The WotC Char. Op. Board - Tell us about your experiences an

[fbmf]

[The Great Fence Builder Speaks]
We will now move into Phase I of Operation: Calm the Fuck Down.

I agree that it is chickenshit to make inflammatory comments anonymously, but flaming him back is not going to fly. Alert me and I will take care of it.
[/TGFBS]

[The_Hanged_Man]

I'm w/ Boulie. I feel that voting in those contests turns them from meaningless popularity contests into something that vaguely recognizes interesting and powerful builds. If I don't vote, and others don't vote, it's just the local yahoos messing around.

[Murtak]

1110393364[/unixtime]]Hey, there's been enough people who go anon to flame people on these boards in the past that I figured you were one of them, excuse the hell out of me.

Oh, that wasn't me, I just felt nostalgic when I saw the basic "have the guts to sign your flames" flame.



Heck I did not even post anon when I posted anon - all my guest posts have "Murtak" below the post.

[RandomCasualty]

I dont' even see the big deal about posting anonymously. Big deal. It's the damn internet. Everyone is anonymous. You could use a name instead of "anonymous" and you're still pretty much just as unknown. I don't know where any of you live, nor do I especially care.

The only convience of names is simply recognizing people in the same thread so as to have a debate with them. So if you have a bunch of anon people then you're going to have trouble having a conversation, since then you'd want some way to identify each of them for conversation purposes.

But as for being a "coward", I think that's pretty silly. God forbid, someone on the internet learns the name you just made up 5 seconds ago.

I can pretty much say whatever I want and have all the benefits of anonymity. Nobody is going to show up at my door and beat me up because I said something insulting. And that's the way internet message boards go. Everyone is anonymous by default. Whether you're anonymous by being called "anonymous" or having some fake name, it really doesn't matter.

[Username17]

Nobody is going to show up at my door and beat me up because I said something insulting.

Oddly, I figured out where you live, and I've decided to beat you up. So maybe that wasn't a great example.

-Username17

[RandomCasualty]

1110409525[/unixtime]]
Oddly, I figured out where you live, and I've decided to beat you up. So maybe that wasn't a great example.

Well, if I managed to get you to go so far out of your way solely to beat me up, then I take that as a compliment. Whatever I said to piss you off so much clearly ranks me up there with some of the most annoying people in the world.

[Murtak]

RC, that is precisely the point. We are already anonymous. Why should I respect someone who does even want to risk his anonymous reputation, who does not even want to back up his words with his anonymous handle?

[RandomCasualty]

1110414712[/unixtime]]
RC, that is precisely the point. We are already anonymous. Why should I respect someone who does even want to risk his anonymous reputation, who does not even want to back up his words with his anonymous handle?

Well, I don't really see much of a difference between someone like that and any average person on a message board.

I mean seriously, I can change my name at any time, so can pretty much anyone else. The idea that you're going to track and know someone on the internet is crazy. I have a different name on the wizards boards than I do here, and pretty much the same goes for all boards, unless they have universal logins.

It's purely a case of laziness if you don't type a name. I dont' have a problem with not starting a debate wtih someone who remains nameless because it's a pain in the ass to try to follow a conversation wtih nameless people. But calling him a 'coward' or some other shit is pretty pointless.

[The_Hanged_Man]

1110409525[/unixtime]]

Nobody is going to show up at my door and beat me up because I said something insulting.

Oddly, I figured out where you live, and I've decided to beat you up. So maybe that wasn't a great example.

-Username17

My guess is RC will use the Dread Pirate build to totally rock your ass. 4 teh winz1!!1

[Oberoni]

And him calling others a coward is pretty pointless.

Having 99% of the conversations we have on message boards is pretty pointless.

So, what's your point?

[User3]

1110361519[/unixtime]]C'mon people! Put your money where your mouth is! If you are going to complain about this kind of cheating and/or chicanery here --- why don't you make your feelings known on the thread at the CharOp board.

otherwise, you can sit here and sulk while Joseph Kell sits there and smirks.

Call a spade a spade.

Yes. This is my quote. I'm actually not shocked at the responses I got.

And for those of you like the good Count who went all mental on us, you completely missed my point.

Some of you (not all of you) kvetch, complain, and whine *CONSTANTLY* about the CharOp forum. Yet the threads that cause you the most consternation are the ones you don't even post your opinions or statements to help clarify the truth (or to set things straight). You can be either part of the problem or part of the solution. And since most of you have WotC ID's, staying mum isn't going to make your source of bellyachin' (CharOp boards) get any better. Especially since the vest majority of people who post on this board are of a much higher level of enlightenment, intellect, and articulation than the rest of the unwashed D&D masses. I realize some of you were booted off the WotC boards (like Frank - whom I miss his time there), but for christ's sake, for those of you who do hate the crap going on there and have WotC Id's, do something about it!

Kudos to Oberoni and Zherog for doing just that in some of the recent controversial posts there.

Sincerely,
The "Anonymous" Jackass.

