ask the publisher. If you don't want to buy it... don't buy it and leave sleeping dogs lie. If you want to read a review. Go to the review section.




On this board at least, those words should never need spoken. There is more pimping going on here than on K Street in Washington DC.

Nuff said.


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## Altalazar (Dec 15, 2005)

Any subject line that includes the words *nerfed* or *broken*.


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## Crothian (Dec 15, 2005)

Altalazar said:
			
		

> Any subject line that includes the words *nerfed* or *broken*.




Or any slang word that is not useful as most people seem to not know how to use them


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## eris404 (Dec 15, 2005)

I'd like to add any thread or post with the sole purpose of complaining about Dragon and/or Dungeon, how it is useless to one person's game, etc. Constructive criticism is one thing and just saying "X sucks" does nothing for me.

Oh, and on a slightly related note, I think the term "bling" needs to go away now.


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## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

I think it has, at least in any non-ironic way.  Don't mess with irony, it always wins in the end.



			
				eris404 said:
			
		

> Oh, and on a slightly related note, I think the term "bling" needs to go away now.


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## StupidSmurf (Dec 15, 2005)

eris404 said:
			
		

> I'd like to add any thread or post with the sole purpose of complaining about Dragon and/or Dungeon, how it is useless to one person's game, etc. Constructive criticism is one thing and just saying "X sucks" does nothing for me.
> 
> Oh, and on a slightly related note, I think the term "bling" needs to go away now.





Oh gawd bless ya!!! I couldn't agree more! While we're at it, can we also get rid of "extreme", "empowered", and "diversity"? When words are overused and become buzzwords, especially to the point where they become cliches, they need to disappear for a while.


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## lukelightning (Dec 15, 2005)

Once I saw a headline that was something like "empowering voters' rights" and the first thing that popped into my head was "ah, they use a ballot slot two levels higher..."



			
				StupidSmurf said:
			
		

> Oh gawd bless ya!!! I couldn't agree more! While we're at it, can we also get rid of "extreme", "empowered", and "diversity"? When words are overused and become buzzwords, especially to the point where they become cliches, they need to disappear for a while.


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## the Jester (Dec 15, 2005)

StupidSmurf said:
			
		

> "Fourth Edition"




Quoted for truth, truth and more truth.


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## Joshua Randall (Dec 15, 2005)

I always skip over posts that have the word *RPGnet* in the title. If I cared about that crap, I would go to their boards and read about it. I don't, so I don't.

On the Rules forum, I skip all posts that have the words *cleave*, *mirror image*, *flanking*, and *evasion*.


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## kenobi65 (Dec 15, 2005)

Joshua Randall said:
			
		

> On the Rules forum, I skip all posts that have the words {snip} *flanking*




OMG, yes, esp. if "ranged weapon" appears anywhere near "flanking".  Those threads become interminable....


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## Tatsukun (Dec 15, 2005)

Oh come on, everyone is forgetting the many "Help me price this item" threads that ramble on for weeks with no answer other than "Do what you want, you are the DM!"

 -Tatsu


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## blargney the second (Dec 16, 2005)

I'm noticing a theme in some of the keywords: negativity.
-blarg


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## Darkness (Dec 16, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> *I have a question*. Fine, you have a question. Why not _put the question in the subject line where it will actually be useful_.
> 
> *Help me please!* Maybe, but again, why not put some info in the subject, like "help me with pricing this item."



 Right, I'm not fond of thread titles that don't indicate (not even in general) what the thread's about, either.


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## Plane Sailing (Dec 16, 2005)

Do you know what I find sad?

That these are the very threads that poor old Moderators *have* to look at, since we know they are generally ticking time bombs 

< Tiny Tim Voice >
_"Spare a thought for your moderators, guv"_
</ Tiny Tim Voice >


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## Joshua Randall (Dec 16, 2005)

*Plane Sailing*, I think that anyone who posts in this thread knows better than to start a thread with one of these forbidden words. So here, take a ha'-penny an' buy you'self somethin' nice.

P.S. When do we get a keyword-based ignore list, like I had on Usenet in 1991?


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## blargney the second (Dec 17, 2005)

The fourth edition doomsayers are getting under my skin more and more.  Would it be possible to make a special little forum for them? 

-blarg


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## Henry (Dec 17, 2005)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> These are the words that will force me to avoid reading a thread here on Enworld, and comments on why.




While I'm not that fond on the commentary of a "don't read" list, I wish more users had one.  A lot of fights on these forums could be very much avoided if users didn't feel the need to read things that they KNOW will tick them off. However, much like slowing down to look at an accident scene, it's inevitable.


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## MavrickWeirdo (Dec 18, 2005)

Dragonbait said:
			
		

> *coughcatfolkcough*




Got a hairball there?


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## diaglo (Dec 18, 2005)

Henry said:
			
		

> However, much like slowing down to look at an accident scene, it's inevitable.



what's the CR on it?

are sure they aren't Legendary too?


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## LightPhoenix (Dec 19, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> *Sell me on..*  Since when has it become the public's job to pimp products for publishers. If you are interested about product X and you want to buy it but don't know enough about it. Go ask the publisher. If you don't want to buy it... don't buy it and leave sleeping dogs lie. If you want to read a review. Go to the review section.




Quoted for agreement.  

If you really need to be sold on something, go to the FLGS and ask to look through a copy.  Or, you know, don't buy it and spend the money on something you're already sold on.  Or food.  Because food is good.  Or, heaven forbid, read the Reviews section on this very website.


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