e-Heroes: Do CRPGs, console, & arcade games influence your D&D game?

[genshou]

>D

The only CRPG that has ever influenced any of my games was Golden Sun. And that was because the concepts were so similar I couldn't help but be influenced. I made it way different, though, so that it really is MY GAME. Just influenced.

No, not me. I get all my influence from too much anime

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Cool. So far, not as extensive as I thought it might be, but cool nonetheless.

I find that, with my homebrew game, I tend to borrow quite a bit from other sources, including CRPGs & console games. Some plot lines for the campaign in my homebrew world also mirror the plotlines of some of the older CRPGs. However, oddly enough, it works out well for me, since many (if not all) of my players aren't familiar with those CRPGs at all (like Ultima 4-6, for example).

Also, I tend to not only pick & pull from these sources, but amalgamate elements as well. A druid character (who may be a pre-gen or NPC) is based off of a mix between Jaana the druid from the Ultima series, and the half-elf fighter/druid Jaheira of Baldur's Gate fame. A female paladin pre-gen is based off of both the Valkyrie character of Gauntlet fame, but the Valkyrie character from the Times of Lore CRPG. The magic portals found throughout the setting are based off of the Moongates of Ultima fame, as well as the portals from the Gauntlet console games. Magic uses the material components used in the later Ultima games (4+), as well as the spell nomenclature from both Ultima & Zork.

In a way, I like all of the "easter eggs" & tips of the hat ot outside sources in CRPGs (like finding the Tardis in Fallout, or "Fafhrd" as the password for the Baldur's Gate Thieves' Guild), & sort of incorporate similar things into my games.

But, that's just me. What about the rest of you? Keep those responses coming!

 

[Psion]

Cool. So far, not as extensive as I thought it might be, but cool nonetheless.

I find that, with my homebrew game, I tend to borrow quite a bit from other sources, including CRPGs & console games. Some plot lines for the campaign in my homebrew world also mirror the plotlines of some of the older CRPGs. However, oddly enough, it works out well for me, since many (if not all) of my players aren't familiar with those CRPGs at all (like Ultima 4-6, for example).

Also, I tend to not only pick & pull from these sources, but amalgamate elements as well. A druid character (who may be a pre-gen or NPC) is based off of a mix between Jaana the druid from the Ultima series, and the half-elf fighter/druid Jaheira of Baldur's Gate fame.

Since you mention the Ultima series, I used to have a major NPC named Hawkwind, and here's a map of my major campaign setting:

http://members.tripod.com/~hawk_wind/trinalia/tringuid.html

Look familiar?

I try not to be that blatant now that I am a bit older.

 

[Hawkshere]

Don't just limit the scope of these ideas to CRPGs... there's tons of cool creative content out there in really good action/strat/adventure games, ready made for theft!

Thief (The Dark Project & Metal Age): The sheer style factor of this game series makes a compelling argument for a medieval fantasy-punk-ish setting (its not really steampunk), IMO. I'm currently running a Greyhawk campaign, but I have homebrew I've been working on for the future, and the Thief game setting and story elements are having a significant impact on my homebrew.

For example, in one of my older cities, there is now a walled-off district called the 'Old City' which was overrun with a strange 'plague of undeath'. This thoroughly haunted district is strictly quarantined with a special temple-trained guard force to make sure nothing (corporeal or otherwise) gets in or out. However, generations later, there remain long persistant rumours and tales about the riches left behind in hastily abandoned temples and mansions of the Old City. Yummay.

Deus Ex: In a similar fashion to the Thief games, Deus Ex provides a compelling setting and characters that could easily be used in a dark future d20 Modern/Future/M&M style game. In fact, I think it could be interesting to bring story elements of Deus Ex into a fantasy setting. Morgan Everett and the Illuminati become an ancient, secret guild arcanists fallen onto hard times (think: amoral Harpers). Bob Page and MJ12 become a splinter group dabbling in necromancy and alienistic magic (perhaps Walton Simons is an advanced, experimental vampire capable of tolerating daylight - pseudonatural or abberant templates could be useful, too). The NSF become an organized crime guild with revolutionary tendencies, supported by the renegade wizard Tracer Tong. UNATCO becomes a royal inquisitional paramilitary guard (à la musketeers as law & order zealots). Etc. Great fun.

