TheRPGSite

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/265691-appeal-support-en-world.html

This is RPG related, in the sense that ENWorld, just like theRPGsite, is part of the greater internet RPG community. So please give me a break about "wrong forum" and other such nonsense.

This is, I believe, significant news. The relevant part, in particular:

Quote from: MorrusAs you probably know, EN World is a very popular website - and it costs a LOT of money to keep running from month to month. To that end, there are a bunch of "monetized" aspects to the site - from Community Supporter accounts to EN Publishing products and advertising opportunities.

Unfortunately, revenue from all areas has dropped to almost nothing in recent months. This may be because of the economy, or some other factor, but it's certainly taking its toll! Unfortunately, costs haven't reduced to compensate!

So this post is an appeal of sorts. If there's anything EN World offers that you've been putting off buying, or if you weren't aware of the range of things we do to raise funds, think of this as kind of a reminder. Naturally, EN World will always be free to use; these things are, and always will be, optional; but we very much appreciate when folks choose to spend some of their hard earned gaming budget here on EN World and help keep this site running!

With that in mind, here's a brief breakdown of the various things we do to raise funds. If any of these appeal to you, please do not hesitate! We appreciate that in this economic climate there are fewer funds to go round, but we'd ask you to consider whether you get enough from EN World to consider investing in it as part of your gaming budget, and whether the site's existence has as much value to you as, say, another RPG book or some miniatures.

    * First up, we have EN Publishing, EN World's publishing arm. EN Publishing produces a bunch of stuff. From EN World's affiliate storefront on RPGNow, you can buy PDFs for both 4E and 3.5 - ove rht e years we've produced over a hundred of them! Not least of these is the War of the Burning Sky Campaign Saga, a 12-part adventure path, which is available in both D&D 3.5 and 4E versions! But that's not all - ENP has produced dozens of excellent sourcebooks for D&D 3.5, some of which are critically acclaimed, and many of which have been bestellers in the past.
    * Community Supporter Accounts are another great way to support the site. They get you a few perks such as use of the search feature, a custom usertitle and avatar, and allow you to switch off ads. And, even better, there's a special sale on for EN World's 10-year anniversary if you pick up the 3-year Community Supporter Account!
    * Advertising! If you're a plublisher or retailer, you may appreciate the advertising opportunities EN World has to offer. From banner ads to ads in a targetted newsletter going out to nearly 85,000 RPG fans, you can use EN World to get you message across and support the site at the same time.
    * Our RPGNow affiliate store is another way to support the site. If you're buying a PDF from RPGNow or DTRPG, consider using EN World's affiliate store instead. It's the exact same store, with the exact same products for the exact same price, but EN World gets a small percentage of the sale - essentally enabling you to suppor tthe site at no cost to yourself!

Please consider these options - and remember that every little helps, especially in this economic climate.

Finally, if you are feeling particularly generous, we are always very grateful for donations! We can accept them via PayPal to russmorrissey@gmail.com (if you have a couple of useless doallars hanging around in your PayPal account, this is a good way to get rid of them!)

Alternatively, simply click on the button below to donate. You DON'T need a PayPal account - a debit or credit card will be fine!

[donate button]

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope it hasn't been too intrusive, and that you consider diverting some of your gaming budget towards your (hopefully!) favourite RPG website!

Ok, is this supposed to coincide with the bout of 'ENWorld refuges' or some thing?

A little more information for those of us that had no idea why we got refuges and have never been to ENWorld.

I honestly don't know if there's any link between the two. What I do know is that I am one of the people who visited ENWorld regularly some time ago and left when the site started to suck.

Maybe the 4e crowd now using the site is younger than we were, without the financial resources to buy supporter accounts and purchase PDFs? Maybe the DDI kills all the hopes of EN Publishing to sell War of the Burning Sky and 4e-related PDFs from 3rd party publishers? Maybe it's the economy, like Morrus states in his post? Maybe it's a perfect storm, a mix of all these things.

I don't know.

But it's significant, I believe.

OK. Just edited the OP to include the entirety of Morrus' post, for reference.

Quote from: Benoist;334188Maybe it's a perfect storm, a mix of all these things.

Most likely this. It's usually never just one thing.

Piss off people who come to the site? There goes some revenue from your ads as they quit showing up. Those people also don't buy games from you now. The ones who stick around don't start magically buying more to make up for it.

Then you have the fact that people have less money to spend of game stuff now. Goes from "Hey I've got an extra $50 to blow on games this week" to "Hey I've got $20 to spend on games this month"

wrong forum.

See Aos, you aren't even trying anymore. 0/10.

Quote from: Nazgul;334191Then you have the fact that people have less money to spend of game stuff now. Goes from "Hey I've got an extra $50 to blow on games this week" to "Hey I've got $20 to spend on games this month"

Some people could have went from $50 a week to $0, whether from losing their job and/or being fed up with rpg books these days.

These day I may pick up one or two Pathfinder modules per month.  Other than that, there isn't much which looks impressive to buy.

Quote from: Nazgul;334194See Aos, you aren't even trying anymore. 0/10.

0 is really a step up after some of my recent posts.

Why Enworld, and not RPGnet?

And EnWorld is supposedly important ?

-OR-

Why is it  a big deal?


I doubt most gamers I see week in /week out have even heard of or browsed EnWorld.


- Ed C.

RPG.net is more of a business?

RPGPundit

Competing with DDI is tough.   Doubly tough in the recession.

ENworld is a bad zone.   If you like 4e, you have the WotC forums / DDI PDFs and if you like 3.5, you have the Pathfinder forums and the Paizo product line.  That doesn't leave ENworld much of an audience.

I wish them the best.   They've always been a good site.

At one time I was an ENWorld supporter. Than the Great 4E Assimilation took place. I left shortly after that and haven't returned. Disenfranchising many of your users seemed like a poor decision at the time. I seem to have been correct in that regard. I now post to a number of different forums rather than one as I did in the past. I look forward to the Pathfinder boards getting an update though. They currently just suck.

Quote from: Spinachcat;334221Competing with DDI is tough.   Doubly tough in the recession.

ENworld is a bad zone.   If you like 4e, you have the WotC forums / DDI PDFs and if you like 3.5, you have the Pathfinder forums and the Paizo product line.  That doesn't leave ENworld much of an audience.

I wish them the best.   They've always been a good site.

I would also suggest the 3.5 Private Sanctuary.

Quote from: Tetsubo;334237I would also suggest the 3.5 Private Sanctuary.

????

Quote from: Tetsubo;334236At one time I was an ENWorld supporter. Than the Great 4E Assimilation took place. I left shortly after that and haven't returned. Disenfranchising many of your users seemed like a poor decision at the time. I seem to have been correct in that regard. I now post to a number of different forums rather than one as I did in the past. I look forward to the Pathfinder boards getting an update though. They currently just suck.

Ditto, basically.  I will just add that basically ENWorld got in bed with WOTC and 4e, and supported a system that doesn't lend itself to anyone else making money off if it.  The system along with DDI is designed to stifle 3pp's.  ENWorld is a form of 3pp.  They tied their horse to the wrong wagon.

I'm sure someone will run up with a basket full of money and keep the place going.  This is much ado about nothing.

Quote from: Nazgul;334191Then you have the fact that people have less money to spend of game stuff now. Goes from "Hey I've got an extra $50 to blow on games this week" to "Hey I've got $20 to spend on games this month"

That must be a huge problem. Impulse buys are hard to justify in the current climate, and the things Morrus mentioned fall in that category.

Good luck to them.

Quote from: Tetsubo;334236Than the Great 4E Assimilation took place.

That must have been after I left as before them (right after the GSL was released), ENWorld was decidedly anti-4e.

Seanchai

Quote from: Koltar;334209And EnWorld is supposedly important ?

-OR-

Why is it  a big deal?


I doubt most gamers I see week in /week out have even heard of or browsed EnWorld.

Sure, I doubt the gamers you see week after week even heard of ENWorld, but the site happens to be one of the largest TRPGs gathering on the internet. Or at least it was a few years ago (I have no idea what the state of things are now).

