SMG: In Search of a Game - A Rant

[Hussar]

Took a gander at the latest Save My Game offering from WOTC. Not a bad little article. Nice to see En World get some props. But, I got a beef, so let me pontificate from atop my soapbox a moment.

Who do gamers like me who use OpenRPG or Fantasy Grounds have to kill to get any sort of official recognition?

Come on, he's giving directions to a bloody USENET site that has been relegated to the boneyard of the dinosaurs since before 3ed even saw print! You can't even access usenet sites from a standard browser in many cases and he even admits this.

But, as my eyes trail down the article, I see WOTC's boards, I see trolling the local library, but I see SFA about some of the most established gaming platforms out there. Jeez. OpenRPG has been around for several years now. Their boards see pretty brisk traffic and I KNOW that the second that I post a thread for a new game I have ten new players the next day. I don't use Fantasy Grounds, but, I'm pretty sure it sees similar if not even better levels of traffic.

Yet, WOTC brushes it off as completely unimportant. What gives? Is chat based gaming the pariah of D&D? Do we smell bad or something? I shower every day, and, hell, I game online, it doesn't matter if I have Gamer Funk! C'mon Wizards, how about spreading the word that there are other options besides tabletop for gamers that want to game?

 

[Lanefan]

Could be they don't see chat-based gaming as an avenue to sell non-book accessories e.g. minis. Or, that they (like me, truth be told) see the game as first and foremost a social experience involving people being in the same room at the same time... ::shrug:: ...who knows?

Lanefan

 

[Henry]

To be fair, he can't cover every single option out there (I'm amused myself that ENWOrld came in one step above a no-longer updated website, and RPG.net isn't mentioned) but beyond that, it's possibly it either didn't occur to him, or his focus was on face-to-face tabletop gaming. I'll admit, chat-type gaming is great for when you can't find a local group, or you just don't have time when the locals have their free time, etc.

 

[Mark CMG]

Hussar - You need a better publicist.

 

[Chiaroscuro23]

I keep thinking the SMG in the title is net-shorthand for Sarah Michelle Gellar, and wondering why she has so much trouble finding a gaming group. Maybe they always want to play the Buffy RPG?

 

[EyeontheMountain]

He missed way more options than just Open RPG or Fantasy Grounds.

 

[Tetsubo]

Took a gander at the latest Save My Game offering from WOTC. Not a bad little article. Nice to see En World get some props. But, I got a beef, so let me pontificate from atop my soapbox a moment.

Who do gamers like me who use OpenRPG or Fantasy Grounds have to kill to get any sort of official recognition?

Come on, he's giving directions to a bloody USENET site that has been relegated to the boneyard of the dinosaurs since before 3ed even saw print! You can't even access usenet sites from a standard browser in many cases and he even admits this.

But, as my eyes trail down the article, I see WOTC's boards, I see trolling the local library, but I see SFA about some of the most established gaming platforms out there. Jeez. OpenRPG has been around for several years now. Their boards see pretty brisk traffic and I KNOW that the second that I post a thread for a new game I have ten new players the next day. I don't use Fantasy Grounds, but, I'm pretty sure it sees similar if not even better levels of traffic.

Yet, WOTC brushes it off as completely unimportant. What gives? Is chat based gaming the pariah of D&D? Do we smell bad or something? I shower every day, and, hell, I game online, it doesn't matter if I have Gamer Funk! C'mon Wizards, how about spreading the word that there are other options besides tabletop for gamers that want to game?

Sorry but the USENET dnd group is still quite active. I post to it and read it daily. You get out of something what you put in...

 

[The Hound]

The article is in answer to a gamer's question:

"I've had a very hard time trying to find anyone near my area who's interested in playing D&D.. Are there any websites where I can join up and play online? Or is there a website I can join and see local groups that are looking for members???"

The answer seems to be talking exclusively about solutions to the last part of the question - how to find a local live-and-in-person tabletop game. He seems to be totally ignorant of things like Fantasy Grounds, OpenRPG, etc. etc. etc. Note the statement:

"If you are thinking about an entirely virtual tabletop D&D game, with everyone at their own computer, electronic dice rolling, and real-time communication -- it can be done, but there are obstacles." (Like what, installing some software???).

You might want to email him with a list of software packages and websites - and then invite him to join one of your online games to see what it's like!

 

[Hussar]

Oh, I know that he's talking about tabletop gaming. It just bugs me that pretty much every day I see someone bemoaning how they can't play because there's either no one around them to play with or time constraints or whatever. But, they're posting on an internet board which means they have internet access.... sooooo..... they could, in about 39 seconds find an online chat based game.

Yeah, I know that there are more programs out there than Open and FG. Those were the two that came to mind first.

Sure, it's not for everyone, but, as the technology improves, it certainly isn't playing second fiddle to tabletop. So many of the problems that people talk about in their table top games I never see - keep track of buffs? Program does that. Making multiple rolls for attack? Program does that. Need to add up umpteen dice every round? Program does that.

Honestly, I find that online gaming has become on par with tabletop. Certain elements, such as staying in character, I would say are even easier online.

To be quite honest, given the choice, I'm not entirely sure I'd go back to playing tabletop again. Online is just so much more convenient and every bit as rewarding.

IMO.

BTW, The Hound, what is this program of which you speaK?

 

[Mark CMG]

Oh, I know that he's talking about tabletop gaming. It just bugs me that pretty much every day I see someone bemoaning how they can't play because there's either no one around them to play with or time constraints or whatever. But, they're posting on an internet board which means they have internet access.... sooooo..... they could, in about 39 seconds find an online chat based game.

For good or for ill, I think for some, perhaps many of those people, they are bemoaning how they can't play a tabletop game, specifically, and are not interested in online gaming. Probably, if more people felt as you do (that online is an acceptable substitute for lack of tabletop gaming), you would discover there was less grumbling. I have a feeling that it is less a matter of educating people of the online options and more about their preferences for face-to-face contact while gaming. Perhaps webcams, larger monitors/flat screens (that allow for larger sizes of multiple open windows), and advancements in interactive gaming softwares will breakdown those barriers further.