Best features in Pen and Paper VS. CRPG?

[2WS-Steve]

Like others were saying -- freedom.

But that's not snarky enough so I'm going to be more specific:

If I'm walking next to a four foot high wall, I can actually climb or jump over it.

When talking to an NPC I have more choices than: a) goody two shoes b) complete and utter bastard, and c) goofy idiot (though, I have to admit, goofy idiot is usually the result anyway).

Not all spells are some variation of cause XdY+Z damage, healing, or buffing -- but with different graphics.

Related to above, Passwall.

Related to Passwall, strong fighter with adamantine sword and a willingness to make a lot of noise.

Climbing onto the roof, cutting a hole through it and screwing up the entire adventure for the poor GM.

After curing the forest animals of their magical disease I no longer see forest animals afflicted by that magical disease.

er, etc..

 

[Pbartender]

Human. Interaction.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) Social aspects- your buddies on a CRPG aren't going to be sitting around the table drinking, telling jokes with you...or bringing over beer & pizza...

And they definitely don't help you move your furniture to a new apartment, buy gifts for your cousins, pick you up when your car gets a flat, or bail you out of jail.

2) Flexibility- Go anywhere. Do anything. You don't like how your RPG handles unarmed combat? House Rule it. You don't like how your CRPG handles unarmed combat? Tough.

3) No lag time.

4) Can be played anytime, anyplace. Even without electricity.

5) Cost. Pay $50 for a CRPG and play until you solve its riddle. Pay $50 and a monthly fee for a MMORPG and you'll face numerous challenges...until they upgrade to a point when your computer can't run the game...

Spend the same amount of money on regular RPG product, and you can play until you die. "Upgrades" in the form of new editions or additional products are not neccessary.

6) Non volatile. You can always photocopy your PC sheet...but what happens if your CRPG gets hacked? Or if your building is hit by lightning (happened to a buddy of mine). Even if your PC sheets are all destroyed, you're probably familiar enough with the PC to reconstruct enough of it from memory to be playable. You can't usually do that with a CRPG.

 

[jdrakeh]

I am new to pen and paper world, but I know PC RPG Games. What are the best features of Pen and Paper Games?

The expandable nature of game settings and story arcs -- in PC games, you're either locked into an entirely pre-scripted story arc and restricted by artifical means to exploring certain areas of a given setting or completely free to explore as much of the world as you see fit, but without the benefit of any story arc to speak of. Pencil and paper RPGs can facilitate both of these extremes, as well, but they also let you explore the middle ground that PC games typically ignore.

The potential for completely original game settings of your own design. As a rule, you can't build your own Everquest server or UO shard for anythign short of a several hundred dollars, many man hours, and a knowledge of software programming. And even then, unless you have some mad skills, you're still going to be limited by the options provided in the software. Generic game systems such as GURPS and True20 allow you to realize setting that you can imagine with much less work (and money) than buidling game servers requires.

Face to face social interaction. As a former UO player, I'm aware that MMPOGs aren't totally devoid fo social interaction as some would have you beleive, but I'll take face to face interaction over a tabletop, pizza, and soda over IRC communication any day of the week.

No monthly payments. Unless you have impulse control issues (which many gamers do, I think), you really only need to buy one to three books (depending upon what system you're playing) and you're set for hundreds of thousands of hours worth of adventure. Table-top gaming isn't, by design, the money pit that online gaming has become (though, again, if you have poor impulse control, it can be).

 

[Anand]

Human interaction, the face-to-face factor, is really nice. You know, I have friends in World of Warcraft, but my D&D buddies are much more real. You know them. That's better, I guess.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

The GM is creative and so are the players. You don't get that in a computer game.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

1. I don't have to hit A-B-B-A-C-Up-Down in the right order in order to do a cool move. I can simply look to the DM and say, "Bazrok takes his great sword and in a move that only yoda could hope to pull off he leaps into the air and brings the blade down on his opponent." [No, I'm not always that involved...]

2. Compliments. Friends who say, "Dang, that was smart." Or "Wow, cool character."

3. Memories. It's easy to get into a group for a while and say "Remember when we went into that cave and the DM had ____. I've never had anything like that before!"

4. Versatility. I can play an optimized character and be devastating. I can play an unoptimized character that is just as much fun to play (under the right DM, of course).

5. Easier on the eyes. Computer screens and television will eventually kill your eyes. Especially if you sit as close as we know you do...

6. PbP. While not as fast as Table Top, Play by Post games are a bunch of fun as well because you have time to think and process the story as you play it. For examples, see the games that I DM in my sig.

...

Yeah, that's enough.

 

[Agent Oracle]

FREEDOM!

Ye are nae limited by tha' programmin' budget of a publicly traded company! Ye are nae limited by tha' simplicity of a physics engine! Ye are nae limited by tha' limitaetions of a fundamentally unstable operatin' system, or weak graficks carrrd! YE ARE FREE!!!

*cough* sorry, my inner scottsman came out there....

Oh, right, number one:

-Way the *#!@ more dynamic than any MMO, Ever, Ever, Ever.
-relatively free
-far fewer idiots.
-no mining for fish involved.

 

[caudor]

I would say emersion...a level much greater than you can get with video games. Plus friends, dice, ad-lib funny moments, and chicken. But only if you want chicken.

'There is no place I know that compares with pure imagination'
-Wonka

 

[Storyteller01]

Go anywhere you can get to under your own power.

Do things you can't in the computer game unless the director thought it was cool (making the wall fall on the boss shouldn't be limited to JUST the boss).

Your DM can be infitely more creative in his game world *cough*torture sessions*cough*.

A good DM doesn't have to pigeon hole you into a choice. They're either leading you in without you knowing or rolling with your choices.

Examples: In my current campaign the players were working in an underwater city. All the players went about to investigate in their own way except one. The totemist went shark hunting. It slowed things down a bit, but the rest had fun watching him run from the feeding frenzy...

I forget which Suikoden it is, but there's a scene where your asked to eat something. Your then given a choice, with the picture of the looking devious. If you pick no, the computer spits out something about 'Are you sure?' over and over. This continues until you say yes are are (surprise) poisoned. Other CPGs aren't this obvious, but they're just as pigeon holing.