How have CRPGs influenced RPGs?

[Aus_Snow]

OK, there're often some pretty uh. . . interesting views being expressed on this topic. Now's your chance to stand up and be counted! (for what it's worth) Please feel free to explain/expand upon an opinion, as well as just voting. It's an anonymous poll, so don't worry - if you're concerned that your position is indefensible, you needn't be in the firing line!

So. . . what's the verdict to be?


The 'CRPGs' in the title covers MMORPGs and such (of course), btw. 'RPGs' refers only to pen & paper RPGs, or I suppose other manifestations of same (such as PBP, PBEM etc.)

 

[WayneLigon]

I don't think it's significantly impacted RPG's at all, save that now most of the space a game store gives over to tables is for card play rather than RPGs like it was when I was first introduced to gaming.

 

[Penfencer]

As a DM, I get a lot of inspiration from the various console RPGs (Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger, etc) I played as a kid, so I'd like to say that they affected me for the better. As far as RPGs in general, I'm not so sure. I've rarely played in a videogame-based setting (Warcraft d20, Everquest d20, etc) that I enjoyed, but that may have been the fault of the DM.

 

[ThirdWizard]

D&D has impacted games far more than games have impacted D&D.

 

[jdrakeh]

Impacted the hobby? Not much at all. I can think of very few well-received games that tried specifically to emulate a video game style (Rune and, possibly, Console qualify - but that's about it). Impacted the games that an indivudal runs? Sure. I've seen a lot of people mine video games for settings, plot lines, creatures. etc. In short, I think the actual influence that CRPGs have had on TRPGs as a commercial entity is minimal.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

There's one way I would like to see crpgs effect D&D more and thats in X times/day abilities. At least in the ones I've seen, if you have an ability in a crpg, you have the ability all day. Maybe theres a recharge time that stops you from using it continually, but you don't do it once then wait until the "next day" to do it again. Even spellcasters in crpgs are balanced without needing to prepare spells and be useless once they're used up.

 

[Wombat]

Well, I can't really honestly answer "how have crpgs/mmorpgs affected face-to-face rpgs in general", as I haven't done a serious study that way. I can however state how they have affected my own games ... almost not at all.

They exist. I found one crpg I liked (Baldur's Gate 2). I played Ultima Online for three months, but basically got bored with it after a month. None of my players were really connected into mmorpgs until recently (now one is addicted to City of Heroes), though we all knew roughly about them. Most of us have tried crpgs, but have found them limited, only really interesting for those times when we need a game fix, but can't get together with folks.

So whatever happens in them that is different from how I run a normal game ... simply has failed to register.

Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss

 

[jdrakeh]

There's one way I would like to see crpgs effect D&D more and thats in X times/day abilities. At least in the ones I've seen, if you have an ability in a crpg, you have the ability all day. Maybe theres a recharge time that stops you from using it continually, but you don't do it once then wait until the "next day" to do it again. Even spellcasters in crpgs are balanced without needing to prepare spells and be useless once they're used up.

Note that this concept has existed in D&D since 1974, pre-dating computer RPGs that used the same concept by a year or two. In retrospect, this facet of computer RPGs was almost certainly influenced by D&D, not vice-versa.

 

[Graf]

The computer games themselves have had a big, positive impact.
Look at Torment. It really helped define the Planescape game for a lot of people; most people could never have played in a PS game of that caliber in real life.
While some (most?) of the other games didn't create such an incredible storytelling experience they did help a lot of people understand some of the rules/system problems. I think a lot of people who played BG I were struck by design flaws (that they had largely houseruled or ignored in their own games) of 2nd ed.

The net effect on players hasn't been positive. Lots of people try to play DnD like its NWN now. Roleplaying isn't necessary for those people, or character development, or story telling.

Net net I think its quite positive though.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

I see their impact as both good and bad.
The bad is that they've turned the game itself into a game than almost be seen as a computer game.
But in doing that, they've done much to smooth out a lot of the hiccups and such from previous editions.

And in the case of 3E, the good outweighs the bad.