D&D 5E Mining Video Games for D&D

[Zardnaar]

What are peoples thoughts about mining video games for D&D. More than a few games these days have great plots that can be used in D&D and not just RPGs or games from the fantasy genre. I recnt months I have been playing some Xboxone/360 and PS4 titles while I use the PCs for strategy games. Game sI have played over the last few months.

Gran Theft Auto V
Halo Collection
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag
Mass Effect 2&3

Anyway one thing I am looking at incorporating into my D&D games is the exploration/crafting parts of Rise of the Tomb Raider and AC4. I often put in sidequests and sandbox elements from games like GTAV and Bioware games.

 

[Imaculata]

I like some of the cool boss designs, and level designs found in some games. For example, the classic Thief games (not the awful remake) have briljant open ended level design.

 

[Zardnaar]

Never played thief, did not have access to a PC back then.

 

[iserith]

I get all my ideas from 80s video games:

Mario Does D&D

Joust!

 

[OB1]

Metal Gear Solid 5 is currently my primary inspiration for level design. I really like the way it splits open world non mission time with set piece missions that allow for multiple styles. Clever play can lead to making even the toughest missions a cakewalk, while even 'easy' challenges can become near impossible if approached in the wrong way. Most importantly, the enemies and the world constantly react to your tactics. Try sniping all the time, and soon soldiers are wearing helmets and bullet proof vests, or send out more patrols to search for you, or get a sniper of their own to take you out.

 

[ccs]

One of my favorite video games when I was a kid was Pharoh, Sphinx(? can never remember it's name anymore) from Activision for the Intelli-vision system.
It was a top scrolling exploration game set in ancient Egypt. You had to maneuver you guy about the desert fighting scorpions, mummies, etc while trying to assemble a staff.

Of course I turned it into a D&D adventure!

 

[Beleriphon]

For me its Deus Ex all the way. Open ended level design, the very first mission in Deus Ex is one of the best video game areas ever. Its Liberty Island, based on the real map of the thing, it has access points to accomplish your mission all over the place and enough ammo of every type you can access at that point in the game to make your lethal/non-lethal preference a completely valid approach.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is for me personally better in this regard, where the augments and play style make a bigger impact than anything else. My current play through is straight up stealth/non-lethal combat and damn does it occasionally make things way harder to accomplish.

 

[AnimeSniper]

Video Games and other media formats can be a great source of inspiration for any tabletop rpg campaign from allowing for quest based excursions to unique one-of-a-kind equipment for the party.

Now trying to emulate a video game as it is played on Console or PC can become tedious for the DM and players who know of the game series unless you take a unique spin on the storyline of the series... Example- HALO the players a mixed party of UNSC personnel caught/left behind on one of the colony worlds after the Covenant attacks and must find a way of surviving till extraction/rescue or find a way of leaving the planet... or even post-destruction of the Flood

 

[Saeviomagy]

The main thing you have to remember when bringing over video game ideas is that D&D doesn't have a respawn mechanic. If you want to have an unusual boss mechanic (for example), then it either has to be optional, blatantly obvious, or the boss has to hit like a wet noodle until the players work it out.

 

[Shiroiken]

A good DM will scour anything for ideas: video games, books, movies, tv shows, comics, even current events. Back in the day, I ran a great story arc based loosely on the Knightfall graphic novel. Even the player who'd read it never realized until after the fact