RSS
Home
EN World, the most popular site for D&D news
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Courtesy ENWorld.org
EN World isn't about the letter "N" – it's the most popular role-playing game site for Dungeons & Dragons and related gaming systems. I took some time to interview the EN World community about what makes the site the number one source for D&D news and views.
The "EN" in "EN World" originally stood for Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News. As its name implies, it was the primary source of information for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons before the game was officially released. It served as a clearinghouse for rumors and information, such that early adopters cobbled together their own third edition variants before the game was published.
The EN World we know today was started by Russell Morrisey to house the Daemonforge setting which, before it got the name "Daemonforge," was given the moniker "The E.N. World" as an homage to Eric's site. When Eric closed Eric's Noah's Unofficial D&D News, the forums moved over to EN World.
Eric continues to contribute to EN World and is particularly fond of the community. "I care about what happens to it and to the people in it," said Eric. "And I love having a place to hang out where the rules are exactly like I would want them to be if I were running the place myself."
EN World's reach is not to be underestimated. There are currently over 82,000 registered users. EN World continues the tradition of Erich Noah's site and expands on it, covering new releases and a review database of d20 products.
Of course, the site continues its thriving international community on its forums. EN World is so popular with gamers that Wizards of the Coast's staff are actively involved in the forums. Fans describe EN World's community as large but not overwhelming, with a population of mature, well-educated and experienced Dungeon Masters.
"The type of poster I like the most has a good sense of humor, is very welcoming, is interested in having a discussion rather than an argument, doesn't have an axe to grind (and doesn't grind axes in every thread encountered), likes to share both successes and failures in gaming, likes to learn from the experience of others, and really contributes to rather than simply consuming what EN World has to offer," said Eric. "And I'm glad to say we're crawling with this sort of poster."
The gaming expertise concentrated in just one place is a boon to any player new to Dungeons & Dragons. Mathew Freeman drew heavily on some suggestions from the boards when he was creating a cleric character, and he claims his Keep on the Shadowfell game is better as a result of advice from EN World.
"Getting a grip on 4e was so much easier with all the experience of everyone else to draw on," said Mathew. "Rules, suggestions, changes to published modules and just the confidence of knowing that lots of other people are trying this out too and having the same problems really help."
EN World's community is so strong that it even led to marriage. "A friend of mine from high school married a friend from a group that I would not have joined if not for EN World," said Crothian, long time poster.
EN World also features a story hour forum, a collection of role-playing game campaigns, both in narrative and game log format. According to the forum's description, " Lots of other RPG boards post 'Story Hours', but this is where it started!" I have two ongoing story hours at EN World, Gonnes, Sons and Treasure Runs, which takes place in Arcanis using the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons rules, and The Beginning of the End, a modern Delta Green conspiracy game using the d20 Modern rules.
There's more to EN World than just its forums. It hosts Creature Catalog, which features updates of monsters from older editions of Dungeons & Dragons. EN World also hosts the Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (aka "the ENnies"). Every year, this award show for the best role-playing game products and publishers is conducted at Gen Con. With its roots as an electronic voting system for d20 products exclusively, the ENnies have since expanded to include all forms of role-playing games.
Rel, a moderator at enworld.org, sums up the EN World community best: "I did not come here looking for friends since I had all that a guy could ever want. But I found some anyway. Great friends that I crave the opportunity to see as frequently as possible. I find it bizarre and improbable that of the dozens and dozens of ENWorld folks that I've met that I can hardly name any that I wouldn't go out of my way to hang out with."
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