It is significant in that sense.

It is also significant when considering the money gamers visiting message boards online are willing to spend, how, on which items etc, like other posters have pointed out upthread.

AND/OR, it's significant given the way the ENWorld community evolved with the D&D edition change, like other posters have also pointed out.

We have no way to know what exactly happened, but it's significant in our little corner of the web, for sure.

Not to mention ENWorld has a long-long history - even I have a few hundred posts over there, and I mostly lurked. It is a piece of the message board culture.

The site is so slow that I don't even visit it. I wouldn't miss it if it closed down. It's not even usable now as it is.

It is slow--but I thought that was something that was getting fixed?

Best of luck to them, in any case.  I'm not a frequent visitor, but I don't want anyone to lose their online home.

Quote from: Zachary The First;334270It is slow--but I thought that was something that was getting fixed?

It's been getting fixed for 5 years now.

Quote from: Melan;334255That must be a huge problem. Impulse buys are hard to justify in the current climate, and the things Morrus mentioned fall in that category.

Good luck to them.

I satisfy that urge by buying used stuff off of Amazon. I've paid as little as $2 for a hardcover D20 book. Rarely do I pay more than $6. Even with shipping it's less than $10.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;334240????

http://rcjrproductions.com/35ps/index.php

It's a forum amd a podcast for 3.5 loyalists and Pathfinder fans.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;334241Ditto, basically.  I will just add that basically ENWorld got in bed with WOTC and 4e, and supported a system that doesn't lend itself to anyone else making money off if it.  The system along with DDI is designed to stifle 3pp's.  ENWorld is a form of 3pp.  They tied their horse to the wrong wagon.

The whole 'it's our ball and we're going home' attitude of 4E bugs the crap out of me. Everybody has a better time if the ball is usable by everyone.

My interest in ENWorld died with Gary Gygax, which is to say the long-running "Gygax Q&A" series of threads was what got me to visit the site on a regular basis and once I was there I'd usually browse around other threads and post an occasional response (which eventually added up to ~900 posts). Between Gary's absence and the release of 4E shortly thereafter, I saw less and less reason to visit the site because there are enough other sites that are more closely aligned with my interests (and that load a whole lot more quickly). I've only been to ENWorld maybe a half dozen times in the last year, almost all of them following a link posted on another board, and don't think I've posted there since sometime in 2008.

Of course I wasn't a Community Supporter and don't think I ever bought anything from their pdf store, so my absence isn't exactly hurting them, and if anything is doing them a service by reducing their server-load ;)

I've never been a big fan of ENWorld, but if their financial troubles mean the dissolution of The Creature Catalog (http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/index.php) then I will be sad to see it go. I've gotten a lot of use in my 3.x games out of that site.

Guys, EnWorld has asked for money in a similar fashion basically every year about once a year.  Even at the peak of 3e Morrus asked for money at one point.  It's not his business, it's his hobby.

I think the revenue decrease is due to how slow the site has been operating lately.  

Those thinking this has something to do with edition wars are, well, just edition warriors.

Quote from: jeff37923;334285I've never been a big fan of ENWorld, but if their financial troubles mean the dissolution ....

Oh brother.

Guys, EnWorld is not going anywhere.  I assure you, it will not shut down.  He could sell it tomorrow for several hundred thousand dollars (and yes, I am 100% positive of that).  This is not a "oh my God we are about to shut down without money!".  This is more of a "Fuck guys this sucks, could some kind folks kick me some cash".  Same thing Morrus has done every year at some point.

Quote from: Mistwell;334294Oh brother.

Guys, EnWorld is not going anywhere.  I assure you, it will not shut down.  He could sell it tomorrow for several hundred thousand dollars (and yes, I am 100% positive of that).  This is not a "oh my God we are about to shut down without money!".  This is more of a "Fuck guys this sucks, could some kind folks kick me some cash".  Same thing Morrus has done every year at some point.

Spoken like a True Shill. Got any more Fanboy wisdom for us vulgar masses?

Quote from: Seanchai;334259That must have been after I left as before them (right after the GSL was released), ENWorld was decidedly anti-4e.

It seems to me that the problem with the site is they have a few regular posters that they allow to constantly complain about the edition they don't like on every single fucking thread.

So it manages to be be anti both editions at once.

Quote from: jeff37923;334296Spoken like a True Shill. Got any more Fanboy wisdom for us vulgar masses?

LOL

Actually, in addition to my comments above, I also think it is a sign of the gamers going their different ways.  Not necessarily edition wars related, just related to people finding boards more akin to the games they play and more attuned to themselves as people and as gamers.

Without the "one game to rule them all" which we had under the OGL era, with 3.x as a core game from which many others sprung, you have half of the people who used to stand in the OGL "one game" tent heading to other boards and blogs.

I think a lot of the anger that fueled the edition wars is passed, and now we have different groupings of people on the net.  That's not to say it doesn't flare up---it's just not as all consuming of board bandwidth as it was for a while.

Quote from: jeff37923;334296Spoken like a True Shill. Got any more Fanboy wisdom for us vulgar masses?

He's not that off in what he's saying, though. ENWorld has cycled through a "WE NEED MONEY LIKE MARS NEEDS WOMEN!" phase most every year. This one may well be different, given the split which has occurred in the 3e/4e crowd, the reducing of mad money due to the economy, and the issues a fair sized chunk of people continue to have in regards to even getting the site to load. Given what's come in the past, though, I'm reluctant to conclude the sky is even drooping, let alone falling in regards to ENWorld.

Wait, wait wait. Hold on, here.

So basically you guys are saying that once a year, Morrus puts on his beggar hat and goes all "Oh noes! No moneys in the coffers! Woe is me!" Is that it?

He doesn't really need the money then, does he?

Morrus says that "unfortunately, revenue from all areas has dropped to almost nothing in recent months." Is he lying?

Quote from: Mistwell;334294Oh brother.

Guys, EnWorld is not going anywhere.  I assure you, it will not shut down.  He could sell it tomorrow for several hundred thousand dollars (and yes, I am 100% positive of that).  This is not a "oh my God we are about to shut down without money!".  This is more of a "Fuck guys this sucks, could some kind folks kick me some cash".  Same thing Morrus has done every year at some point.

A site devoted to a niche hobby could sell for 'several hundred thousand dollars?'

How stupid is this?

There are only a couple RPG companies that would be worth six-figure prices, much less web sites.

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;334329A site devoted to a niche hobby could sell for 'several hundred thousand dollars?'

How stupid is this?

It may be the rum, but that's fucking hilarious man.  :)

Quote from: Benoist;334318He doesn't really need the money then, does he?

Morrus says that "unfortunately, revenue from all areas has dropped to almost nothing in recent months." Is he lying?

Well, running a website means monthly bills, and with so many members, you are bound to rack up the bandwidth. He might not be "we are closing next week if you don't pitch in" broke, but if there is no revenue, he may have to say it six months down the line.

I don't see anything out of the ordinary here, except, pardon me, some good, old-fashioned resentment.

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;334329There are only a couple RPG companies that would be worth six-figure prices, much less web sites.

Well, ENWorld is the second largest general RPG discussion forum online, superceded only by RPGNet — as well as the second largest D&D discussion forum online, superceded only by the WotC forums. Also, for those suggesting that ENWorld is the only RPG discussion forum that ever asks for donations, I feel compelled to mention the very similar, semi-regular, RPGNet donation drives.

As somebody who visits WotC's forums, ENWorld and RPGnet regularly, I can definitely say that ENWorld is the least pro-4E of those three. WotC is understandably pro-4E. RPGnet's D&D section is comprised of what I would call 75% 4E people, and criticizing 4E tends to draw the wrath of that majority and open opinion threads on editions tend to have the 4E majority drown out everyone else in terms of volume. I put up a few polls there a while back and it seems that OSR fans might outnumber 3.x people there. ENWorld on the other hand seems to be 50/50 or even 60/40 split between 3.x/OGL fans and 4E fans, with the 60/40 possibly leaning towards the 3.x/OGL. With Paizo's forums focused on Pathfinder as much as they are, I'd still call ENWorld the largest general 3.x/OGL community, though their general discussion forum has a large amount of 4E people there mixed in.

