posted
I see some really good topics around the forums, but the responses to the topics are so lengthy that it would make reading them a bit too time-consuming for the amount of pleasure or information i would receive reading those topics.
i read the first post of "Extra Spell Attacks for High Level Spell-caster" and at first thought it was supposed to mock D&D, but then I realized he was serious and suddenly I wanna play D&D.
I've never played it before, but now it seems pretty darn interesting.
anyways, im getting a lengthy post now which defeats this topic's purpose.
there are 2 topics at hand
1) how do you play D&D (you can PM me guides or whatever, as long as they are short and dont go into every single nook and cranny of the gameplay)
2) make your replies shorter and to the point.
you dont have to beat the point your trying to make to death with your huge intellects.
Posts: 141 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
You call this a long post? That's not a long post.
In any case, people have very interesting things to say, and they often provide proof to support their points. It's a good thing. If you don't want to read their posts, you don't have to. But it's kind of presumptuous to ask them not to make them just because you don't want to read all the way through them.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Most members have their e-mails in their profiles so you could just e-mail them if you wanted to talk to them privately.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
Really good topics, that are just too long:
Reasons Mr. Worf was cool Men who claim paternity with Anna Nicole Simpson thing (OK, that's not a really good topic) How to waste time on the Internet Why "Friends" sucked
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I agree the forum has an 80s flavour, but phpBB is not the way to go. We don't want skins, and the UI is generally cluttered.
Hatrack also benefits significantly from having no images (beyond the garish graemlins) and signatures, and to a lesser extent, avatars.
If Hatrack were to upgrade, Vanilla would be a much better option. Disabling images wouldn't be a terrible idea, though small avatars are probably fine.
Posts: 1762 | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
You can't really "learn to play D&D" from a book, but you're in luck; the core rules are actually available for free online as the "d20 System Reference Document." Unfortunately, the SRD leaves out all the contextual explanations and "what is this game and why would you play it" stuff that's important to a new player.
The BEST way to learn to play is to go to a local game store and see if anyone there is running a game for new players. They usually run on weekends at the store itself, in my experience.
A lot of us play online, in forums or over email, but this probably isn't the best way to get a solid feel for D&D itself as it's NORMALLY played; online play tends to be slower and more "literary" in feel, whereas tabletop play tends to have more of a tactical miniatures/combat vibe.
It's a great game, though, if you have three to four hours once a week to devote to it. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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and i hate forums likes that, the reason i like PHP is because everything is just BOLDER.
instead of looking at plain boring text and having to look at the top of a list of topics to see whats new, you can see easily whats new just by a little icon that changes from new posts to old posts.
Posts: 141 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
The new topics have yellow backgrounds. What could be clearer?
Sorry to rain on your parade, but I visit fora for the plain boring text. And that doesn't mean they have to be designed badly, like that forum you linked to.
Posts: 1762 | Registered: Apr 2006
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Letters, man! I was trying to save letters!! Surely you realize that it's worth sacrificing a little clarity for the sake of brevity, no?
O sry
quote:Originally posted by Alex Johansen:
whats so bad about PHPBB?
I just don't understand.
Basically, it has a very cluttered UI. Using a phpBB forum feels like driving a manual car with a bad gearbox, whereas Vanilla handles more like a German engineered automatic and looks that much cleaner. It's much easier to actually concentrate on what other people post with Vanilla's layout.
Posts: 1762 | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Will B: Really good topics, that are just too long:
Reasons Mr. Worf was cool Men who claim paternity with Anna Nicole Simpson thing (OK, that's not a really good topic) How to waste time on the Internet Why "Friends" sucked
COMMANDER Worf embodied cool, there's no way I could possibly put it into words.
How to waste time on the internet, heh, doing it right now.
And your last topic isn't a topic at all, because there's no substance to it.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Letters, man! I was trying to save letters!! Surely you realize that it's worth sacrificing a little clarity for the sake of brevity, no?
O sry
quote:Originally posted by Alex Johansen:
whats so bad about PHPBB?
I just don't understand.
Basically, it has a very cluttered UI. Using a phpBB forum feels like driving a manual car with a bad gearbox, whereas Vanilla handles more like a German engineered automatic and looks that much cleaner. It's much easier to actually concentrate on what other people post with Vanilla's layout.
ah, so you hate american economy and our cars too, so you rather buy from the germans?
lets not forgot that little stun they pulled back in the 40s
Posts: 141 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
As it happens, UBB can handle PM, avatars, and sigs. I know this for the simple reason that the other UBB forum I frequent has all of the above.
I'm perfectly happy that Hatrack does not.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Alex, you could try the Wikipedia article on Dungeons & Dragons and supplement with the one on the d20 system. I will warn you that they are not short.
Alas, such is life. And D&D -- it, too, is not short.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
D&D is geek socilization. We sit around quoting Monty Python or the Princess Bride. We chat a lot. And then we portray dashing heroes who save the innocent villagers, kill the monsters, find cool stuff, and become uber powerful.
The most important part is to find a group you fit well with. My friends care most about the character interactions. Other folks we know focus on discovering the most potent game mechanics they can and practice their tactics. Others focus on puzzles and mazes. Some like politics.
You won't want to learn the rules if you can't stand the game your group is playing. I second Tom's idea to find a game store and see if you can get someone to let you sit in. Meet some people, find a group that fits, and cut us all some slack. If we had good people skills, we'd be out with the normal people. Posts: 2283 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Hmm. I'd be inclined to disagree and say learn the rules first, because reading the rules will give you a sense of what's possible. Otherwise, if the first group you interact with isn't to your liking, you may assume that the game on the whole isn't to your liking either. I certainly found that learning the rules first (back when it was still D&D and the thin little rulebooks came in a red box) sparked my imagination and made me want to play my type of game.
Otherwise, though, I think you made excellent points.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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