From a strictly personal point of view, my current D&D group was assembled entirely via internet contacts.

Quote from: beejazzConfession: Up until recently, I had never heard of the Forge. Still haven't been there. I also don't have the slightest idea what ENworld (ENquest?) or whatever it is... is.

EN World was how I got introduced to the internet RPG community. It's the largest d20/D&D site, and got its start when Eric Noah began compiling and posting news about D&D 3rd edition, back when it was still just a rumor. It's gone through a couple of iterations since Eric, and is now one of the most heavily-trafficked RPG forums. The only one with more traffic would be RPG.net, I guess. It's notable in recent years for the ENnies, which have morphed into the GenCon awards, and seem to be stealing some of the spotlight from the Origins awards. At the least, they are more well-spoken of than the Origins awards, especially lately.

EN World has spawned several other communities, notably Nutkinland, which was composed of a number of EN World regulars who tired of EN World for one reason or the other. Nutkinland is pretty much the direct ancestor of this very community you're posting to. There is also Circus Maximus, which is sort of the "dark side" of EN World, founded by the same guy who runs EN World now (Morrus), where moderation is much lighter and language is much freer. It's less game-focused, but there is an active game forum which has discussions of everything from RPGs to fantasy football. CM and Nutkinland - the iteration of Nutkinland which became The RPG Site - have a tangled past history, incidentally.

By the way, while its focus is d20/OGL/D&D, other game systems can be talked about at EN World.

Quote from: jrientsFrom a strictly personal point of view, my current D&D group was assembled entirely via internet contacts.

It would be interesting to know how old the people are who do this. If the internet had been in the form it is now back when I was in my teens and 20s, I'd've been very inclined to assemble a group like this. Now that I'm 40, the prospect of doing so looks a lot less attractive.

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalSimply put, it's impossible to post to a multi-system RPG forum without encountering some mention of them and it's definitely impossible to have any knowledge of RPG theory without at least hearing them.

The fact that the Spycraft boys haven't heard of the Forge makes them seem a bit ivory towerish and out of touch with what's new in the hobby.

To clarify, what Alex actually said was "I never even visited The Forge until I heard it blew up (after 2.0 was written)." This was in response to a poster wondering if Spycraft 2.0 was derived from forge principles.

That someone familiar with the forge would assume that Spycraft 2.0 was derived from the forge just demonstrates that the ideas that evolved at the forge can be had/derived without benefit of the forge, and many such principles have existed in games for some time.

Further, Spycraft 2.0's design derives from a lot of actual play. That's a worth a lot in my book.

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalSimply put, it's impossible to post to a multi-system RPG forum without encountering some mention of them

For that matter, even communities that are focused more on one specific game system have had discussions about the Forge. The bulk of what I know about the Forge comes from reading about it at EN World.

Quote from: Caesar SlaadThat someone familiar with the forge would assume that Spycraft 2.0 was derived from the forge just demonstrates that the ideas that evolved at the forge can be had/derived without benefit of the forge, and many such principles have existed in games for some time

Sort of like RPG parallel evolution, then. Interesting.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonSort of like RPG parallel evolution, then. Interesting.

In an interestin related note, over on the theory forum, in the CR thread, I'm noting similarities between the Spycraft 2.0 Dramatic Conflict system and what some posters are calling Conflict Resolution.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonIt would be interesting to know how old the people are who do this. If the internet had been in the form it is now back when I was in my teens and 20s, I'd've been very inclined to assemble a group like this. Now that I'm 40, the prospect of doing so looks a lot less attractive.

I'm 33.  I couldn't tell you the ages of the players.  One of them is definitely younger than me and one older.  The other two seem about my age.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonIt would be interesting to know how old the people are who do this. If the internet had been in the form it is now back when I was in my teens and 20s, I'd've been very inclined to assemble a group like this. Now that I'm 40, the prospect of doing so looks a lot less attractive.

Bah! I'll be fifty in November. Young bucks like you shouldn't have any trouble.

-mice

Quote from: ColonelHardissonEN World was how I got introduced to the internet RPG community. It's the largest d20/D&D site, and got its start when Eric Noah began compiling and posting news about D&D 3rd edition, back when it was still just a rumor.

Ya, same here. I left ENWorld some time back though, it lost me somewhere in those change-ups.  Though I on rare occation go there if I'm looking for something specific.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonIt would be interesting to know how old the people are who do this. If the internet had been in the form it is now back when I was in my teens and 20s, I'd've been very inclined to assemble a group like this. Now that I'm 40, the prospect of doing so looks a lot less attractive.

I know we talked about this before Nutkinland morphed into RPGsite, but I guess I didn't mention that I'm 38 and I've done this again just in the last year looking for someone to play Shadowrun. I went to Dumpshock, the defacto SR board. I then posted on the player registery board, and sent PMs to people I knew were in the same city. There were about 7 or so.  After that I met one of them, along with 2 others from the group that didn't post online, in a pub across the street from the main game store for what was effectively a "360" interview. Been playing with them since the start of January.  Ironically we play at a house that is walking distance from mine.

I've even done stuff with them outside of gaming, although vaguely related to Shadowrun I guess. A couple of pay-per-view UFCs and out to a local handgun range. Oh, and a BBQ.

I think the internet has made it easier for small-scale publishers to do business. This alone is a huge change.

Quote from: JongWKI think the internet has made it easier for small-scale publishers to do business. This alone is a huge change.

Absolutely.

Quote from: flyingmiceBah! I'll be fifty in November. Young bucks like you shouldn't have any trouble.

-mice

That's interesting. Tell me about your experiences in putting and keeping together your game group(s). How did the internet figure into this, if at all?

Truth to tell, I'm leery of going the internet route for putting together a group. I guess I figure that it's better to hear about what someone is like via other people, like the staff at a game shop I go to. They keep asking me if I'm running a campaign, and have mentioned that they have space available. My theory is that I'll be less likely to get saddled with one of the freak shows we've heard so many horror stories about via these folk's recommendations.

I acknowledge my reluctance about this is not entirely rational on my part - I met my fiancee via an internet service, and things have turned out well in the two years I've known her.

I think the existence of D&D 3.5 is a direct result of the Internet.  That, and scads and scads of errata...

The constant feedback on game mechanics produces a rush for companies to patch the rules that are easily exploitable, or sometimes just plain stupid, as nearly every player with an Internet presence becomes a playtester.  This is a double-edged sword, as while we often get much-needed rules changes (e.g. Harm), we also get loads and loads of crap that didn't need to be changed, and certainly doesn't justify purchasing a whole new set of books.

New revisions were released in "the old days," but those revisions didn't appear at quite the frenetic pace they do now (*cough* Mutants & Masterminds, I'm looking at you...).

Quote from: Wandering MonsterI think the existence of D&D 3.5 is a direct result of the Internet.  That, and scads and scads of errata...

The constant feedback on game mechanics produces a rush for companies to patch the rules that are easily exploitable, or sometimes just plain stupid, as nearly every player with an Internet presence becomes a playtester.  This is a double-edged sword, as while we often get much-needed rules changes (e.g. Harm), we also get loads and loads of crap that didn't need to be changed, and certainly doesn't justify purchasing a whole new set of books.

New revisions were released in "the old days," but those revisions didn't appear at quite the frenetic pace they do now (*cough* Mutants & Masterminds, I'm looking at you...).

Yeah...
The omnipresence of opinion is one thing...
The accuracy or worth of these opinions?
Quite another.