If people are criticizing ENWorld over its pro-4E stance, its more because the site chose to accept 4E into the community and not chase it away with pitchforks as opposed to shilling for it.

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334351If people are criticizing ENWorld over its pro-4E stance, its more because the site chose to accept 4E into the community and not chase it away with pitchforks as opposed to shilling for it.

Sigh.

Quote from: B.T.;334371Sigh.

Sigh?

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334375Sigh?

He could be sighing due to the insane page load time ENWorld seems to be having yet again.  It's almost like the site is always slow, and on occasion has a normal load time, rather than the other way around.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;334416He could be sighing due to the insane page load time ENWorld seems to be having yet again.  It's almost like the site is always slow, and on occasion has a normal load time, rather than the other way around.

Wonder if the slowness is from several disgruntled former users launching repeated "denial of service" attacks on it.

Quote from: ggroy;334433Wonder if the slowness is from several disgruntled former users launching repeated "denial of service" attacks on it.

I've heard rumors to the same for some time now.

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334434I've heard rumors to the same for some time now.

Is there something more to it than just rumors, though?

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334434I've heard rumors to the same for some time now.

You'd think there would be a way to not only know that was the cause, but track down who was doing it.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;334436You'd think there would be a way to not only know that was the cause, but track down who was doing it.

It could be from a botnet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;334329A site devoted to a niche hobby could sell for 'several hundred thousand dollars?'

How stupid is this?

There are only a couple RPG companies that would be worth six-figure prices, much less web sites.

Off topic: Welcome back, OTS! Hope you stick around, as I missed your posts!

Quote from: ggroy;334440It could be from a botnet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet

Could be Skynet, too. You never know...

Quote from: ICFTI;334346Well, ENWorld is the second largest general RPG discussion forum online, superceded only by RPGNet — as well as the second largest D&D discussion forum online, superceded only by the WotC forums. Also, for those suggesting that ENWorld is the only RPG discussion forum that ever asks for donations, I feel compelled to mention the very similar, semi-regular, RPGNet donation drives.

We pay our server costs by donations here. Fortunately, people have been very generous with us, and we haven't had to ask in quite some time now, which is why some might not realize this.

RPGpundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;334467We pay our server costs by donations here. Fortunately, people have been very generous with us, and we haven't had to ask in quite some time now, which is why some might not realize this.

RPGpundit

I thought that this may be the case, though I wasn't 100% certain.

Quote from: jeff37923;334296Spoken like a True Shill. Got any more Fanboy wisdom for us vulgar masses?

Why are you such a dick?

Seriously.  Yes, I am a fan of EnWorld.  And I am a fan of therpgsite.  Why can't I comment on EnWorld, when someone brings up the topic, without you behaving like an asshole?  

If someone said the same thing about therpgsite, I'd say "no, its not going to go under" as well.

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;334329A site devoted to a niche hobby could sell for 'several hundred thousand dollars?'

How stupid is this?

There are only a couple RPG companies that would be worth six-figure prices, much less web sites.

I am 100% positive.  It's not speculation on my part.  Not going to say anything beyond that.

And on a vaguely related note, I represent another hobby based web site worth literally millions, and it's not THAT much bigger than EnWorld.

Hobby sites are frequented by a key demographic for a lot of large companies.  It's worth a lot in advertising dollars to get your message to that group.  You just have to cross a threshold for number of unique visitors and page views with the right demographic, and know how to take advantage of it.

Quote from: Mistwell;334545And on a vaguely related note, I represent another hobby based web site worth literally millions, and it's not THAT much bigger than EnWorld.

What's the hobby?

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334434I've heard rumors to the same for some time now.

It's not DOS attacks from what I have heard.  It's internal I think.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;334546What's the hobby?

Comic books.

Quote from: Mistwell;334542Why are you such a dick?

Seriously.  Yes, I am a fan of EnWorld.  And I am a fan of therpgsite.  Why can't I comment on EnWorld, when someone brings up the topic, without you behaving like an asshole?  

Because I think you are full of more shit than a Christmas Turkey. For the past few months you have made a habit of coming here to collect things to bitch about on Circus Maximus, for no other reason than your own self-aggrandizement.

You claim to represent the comic book hobby in some capacity in this thread and while your profile on this site has you listed as an attorney, your posts on EN World and Circus Maximus have imbedded advertisements for graduation gowns and class rings. That doesn't make sense.

Then to top it off, you say that you will not provide any more information about how you came by this insider knowledge you claim. Hiding behind vagueries and illusions of an understanding of the advertising business.

I call bullshit, bitch. Lay your cards on the table and show us your bona fides that prove you are someone who does not have his head up his ass on the interweb just pretending to be more important that what he really is.

Quote from: Benoist;334445Off topic: Welcome back, OTS! Hope you stick around, as I missed your posts!

Thanks!

I didn't leave, but I have been in lurk mode. My current campaign is cooking along, and my next one is sorted out (the Old West alternative discussed here a while back).

Quote from: Mistwell;334545I am 100% positive.  It's not speculation on my part.  Not going to say anything beyond that.

And on a vaguely related note, I represent another hobby based web site worth literally millions, and it's not THAT much bigger than EnWorld.

Hobby sites are frequented by a key demographic for a lot of large companies.  It's worth a lot in advertising dollars to get your message to that group.  You just have to cross a threshold for number of unique visitors and page views with the right demographic, and know how to take advantage of it.

Horse pucky.

jeff of the many numbers called it.

Quote from: jeff37923;334554Because I think you are full of more shit than a Christmas Turkey. For the past few months you have made a habit of coming here to collect things to bitch about on Circus Maximus, for no other reason than your own self-aggrandizement.

Twice.  I've done that two times, in 4 months.  Is that really what you think of as a habit?

QuoteYou claim to represent the comic book hobby in some capacity in this thread and while your profile on this site has you listed as an attorney, your posts on EN World and Circus Maximus have imbedded advertisements for graduation gowns and class rings. That doesn't make sense.

Are you asking for an explanation, or making an accusation.  If you are asking, as a genuinely interested person, I am happy to answer.  If it's just more of you being as dick, then fuck off.

QuoteThen to top it off, you say that you will not provide any more information about how you came by this insider knowledge you claim. Hiding behind vagueries and illusions of an understanding of the advertising business.

I don't claim some high knowledge of the advertising business.  I have some knowledge, but I am not an expert.

As for the rest...so?

QuoteI call bullshit, bitch. Lay your cards on the table and show us your bona fides...

No.  Not to you, anyway.

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;334558Horse pucky.

jeff of the many numbers called it.

Why do you think it's BS that EnWorld is worth a couple hundred grand?

Or are you saying it's BS that I represent another hobby site worth a lot more?

I also call Bullshit that EnWorld is supposedly that important or that valuable.

 Its just another damn gaming forum site with delusions of grandeur.

From what I've read EnWorld's biggest succes was because of 3.0 /3.5 D&D and D20 fans...now that WotC may have sc rewed the pooch with 4/e and the related public relations miscues - EnWorld will probably decline.
That might be a good thing.

Gaming and roleplaying games will survive one forum site fading. Many of the frequent posters will go somewhere else or maybe even  step away from their keyboards , hug a friend or family member and get out in the sunshine for a little while.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;334578I also call Bullshit that EnWorld is supposedly that important or that valuable.

 Its just another damn gaming forum site with delusions of grandeur.

Just to be clear, I in no way represent EnWorld, and I am not affiliated with them other than as a poster.  So, you might think I am delusional, but I don't think it's fair to say that Enworld or Morris is making any claims or has any delusions.

Quote from: Koltar;334578I also call Bullshit that EnWorld is supposedly that important or that valuable.

 Its just another damn gaming forum site with delusions of grandeur.

From what I've read EnWorld's biggest succes was because of 3.0 /3.5 D&D and D20 fans...now that WotC may have sc rewed the pooch with 4/e and the related public relations miscues - EnWorld will probably decline.
That might be a good thing.

