General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Has the Internet/WWW been a good thing for D&D (the game in general, not your game in specific), or a bad thing for the game?
OD&D, BD&D, AD&D1, and early AD&D2 were created and supported with no Internet influences -- no discussion forums, no online games, etc.
D&D3 and D&D4 were created and supported with major Internet influences -- discussion forums, online games, etc.
How would our game be different today if there were no Internet influences? Would you still be playing the game? Would you have started playing the game? Would the recent edition[s] be what they are without the Internet influences?
Would D&D have flourished or died off without the Internet?
I don't see the internet as good or bad in relation to D&D. It simply speeds up access to information and communication. The flame wars that get resolved here in hours took months of time (or longer) to air out in Dragon magazine. Its all still just gamers doing thier thing.
I'd say the internet pretty much guaranteed the survival of D&D. Had the internet not been in place when Lorraine Williams completely trashed TSR, I don't think WotC would have been successful without the input they gained from the internet.
Put it this way, the Internet guarantees easy access to new D&D content no matter what happens to WotC or whoever the brand owner ends up being. For that reason alone it's a good thing.
However, the Internet was clearly bad for the FLGS. Between deep-discount online retailers and fan communities like ENWorld, the reason for dedicated game stores (like the beloved Complete Strategist of my youth) basically went away.
__________________ "We're pimps and killers, but in a philanthropic way." -- Boyd, Dollhouse.
One observation I have, which has held true on every forum for every hobby I've seen:
The people who don't read internet forums are happier about their hobby than those who do.
My old gaming group (which still plays, just 1500 miles from where I am) do not read internet forums about D&D. They don't buy or know about 3rd party products. They just buy WotC stuff (though they've decided to stick to 3e, seeing 4e as price gouging). They have no clue that D&D is broken, or that certain rules are broken. They are as happy as can be with the product.
There's a truism to the saying "ignorance is bliss."
To qualify this observation, I have no doubt you can find unhappy or happy people in either camp. It's more that the general unforumed people are happier than the forumed. I've seen this phenomenon across the spectrum of people and hobbies.
I definitely think D&D would have a smaller fan-base, without the internet. With play-by-post, chat-based, play-by-email, and virtual tabletop gaming available to supplement (or in some cases take the place of) face-to-face gaming, many get to continue playing the game they enjoy.
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My Games
Into the Land of Black Ice (retired) - An arctic PbP adventure in the mysterious frozen lands of Oerth
Penance of the Damned (retired) - A planar chat-based game, set in Hades, where the PCs began as larvae
Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq (retired) - A mid-level PbP campaign set within the Dramidj Ocean Heirs of Turucambi - An entry-level chat-based game set within the waters of Turucambi Reef in the Oljatt Sea Nature of the Beast (in design) - A sylvan adventure where the adventurers are forest animals.
With play-by-post, chat-based, play-by-email, and virtual tabletop gaming available to supplement (or in some cases take the place of) face-to-face gaming, many get to continue playing the game they enjoy.
That's a good point. Our bi-weekly face-to-face group does a lot of play-by-post on our campaign messageboard.
__________________ "We're pimps and killers, but in a philanthropic way." -- Boyd, Dollhouse.
However, the Internet was clearly bad for the FLGS. Between deep-discount online retailers and fan communities like ENWorld, the reason for dedicated game stores (like the beloved Complete Strategist of my youth) basically went away.
That right there.
__________________ On weird fantasy: "The Otus/Elmore rule: When adding something new to the campaign, try and imagine how Erol Otus would depict it. If you can, that's far enough...it's a good idea. If you can picture a Larry Elmore version...it's far too mundane and boring, excise immediately." - Kellri, K&K Alehouse
I know that without the internet, I would have completely stopped playing years ago. I haven't had a face to face game in about six years. It's certainly been good for me.
__________________ Currently running: Sufficiently Advanced over Maptool. Soon to change. If you'd like to join in a short 3-8 session campaign for various systems, drop by our forums.
I double-dog-dare you to make your game sound super cool without comparing it to other editions. - paraphrased from Umbran.
I've met several people whose first exposure to roleplaying was online. I've seen more than a couple people say that there were only able to find the enough people to play their game of choice online. I probably wouldn't have gotten so into RPG's in college were it not for the internet making games and discussion so readily available. Consider the resources of the average gamer now versus pre-internet, just about anything you'd want to do with a game system has probably already been done an posted on the net by someone.
None of this is specific to DnD but as the most played game out there, I'm sure it cannot help but benefit.
__________________ Oni
"Each man, one way.
Each horse, one stance.
Each church, one buddha.
Each master to his own technique."
The internet's how I heard about 3rd edition. The internet's how I found my current gaming group. The internet brought to my attention GenCon and most of my favorite current publishers.
Without the internet, I'd still be on the fringe of the gaming hobby; not really a participant, and not really buying anything.
The internet is how I first learned about 3e. It is how I learned of good third party products which (along with Unearthed Arcana) actually fixed issues that I had with 3e and made me want to play while also informing me of which 3pp products I might want to avoid.
Plus, it provides a fast and convenient medium for gamers to exchange ideas (and flame editions).
__________________ "The designers of the newest edition built so much reliance on rules right into the game, to make it easier to play. As one of those designers, I occasionally think to myself, 'What have we wrought?' " -Monte Cook
" If the DM has to make a lot of judgment calls, the game is more difficult to learn. However, it's my belief that it's also more satisfying." -Monte Cook
"Don't let rules replace good DMing skills"- Monte Cook
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Mostly good, the internet's influence however, is only as good as those who create and fuel it: Humans. And God knows, we ain't perfect.
My game wouldn't be nearly what it is without the internet. The availability of alternate rules, ideas, and inspiration wouldn't be even a percentage of what it is without it. The only problems that arise is when our own human shortcomings rise to the surface (such as edition wars). But, IMO, the internet has created a golden age in information and idea sharing. (Even when it's used for completely useless stuff - like RPG's.)
__________________ Mark "El Mahdi" Armstrong - Semper Operor Verus
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