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How have CRPGs influenced RPGs?
- Thread starter Aus_Snow
- Start date
I think they've had a mostly positive influence on rpgs. Borrowing good ideas is usually a good idea (duh!) regardless the original media. The exception being ideas that don't translate well if transfered to a different media, e.g. if something requires a lot of calculations to work in a CRPG, then it won't work well in a pen & papaer rpg.
It's different for players and GMs, though, at least in the case where their first contact with RPGs has been CRPGs. In my experience they come with a lot of expectations that aren't true for pen & paper RPGs and are difficult to remove from their systems, but that could be entirely anecdotal.
It's different for players and GMs, though, at least in the case where their first contact with RPGs has been CRPGs. In my experience they come with a lot of expectations that aren't true for pen & paper RPGs and are difficult to remove from their systems, but that could be entirely anecdotal.
Whisper72
Explorer
Well, as with so many things, I think it is largely a matter of perspective and of personal experience...
I can imagine that:
- some players are negatively affected, expecting tRPG ro be similar to cRPG in such a way as to make things 'less fun' for the 'traditional' tRPG players
- some players are positively affected, they learned some basics of RPG from cRPG's, would never otherwise have picked up a tRPG
- some players are positively affected, the visual representations in cRPG's helps them visualise the completely 'virtual' tRPG world in their heads
- some players are negatively affected, without the direct visual stimulus, they have no idea what their characters should/could do
- some DM's are positively affected; the cRPG's form a wealth of ideas, visuals, experience etc. from which they can draw to create cooler adventures, worlds etc.
- some DM's are negatively affected; the more linear (in general terms) form of cRPG's is ported over into their tRPG adventure design, making things 'less fun' for more sandboxy players
Depending upon the type of players, DM's and personal preferences, one can experience the impact as positive or negative.
Overall, I think the real impact on the tRPG games as such is pretty small. The design philosophy, the types of adventures, the whole tRPG experience, has barely changed since the advent of cRPG. Railroads and sandboxes both existed before. All manner of forms of playing the game (the whole ROLL vs ROLE playing) have also exited before, as not all prefer the same style of play.
I also think that the impact of cRPG is pretty much defined by the pre-existing state of the individual player/DM. If a player was already more of a ROLL player, then chances are, the whole cRPG experience makes this person more so. Living for the fight and putting less emphasis no the free form ROLE playing. The person who is a natural ROLE player is probably more likely to see a cRPG as another experience, picking ideas from the game.
In general, I do not think that preferred individual play styles are much impacted.
One thing that may impact the type of players overall, is that many younger people grew up with cRPG's and learned to play tRPG's later. This may mean a larger proportion of players of a certain type enter the tRPG arena then before. The main question however is whether those people would have become tRPG players at all if it were not fot their cRPG experiences...
Also, to denote one style of play as less preferred then another, in general, seems to me to be nonsensical. If players of a certain style are having fun at gaming, more power to them... for me personally it may be annoing that most people I meet have a different preferred style compared to my own, but then again, whose fault is that?
I can imagine that:
- some players are negatively affected, expecting tRPG ro be similar to cRPG in such a way as to make things 'less fun' for the 'traditional' tRPG players
- some players are positively affected, they learned some basics of RPG from cRPG's, would never otherwise have picked up a tRPG
- some players are positively affected, the visual representations in cRPG's helps them visualise the completely 'virtual' tRPG world in their heads
- some players are negatively affected, without the direct visual stimulus, they have no idea what their characters should/could do
- some DM's are positively affected; the cRPG's form a wealth of ideas, visuals, experience etc. from which they can draw to create cooler adventures, worlds etc.
- some DM's are negatively affected; the more linear (in general terms) form of cRPG's is ported over into their tRPG adventure design, making things 'less fun' for more sandboxy players
Depending upon the type of players, DM's and personal preferences, one can experience the impact as positive or negative.
Overall, I think the real impact on the tRPG games as such is pretty small. The design philosophy, the types of adventures, the whole tRPG experience, has barely changed since the advent of cRPG. Railroads and sandboxes both existed before. All manner of forms of playing the game (the whole ROLL vs ROLE playing) have also exited before, as not all prefer the same style of play.
I also think that the impact of cRPG is pretty much defined by the pre-existing state of the individual player/DM. If a player was already more of a ROLL player, then chances are, the whole cRPG experience makes this person more so. Living for the fight and putting less emphasis no the free form ROLE playing. The person who is a natural ROLE player is probably more likely to see a cRPG as another experience, picking ideas from the game.
