D&D General Converting Bg3 to Tabletop

[FitzTheRuke]

Could or couldn’t?

My Maidstone group is unusual because one isnt into computer gaming and of the other three who are: one only plays console, one has no time and the other has a list a mile long of games and hasn’t gotten around to it yet.

It’s like the universe is conspiring to tell me to run this! I’m happy to share any working out. What do people think the best format would be?

Could. Yeah, I know a lot of people who don't play video games. Heck, BG3 is the first game I've played all the way through since, what? New Mario Brothers on the first Wii? And before that, I think it was Half-life. The first one.

 

[TheSword]

I haven't checked myself, but wouldn't most areas where combat encounters occur in Baldur's Gate 3 be much, much bigger than standard encounter areas in tabletop D&D?

Well the area is as big or small as you want to make it.

I wouldn’t try and recreate the entire swamp. I would have a swamp battlemap for the redcaps and a teahouse battlemap etc. A classic location crawl.

Some elements could also be condensed into random encounters.

 

[Stormonu]

Back in 1E they did do a paper copy of Pool of Radiance, and I seem to remember something similar for PoR 2:Myth Drannor for 2E.

Personally, I'd do a "parallel" story - something that runs in the same area and has similar story beats but complements the video game without duplicating it. Have a couple points where it intersects with the video game on major story points (I haven't played the full game, so I can't comment directly on which encounters/areas I'd pull in, but the Druid/Refugee Fortress from Act I seems a good point).

As for the NPCs, probably have them in the back if you want to include the ones from the game to meet as well as a couple new ones if the DM/Players want some unique characters to add - each with an interesting background to play off.

I do like a lot of the custom gear from BG3, and I'd try to pull in as much of that as I could.

What I would really like to do is include an "oracle" system in the back so you could play it solo - or use the system for other adventures.

 

[Zardnaar]

I haven't checked myself, but wouldn't most areas where combat encounters occur in Baldur's Gate 3 be much, much bigger than standard encounter areas in tabletop D&D?

Yep. You woukd need a big mat.

 

[jolt]

BG 3 loves to use changes in elevation as part of their combat setups - sometimes very big changes in elevation. That can get a little kludgy when trying to run at a table; especially when you have multiple units at multiple elevations. Sometimes too they have multiple combat areas very close to one another where, if you aren't careful, you can trigger a whole additional encounter while still dealing with the original. If I were running BG 3 as a tabletop game, I would simplify some of the combat areas purely for my own sanity.

 

[MarkB]

I haven't checked myself, but wouldn't most areas where combat encounters occur in Baldur's Gate 3 be much, much bigger than standard encounter areas in tabletop D&D?

It varies a lot. Some encounters are very self-contained, others are in larger areas. Even in places that are one large area, like the goblin fortress interior, while it's possible for fights to spill into each other it's also possible to keep them fairly isolated.

The main thing that tabletop battlemaps may struggle with is the verticality. Many of the encounters feature multiple levels of floor plus high ledges or walkways. Tough to emulate without 3D terrain, but it would be a shame to get rid of such features entirely.

 

[TheSword]

It’s a very good point about verticality. If you play on Foundry there is the facility to use dual level tokens.

I’ll probably be running printed battle maps. I think you just have to be clear with elevations. I quite like it when they are marked on the map in white text. Tomb of Annihilation was quite good for doing that. +20’.

I wouldn’t adopt any of the Bg3 core system changes (shove, bonus action changes etc) not that they’re bad. I just prefer to play core 2024.

 

[TheSword]

You could screenshot battle maps but It’s worth saying the BG3 wiki has every map saved as an image without keys.

 

[Spellslinging Sellsword]

This thread both makes me want to replay BG3 and run it as a 5E tabletop campaign.

 

[wicked cool]

Until Bg3 I can’t think of many modules that ran multi dimensional encounters. Until game of thrones I never really had dragons burn and move

Take the blighted village encounter- it’s simple but it obviously would need a little more work as monsters like the ogres don’t react to combat outside the door etc

Does roll20 or any online tool allow you to create this encounter with goblins elevated etc? That suprise round with the goblins there could be very challenging at low levels. What’s the closest wotc has come to something like just that in last few years. D&d has mostly been 2d .phandelver has an early cave where goblins were on elevation but it’s still mostly 2d on how to resolve