Gaming and roleplaying games will survive one forum site fading. Many of the frequent posters will go somewhere else or maybe even  step away from their keyboards , hug a friend or family member and get out in the sunshine for a little while.


- Ed C.

ENWorld was(and still is) focused on the d20/OGL system taken on the whole, and was and still is the probably the largest community of fans of the d20/OGL as a whole. The d20/OGL movement is worth less without the support of WotC's D&D, and the community will likely decline, along with ENWorld's prominence unless it finds a new focus.

Quote from: thecasualoblivion;334584ENWorld was(and still is) focused on the d20/OGL system taken on the whole, and was and still is the probably the largest community of fans of the d20/OGL as a whole. The d20/OGL movement is worth less without the support of WotC's D&D, and the community will likely decline, along with ENWorld's prominence unless it finds a new focus.

I think Paizo's boards will become the new focal point.

Quote from: Mistwell;334581Just to be clear, I in no way represent EnWorld, and I am not affiliated with them other than as a poster.  So, you might think I am delusional, but I don't think it's fair to say that Enworld or Morris is making any claims or has any delusions.

Really?  Last time ENworld was discussed here you were at pains (http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=314016&postcount=58) to demonstrate your cosiness with the ENworld mods.

Are you sure Kevin isn't feeding you bad information?

Yeah, Enworld has annual donation drives. That doesn't mean that donations are not also down below expectations, nor does it rule out that fewer ads are selling and/or advertisers are only willing to renew at discount.

It could very well be that it really is as he says: the general economic downturn is hurting EnWorld and the drive is more important this year than last.

So Mistwell, instead of giving us some explanation why your information is valid, you get evasive and try to weasel away from questions. You sure are acting like just another douchebag on the internet who wishes he was somebody important.

Quote from: Mistwell;334571Why do you think it's BS that EnWorld is worth a couple hundred grand?

Ooh, it's the internet in 1999! How I've missed you, internet in 1999. What did you do with all that money, internet in 1999?

Oh, oh, yet another session of Dorks & Dickwaving! I think I will play a 7th level Disinterested Snypa. :cool:

Quote from: Mistwell;334294Guys, EnWorld is not going anywhere.  I assure you, it will not shut down.

I agree with this.   Sites get cheaper to host every year.

Quote from: Mistwell;334294He could sell it tomorrow for several hundred thousand dollars (and yes, I am 100% positive of that).

The "Mist" in Mistwell is evaporated bongwater.

Quote from: Mistwell;334571Why do you think it's BS that EnWorld is worth a couple hundred grand?

ENWorld is not in the position it was in the early days of 3e.  They were THE news site for D&D developments.   That's long gone.   DDI now talks directly to their online customer base.

Paizo is the new banner carrier for 3e.   Dragonsfoot caters to the OSR.

Anyone who would buy ENWorld could see that its a losing proposition whose fanbase will continue to move to other sites to get their fix.

Quote from: Spinachcat;334627I agree with this.   Sites get cheaper to host every year.

Actually, the bandwidth costs for hosting sites are steadily rising every year in most countries, including the US.

Quote from: Spinachcat;334627Dragonsfoot caters to the OSR.

I see where you're coming from with this, but I don't think Dragonsfoot is the OSR "place to be" like ENWorld was back in the 3/3.5 days.  As far as I can tell, OSR types really don't have a go-to forum...more like a decentralized network of a bunch of forums and blogs.

But, to steer a little more back onto topic, I haven't been to ENWorld, except to follow a link, since sometime in 2008 (I lost interest in ENWorld as I lost interest in 3.5).  I imagine that since they're no longer the go-to forum that they used to be in 2009's splintered market, that they're feeling the effects.  The constriction of disposable income for a lot of people can't be helping ENWorld's situation either.

Quote from: Spinachcat;334627The "Mist" in Mistwell is evaporated bongwater.

Oh, and....ha!

Quote from: bin Sayf;334652I see where you're coming from with this, but I don't think Dragonsfoot is the OSR "place to be"

I found that an odd statement, too.  Dragonsfoot is great if you want to have a week-long flamewar about petty details in early D&D books, but pretty uninspiring if you just want to grab a clone game and do some balls-out RPG adventuring.

Quote from: Hairfoot;334657I found that an odd statement, too.  Dragonsfoot is great if you want to have a week-long flamewar about petty details in early D&D books

Some posters there are really channeling Gary Gygax through a Ouija board, and citing that as proof of their ultimate authority.

;)

Quote from: Melan;334615Oh, oh, yet another session of Dorks & Dickwaving! I think I will play a 7th level Disinterested Snypa. :cool:

A Snypa has a level limit of 6. Get off my internet!

In your obsolote editions, Pops. :teehee:

Quote from: ICFTI;334644Actually, the bandwidth costs for hosting sites are steadily rising every year in most countries, including the US.

Hmmm... my hosting company's bandwidth is free.  Also, space is unlimited.

I believe more companies have continued to get cheaper.  Mine has, and I (albeit vaguely) remember seeing others that have too.  I've been with them for over five years and it has gotten cheaper once or twice and they've changed the terms to make more things free every year.

http://www.lunarpages.com in case you're interested.

This thread has told me that there are two possibilities here.

1. ENWorld is in financial trouble.
2. Morrus is a lying douchebag.

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

I generally like Enworld, but for many months now the site has been so slow as to be practically unusable.  Wait times of 5+ minutes to load a page are not uncommon, and I'm on high speed DSL.  If there's a thread I want to read there, I typically open another tab to read another site while I wait for each page on Enworld to load.  From the complaints I've heard, I'm not the only one experiencing the slowdown, and I can't imagine many people would be a subscriber to a site they can't really use...

Quote from: ggroy;334660Some posters there are really channeling Gary Gygax through a Ouija board, and citing that as proof of their ultimate authority.

Wait, when you say really do you mean really as is really, truly, actually, this is happening or as emphasis?

You have a winkie at the end, but it sounds crazy enough for gamers.

Quote from: Gordon Horne;334709Wait, when you say really do you mean really as is really, truly, actually, this is happening or as emphasis?

You have a winkie at the end, but it sounds crazy enough for gamers.

What would be hilarious is if somebody is actually really doing the Ouija board thing for real.

;)

Quote from: ggroy;334660Some posters there are really channeling Gary Gygax through a Ouija board, and citing that as proof of their ultimate authority.

;)

Hmm...

G...O...A...W...A...Y...I...A...M...R...U...N...N...I...N...G...A...G...A...M...E
F...O...R...P...R...O...F...T...O...L...K...I...E...N...A...N...D...B...O...B...H...O...W...A...R...D

Quote from: thedungeondelver;334738Hmm...

G...O...A...W...A...Y...I...A...M...R...U...N...N...I...N...G...A...G...A...M...E
F...O...R...P...R...O...F...T...O...L...K...I...E...N...A...N...D...B...O...B...H...O...W...A...R...D

A player who writes ten pages of character background and another who casts loving glances at the mighty thews of his character sketch every five minutes, and his stock response to meeting a female NPC is "I dooooo her!"?

Oh dear. I hope he did not do anything wrong in his life.

Quote from: Melan;334742A player who writes ten pages of character background and another who casts loving glances at the mighty thews of his character sketch every five minutes, and his stock response to meeting a female NPC is "I dooooo her!"?

Oh dear. I hope he did not do anything wrong in his life.

I hate to say this but god, yes, I laughed out loud at that.

Nothing but respect for EGG, mind you.

Quote from: Hairfoot;334599Really?  Last time ENworld was discussed here you were at pains (http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=314016&postcount=58) to demonstrate your cosiness with the ENworld mods.

Are you sure Kevin isn't feeding you bad information?

How on earth can you read what you just linked to as me trying to demonstrate my cosiness with the EnWorld mods? Because I said I emailed one and asked them questions others here were curious about? Really? Emailing a mod is the same as demonstrating cosiness with them?

