Warcraft d20

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Alright, I'm thinking about starting a game set in the Warcraft universe, in the timescale of the WoW d20 game (after WC3 and Frozen Throne), and set in the deserts of Tanaris on Kalimdor. The plan is for very much a Western vibe - sheriffs, outlaws, bounty hunters, six-shooters, goblins, wizards and whatever else people can come up with.

I have the WoW d20 supplement, but I have my doubts about whether or not it's very good and/or balanced, so I'm tossing a question to the populace. Who out there would be interested in playing a game like this, and if you are, do you think using D&D (and all the expanded material from Complete and Races etc.) or the official WoW d20 system would work better?

This is not as of yet a recruitment thread, but if I get enough interest, I'll decide on power level and slap up a new thread.

 

[Dire Lemming]

ELVES IN BIKINI PLAITMAIL!!!!!!!11one FTWZ!!!

Seriously though. How do you plan to make WoW an acceptable RPG? I'm really interested to know.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Long story short, I'm not. World of Warcraft is not an RPG in the tabletop sense, nor should it be, it's in its own category. The collective Warcraft series does, however, have a very cool setting and some rather badass history - a great deal of it designed in plot-hook form.

This is not intended to be WoW: The d20 game, it's intended to be a d20 game set in the Warcraft world. Yes, I might steal plots from the Warcraft games, but that won't be the focus of the game.

 

[Creamsteak]

I'm somewhat of a Chris Metzen fan regarding his "attitude" about setting design, so I'm mildly interested but at the same time I have a number of caveats regarding such a game. I don't want to come across as harsh, none of this is directed at you, just in general:

1) I don't particularly care for the warcraft game books. The lore is useful (mostly Metzen's work or a translation thereof) but I don't like the mechanics (well a lot of them). I like my dnd mechanics more.

2) Starting a warcraft game nowadays seems to bring a lot of fans of the MMO, but not so many fans of the universe persay. As such I don't think I could really get into such a game. Here I'll admit, I've played the MMO pretty thoroughly and I enjoyed it, but at the same time I've felt like the lore has been swept under the rug a few times too many and a lot of what I think is setting material doesn't mesh with what people "know now." I'm not making any sort of derogatory remark about the MMO, as I said I've played it enough to know the ins and outs.

3) Oddly enough I just don't think I could get into the game authentically. I could have back when the RPG was just coming out, but now I'd feel very watered down with a lot of content. I think I could "run" the game I want... but I don't see too many other GMs wanting to run the same game I do.

So as said, interested with large caveats.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I'll be honest, I don't really like the World of Warcraft books myself, which is why I'm seeing if people like the option of running it with more 'standard' D&D rules. That said, I'd want to take an axe to a few things - and possibly root around in Unearthed Arcana for others to give the right general gameplay.

As for the whole 'knowing what's going on' problem of running a game in a setting so many people have played through 20 times, my cunning plan is that this is not going to be a particularly epic game - at least not by WoW standards. I said Western, and I mean that in terms of style and not just location.

 

[Dire Lemming]

I hate MMORPGs(except early UO). So consider me intrigued.

 

[Blackrat]

Interesting idea. I've always loved the setting of warcraft but have never even tried WoW. I might be interested in this.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

You've got my curiousity. Please elaborate.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Putting my foot in the door. It's been awhile since I've read the WoW d20 books, and while they had some interesting stuff mechanically (tinkerer!) we'd probably be better off hodgepodging our own mechanics from everywhere. Take what we like from the official books (their take on the races, maybe) and leave the rest for the buzzards.