Got into MMO's from Tabletop Gaming?

Oni · Jul 5, 2008

I see a fair bit of complaining about people coming into tabletop gaming from MMO's (WoW in particular it seems).

So I'm curious, how many of you got into MMO's from tabletop gaming.

I myself really got into WoW, but I probably never would have tried it if I hadn't been introduced to tabletop gaming first.

I'm not sure I can see a reason that bleed over from MMO's to tabletop would be bad, when I'm sure there's no reason that bleed over of tabletop gamers to MMO's is bad.

All I can figure is that many takes their own individual hobby/form of geek and elevates it, while holding whatever they don't participate in as inferior, I'm venturing a guess to feel better about themselves.

Anyway, how many made the jump from tabletop to MMO's?

Tarek · Jul 5, 2008

I got into MMOs from tabletop gaming, because I couldn't find a group... so I joined NeverWinter Nights on AOL.

Then Dark Sun Online on TEN before TEN turned into an "adult entertainment" site...

Then Star Wars Galaxies, and Dungeons and Dragons Online when it launched for a few months, and finally City of Heroes.

All because I didn't have a regular gaming group.

Never touched Everquest or sequelae, nor WoW, or any other of the wide number of 'em out there.

I can see the clear influence from M:tg, from CoH, from WoW, from DDO, etc, on the new edition. It's not an exact port, obviously, but the influence is there.

That said... I'm still up for a game, when someone's holding it relatively near me. Sometimes. When I can afford the gas.

Invisible Stalker · Jul 5, 2008

I've never played a MMO type game. With all the others I like to play there isn't any time for one.

racoffin · Jul 5, 2008

Never played any recent MMORPGs, although I played Cyberstrike many, many years ago as well as some text-based multi-player games. Both experiences were enough to drain any enthusiasm I might have had to spend money for people to be rude to me.

Agamon · Jul 5, 2008

Well, I played EQ for six months way back when it first came out, and I played D&D for years before that, but I picked "No, I don't play MMOs" They're pretty dull for a video game.

Woas · Jul 5, 2008

racoffin said:
Never played any recent MMORPGs, although I played Cyberstrike many, many years ago as well as some text-based multi-player games. Both experiences were enough to drain any enthusiasm I might have had to spend money for people to be rude to me.

You didn't happen to play DragonRealms or Gemstone did you?

Myself. I can't really answer one way or another for the poll. My Table Top RPG and MMO gaming is independent of one another. They never really have influences each other...

racoffin · Jul 5, 2008

Woas said:
You didn't happen to play DragonRealms did you?

No, don't think I've been there.

Mr. Wilson · Jul 5, 2008

I've been playing tabletop since I was 12 (27 currently). I played WoW pretty hardcore from Dec. 2006 till April 08 (peaking hardcore from January '08 till April '08).

I played WoW because of my shifts at work; I was bored and everyone else was asleep or at work when I had just got off work thanks to my 3rd shift lifestyle.

I stopped playing WoW because I was getting too Hardcore and it stopped being fun, instead feeling more like a job.

At no point did I ever turn down a chance to play in my weekly tabletop game for more WoW time.

mhacdebhandia · Jul 5, 2008

Both my wife and I play World of Warcraft because we play D&D.

Leaving out the part where I played offline CRPGs like Planescape: Torment because of D&D, it went like this: when my wife and I first dated, I introduced her to roleplaying games. She ended up in a game run by a friend of hers, which collapsed because of (justified) friction between another player and the DM.

Later, the DM invited her to try out the open beta of WoW with him and his girlfriend, and once the game came out I joined them. It was a great way to spend time with my future wife when she was living in California and I was here in Sydney.

Right now, I'm in a WoW guild made up of a group of my friends who I met through the University of Sydney's gaming club (see signature). The D&D game I'm running now is entirely made up of people from the guild.

(My wife and I have tried non-WoW MMOs from time to time, but haven't enjoyed any of them nearly enough to pay for them long-term.)

IKilledYourDude · Jul 5, 2008

I actually have all but quit MMOs because I and my wife/coworkers are getting back into D&D with 4e.

I used to play a lot of tabletop games (D&D, Rifts, Shadowrun, Vampire) but a wife, house, and kids makes that tough.

WoW was really taking it's toll on me and I simply wasn't getting the same experiences and social fun from it as I remember getting when I was in high school and college playing tabletop games.

Thankfully where I work there's a bunch of people who have played and/or want to play which has made quitting WoW and MMOs in general much easier.

My $.02