MMORPGs death of RPG

[Turjan]

I once played Ultima Online. I really liked that game, but it was a real time killer. I got rid of it after about 6 months. I don't think that MMORPGs are compatible with a normal work schedule and a social life, except you are a disciplined personality, who can keep the gaming time very limited. For me, this didn't work.

 

[Greylock]

But the experience I have first hand is that it was the Baldur's Gate computer games that got a number of people interested playing PnP RPGs.

You're free to thunder away. Don't let me stop you.

BG has introduced untold numbers of folks to DnD. In a very, very round-about way it had a hand in getting me back in the fold. But the learning curve is very steep, and I've found the BG crowd (nice folks!) to be less interested in the current edition. That's kinda why I gave the shout-out to NWN, but BG is worthy in its own right of recognition.

 

[Turjan]

BG has introduced untold numbers of folks to DnD. In a very, very round-about way it had a hand in getting me back in the fold. But the learning curve is very steep, and I've found the BG crowd (nice folks!) to be less interested in the current edition. That's kinda why I gave the shout-out to NWN, but BG is worthy in its own right of recognition.

BG was what brought me to D&D . I know of a few others, too.

 

[Hammerhead]

In my insidious and deceptive manner, I've used Baldur's Gate to introduce three members of my current gaming group to RPGs. Get them hooked to the idea, then show them how much better real roleplaying is.

MMORPGs replacing tabletop? Not on your life. World of Warcraft is awesome, of course, but not as awesome as role playing. And it's probably more expensive too.

 

[tarchon]

I've tried various free MMORPGs from time to time, and I have to say I've pretty much lost interest in them. They seem to be geared to the truely hardcore addicts that spend their whole lives practically glued to the screen.

Yeah, that's my experience. The "massive multiplayer" aspect really means "massive multi-teenagers who can play 8 hours a day, 7 days a week." I really never could build up the level of expertise required to be tolerated by the 733t, and solo play gets boring after a bit. Poorly designed for people who have real lives.

 

[Turjan]

Yeah, that's my experience. The "massive multiplayer" aspect really means "massive multi-teenagers who can play 8 hours a day, 7 days a week." I really never could build up the level of expertise required to be tolerated by the 733t, and solo play gets boring after a bit. Poorly designed for people who have real lives.

We had a few pensionists, too. The leader of one of 'our' befriended UO guilds was 68 years old .

 

[Wayside]

Maybe a more accurate analogy would be paying for the gas you use.

Nah, the gas in this analogy would be covered by your ISP subscription. I wouldn't mind as much if Blizzard released the engine for modders, or if the ability to run your own WoW server was there (whether there was a proviso in the EULA stating you couldn't charge money or not). Seeing as how Battle.net has always been free, I was a little surprised by this, but I never had plans to play WoW anyway, even with people offering to pay the subscription for me. Guild Wars is much more interesting, isn't mired in the same old MMO shtick, and is free (after buying the game, of course). After that, I'd rather see what people do with Half-Life 2's Source engine, or Unreal 3's, as far as RPG's go.

As for the original question, I don't know of it ever happening for a campaign, but years ago after EQ came out we did, now that I think about it, stop our very casual, occasional, spontaneous WEG Star Wars game, when our GM got into the whole MMO thing. But we were only getting together to play very erratically in the first place, so I wouldn't really count this.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I had two campaigns I was running that both were having trouble with scheduling that ended around the time I started playing EQ1. It made me disinclined to get out the defribulators, but at worst, it just accelerated an ongoing process.

And WoW's pace of patching looks worse than it ought to, since its primary competitor had a fast beta that didn't really do as much as WoW's alpha did. So the competitor having a for-pay open beta makes it look as though WoW is doing worse than it is.

Which isn't to say, of course, that I wouldn't like to see City of Heroes-style content patches each quarter.

 

[Goblyn]

How many of you have had your campaigns fail due to MMORPGs? I'm curious.

Bwah -ha-ha-hah- ha ... hah - ha- ha- haha. Hah ha hah ha ha ... ha ha ... heh ... he .. hm

...

Hah ha-haaa-ha, ha ha ha ha-ha ha....

huh .... ahem ....

I mean, none.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

MMORPGs are like methadone

Pen-and-Paper RPGs are like herion.

Though I do think a lot of time playing Everquest and City of Heroes has improved my DMing style.