Look, just because you're hiding in your mom's basement and fear any form of contact with other human beings doesn't mean I have to behave like your socially retarded self.  When I have a question, and a mod posts their email address open for questions, I go ahead and ask it.  I encourage you to do that yourself - and I promise you I will not accuse you of being an associate of the person you email, or a shill for them, if you do.  

In fact, I think I will email Pundit right now (assuming his email address is attached to this site) just so you can accuse me of demonstrating cosiness with therpgsite :)

Quote from: jeff37923;334609So Mistwell, instead of giving us some explanation why your information is valid, you get evasive and try to weasel away from questions. You sure are acting like just another douchebag on the internet who wishes he was somebody important.

There is no "us" here.  It's you.  I made it clear I would be happy to answer your questions if you were asking out of genuine curiosity.  You've answered my question - no, you are not, you were asking to be a dick.

Stop speaking for others, asshat.  You tend to do that a lot.  You have no army of posters behind you.  It's just you.  So when you say "us", and then accuse me of being someone who wishes he was somebody important, it sure makes you look like the pot calling the kettle black.

And for the record, I am not important.  At least, not with anything involving RPGs or message boards.  I'm just a guy, like yourself, trying to talk about his hobbies online with other guys who like the same sorts of things.  This stuff is not serious business - no matter how serious you seem to take it.

Quote from: Imp;334612Ooh, it's the internet in 1999! How I've missed you, internet in 1999. What did you do with all that money, internet in 1999?

In 1999 the numbers would have been much higher.  But, the mergers and acquisitions market has quietly heated up in the last couple of years actually.  Those internet companies that survived and managed to actually become profitable did eventually see their values rise.

Oh please, nobody's going to drop six figures on a bulletin board site because Ashton Kutcher is using Twitter now.

Quote from: Mistwell;334756How on earth can you read what you just linked to as me trying to demonstrate my cosiness with the EnWorld mods? ...In fact, I think I will email Pundit right now (assuming his email address is attached to this site) just so you can accuse me of demonstrating cosiness with therpgsite :)

Then make sure to remind us that you're on first name terms with Pundit.  In fact, make a point of correcting people when they merely refer to him by his mod handle.

Funny that it's good old Mark n' Kevin when you want to be regarded as an ENworld insider, but Mistwell the poster and Piratecat the distant mod when it suits your argument better.

Quote from: Mistwell;334756mom...basement...

Help!  I'm being bombarded with quaint Americanisms!

Someone stop him before he mentions soda-pop and sidewalks and "herb" without the "h"!

Quote from: Hairfoot;334878Then make sure to remind us that you're on first name terms with Pundit.  In fact, make a point of correcting people when they merely refer to him by his mod handle.

Funny that it's good old Mark n' Kevin when you want to be regarded as an ENworld insider, but Mistwell the poster and Piratecat the distant mod when it suits your argument better.

He is known as Kevin, and I am known as Mark, on other boards.  I even sign my name like that on other boards.  I guess it's time to make a sig here and sign it with my real name so it doesn't seem odd when it comes up.

I've met Kevin, once, and played a game with him at GenCon.  That's it.  Nice guy, good GM, good writer, but I have never commented on his moderation of EnWorld that I can recall.  My having met him certainly never got me any advantages as far as being moderated by him.

I've met a lot of people at GenCon, and possible some mods from here.  I've met WOTC people as well.  Does that make me associated with those other boards too?

I've met a huge number of people in the comic book field. Am I associated with each of their boards as well?

You were attempting to claim I am directly associated with EnWorld because I have met one of their mods one time? Pretty fucking lame Hairfoot.

Quote from: Mistwell;334882He is known as Kevin, and I am known as Mark, on other boards.  I even sign my name like that on other boards.  I guess it's time to make a sig here and sign it with my real name so it doesn't seem odd when it comes up.

I've met Kevin, once, and played a game with him at GenCon.  That's it.  Nice guy, good GM, good writer, but I have never commented on his moderation of EnWorld that I can recall.  My having met him certainly never got me any advantages as far as being moderated by him.

I've met a lot of people at GenCon, and possible some mods from here.  I've met WOTC people as well.  Does that make me associated with those other boards too?

I've met a huge number of people in the comic book field. Am I associated with each of their boards as well?

Pretty fucking lame Hairfoot.

Inexpert dissembling is inexpert.

So now it's everyone you've ever met?  You refer to all of them by their first names on forums, do you?  Show us where.  Better, show us how often you make clumsy attempts to shoehorn it into a thread like that as a claim to authority.

Quote from: Mistwell;334882You were attempting to claim I am directly associated with EnWorld because I have met one of their mods one time?

Am I the one awkwardly trying to broadcast your familiarity with PirateKevin?

Funny, because the post looks like you and you alone claiming that association in order to bolster an argument.

Well , damn...

He's met Pirate Cat?

Big effing deal.

 So have I .

He was at that Rpgnet party in 2008 with at least 17 other people.

I still doubt one web site is as valuable as that high figure that was quoted.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;334893Well , damn...

He's met Pirate Cat?

Big effing deal.

 So have I .

He was at that Rpgnet party in 2008 with at least 17 other people.

- Ed C.

Actually, that was a pretty nice party. Didn't RPG.net pick up the Pizza tab on that?

Quote from: GameDaddy;334906Actually, that was a pretty nice party. Didn't RPG.net pick up the Pizza tab on that?

NO, they didn't.

 It was 5 or 6 of us that contributed to pay for the pizza that night. I gave them at least a Five dollar bill toward the pizza. Yeah - me, one of the banned, helped pay for pizza at that get together.

- Ed C.

Quote from: Hairfoot;334888Inexpert dissembling is inexpert.

So now it's everyone you've ever met?  You refer to all of them by their first names on forums, do you?

Only when someone is being a smart ass and implying I don't know something with a smug superior tone.  Which is that post you quoted.  That, or when it's appropriate.

QuoteShow us where.

Sure.  You will note on CM today I called Bullet by his real name, Darrin.  Because he is sick and his wife was telling people about it, and it was appropriate.

QuoteBetter, show us how often you make clumsy attempts to shoehorn it into a thread like that as a claim to authority.

You read it as a claim to authority when it was not. I was responding to a dickish comment, and it was appropriate to respond in kind.

QuoteAm I the one awkwardly trying to broadcast your familiarity with PirateKevin?

I am not familiar with him, and there was nothing awkward about.  You've read a huge amount into a single appropriately dickish sentence.  

QuoteFunny, because the post looks like you and you alone claiming that association in order to bolster an argument.

The association you claim it looks like is not however the association you tried to make in this thread.  There is no way to read that post and get "Mistwell is saying he's directly associated with EnWorld".  

You're trying to make it into that because, as usual, you have no idea how to back down from an argument.  You are so egotistical that when it becomes apparent that you caught yourself in a corner, you still pig-headedly carry on with the farce.  Or maybe it's because you don't know another way to be social with people. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist. But, like pornography, I usually know a guy with a social problem when I see them :)

Quote from: Mistwell;334919Only when someone is being a smart ass and implying I don't know something with a smug superior tone.  Which is that post you quoted.  That, or when it's appropriate.

You mean you only dropped PC's real name because someone was being a smartass?  Because it really looked liked no-one was being a smartass, you had a point about ENworld you wanted to make, and thought that implying a buddy relationship with "Kevin" would lend your opinion more weight.

Quote from: Mistwell;334919Sure.  You will note on CM today I called Bullet by his real name, Darrin.  Because he is sick and his wife was telling people about it, and it was appropriate.

I haven't checked, but I take your word for it.  Your word, that is, that you addressed an ill poster directly by his name; not that you conspicuously corrected someone to demonstrate that you are close enough to Darrin to know his name, while they are not.

Quote from: Mistwell;334919You read it as a claim to authority when it was not. I was responding to a dickish comment, and it was appropriate to respond in kind.

Let's see.  The thread was about ENworld having an undisclosed funding arrangement with Hasbro.  You argued that it didn't.  Someone asked if you know that Piratecat, ENworld moderator, posts here.  Instead of saying "yes, I know", you had to act as though "Piratecat" is a pseudonym only used by plebian forum posters.  You, Mistwell, however, know him as "Kevin", and had to clumsily remind us ("Oh, you mean Kevin!  Who calls him Piratecat?  Silly.)  After all, it wouldn't do for you to be treated like any other ENworld poster when you're on first name terms with Piratecat.  Sorry, Kevin.

