PHB2 = World of Warcraft D&D?

[Jeremy]

Forgive me if I'm months late to a dead debate but I been away a while and am just now thinking of coming back. So I'm browsing my friends PHB2 and wondering if Dave Noonan has been spending a lot of time in Azeroth.

Tough armored warriors who can do challenging shouts, inimidating shouts, and job is to hold aggro?

Shamans that buff their entire party?

Druid variants that can do Heals over Time (HoT), druids that specialize in Shapeshifts for personal combat ability instead of wildshape/animal companions?

Admittedly, I'm not very far into it so far... But does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to learn that WotC has designers taking notes from one of the best game design houses in the electronic world. That said, I really only see the Knight as being inspired by MMORPGs, and even then, it's only one class ability, and it's one that has shown up as a feat before now (before WoW was even out of alpha, in fact).

 

[Kunimatyu]

::shrug:: There's nothing wrong with D&D designers getting inspiration from good games....games that were inspired by D&D first. Warcraft was originally Chris Metzen's campaign world, wasn't it?

 

[Odhanan]

Yeah. Oooh. PHB2 is videogamey, ain't it?
Right.

May I suggest that you use the search option and read the multitude of threads we had about the PHB2? This subject came back over, and over. I never was a proponent of the thesis saying that there is a "videogamey" feel to D&D, needless to say.

 

[Kishin]

The Knight's challenge ability is very MMORPG-taunt/aggro control esque.

Then again, the Knight class itself is pretty terrible and generally not fitting, so its become the first of the non core base classes I completely ignore in most campaigns.

That said, though, I don't feel like the PHB2 itself has a very video game-y feel. IMO the DM of any individual campaign is largely the source of any 'feel' D&D may have.

 

[Corsair]

Tough armored warriors who can do challenging shouts, inimidating shouts, and job is to hold aggro?

Shamans that buff their entire party?

Druid variants that can do Heals over Time (HoT), druids that specialize in Shapeshifts for personal combat ability instead of wildshape/animal companions?

1) Already discussed by posters above me. Short answer: It existed before WoW in a rudimentary form. (Also in videogameland, it existed in computer games prior to WoW also)

2) *gasp* Oh no, an ability that works on all allies within a radius? How "videogamy"! Let's cross off bless and spells of it's ilk from our PHBs. Including our 1e ones.

3) Because you know, druids in their PHB form can't wildshape into combat monsters already.

 

[Derren]

Recently some things were published which shifted D&D away from "fictional world" to "MMO world". The knights taunt abilities and mob rules which defy all game logic are examples of this.

I just hope that this trend doesn't continue.

 

[Treebore]

Yeah, it does sound a lot like Arthaus' WoW RPG. They did do a pretty darn good job of adapting the computer game to an RPG.

 

[ThirdWizard]

If it comes down to a contest of which has influenced the other more, D&D influencing WoW wins out big.

 

[The Forsaken One]

Forgive me if I'm months late to a dead debate but I been away a while and am just now thinking of coming back. So I'm browsing my friends PHB2 and wondering if Dave Noonan has been spending a lot of time in Azeroth.

Tough armored warriors who can do challenging shouts, inimidating shouts, and job is to hold aggro?

Shamans that buff their entire party?

Druid variants that can do Heals over Time (HoT), druids that specialize in Shapeshifts for personal combat ability instead of wildshape/animal companions?

Admittedly, I'm not very far into it so far... But does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

Hey Jeremy, long time no see indeed ya oldschooler . Hows life?

And yeah I thought the same thing when I read it hehe.