D&D vs D20

[Thanee]

Yep, there are some very defining elements, which are still around.

Also alignment, hit points, AC (even though THAC0 is gone), the four basic classes (fighter, cleric, rogue (thief ), wizard), many iconic monsters, and so on.

Bye
Thanee

 

[scourger]

Urrgh! You just described the complete opposite, and I mean complete opposite of my position. I'd typically much rather play the other d20 games than D&D; d20 Modern and d20 Call of Cthulhu being two of my favorite games in existence. I prefer to maintain a core d20 mechanic for probably all of the games that I play or run for the foreseeable future, although I have fairly little interest in playing D&D itself anymore. With the exception of a little Eberron we've got about to start up soon.

And I certainly have no interest in published adventures; I can't think of a worse way to waste my gaming budget. So, to each his own!

Yes. One man's meat is another man's poison.

 

[Ranger REG]

All I know about D&D is that if I post on the board down at my FLGS that I want to run a "D&D" game, I know that I would possibly get a group of four to six people, all with the player's handbook, and all thinking along the same conventions of how the game is played, run, and the kinds of encounters they would expect to see.

If I mention any other game down at my FLGS, 19 of 20 times I am the ONLY person with the player's guide, I might get one or two likely candidates willing to play something different than D&D, and they wouldn't have a clue as to what to do, or how to create a character, without really good instruction.

D&D, to me, is its own world, its own genre within the fantasy genre, and it definately brings certain expectations to mind when just the name Dungeons and Dragons is brought up in a conversation. I don't think there is a game that can do D&D better than D&D itself.

I dunno. Other games have their own "worlds," published or not. They also have their own communities, though not as numerous nor widespread as D&D community, but they are there.

You got the Spycraft community, the Mutants & Masterminds community, even communities of Out-Of-Production games like Alternity.

P.S. If you're trying to lure Diaglo, it is best to specifically mention OD&D. He'll play no other version but that.

 

[Narfellus]

D&D, to me, is its own world, its own genre within the fantasy genre, and it definately brings certain expectations to mind when just the name Dungeons and Dragons is brought up in a conversation. I don't think there is a game that can do D&D better than D&D itself.

I'd agree with that. I've played only a few other fantasy systems in the past (namely Runequest) but i found myself adding DnDish house rules, just because i missed/like them. Not to knock Runequest, it was cool too, but it wasn't the kind of fantasy i wanted. DnD was (and is, despite it's problems)

 

[Acid_crash]

Just to get an idea: Which games did you try finding players for?

In the last 12 months, I've tried the following: Conan, Buffy, Mutants and Masterminds, Spycraft, HERO system, GURPS, d20Modern/Future, Vampre: The Requiem.

Let's just say that only one or two show up for each, but lack of support from players just causes these games to not get played.

 

[Krieg]

Classes. Levels. Spell slots. Dungeons. Etc.

Let's just say I don't agree with your assessment. If you are not going to use the trademark as definition, what is D&D expands, not contracts.

Spades & Euchre are both played using the same basic pieces, that doesn't make them the same.

You are looking at playing "D&D" in the sense of playing "cards". Personally I don't agree with the term D&D being a catchall phrase for a larger genre of RPGs.

For me D&D is a specific game with a specific set of mechanics. OD&D, 1E, Rules Cyclopedia & 2E are all mechanically close enough to fall under the same definition for me.

3E has enough changes to put it outside of that relatively narrow definition...although conversely Hackmaster does fall within the narrower scope. Time will tell whether C&C does or not.

 

[velm]

there might be a ton of d20 games out there. I flip thru some of them sometimes, but they never seem to be quite as well done as the D&D published by WOTC. Monte Cook's stuff is good, and the Scarred Lands is good, although I have never played in either, but reading the stuff, it looks good. Other than those two non-wotc, the other stuff just does not appeal to me.
I view D&D as a 'Heroic' game system. It has been a game system where your fighter can get peppered with arrows and still save the day. It can be a blast taking on the Lich-Lord of Demogoth, or whatever. I mean, take the falling dam rules of max of 20d6. You can have fighters jump off cliffs, dust themselvs off, and continue on with the good fight. (I believe, I read it was called 'terminal velocity' somewhere.)
If I want a non-heroic game system, I go to GURPS. GURPS has all the detail you could EVER possibly hope to want (or not want, depending on who you are). I have seen so many minute details in GURPS books, I was stunned. This is a game where you take an arrow, and you do not keep on with the good fight, you go 'MEDIC!' Even worse if you get nailed with piercing damage, where it does additional damage.
D&D has a seperate feel to it. It is a 'feel good' game.

 

[Woas]

Hey all. I don't want to hi-jack, but was wondering if anyone could either:

1) Give me a breif discribtion on how HARP works (and thus, why it does "D&D" better than D&D) without breaking any laws and quoting the book outright.

2) Give me a link to a site that explains HARP

Thanks...

 

[Turjan]

In the last 12 months, I've tried the following: Conan, Buffy, Mutants and Masterminds, Spycraft, HERO system, GURPS, d20Modern/Future, Vampre: The Requiem.

Let's just say that only one or two show up for each, but lack of support from players just causes these games to not get played.

Well, I don't expect totally new players to buy the rulebooks. I know it is a bit boring for the rest if the sole rulebook has to be circled among the players until all characters have been made, or even worse, you have to make them all yourself . But usually people buy the book once they see that they like the game. I would not be too hard at this point if I really wanted to recruit new players .

 

[Turjan]

Hey all. I don't want to hi-jack, but was wondering if anyone could either:

1) Give me a breif discribtion on how HARP works (and thus, why it does "D&D" better than D&D) without breaking any laws and quoting the book outright.

2) Give me a link to a site that explains HARP

Thanks...

Well, Rasyr, the starter of this thread, can do this much better than I can. He should know the game, because I think he wrote it .

Anyway, here is the link to the HARP site: Here you go! There you will find lots of answers on a single click .