Quote from: Mistwell;334919I am not familiar with him, and there was nothing awkward about.  You've read a huge amount into a single appropriately dickish sentence.
...
The association you claim it looks like is not however the association you tried to make in this thread.  There is no way to read that post and get "Mistwell is saying he's directly associated with EnWorld".
...
You're trying to make it into that because, as usual, you have no idea how to back down from an argument.  You are so egotistical that when it becomes apparent that you caught yourself in a corner, you still pig-headedly carry on with the farce.  Or maybe it's because you don't know another way to be social with people. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist. But, like pornography, I usually know a guy with a social problem when I see them :)

We now have two options to choose from:
1.   You innocently thought everyone knows Piratecat's name is Kevin, and simply had to correct the impersonal use of his web handle.
2.   You believed that dropping the name of a mod would be ever so impressive and suggest that you know more than the rest of us about ENworld's offline affairs.

Given your posting style of red herrings, evasiveness, lawyerly hair-splitting over terms and weak attempts at plausible deniability, which of those options seems most likely?  Especially now that you're claiming a distance from ENworld in order to seem impartial.

I note, also, that you append a lot of personal abuse to your posts.  My, that just screams confidence.

Now you have the worst of both worlds: nobody believes you know "Kevin" any better than the rest of us, and you look desperate and deceitful for claiming otherwise.

Now, what were you saying about ENworld?

Quote from: Melan;334615Oh, oh, yet another session of Dorks & Dickwaving! I think I will play a 7th level Disinterested Snypa. :cool:

Dude, you are totally stepping on my 6th level Unengaged Quibbler's niche!

Not. Cool.

I'm sure Morrus made an announcement a while ago that he was getting married.  Weddings don't come cheap these days.

I think the telethon style thermometer on the front page of Enworld is actually showing his progress towards getting hitched and paying for a wedding and all the trimmings.

If I had a community supporter account I would search for the thread - perhaps Mark 'Mistwell' Cronan could do so for me?  

Personally I couldn't care less whether Enworld goes down the drain - along with Circvs Maximvs it hosts one of the nastiest little clique of butt kissers on the interwebz.  A bit of google-fu will show you some the extents they've gone to cyber stalk and bully anyone who disagrees with them or upsets their equilibrium.

I'm not in the slightest surprised Enworld is slowed down by constant DNS attacks.  If you're not in the gang and know the mods on first name terms then any opinion that differs from Morrus or his Moderation is going to get shouted down and locked up.

On Enworld no one says anything against Morrus and if they do they will be beat down with threads and mocked on Circvs Maximvs.  At least here if you think the Pundit sucks balls you can tell him so!

Did a little Google-fu and found these:

Cached version of a WebsiteOutlook page from 2009 Sept 18 estimating the worth of enworld.org at US$34,353. (http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:wdgD53gc3KEJ:www.websiteoutlook.com/www.enworld.org)

A Quantcast Audience Profile of ENworld.org. (http://www.quantcast.com/enworld.org) (Traffic is down by about 50% from six months ago, but it has been highly variable. It's actually up from one year ago.

Quote from: BigEarsSmallNose;334939...

Anonymous first time poster. Unsubstatiated implications verging on slander. Colossal chip on the shoulder. Yeah, right, Ace, we believe you. :rolleyes:

Quote from: Mistwell;334919But, like pornography, I usually know a guy with a social problem when I see them :)

Scream at other posters, rant about forum nonsense, insult fans of whatever game, make up crazy shit, but there is no fucking with porno!

Quote from: Gordon Horne;334942Did a little Google-fu and found these:

Cached version of a WebsiteOutlook page from 2009 Sept 18 estimating the worth of enworld.org at US$34,353. (http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:wdgD53gc3KEJ:www.websiteoutlook.com/www.enworld.org)

Well that pretty much kills the previous ridiculous claims.

Quote from: Melan;334943Anonymous first time poster. Unsubstatiated implications verging on slander. Colossal chip on the shoulder. Yeah, right, Ace, we believe you. :rolleyes:

I lol'd.

Quote from: GoOrange;334954Well that pretty much kills the previous ridiculous claims.

I really have to question WebsiteOutlook's data. "United States Most Viewed":

 

• slutload.com
• myfreepaysite.com
• silverdaddies.com
• girlsgonewild.com
• myfreepaystie.com
• brazzers.com
• google.com
• myfreecams.com
• bangbros.com
• stopflashes.com
• serialz.to
• lauxanh.com.vn
• games2girls.com
• last29.com
• guesshermuff.com
• hombresdesnudos.com.es
• mybonuscenter.com
• ratemycameltoe.com
• jeffpaulclub.com
• kim69.com

In a word? Bullshit.

Quote from: Garnfellow;334960

• slutload.com


• guesshermuff.com
• hombresdesnudos.com.es
• ratemycameltoe.com

LOL.

Quote from: Garnfellow;334960In a word? Bullshit.

The internet is for porn.

Quote from: Mistwell;334762There is no "us" here.  It's you.  I made it clear I would be happy to answer your questions if you were asking out of genuine curiosity.  You've answered my question - no, you are not, you were asking to be a dick.

Actually, I'm asking "Why should anyone believe you?"

And I notice you have just gotten all defensive instead of telling us (or anyone, for that matter).

Quote from: Mistwell;334762Stop speaking for others, asshat.  You tend to do that a lot.  You have no army of posters behind you.  It's just you.  So when you say "us", and then accuse me of being someone who wishes he was somebody important, it sure makes you look like the pot calling the kettle black.

Which is just more proof that you do not like being called on your bullshit.

Quote from: Mistwell;334762And for the record, I am not important.  

A lot of people had already figured this one out.

Quote from: Mistwell;334762I'm just a guy, like yourself, trying to talk about his hobbies online with other guys who like the same sorts of things.  

Then you might want to start acting like one and not a self-aggrandizing douchebag.

Quote from: Hairfoot;334926You mean you only dropped PC's real name because someone was being a smartass?  Because it really looked liked no-one was being a smartass, you had a point about ENworld you wanted to make, and thought that implying a buddy relationship with "Kevin" would lend your opinion more weight.



I haven't checked, but I take your word for it.  Your word, that is, that you addressed an ill poster directly by his name; not that you conspicuously corrected someone to demonstrate that you are close enough to Darrin to know his name, while they are not.



Let's see.  The thread was about ENworld having an undisclosed funding arrangement with Hasbro.  You argued that it didn't.  Someone asked if you know that Piratecat, ENworld moderator, posts here.  Instead of saying "yes, I know", you had to act as though "Piratecat" is a pseudonym only used by plebian forum posters.  You, Mistwell, however, know him as "Kevin", and had to clumsily remind us ("Oh, you mean Kevin!  Who calls him Piratecat?  Silly.)  After all, it wouldn't do for you to be treated like any other ENworld poster when you're on first name terms with Piratecat.  Sorry, Kevin.



We now have two options to choose from:
1.   You innocently thought everyone knows Piratecat's name is Kevin, and simply had to correct the impersonal use of his web handle.

He's a pretty well published author of RPG stuff, some of which is discussed here.  Are you saying you didn't know his name?

Quote2.   You believed that dropping the name of a mod would be ever so impressive and suggest that you know more than the rest of us about ENworld's offline affairs.

Let's assume your worst case scenario (which is not correct).  It still does not further your point.  It doesn't suggest I represent EnWorld, right? So Hairfoot, for the last time, WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR POINT?

QuoteGiven your posting style of red herrings, evasiveness, lawyerly hair-splitting over terms and weak attempts at plausible deniability, which of those options seems most likely?  Especially now that you're claiming a distance from ENworld in order to seem impartial.

It's not to seem impartial.  I am not impartial.  I said I like EnWorld.  I have a bias that way.  I like therpgsite as well, and would also be biased towards the therpgsite in a discussion.

