Best features in Pen and Paper VS. CRPG?
- Thread starter kaveh7681
- Start date
Scribble
First Post
kaveh7681 said:
The customization and control you have over everything.
from the ability of your character to do/say anything to how the setting "appears" to you.
Kind of like reading a book vrs watching a movie. Sometimes no matter how well done the movie is, it just doesn't match what I "see" in my imagination.
Plus the social aspects.
And it has dice.
Dice are cool.
BlackMoria
First Post
Complete freedom of choice.
In computer RPGs, you can only do what the program allows. Very severe limitations on being able to do things (limitations of programming) and express your character in whatever fashion (again, limitations of programming)
So, if you are playing NWN, say one of the taverns, you can only interact with certain characters in a very canned fashion and manipulate or interact with objects defined by the game program.
In freeform pen and paper, you could go over to the bartender and tell him that his mother dresses him funny and that his bright red shirt bemirches your ancestors. Then proceed to abruptly yank down his pants and hurl a chair or mug at the bouncer. The DM might look at you oddly but it is a your declared action and the DM will determine (usually by making you roll skill or attribute or attack rolls....or not) He tells you the outcome and then the roleplaying fun comes is dealing with the consequences of said actions. You will never get this level of interaction with a computer RPG.
Pen and paper RPG is collabrative story telling - you state what you want to do, the DM decides the outcome (sometimes with dice, sometimes not), you react to said information and everyone makes a story together (hopefully a fun and memorable one)
In computer RPGs, you can only do what the program allows. Very severe limitations on being able to do things (limitations of programming) and express your character in whatever fashion (again, limitations of programming)
So, if you are playing NWN, say one of the taverns, you can only interact with certain characters in a very canned fashion and manipulate or interact with objects defined by the game program.
In freeform pen and paper, you could go over to the bartender and tell him that his mother dresses him funny and that his bright red shirt bemirches your ancestors. Then proceed to abruptly yank down his pants and hurl a chair or mug at the bouncer. The DM might look at you oddly but it is a your declared action and the DM will determine (usually by making you roll skill or attribute or attack rolls....or not) He tells you the outcome and then the roleplaying fun comes is dealing with the consequences of said actions. You will never get this level of interaction with a computer RPG.
Pen and paper RPG is collabrative story telling - you state what you want to do, the DM decides the outcome (sometimes with dice, sometimes not), you react to said information and everyone makes a story together (hopefully a fun and memorable one)
One of the things I really dig is the ability to make all the new material that you want. It's all valid and useable assuming your DM clears it.
You'd rather have a fighter that uses Grecian weapons than generic medieval weapons? Cool, you can make a spatha and labrys by changing the cosmetic details of existing weapons. There's no spell that lets you give a targeted creature a bad case of explosive diarrhea? Write one up and swing it by your DM. Don't like the campaign's pantheon? Pick the domains you want for your cleric and tell the DM why you think this philosophy makes sense.
It all gets a magnitude of degrees better when your behind the screen. Some DMs love designing new material (such as monsters and spells) more than they actually like to play the game. One of my favorite parts is making dungeons.
You'd rather have a fighter that uses Grecian weapons than generic medieval weapons? Cool, you can make a spatha and labrys by changing the cosmetic details of existing weapons. There's no spell that lets you give a targeted creature a bad case of explosive diarrhea? Write one up and swing it by your DM. Don't like the campaign's pantheon? Pick the domains you want for your cleric and tell the DM why you think this philosophy makes sense.
It all gets a magnitude of degrees better when your behind the screen. Some DMs love designing new material (such as monsters and spells) more than they actually like to play the game. One of my favorite parts is making dungeons.
Similar Threads
