MGibster
Legend
Table top role playing games have influenced computer games since the 1970s. University students created games on mainframes similar to D&D and by the 1980s computer users at home enjoyed Wasteland, BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception, Ultima, and of course the Gold Box series of D&D games including Pool of Radiance. And just a few days back, Cyberpunk 2077 was released based on R. Talsorian Games' Cyberpunk from 1988. It's obvious that CRPG creators have taken quite a few lesson from table top game creators.
But what can the TTRPG crowd learn from CRPGs? For this thread, I'd like you to give us an example of what a computer game did right and how you can apply it to traditional table top RPG. For the purpose of this thread, let's not quibble too much on what constitutes a CRPG and instead focus on how the game inspired someone to improve their own tabletop experience. I'll go first.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011): In ToR, if you're on the Republic side, once you complete your character's starting area you head to Coruscant and the adventures begin. Even though you're a relatively low level character, your adventure doesn't feel like low level nothing quests. Your character is rubbing shoulders with senators, Jedi masters, etc., etc. and the adventures you go on have galactic implications.
There's no reason you can't bring that to table top games even in something like D&D with 1st level characters. Maybe one or more of the PCs has a connection to the king, a noble, or a ranking member of a church? There's no reason to send PCs out to clear a pack of goblins, giant rats, or spiders, tie in the bad guys to the big plot. Make whatever the players are doing seem as though it has consequence.
But what can the TTRPG crowd learn from CRPGs? For this thread, I'd like you to give us an example of what a computer game did right and how you can apply it to traditional table top RPG. For the purpose of this thread, let's not quibble too much on what constitutes a CRPG and instead focus on how the game inspired someone to improve their own tabletop experience. I'll go first.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011): In ToR, if you're on the Republic side, once you complete your character's starting area you head to Coruscant and the adventures begin. Even though you're a relatively low level character, your adventure doesn't feel like low level nothing quests. Your character is rubbing shoulders with senators, Jedi masters, etc., etc. and the adventures you go on have galactic implications.
There's no reason you can't bring that to table top games even in something like D&D with 1st level characters. Maybe one or more of the PCs has a connection to the king, a noble, or a ranking member of a church? There's no reason to send PCs out to clear a pack of goblins, giant rats, or spiders, tie in the bad guys to the big plot. Make whatever the players are doing seem as though it has consequence.