To clarify I don't want this thread locked. I used the subjunctive 'I wish' mood, because it seems that when threads lead off a certain way it creates throughlines downstream. I think our users have done this thread a lot of justice by walking point and moving the general convo off the landmines in good faith, and that makes me like to see the thread maintained as an exemplar of how people can de-escalate and achieve detante in order to still have a conversation that yields insight.
Affective polarization is insidious though, and it just makes fruitful conversations much harder. To use a BG3 turn of phrase, it has a way of worming back in again, and again.
This is because new people don't read the middle of a giant thread. They read the first page then the last page and most of what's in the middle is just sorta lost usually.
A counterpoint would probably be any of the megathreads in that section. These were merged together at various points with an eye towards keeping the conversation focused, but also that just makes the thread less active overall and then they become sort of archival. Stickies in-section can be the same way, but at least that way they do take the load off duplicate threads in the same section. As an example from another section, if we wanted a stickie in feedback say, it should maybe be for feedback subjects that constantly see new duplicate threads pop up on the same topic, as opposed to stuff like say Spells that were in EA at one point. Even though I enjoy Niara's thread and it is an example of a nice lead off from an OP, but the topic isn't as broad, and hasn't seen replies since we got most of the spells now. General section is harder though, because it's so general.
On topic...
WotR felt in every way closer to my BG2 memories and the gameplay is mechanically much closer to what I remember from playing those games. It was highly satisfying for me to play that game while waiting for BG3 to be built out during EA. It scratched all sorts of itches for me.
BG3 felt in every way closer to, I'm not sure what to call it, the feeling I had when I first played BG1? Which is ephemeral and I don't quite know how to put my finger on that. Where I just sort of marvel at how much I want to keep playing because... well I just can't help it! Hehe
I love them both, but also love them differently, if that makes sense.
