Is World of Warcraft creating a desire for more role-playing in D&D?

[Doug McCrae]

Monster Players -- players who are all about killing monsters and nothing else. Not roleplayers.

Yes, roleplaying is not just about killing monsters. Taking their stuff is equally important.

 

[Driddle]

The fact that you intentionally excluded anyone who posts at ENWorld says that you knew it was an inflammatory and insulting remark, but you just didn't want to deal with getting a red text talking-to because of it. Either commit to insulting millions of people or don't make the insult at all, preferably the latter.

Your accusation offends me and I expect an apology. You should also apologize for misquoting me, as I noted earlier.
I am not responsible for YOUR mistaken assumptions. Your attempt to stir up trouble doesn't belong on this thread.

(edit)
... For that matter, my further response is unnecessary as well, and only serves as a distraction to the discussion. I'll say no more on the matter and ask that others do likewise.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Your accusation offends me and I expect an apology.

You first.

(Done with this particular conversation, mods, no worries.)

 

[Mr. Wilson]

I'm a raider in WoW. There is no social structure really, it's all about min-maxing to accomplish the goals set out that night. In a strange way, it's like solving a puzzle with 24 other people, but it's not storytelling.

I play DnD to tell a story and develop characters. There's a major difference between the two, and I enjoy both aspects.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Talking in-character has little to do with how encounters are resolved.

In other words: if you use dice to resolve social encounters, it doesn't mean you don't talk in-character.

In my experience, good social resolution systems lead to more social encounters, which in turn leads to more role-playing (talking in-character).

Agreed. The White Wolf games, which put a heavy emphasis on characterization, roleplaying and storytelling (the game engine itself is called Storytelling) have had extensive social resolution rules from the beginning.

If anything, a robust social encounter system will encourage people to both have more social encounters (leading to roleplaying), as well as more characters who are good in more than just blowing the heck up of the dungeon.

 

[Gargoyle]

I play a lot of video games (these days mostly WoW), and though I don't play as much D&D as I would like because of work, I love it and play as much as I can.

If all the video games in the world were to suddenly disappear, I'd still enjoy roleplaying in D&D. My characters would all still be less than perfect, not min/maxed....no dipping into a single class for the front loaded abilities, no carefully calculated feat selection...

If D&D disappeared I would still play video games to win. I would still carefully ponder my choice of feats/talents/gear and read message boards searching for some elusive bit of information that will help me "win". Even when I play D&D video games like Neverwinter Nights I'm like that, and even with MMO's like WoW.

It's true that I like some of the powergaming aspects of D&D, and true that I like some of the social aspects of multiplayer computer games, particularly MMO's.

But I love to play D&D because I like the roleplaying and social aspect, and I love video games because I enjoy a challenge.

They are truly seperate experiences in my mind, and I can't imagine the absence or presence of one affecting the way I play the other.

 

[jollyninja]

as to the original topic. A friend of mine has been GMing for two decades of hacking and slashing fun through module after endless module with trips to town being more of a chance to heal and sell stuff then to interact with the populace, unless the populace were going to attack you. over the last two years he has taken 7 characters to level 70 and has another two in the 60's as of this writing. His current D&D campaign has included one short published adventure and three months of freeform character driven roleplaying. It has been a night and day change from his last campaign which ended about three years ago. I'm not sure if it was the time away from gaming or the MMO but I know I'm glad it happened.

 

[PeterWeller]

as to the original topic. A friend of mine has been GMing for two decades of hacking and slashing fun through module after endless module with trips to town being more of a chance to heal and sell stuff then to interact with the populace, unless the populace were going to attack you. over the last two years he has taken 7 characters to level 70 and has another two in the 60's as of this writing. His current D&D campaign has included one short published adventure and three months of freeform character driven roleplaying. It has been a night and day change from his last campaign which ended about three years ago. I'm not sure if it was the time away from gaming or the MMO but I know I'm glad it happened.

See, guys. WoW is good for the hobby!

Seriously, that's good to hear. While I don't think it's wrongbadfun to just romp through modules, kicking down doors, and putting the boot to monsters for their loot, I think that play style misses out on a big chunk of the tabletop game's potential for fun and depth, and it is a play style that can be more constantly and excitingly served through playing a game like WoW.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm a raider in WoW. There is no social structure really, it's all about min-maxing to accomplish the goals set out that night. In a strange way, it's like solving a puzzle with 24 other people, but it's not storytelling.

I play DnD to tell a story and develop characters. There's a major difference between the two, and I enjoy both aspects.

There are a few roleplaying guilds that raid, but yeah, for the most part, it's pretty much two exclusively different ways of being. (There are also a lot of roleplayers who are in raiding guilds, and who roleplay when they're not raiding.)

 

[Shortman McLeod]

So, everyone who played D&D from about 1975-1984 were not role players?

Nope, they were "roll" players. Tee hee!