Watchmen have brought *real* role-playing to D&D

[an_idol_mind]

Watchmen revolutionized the comic book industry and showed off the fact that a comic book can tell a story in ways that no movie, novel, or other medium can. That said, I don't think it really has much of a bearing on D&D or role-playing games in general.

If we're looking at drama-heavy games versus dungeon crawls, I would point to the Dragonlance saga as what really changed things. While it's too simplistic to say that everyone favored exploration and dungeon crawls before, I think that Dragonlance marks the point where the whole "RPG as a group storytelling event" got a lot of momentum.

 

[Bullgrit]

When I originally read this letter in the "Forum" of Dragon Magazine, I hadn't read Watchmen, nor even knew anyone who had. Though I had heard of the series, I didn't see the book until last year (20 years after this letter) when I got it to read in "preparation" for the movie.

I think this letter is a perfect example of how players often think their group or game is representative of all groups and games. How their gaming goes, so must all other games be going or have gone. Whatever influenced their game must also be influencing others' games.

Bullgrit

 

[Woas]

Never heard of it until a month or two ago when I saw the preview for the movie during another movie, and someone mentioned it was a comic.
So what, some author decides to do a comic with an actual literary plot and it becomes the greatest ever written? Sheesh...

I think the Iliad an Odyssey, which are 'comics' in their own right, have this one beat.

And claiming that it took this comic to make roleplaying 'sophisticated' seems pretty silly.

It's the best comic book ever written.

Normally a statement like that would be setting expectations too high, but probably not in this case.

 

[Nightson]

So what, some author decides to do a comic with an actual literary plot and it becomes the greatest ever written? Sheesh...

Does this serve any purpose besides goading?

I think the Iliad an Odyssey, which are 'comics' in their own right, have this one beat.

Uh, no. The Iliad and the Odyssey are not comics. And it's certainly debatable whether they're better.

And claiming that it took this comic to make roleplaying 'sophisticated' seems pretty silly.

I don't think it had any sort of widespread impact on gaming. I don't think this comic was necessary to make gamers play sophisticated games.

But what Watchmen had was a wake, it pulled the entire comics industry into it for years and the ripples hit some gaming groups.

 

[Umbran]

I think this letter is a perfect example of how players often think their group or game is representative of all groups and games.

I think it is a better example of the basic failing of logic - correlation does not imply causation.

Personally, I find the idea that some of the roleplaying is "real" is kind of silly. As if some of it isn't actually fake? Please, it is roleplaying. Emphasis on the play.

This is kind of like fans of different baseball leagues arguing over which one of them plays the *real* game, based on the issue of pinch hitters.

 

[Woas]

I suppose if it had positive affect on some gamers, then more power to them. But from reading the single letter I cannot believe that what seems like such a basic foundation to the game would require such inspiration.

I don't think it had any sort of widespread impact on gaming. I don't think this comic was necessary to make gamers play sophisticated games.

But what Watchmen had was a wake, it pulled the entire comics industry into it for years and the ripples hit some gaming groups.

 

[Nightson]

I suppose if it had positive affect on some gamers, then more power to them. But from reading the single letter I cannot believe that what seems like such a basic foundation to the game would require such inspiration.

Wargaming was the basic foundation of the game. Wargaming is not exactly known for it's deep plots and complex characterization.

 

[Woas]

I certainly had no knowledge of wargames prior to learning about RPGs. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.

Wargaming was the basic foundation of the game. Wargaming is not exactly known for it's deep plots and complex characterization.

 

[Felon]

Yep, I was also wondering, what exactly Watchmen has to do with this (apart from some vague similarities when comparing rpg playstyles with comic book styles).

Nothing. Just some guy rambling about a tangent 20+ years ago.

 

[Wraith Form]

and I couldn't agree with LotFP less.

That, my friends, isn't role-playings. Its chess. I give his "character" as much concern as I would a pawn or the Shoe in monopoly.

If I'm not playing D&D to create a character, I'm playing a toon with nothing more than a handful or numbers scrawled on a sheet of paper. No depth. No history. No quirks and talents. No dreams, fears, loves and hates.

Might as well pay WoW for all that means to me.

Oh, snap! Yes, I have to agree with you.