Second time in this thread alone you don't seem to be following the line of thought you're in the middle of arguing.  It sure seems to me you are behaving like a dick just to behave like a dick, without actually trying to further the discussion.

QuoteI note, also, that you append a lot of personal abuse to your posts.  My, that just screams confidence.

I think you've been behaving like a dick lately and point it out.  Yes, I feel confident in saying you have been behaving like a dick lately.  I sure wish you would cut it out so we could have some decent discussions.

QuoteNow you have the worst of both worlds: nobody believes you know "Kevin" any better than the rest of us, and you look desperate and deceitful for claiming otherwise.

Oh so now you are speaking for everyone on the board? Really?

How about I don't give a shit one way or the other what YOU think about how well or how little I know Kevin, m'kay? It was never relevant to this discussion.  You brought it up, your bringing it up didn't even prove the point you were tying to make even if people took your extreme statement on face value, and it still has no relevance.  I do not represent EnWorld in any way, my statement stands, and no matter how much or how little you think I know Kevin, my statement still stands just as it did a few pages ago in this thread.

QuoteNow, what were you saying about ENworld?

And this again demonstrates you really don't know, or maybe care, what the fuck we were all talking about.  You saw an opportunity to be a gratuitous dick and threadcrapped to achieve that goal.

Quote from: BigEarsSmallNose;334939I'm sure Morrus made an announcement a while ago that he was getting married.  Weddings don't come cheap these days.

I think the telethon style thermometer on the front page of Enworld is actually showing his progress towards getting hitched and paying for a wedding and all the trimmings.

If I had a community supporter account I would search for the thread - perhaps Mark 'Mistwell' Cronan could do so for me?  

Um, sure.  What is it you want me to search for? The thread where he says he is getting married?

QuoteI'm not in the slightest surprised Enworld is slowed down by constant DNS attacks.

You have reason to believe they are slowed down due to DNS attacks? Really? Why do you think that?

QuoteOn Enworld no one says anything against Morrus and if they do they will be beat down with threads and mocked on Circvs Maximvs.  At least here if you think the Pundit sucks balls you can tell him so!

Pundit sucks balls.

Hey, you were right!

Quote from: Spinachcat;334944Scream at other posters, rant about forum nonsense, insult fans of whatever game, make up crazy shit, but there is no fucking with porno!

Preach on!

Quote from: GoOrange;334954Well that pretty much kills the previous ridiculous claims.

As in, it doesn't kill it at all?

Or did you really think that generic tool was useful to value companies?  Wow..the entire mergers and acquisition industry of accountants and attorneys all just went out of business because an online tool using generic small sets of public date can do it all for them...hahahahaha

Look, I was not guessing when I said that valuation, but I am not going to get into the details.  But putting that aside, I bet people undervalue THIS site as well.  In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing with M&A development and who knows how to change the site and talk to the right people, this site itself is worth a pretty penny I bet.  I'd guess around $50K, if done right.  And, I bet some computer tool would not put the value anywhere near that.

Quote from: jeff37923;335024Actually, I'm asking "Why should anyone believe you?"

Again, what "anyone".  Just you and me talking about this.  I answered your question, and you answered mine.  We're done with that discussion, because when asked you answered with being an asshole.

Anyone else wants to know, they are free to ask and I will probably answer.  Heck, they could Google me and probably figure it out.  I am not a private person.

QuoteWhich is just more proof that you do not like being called on your bullshit.

What bullshit is that?

QuoteA lot of people had already figured this one out.

More speaking for others?  You know, just for convenience sake, why don't you list all the people on this board you personally speak for.  That would be real helpful.

QuoteThen you might want to start acting like one and not a self-aggrandizing douchebag.

You first.

This reminds me of the attempts at damage control by the ENnies modclique a year ago. It´s like they go to the same training camp, the behaviour is so similiar.

Quote from: Mistwell;335069Look, I was not guessing when I said that valuation, but I am not going to get into the details.

Non-disclosure means you don't talk about it. At all. Not even to hint. If you have privileged information, under NDA or not, keep it to yourself. Don't dangle it in public.

Quote from: Settembrini;335078This reminds me of the attempts at damage control by the ENnies modclique a year ago. It´s like they go to the same training camp, the behaviour is so similiar.

Interesting, because the Pundit's blog post just showed up (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=15429) on his forum yesterday.

Quote from: Mistwell;335069Look, I was not guessing when I said that valuation, but I am not going to get into the details.  But putting that aside, I bet people undervalue THIS site as well.  In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing with M&A development and who knows how to change the site and talk to the right people, this site itself is worth a pretty penny I bet.  I'd guess around $50K, if done right.

Ell oh fucking ell – who even buys vBulletin fan sites? Really. Who would? Who does? Why? Either you're full of shit or you know some rich morons. You're in LA aren't you so I suppose both are possible.

Quote from: Gordon Horne;334942Did a little Google-fu and found these:

Cached version of a WebsiteOutlook page from 2009 Sept 18 estimating the worth of enworld.org at US$34,353. (http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:wdgD53gc3KEJ:www.websiteoutlook.com/www.enworld.org)

A Quantcast Audience Profile of ENworld.org. (http://www.quantcast.com/enworld.org) (Traffic is down by about 50% from six months ago, but it has been highly variable. It's actually up from one year ago.

I love the fact that on that link you can see that //www.slutload.com is the umber 1 visited site in the US.  :)

Quote from: Mistwell;335070Again, what "anyone".  Just you and me talking about this.  I answered your question, and you answered mine.  We're done with that discussion, because when asked you answered with being an asshole.

Anyone else wants to know, they are free to ask and I will probably answer.  Heck, they could Google me and probably figure it out.  I am not a private person.

What bullshit is that?

More speaking for others?  You know, just for convenience sake, why don't you list all the people on this board you personally speak for.  That would be real helpful.

And this is all just more insubstantial defensive posturing from Mistwell.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;335158I love the fact that on that link you can see that //www.slutload.com is the umber 1 visited site in the US.

That's been pointed out. :) But i don't think it means the data is false, or that slutload.com is the most visited site in the US. The audience analysis sites use visits and demographics to describe the potential audiences of various sites in marketing terms. Sites like slutload.com don't have any actual content. They are just linked page after linked page, each one saying click here to see X, and each one loaded with ads. Like theRPGsite, they generate revenue by selling ad space. Unlike theRPGsite they have nothing but ads. They are incredibly easy to spot as fraudsters. Remove them from the ranked lists, and the relative ranks of the legitimate sites should be reasonably accurate. The data specific to each site should also be reasonably accurate.

People don't visit slutload.com. It pops up when they are visiting another site and then is very difficult to get rid of. Each pop up counts as a visit.

Quote from: Gordon Horne;335082Non-disclosure means you don't talk about it. At all. Not even to hint. If you have privileged information, under NDA or not, keep it to yourself. Don't dangle it in public.

Yes thanks for your legal advice.

Quote from: jeff37923;335163And this is all just more insubstantial defensive posturing from Mistwell.

No.  He just said he doesn't give a shit what other people think.  That's why he's furiously typing page after page of desperate self-justification.

He's like an old-edition elf.  "Each day the Mistwell must decide if its opinions will be superior because it's in with the mods OR if it's a distant and impartial commentator with no such knowledge".

Note also that pointing out his hamfisted claims to authority makes one a dick.

Disputing the orthodoxy of the majority tends to be a lot of work.

Quote from: Garnfellow;334960In a word? Bullshit.

Absolute bullshit.   There is NO WAY that ratemycameltoe is going to be so poorly rated in comparison to myfreepaystie!

I'm wondering if ENWorld hasn't become, actually, another overproduced, high cost third party product. Don't get me wrong, it's a great community and I certainly would miss it if it were gone. I just wonder whether traffic in a post-4e environment is going to be able to support the site in its current format. The base is split, the economy is weak, and the site seems to lack a mission. Site slowness continues while the new Wiki software continues to be buggy... currently, the site combines the functionality of a Yuku site with an abandoned Wikia. All it has, really, is the community base, and I get the sense it is weakening.

