D&D General If D&D were created today, what would it look like?

[Sacrosanct]

Let’s say D&D wasn’t invented yet, and let’s assume RPGs didn’t get created yet either for the sake of argument. If the game were to be created today, what would it look like and how would it be different from the white box?

I think the obvious one would be presentation. With modern computers, publishing software, and access to freelancers, I think the game would be presented fairly professionally.

I also think it would be a full game, rather than have add on references as the white box was in reference to Chainmail.

Concept wise, the classes and races would be pretty similar. It’s easy to call them primitive from today’s standards, but if it were a new concept that came out today, I don’t see that changing. After all, the concepts and ideas are based off of imagination, not technology, and thus would be close to the same.

Then I also think it would be presented a bit more inclusive, as our views as a society now are much different than 1974.

 

[Mecheon]

Concept wise, the classes and races would be pretty similar.

Disagreeing on this one. Races almost certainly would be different. We're in a post Warcraft and Warhammer world. We'd have humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and goblins. Maybe gnomes. Almost certainly not halflings. Heck, minotaurs have a better chance of getting in as base over halflings. There just isn't the market drive out there for short hobbit-y folks as there used to be and gnome would snap it up quicker

Additionally a lot of the stuff that exists due to D&D's history and how its handled stuff historically wouldn't exist. Almost certainly wouldn't have 'cleric' as the healer, wouldn't be so much baggage on the ranger, and I'm honestly gonna say that sorcerer and wizard would be completely different in pretty much everything about them.

 

[Scribe]

Concept wise, the classes and races would be pretty similar. It’s easy to call them primitive from today’s standards, but if it were a new concept that came out today, I don’t see that changing.

When I look at other games, I just really think as far as Fantasy goes, D&D nailed it. I dont know that they are primitive, as much as they are foundational?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Disagreeing on this one. Races almost certainly would be different. We're in a post Warcraft and Warhammer world. We'd have humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and goblins. Maybe gnomes. Almost certainly not halflings. Heck, minotaurs have a better chance of getting in as base over halflings. There just isn't the market drive out there for short hobbit-y folks as there used to be and gnome would snap it up quicker

Additionally a lot of the stuff that exists due to D&D's history and how its handled stuff historically wouldn't exist. Almost certainly wouldn't have 'cleric' as the healer, wouldn't be so much baggage on the ranger, and I'm honestly gonna say that sorcerer and wizard would be completely different in pretty much everything about them.

None of those would have existed without D&D though. No Warcraft. No war hammer.

 

[Minigiant]

I think the obvious one would be presentation. With modern computers, publishing software, and access to freelancers, I think the game would be presented fairly professionally.

yes. But it's more that gaming would be more professionial due to how the business model of today works.

I also think it would be a full game, rather than have add on references as the white box was in reference to Chainmail.

"Full game" Complete package. Nooo. D&D would be rushed out the door. Yes, everything needed to play D&D on a basic level would be included in the first package. But it would not be complete in the sense we see it now.

Concept wise, the classes and races would be pretty similar.

Hard no. The popular elements of fantasy are very different. Classes and raced would be more based on broader heroic archetypes than D&D is now.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I think the obvious one would be presentation. With modern computers, publishing software, and access to freelancers, I think the game would be presented fairly professionally.

I think most of it would be online. The rules would be on online documents, books most likely would not be printed. The rules would just be in "packs" that people could buy. Kind of like what D&D Beyond currently does, but in a more open approach.

I also think it would be a full game, rather than have add on references as the white box was in reference to Chainmail.

This is a no-brainer. Most companies don't reference different rulesets like this anymore.

Concept wise, the classes and races would be pretty similar. It’s easy to call them primitive from today’s standards, but if it were a new concept that came out today, I don’t see that changing. After all, the concepts and ideas are based off of imagination, not technology, and thus would be close to the same.

Hard disagree. Halflings would almost definitely not be in the game. Gnomes would probably not be in it either. Humans, Elves, and Dwarves would almost definitely still be in the game, but I could also see Dragonborn, Minotaurs, Goblins, and Orcs being major races. Bugbears would almost definitely not exist, but Hobgoblins could.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

I feel this question is very hard to confidently answer due to first having to speculate on what video games would look like without the influence of D&D and ever tabletop roleplaying games. No Wizardry, no Ultima, no Dragon Quest, etc. No LARP either, or if LARP does come about, it would be adapted from theatre rather than from gaming. Competitive improv I guess?

I might hazard a guess that science-fiction might be more prevalent in the public consciousness in this alternate timeline? Space opera particularly; I don't see Star Trek or Star Wars being butterfly effected out of existence by D&D's absence. Arcade games and the first generation of computer games probably would also go by relatively unaffected. No CRPGs though, or if CRPGs somehow sprung into existence by themselves, they would probably look very different due to taking inspiration from different sources. Meanwhile, what happens to tabletop wargaming without the birth of the roleplaying game? What direction would that go?

So fast forward to this alternate 2021. No D&D, no adaptations of it into video games... If a roleplaying game was to be invented out of whole cloth this point in time, I highly doubt it would resemble D&D at all. And if the medium is not restricted to pen-and-paper either but could make use of computing technology... My personal guess is that it would resemble something like Alice is Missing more than a "traditional" TTRPG as we would understand it.

 

[Zardnaar]

Impossible to say but no gnomes, dragonborn, Tieflings.

Maybe not hobbits.

Elves, Dwarves humans probably make it in.

Tolkein still probably more likely main source.

Mechanics hot mess ascending numbers used maybe. May not be d20.

 

[Mecheon]

None of those would have existed without D&D though. No Warcraft. No war hammer.

LotR still would have.

Stuff would have been different and it would have been based on differing media. D&D has halflings because of its LotR inspiration. As such, if not being done in 1970s? Stuff would have been different. Halflings are a direct response to this. If you divorce it from that, then, well, given the Tolkein estate, they wouldn't risk halflings and just go with generic, rolling in halfling stereotypes into probably gnomes given they have different origins.

It would have been based on popular media at the time, which we can only hypotheticise on.

 

[Minigiant]

With no "D&D" to guide it, fantasy might be be closer to raw mythology and legends and more international in influence.

AKA more anime and comics.
And in that vein, I think the base power level would be higher. How much? I don't know. But even in a "gritty game", PCs would be more powerful that any edition.