But what if I LIKE Anime/Video-game tropes in my D&D?

[Dr. Prunesquallor]

There's an assumption in this thread that, likely, Manga/Anime = $$$$

Definitely worth pondering. For all the big box manga aisles I've seen, I've seen mostly D&D, D20 WoW, and NWoD hardbacks available as big box RPG offerings. And by far I've seen more D&D than any of the others. Realizing that the plural of anecdote is not data, has anyone seen "obvious anime" RPG titles in big box stores? My FLGS is actually Exalted-light, even though it has every NWoD title.

 

[Rechan]

Definitely worth pondering. For all the big box manga aisles I've seen, I've seen mostly D&D, D20 WoW, and NWoD hardbacks available as big box RPG offerings. And by far I've seen more D&D than any of the others. Realizing that the plural of anecdote is not data, has anyone seen "obvious anime" RPG titles in big box stores? My FLGS is actually Exalted-light, even though it has every NWoD title.

Our FLGS kinda went under here.

However, I have seen Exalted stuff at Books-A-Million, where the majority of the gaming stuff is. But it's just as you say, D&D, WW stuff and d20 WoWhardbacks.

 

[outsider]

Depends on the tropes. As far as video games tropes go, they so far have managed to swipe the good ones and avoid the bad ones. So, I'm happy about that. Anime tropes I'm not as sure about. I like anime, but I don't want much of it in my D&D. If I want to play an anime fantasy game, I've already got Exalted, which handles it better. Fortunately, I don't see much(if any) anime tropes in 4th ed so far.

Ultimately, it all depends on what the actual tropes are. A good idea is a good idea no matter where it comes from.

 

[Voss]

Definitely worth pondering. For all the big box manga aisles I've seen, I've seen mostly D&D, D20 WoW, and NWoD hardbacks available as big box RPG offerings. And by far I've seen more D&D than any of the others. Realizing that the plural of anecdote is not data, has anyone seen "obvious anime" RPG titles in big box stores? My FLGS is actually Exalted-light, even though it has every NWoD title.

I've seen exalted in every borders or barnes and noble I've been in in the last 4 or 5 years, across multiple states. Books a million, too. I don't think thats particularly significant though. WW has been the only other significant RPG publisher for quite a while now. The 'also rans' like Palladium just don't cut it, and I think I've seen a Mongoose title once. (Conan, unsurprisingly). The only minor league publisher (and it barely counts, since they done maybe a dozen books) I regularly see in bookstores is Privateer Press, and thats almost certainly spillover from Warmachine, particularly in towns that don't have a decent game store.

Oh, wait. I have seen BESM a couple times. Huh.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've seen Exalted in most of the bookstores I've been in the past few years- mainly Books A Million, Borders and Barnes & Noble.

BESM, not so much- its available in its 3Ed and D20 forms at those stores online, though.

The difference?

White Wolf publishes Exalted, and while they're not Hasbro/WotC, they're still a major player in the hobby.

BESM is a GoO game currently published by Arthaus- I believe they have a distribution deal with White Wolf, but are not actually a subsidiary.

 

[Sonny]

Oddly enough, it wasn't until I played Final Fantasy Tactics that I really understood D&D. When I was a kid, we never used minis; we just described everything. But after FF Tactics I realized the joy and beauty of the battle-grid.

It was Pool of Radiance that did it for me. After that game I didn't just toss fireballs off willy nilly in 20x20 rooms anymore. Also, PoR had something that resembled AoO in battles, so it was easy to get a hold on those rules when 3E was introduced.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The groups I've been in have almost always used battlemaps of some kind, and PoR was a blast to me...Ah, memories!

Unfortunately, my PoR was seriously screwed up- my MU/Th took 65K negative levels (no, that isn't a typo) fighting the Spectre in the library, yet was still able to walk around and be effective for the next 2 hours. Then the program crashed and would never load again. I got an update about a month later, but was never able to get back into the game...

 

[Xyl]

In short, anyone HAPPY about the move to add some anime and videogame elements into the old horse that is D&D?

I'm a big anime fan myself, and I'm happy about the changes I've seen, but I don't really like the fact that they're labeled "anime". The elements that are being added (fast-paced fights with lots of movement, lots of combat maneuvers, over-the-top powers, little or no resting time) are cinematic elements, not anime elements. You can find them just as easily in Star Wars or Indian Jones as you can in Bleach or Naruto. Even the Lord of the Rings movies added cinematic fight scenes (remember Legolas and the mumak); would you call it "anime"?

As for videogame elements, I have to say: add them! The state of the art in game design these days is focused on computer and video games more than pen and paper RPGs. There's no call to throw out well-tested, fun, game design elements just because they come from videogames. You might as well reject battlemaps because they're "too boardgamey".

 

[Black Knight Irios]

I'm glad that D&D becomes a little more like an Anime/Videogame.

It'll suit my style of playing and that of my group as well.



But if I really want to play Animecharacters I'd play BESM 3rd.

 

[hazel monday]

The animavideogamization of D&D may drive me back to 1st edition. Or maybe I'll try warhammer (I've heard good things.) I don't really object to D&D becoming more anime because I hate anime. It's just the sameness of it that bothers me. Anime is everywhere these days. All forms of entertainment have some kind of anime style creeping into it. It just seems very unoriginal, and I think that D&D should be it's own thing.
I think D&D is a strong enough concept, with strong enough imagery, that it should be able to stand on it's own. But then again, I actually like playing D&D. So 4.0 probably isn't being marketed to people like me. It's being marketed to people who don't like D&D as it is and want it to change into something else.
And there's nothing wrong with that. Just cause D&D is turning into something I don't like doesn't mean others won't enjoy it.
So if you like Anime/videogames than you should rejoice rather than feel embarrassed about it. This edition of the game was designed with you in mind. Enjoy.