Half-Life: Following the Incursion theme, you've at least got some fun abberation-type monsters here. Use a Cthulian spin to make it more fanstasy, less X-Files - or stay in-genre and use d20 Modern/Spycraft/etc. HL2 looks like it will advance a richer story line than the spare-but-fun threads of the first game. When 3E first came out, I considered writing up the Half-Life critters in d20 monster stats, just as a fun exercise in monster building. I may still try that sometime.

Diablo (and Diablo II): Not only are there lots of little bits of classic fantasy gaming fun in here, there is actually a pretty cool setting/backstory. It's easy to ignore in the game, but if you look for it, there's a moderately fleshed-out setting outline available here. It's more obvious in the second game. Story elements like the Sin War and the Haradrim are ready-made for D&D. I was really dissapointed that the D2 D&D supplement was basically the computer game as a PnP campaign, rather than a setting book. I'd still like to see that.

Myth: This real-time wargame series has a superb atmosphere and story. Lots of great monsters and BBEG type villains. Reminds me alot of the Black Company novels. Check out http://myth.bungie.org/legends/index.html for a ton of setting info.

Interstate '76: An alternate history setting in the American Southwest could be a cool retro Car Wars/d20 Modern/Wild West meets Muscle Cars game. Would definitely needs some good vehicle d20 rules (Spycraft?).

Dark Forces/Jedi Knight/KotOR: Duh!

EDIT: doh.., almost forgot...

Gabriel Knight: As an example of a great adventure game series, there's a ton of cool plot and story material available here. Just the Schattenjäger concept alone is worth the price of admission.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I wanted a quick idea for an FR campaign to run...so, I looked at my games...I am now running a group through the exact story of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance(with minor tweaks to flesh a lot of things out and throw in extra adventure hooks). All of the PCs have played and beaten the game, but despite being in the Crypts of the Shrine of Suffering in Baldur's Gate...no one's caught on just yet. Its great to watch them ALMOST realize it.

 

[arwink]

I steal elements of computer games from time to time, usually when playing fighting games and realising that there's really cool backgrounds that could well make a great place for a DnD fight. Giant rafts rushing down underground rivers, swaying rope bridges with rats running back and forth, pit fights in the midst of a hong-cong crowd. I spend more time watching backgrounds than I do fighting my opponent.

 

[S'mon]

I find most CRPGs to be very shallow & derivative, so I don't think my D&D game is influenced by them at all, except inasmuch as some of the 3e mechanics often seem CRPG-based - rapid levelling and geometric power increases were around in CRPGs long before 3e. There are some aspects of NWN I like, primarily the store/trading system - the limited availability of goods and a big difference between the buy & sell prices - but IMC magic items are normally self made or commissioned to order, the idea of a magic item shop with hundreds of thousands of gp of stuff in inventory is inherently ridiculous.

 

[Melan]

Yes, my games are influenced by some classic games, especially Wizardry VII (with its attitude towards technology and magic) and, to a lesser extent, Secret of the Silver Blades and FATE (an old German CRPG for the Amiga). From the recent fare, Thief had some effect on my portrayal of thieves, although that one was more of a Leiber influence resurfacing.

Console games: no, I don't like those, and the moment you see a FF-ripoff in my game is the moment I am going to shoot myself.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Although I've known about the Forgotten Realms for many years now, I didn't really develop a major interest in it until I played the Baldur's Gate series of CRPGs.

I've even payed homage to the Baldur's Gate games in my own campaign. One of the PCs (an aspiring Harper) had a short conversation with Jaheira in one session, and I've also thrown in a few mentions of the "Bhaalspawn Incident" that shook the Sword Coast a few years prior to the campaign.

There have also been a few video game-related jokes made during our campaigns, like when the fighter's hit points dropped into the single digits and his player said "Warrior is about to die, needs food badly!", a refrence to the classic arcade game Gauntlet.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Well, I steal bits and pieces here and there; from CRPGs, console games, arcade games, anime, movies, songs, television, other RPGs and just about any other source I can get.

Generally (though exceptions do exist), though, I borrow more concept or image than outright duplication. Occasionally, something will worm its way into my subconcious and I won't even realize it until one of my players mention it ("Oh, an airship, like in the FF series?").

So, definitely.