40
votes
I think this answer might be harmful
I have removed this answer. “Advises actual real life harm” is a pretty good identifying criteria for answers that are a bad idea to have on our site—though in this case it's more like “advice that if ...
- 36.3k
38
votes
Should I post two answers if I find contradicting arguments?
I look at this from the point of view of the voter, and I try to give answers which are clear to vote on.
As a voter, I feel tricked when two different answers that would each be sufficient on their ...
- 53.1k
37
votes
Is it better to use or not use personal pronouns? Specifically, "I" in questions and "you" in answers?
There's no problem whatsoever with using “I” and “you” in answers. There just isn't—we do it all the time and have done for years. People frequently come here with a question of “Can I do this?” and ...
- 36.3k
36
votes
Accepted
Stance on using D&D Beyond for references?
Use both whenever possible
There's really no difference between the paywall for a book and the paywall for a site.
Whenever I get the chance I cite both the book and online: (PHB p. 245).
Barriers to ...
- 93.5k
33
votes
How should we handle answers that use Jeremy Crawford's now unofficial tweets?
Nothing
First, the tweets we often reference to, Crawford, Mike Mearls, etc. are used to support our answer. Usually it goes in a way like this:
A designer has clarified how this certain situation ...
- 32.2k
31
votes
What are the citation expectations of answers on RPG Stack Exchange?
Stack Exchange is a rigorous Q&A community with a mission to build up a reliable knowledge base for future readers. It's sort of like Wikipedia in that regard. To accomplish this mission we need ...
31
votes
What warranted multiple downvotes and a delete vote here?
It was unclear and mostly wrong and showed a lack of expertise
Note that all of this, more or less, was brought up as suggestions for improvement in the comments under your answer (by multiple people ...
- 93.5k
29
votes
Does this answer about towns protecting themselves against dragons really need to be deleted?
Deletion is entirely inappropriate
Deleting answers has historically been, and should continue to be, reserved for truly egregious cases. When it says “Not an Answer,” that is very literal—it is for ...
- 343k
28
votes
Accepted
Should answers include true, useful info that doesn't answer the question?
Add whatever you find useful for the asker
That's my approach, at least. I'm obviously guilty of the essay answers mxyzplk mentions. From my experience, many users, especially new users and new ...
- 36.8k
26
votes
Which answer should I accept if the rules are ambiguous on the matter?
For now, neither
It is completely okay not to accept any answer if you feel the issue is not clear. You are under no obligation to reward the highest voted answer either. The two systems have ...
- 61.3k
25
votes
Accepted
Rewarding old answers with bounties
Bounties always draw attention to a question, it's just part of the bounty effect. They encourage new attention no matter what because it gets highlighted for a while. That means new answers, but it ...
- 36.3k
25
votes
A Modest Proposal for answers that aren't backed up
I understand, I really do. I wish popularity contests didn’t break out occasionally and stir up trouble, and I wish voters would leave them to die down faster after a close.
By and large, the activity ...
- 242k
24
votes
Accepted
Can I answer a lore question with information from non-RPG media?
Answering from related media is fine, but be careful to be explicit, as how things work in the RPG is not always completely aligned with the a) different mechanics in video games and b) fictional ...
- 175k
24
votes
Are habits from D&D 3e making answers to 5e questions more prone to overly rigid answers?
No
Here's the deal. Everyone (most people at least) know they can do whatever they want in their games. But they are asking a question not because they need someone to tell them "sure you can! make ...
- 175k
24
votes
I have some information to add to help someone solve their issue, do I answer or comment?
There's two expectations going on you're running into:
If you're attempting to partially or completely solve the problem, exclusively do that in an answer.
from Should users refrain from answers (or ...
- 36.3k
24
votes
Is it appropriate to downvote an answer that may have been good at the time it was posted, but is now incorrect?
Definitely
Just as it's appropriate to change the accepted answer to your question that was once correct, it is appropriate to downvote a once-good answer.
However
Before I do this, I would first ...
- 20.9k
23
votes
Accepted
Should every answer be "The Answer"?
There's a mixture of things you might be referring to. I'll go through our policy:
We expect that answers should be an attempt to wholly and independently answer the question, such that it could work ...
- 36.3k
23
votes
Can something be done when OP does not agree with an upvoted answer?
Nothing really needs to be done. How people vote and accept answers is entirely personal and beyond the control of anybody including diamond moderators. And as the old adage goes, you cannot make ...
- 36.3k
23
votes
Are self-answer questions still allowed?
Self Answers to questions are good
Across Stack Exchange, there's always been a stigma against self-answered questions due to the perception that this is intended to function as a kind of Reputation ...
- 52.1k
23
votes
Is it acceptable to include your opinion of the quality of character choices in an answer?
There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but care needs to be taken in how it is presented
Good answers frequently include contextual information above and beyond what is directly asked by the ...
- 65.4k
22
votes
Accepted
How do we back up affirmative answers to "Am I understanding this correctly"-style questions?
Support why they are correct
Add the full rule context and explain the rule to the best of your ability. Usually these kind of questions come from a misunderstanding or lack of comprehension of the ...
linksassinMod
- 30.5k
21
votes
What should be done when there is an incorrect common answer that keeps getting deleted when the answerer realizes their mistake?
Put a comment on the question, submit an edit with that note in the question, or submit an answer that says "while it's a common misconception that..."
- 175k
21
votes
Accepted
A question was asked years ago. Is it still OK to answer it?
It's cool to add good answers to old questions. We even have badges for it! And answers are always held to the same basic standards no matter how old the question is.
But if what you're focused on is ...
- 53.1k
21
votes
Convince me I shouldn't stop visiting RPG.SE
I don't intend to try to convince you to stay. That's your personal choice and I'm not going to tell you whether or not spending time on this site is is a wise use of your time because I am not you ...
- 93.5k
21
votes
Should I accept an opinion-based answer if an objective one doesn't appear to be forthcoming?
Only accept answers that answer the question
The "mark as answer" option is yours to do as you wish. Therefore you can choose to use it on any answer you choose. There is no right or wrong ...
linksassinMod
- 30.5k
20
votes
Accepted
How to deal with OPs accepting answers they want to be right instead of ones that are right?
Unfortunately for the hapless souls who offer that "yeah this works" answer when it's wrong, the usual resolution communities use is to downvote that accepted (but wrong) answer more heavily than it ...
- 36.3k
20
votes
How should we handle answers that use Jeremy Crawford's now unofficial tweets?
It's fine for answers to use them as support, but generally answers shouldn't rely on Crawford tweets alone
Jeremy Crawford explained the change in a tweet on January 30, 2019:
It looks like the ...
- 49.4k
20
votes
Should I provide an answer even if I voted to close a question?
You should re-think your close vote
It is, of course, possible to “think” you know what the question is asking, and prepare for that, without being confident enough to actually post an answer—in that ...
- 343k
19
votes
What is the best way to respond to an incorrect answer when a comment is not enough?
Downvote it. Leave a concise comment. If I can, write a better answer.
Downvote because I find the answer unhelpful: this gives the writer a signal that there's something wrong, and more importantly ...
- 53.1k
19
votes
Accepted
What is an acceptable form for a "no" answer to a question of the form "Does X exist in the lore?"
The well-received “no” answers I've seen followed this kind of pattern:
No, that lore tidbit isn't defined anywhere. I have read this vast swathe of material about this setting [like most of its ...
- 36.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible