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Does the killer DM exist?
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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8335137" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>You see some very similar stuff in early MMO design, which follows pretty closely from trying to emulate several parts of the D&D experience.</p><p></p><p>Like, it's <em>conceptually</em> interesting to have a super-high-level zone accessible from the opening town, or a big bad nasty world boss hanging out in one of the starting zones, or quests that people randomly stumble into if they get lucky. But in practice, these things end up being much more annoying than entertaining in a CRPG environment. Likewise, a dungeon that has a clear end point, but lots of twisty side-paths that don't go anywhere, sounds like a great way to make an <em>optionally</em> deep and intricate dungeon....but in practice it often just feels tediously confusing. Having to go collect your body so you don't lose your equipment may sound naturalistic, but it's a real downer to have to deal with it. Etc.</p><p></p><p>Obviously the specific things that don't work as well are very different. But I've found that a <em>significant</em> portion of RPG design, whether programmed on hardware or played on a tabletop, retains bits and pieces of early-edition D&D that have either been completely divorced from the context that made them good/interesting/useful....or that were purely accidental/incidental/ad-hoc solutions that got ossified into Fundamental Traditions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 8335137, member: 6790260"] You see some very similar stuff in early MMO design, which follows pretty closely from trying to emulate several parts of the D&D experience. Like, it's [I]conceptually[/I] interesting to have a super-high-level zone accessible from the opening town, or a big bad nasty world boss hanging out in one of the starting zones, or quests that people randomly stumble into if they get lucky. But in practice, these things end up being much more annoying than entertaining in a CRPG environment. Likewise, a dungeon that has a clear end point, but lots of twisty side-paths that don't go anywhere, sounds like a great way to make an [I]optionally[/I] deep and intricate dungeon....but in practice it often just feels tediously confusing. Having to go collect your body so you don't lose your equipment may sound naturalistic, but it's a real downer to have to deal with it. Etc. Obviously the specific things that don't work as well are very different. But I've found that a [I]significant[/I] portion of RPG design, whether programmed on hardware or played on a tabletop, retains bits and pieces of early-edition D&D that have either been completely divorced from the context that made them good/interesting/useful....or that were purely accidental/incidental/ad-hoc solutions that got ossified into Fundamental Traditions. [/QUOTE]
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