In general, I do not think that preferred individual play styles are much impacted.
One thing that may impact the type of players overall, is that many younger people grew up with cRPG's and learned to play tRPG's later. This may mean a larger proportion of players of a certain type enter the tRPG arena then before. The main question however is whether those people would have become tRPG players at all if it were not fot their cRPG experiences...
Also, to denote one style of play as less preferred then another, in general, seems to me to be nonsensical. If players of a certain style are having fun at gaming, more power to them... for me personally it may be annoing that most people I meet have a different preferred style compared to my own, but then again, whose fault is that?
A
amerigoV
Guest
A revived corpse! Excellent.
A couple of thoughts (and I am too lazy to quote and them people may not even be around anymore):
1. On kids not able to use their imagination and just rip of computer games: That, I call
. Before computer games, players and DMs just ripped off other sources. I think the poster was too young to remember the Drizzt clone phase. The best DMs tend to be the ones that rip off other cool things.
2. On CRPG not having roleplay, I also call. Some there is clearly no social roleplay aspects. Some games (Dragon Age, Mass Effect) have quite a bit. Sure, its structured, but I look at it as the back end of the player bumbling out some words, rolling the diplomacy/intimidate skill, and the outcome is the "smoothed value." In reality, pnp games are the same. Sometimes you get some roleplay, sometimes you get beer, pretzels, and a dead gnome.
3. CRPG have freed the DMs from having to do the World Shattering Epic, most of which die long before a satisfying resolution is reached in pnp. I say let the CRPG do the big epic, 8 movie, Harry Potter thing. I prefer my gaming to be more like a TV series - nice chunks, digestible, and it usually does not die in the middle since it was not that long to begin with.
4. Dragon Age and WoW, which are hugely influenced by D&D and other pnps, have made gaming in general more socially acceptable. Plus it made Tank and Spank a socially acceptable phrase.
5. Overall positive. Its another medium to tell a cool story. Its given some negatives, which gives us grognards something to grumble about (which is what we really want to do - we are not happy unless we are complaining).
A couple of thoughts (and I am too lazy to quote and them people may not even be around anymore):
1. On kids not able to use their imagination and just rip of computer games: That, I call
. Before computer games, players and DMs just ripped off other sources. I think the poster was too young to remember the Drizzt clone phase. The best DMs tend to be the ones that rip off other cool things.2. On CRPG not having roleplay, I also call
. Some there is clearly no social roleplay aspects. Some games (Dragon Age, Mass Effect) have quite a bit. Sure, its structured, but I look at it as the back end of the player bumbling out some words, rolling the diplomacy/intimidate skill, and the outcome is the "smoothed value." In reality, pnp games are the same. Sometimes you get some roleplay, sometimes you get beer, pretzels, and a dead gnome.3. CRPG have freed the DMs from having to do the World Shattering Epic, most of which die long before a satisfying resolution is reached in pnp. I say let the CRPG do the big epic, 8 movie, Harry Potter thing. I prefer my gaming to be more like a TV series - nice chunks, digestible, and it usually does not die in the middle since it was not that long to begin with.
4. Dragon Age and WoW, which are hugely influenced by D&D and other pnps, have made gaming in general more socially acceptable. Plus it made Tank and Spank a socially acceptable phrase.
5. Overall positive. Its another medium to tell a cool story. Its given some negatives, which gives us grognards something to grumble about (which is what we really want to do - we are not happy unless we are complaining).
Ahnehnois
First Post
Where pen-and-paper gaming has tried to emulate computer gaming, I'd say the effects of the latter are generally negative. Gaming in person is about little personal interactions, commonsense depictions of events, off-the-ball joking and conversation...generally things that don't pertain to computers. The increased focus on 'balance' and 'fairness' is a problem.
Where players have chosen to play computer games instead of interact with the people in front of them, that's definitely negative.
The positive influence comes more from where PnP games have tried to compete with CRPGs by becoming more narrativist, more real. A game like Trail of Cthulhu or the Cortex games doesn't adapt at all to a computer game nor does it draw from them. Where games have forcibly diverged from each other (similarly where CRPGs have become more playable) is where things have gone right.
Where players have chosen to play computer games instead of interact with the people in front of them, that's definitely negative.
The positive influence comes more from where PnP games have tried to compete with CRPGs by becoming more narrativist, more real. A game like Trail of Cthulhu or the Cortex games doesn't adapt at all to a computer game nor does it draw from them. Where games have forcibly diverged from each other (similarly where CRPGs have become more playable) is where things have gone right.
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