I've tossed a few dollars at it, but honestly I'm not sure if it will make it, especially if Morrus insists on it making him a little extra dough each month, considering the functionality. If it were my site, I would look at reducing costs in terms of both time and money, solve the slowness issue, and outsource any Wiki ideas until other aspects were stable. I'd keep the site friendly to casual visitors and try to double or triple the viewership over the next month.

ENWorld is basically a hangout and a swapsite for rumors, houserules, and general gaming advice. With 4e here and come, the scoops are not as interesting. The houserules are playing to two audiences, both smaller. The gaming advice is not a special feature of the site, you can get decent advice on more than half the sites on the net. It needs community energy. Unfortunately, I think the extended telethon may have the opposite effect, by signaling the site is more like a business with a price of admission.

Interesting year-update from Morrus.  Figured I would stick it in this old thread rather than making a whole new one.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/269955-2009-state-en-world-address.html

I'll read it six hours from now, when it finishes loading.

Quote from: Imp;335095Either you're full of shit or you know some rich morons. You're in LA aren't you so I suppose both are possible.

Hey, not all of us in LA are rich, y'know.

Quote from: Aos;352254I'll read it six hours from now, when it finishes loading.

EnWorld hasn't had that problem for a while now.  It loads about as fast as this site now.

So far Morrus is claiming victory, so my concerns have been reduced to some extent. Still, things could be friendlier, especially with Morrus being a bit defensive about some of the site changes.

Quote from: Mistwell;352301EnWorld hasn't had that problem for a while now.  It loads about as fast as this site now.

Sorry to disagree, but that page took five minutes to load.

Less than 30 seconds to load, about average for Enworld. They haven't been down lately either, at least not the few times I checked in there, which is admittedly not often.

Quote from: Mistwell;352224Interesting year-update from Morrus.  Figured I would stick it in this old thread rather than making a whole new one.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/269955-2009-state-en-world-address.html

Thanks. I read that yesterday afternoon (CET) and also thought it well worth bringing up on this site.

As someone who hasn't ever been a paying subscriber/supporter before or after they changed their policy, can you let me know how exactly they changed their pricing policy in 2009? From Morrus' post it seems they benefited from this change as much as the increase in money from advertising (well, perhaps not literally "as much" but my impression is that these are the main two pillars of their currently doing well).

Quote from: Windjammer;352372Thanks. I read that yesterday afternoon (CET) and also thought it well worth bringing up on this site.

As someone who hasn't ever been a paying subscriber/supporter before or after they changed their policy, can you let me know how exactly they changed their pricing policy in 2009? From Morrus' post it seems they benefited from this change as much as the increase in money from advertising (well, perhaps not literally "as much" but my impression is that these are the main two pillars of their currently doing well).

Basically, Morrus changed it from a $30 annual purchase to a $3 a month recurring charge. As a result, revenue is smoother and perhaps slightly increased. He also added some goodies that roll out every month to subscribers... which is appreciated, but it's an odd mishmash of products of various types. The War of the Burning Sky is the only one that's really appealed to me so far, and then only on a curiosity level.

Quote from: Aos;352328Sorry to disagree, but that page took five minutes to load.

Then it's you.  You can check independent load sites.  The times are roughly the same for this board and EnWorld now, and other than you I have not heard anyone complain about it for months.

There was a problem, they hired people to fix it, and it got fixed.  There is nothing different now about that vBulletin and this one essentially that should be causing load time issues for you, unless the server for this site happens to be much much closer to you than EnWorld I suppose (which still should not result in even a minute of difference much less 5).

I haven't had problems with load times at home or at school, even with the ads and stuff.

Quote from: Mistwell;352386Then it's you.  You can check independent load sites.  The times are roughly the same for this board and EnWorld now, and other than you I have not heard anyone complain about it for months.

There was a problem, they hired people to fix it, and it got fixed.  There is nothing different now about that vBulletin and this one essentially that should be causing load time issues for you, unless the server for this site happens to be much much closer to you than EnWorld I suppose (which still should not result in even a minute of difference much less 5).

Fuck you.

Quote from: Aos;352541Fuck you.

I don't think Mistwell meant "you personally," I think they meant "your computer or connection."

Quote from: pawsplay;352554I don't think Mistwell meant "you personally," I think they meant "your computer or connection."

Indeed.

Nor do I see his reply that you quoted.  Could be he deleted it?

Indeed I did. I didn't realize it had been quoted, though, otherwise I would have just apologized.

Quote from: Aos;353012Indeed I did. I didn't realize it had been quoted, though, otherwise I would have just apologized.

No worries. You can tell me to fuck off any time.  I won't take it personally :)

I never say it unless I mean it personally- which is why I deleted it. :). Jesus, I just used a smiley. Mark the date.

Quote from: Aos;353109I never say it unless I mean it personally- which is why I deleted it. :). Jesus, I just used a smiley. Mark the date.

Monday, 1/4/2010.

Aos used a smiley on theRPGSite and shall be forever remembered for it.

An espresso machine, now a date, it's a friggin' good year starting for old Aos!

Hey, I also got an espresso machine for the new year.  A Nespresso Essenza.

Odd coincidence...

Mine is a DeLonghi EC155. I can't get over how awesome it is. A quick search tells me yours is likely a little nicer, though.

Quote from: Aos;353213Mine is a DeLonghi EC155. I can't get over how awesome it is. A quick search tells me yours is likely a little nicer, though.

Mine is being returned as defective, so for now yours is most certainly better :)

Screw espresso. I make oriental coffee in a traditional pot.

RPGPundit

Once again people like something you do not; where will it end?
In chaos and blood, chaos and blood.

Quote from: RPGPundit;353314Screw espresso. I make oriental coffee in a traditional pot.

RPGPundit

This makes me think of something. What was it it?

Quote from: RPGPunditit is ok to criticize games, game designers, or publishers on this forum. That's one of the things it is about. It is NOT ok to follow around individual posters on this forum and try to post zero-content personal attacks and insults against them at every opportunity, particularly when they're gratuitous and have fuck all to do with the subject of the thread in question.

I wasn't aware that "espresso" was a poster here.

RPGPundit

Stop stalking me!

Quote from: Ronin;353363This makes me think of something. What was it it?

Bats. Big, hairy bats. Everywhere.

Quote from: RPGPundit;353618I wasn't aware that "espresso" was a poster here.

RPGPundit

I know, right? And now suddenly he slaps you with the restraining order...

Quote from: pawsplay;353641Bats. Big, hairy bats. Everywhere.

What? No. We can't stop here. This is bat country.

Quote from: RPGPundit;353618I wasn't aware that "espresso" was a poster here.

RPGPundit

Hes not, but since you were insulting the other posters who do enjoy espresso it applies. Dont play stupid.

Quote from: Ronin;353651Hes not, but since you were insulting the other posters who do enjoy espresso it applies. Dont play stupid.

Stupid is Pundit's favorite half-elf bard character.  He loves playing Stupid.

Quote from: Ronin;353651Hes not, but since you were insulting the other posters who do enjoy espresso it applies. Dont play stupid.

I don't really see that. I can tell he disdains espresso and prefers his own brew. Preferring something else is not an insult to espresso-drinkers everywhere.

Quote from: Aos;353640Stop stalking me!

Can I still stalk you?  I have a lot of time and money invested in the shrine.

did you mod an action figure to look like me? That would be cool.

Quote from: Aos;353769did you mod an action figure to look like me? That would be cool.

I swapped a Chewbacca arm and another from the original Cobra Commander onto a Princess Leia figure, and used Greedo's head.

That's pretty close, isn't it?

only if it's Leia in the slave girl outfit.

Quote from: Aos;353774only if it's Leia in the slave girl outfit.

Well, duh.

Quote from: Ronin;353651Hes not, but since you were insulting the other posters who do enjoy espresso it applies. Dont play stupid.

Dude, seriously, if you are going to cry because someone says your taste in coffee isn't hardcore enough, then maybe theRPGsite is not the place for you.

RPGPundit

You know what I was going to write a response to that. But theirs no point. I now understand, your not playing.