MMORPGs, what D&D players SHOULD learn from them

[Mark]

I hear a lot of disparaging comments linking 4th ed to MMORPGs, well, frankly a lot of D&D players should learn from MMORPGs!

I've -

Yup!


Let's do this!


Leeeeeeeeeeerooooooooooy Jenkins!

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

At which point, the idiot gets booted out of his guild and his corpse left in a spot he may never get it back from, because no one will ever help him!
*evil laughs*

Seen a few Leroy type idiocies pulled over the years, sigh....
Kael Drakkal was good for twerps running giants into your Vindi raids etc....grrr.
Or
Twerps pulling Phinigel Autropos to zone in as you form up in Kedge Keep...

And don't even MENTION wizards who Evac you, the only Call of Hero magician, OUT of Vesshans Peak, lol

 

[TarionzCousin]

Our gaming group has always been mostly cooperative and highly tactically aware with all versions of the game (1E, 2E, C&T, 3.x). Occasionally a new player coming into the group would play a more selfish style, but they'd either eventually adapt to our more cooperative style or move on elsewhere.

If I move to your city, may I join your group?

But back to the OP, you make some very good points, and overall I agree with most of what you wrote. However, not everyone enjoys cooperating or following orders or using smart tactics. D&D is as flexible as its DMs, and players can still have lots of fun regardless of whether their style of play would have succeeded in an MMORPG.

That said, I appreciate your having taken the time to formulate your opinion and write it out for us. It makes for a good starting point to a lively discussion.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Tarionzcousin,
my pleasure, mate

 

[Mirtek]

4e won't do that. The laws of nature will.

In earlier editions it worked quite well. I will play mostly in RPGA groups and in these pick up groups the characters don't know each other and sometimes don't even like each other.

The earlier editions simply had much less of these combo-things, flanking was already one of the more tactical complex things you could do. The melees went into the melee, the ranged folk tried to stay at range and that's it. No need to plan the next three rounds for what everybody has to do in perfect coordination with each other.

It's not playing dumb, it's just anyone fighting on his own without thinking about this "if I do X and he does Y and next round I do A and he does B then in the third round from now we will be able to unleash the big smackdown".


Fighting on his own anyone naturally still fights like it's best for him to fight (the wizard won't charge into melee and the fighter with all the londsword feats won't pull out his bow)