[Sir Neil]

Wow, someone is a bit pissed off.

Arioch is always pissed off.

[Zherog]

When I'm the voice of reason, somethin' ain't right.

[Oberoni]

1110417086[/unixtime]]
Kudos to Oberoni and Zherog for doing just that in some of the recent controversial posts there.

Sincerely,
The "Anonymous" Jackass.

Awwww, thanks.

Seriously...just reading the tiniest snippets of that thread are scaring me. Since when is a monster "funk?" How bloody hard is it to figure out what happens when you add character levels to a monster?

Geez.

It's not like we're discussing some sort of 12-step combo that leads to REAL ULTIMATE POWER. We're talking about...a succubus with class levels.

OMG

Scary.

[User3]

Ooo, Frank knows where I live too.

I am so screwed.

[Neeek]

Hmm...Unless they've moved in the last...7 years...I know where Frank's parents' live. Heh.

On topic:
Contest is over, it was a tie, which means I lose. Thanks to everyone who voted for me.

[MrWaeseL]

1110422981[/unixtime]] When I'm the voice of reason, somethin' ain't right.

Remember your previous sig?

[Julia_of_Hillsdown]

The wisdom of the venerable, Z

Neeek, I read that rule too. It doesn't make much sense.

[Oberoni]

Congrats, Neeek! You do get a custom avatar out of the deal.

So I don't feel like I wasted my time placing my last-second vote on that thread.

[fbmf]

[The Great Fence Builder Speaks]
This is not a discussion on the relative merits of registering with The Gaming Den. The topic in question is the "WotC CharOp Forum-Tell us about your experiences and history over there". Let's stick to that.
[/TGFBS]

[fbmf]

I followed a link from Nifty over to Character Op, which is my only experience with it other than the Wish/Word Hilarity. We have people defending the monk on the Char Op forum. Maybe this is par for the course, but being that I've been there twice in my life, this is funny stuff.

Link

Thanks, Neeek.

Game On,
fbmf

[Zherog]

Most of the people defending the monk don't appear to be regulars - though they might normally post in threads I don't look at. But the thread certainly is quite humorous.

[PhoneLobster]

Anyone else notice the other thing going over in CharOp right now...

OK so sure, whatever, some people actually think really dumb annoying stuff like the April competition is in some way a great idea for that "quaint" April Fools tradition... but even assuming it was a tasteful and amusing joke worth the obvious time wasted on it.

When exactly does it END. Seriously its been a solid week and all they seem to have is a pile on of CO regulars and insane passers by going "yeah, lets totally do this recipe thing man!".

It looks like they are going to damn well try and do it the nongs.

Damnit. Not. Suitable. For. Char Op. Belongs. In. Fluff Board...

ARGH.

[Username17]

What is up with the stupid "Martial Artist" class? You trade class customizability for raw power.

Problem is, class customizability is not a character ability. When your class is customizable, your character doesn't have any more or less than if your class is not customizable. All that means is that you could have played some other character and had the same word written in the "class" box on your character sheet.

The only thing close to an advantage to that set-up is that other humans who are playing the game are less clear of what you can do based on the sole information of what the character class(es) you took are called. And that's an entirely metagame advantage, and it even cuts both ways because the DM understanding your powers and limitations saves your ass as much as it stops you from shining.

---

Sorcerers don't become any more powerful, versatile, or effective on the ground just because they could have learned a different set of spells. The versatility and power they get is only connected to the spells they actually have, not the spells they could have had. And it's the same for Fighters. And Martial Artists.

A Fighter doesn't get anything because he could have chosen to have Improved Grapple. He only gets any effectiveness if he actually has Improved Grapple. The Martial Artist doesn't gain anything because he could have taken a special saving throw increasing ability instead of wat he actually selected.

If you can reselect your abilities during an adventure (like a Wizard or a Cleric), your versatility matters. If you can reselect your abilities in between gaining levels (like a Sorcerer), your versatility is essentially meaningless. If you can't reselect your abilities, your supposed versatility is a snare and a delusion and counts for nothing at all.

The Martial Artist is literally the most underpowered character class I have ever seen. Ever. It trades actual abilities for the fact that you could have had different abilities - which means that you trade something for nothing.

-Username17

[RandomCasualty]

1113039404[/unixtime]]
Problem is, class customizability is not a character ability. When your class is customizable, your character doesn't have any more or less than if your class is not customizable. All that means is that you could have played some other character and had the same word written in the "class" box on your character sheet.

Class customizeability is favored over noncustomizeability only if the uncustomizeable character isn't specialized. That is, if you have some guy that starts out with weapon focus (sword) in his first level and then must gain point blank shot in his next level, then your lack of customizeability is hurting you, since it prevents you from specializing.

If on the other hand you're getting abilities you wanted anyway, then it's not a hindrance at all.

Generally this sort of thing is a real tradeoff in a single class system, but in a system with free multiclassing, it's meaningless.