Whats Wrong with Ganking CRPG Stuff???

[Henry]

Unfortunately, he's also not really, so, instead of an omnicient and omnipotent GM, we have our all too human DM who makes mistakes, forgets stuff, stumbles, fumbles and whatnot his way through adventures. He may know everything, but, when it comes time to remember something...

Except that a computer can't even do that much... yet...

 

[The Little Raven]

Can mods add original content and dungeons of your own design to the crpg you're playing?

In Neverwinter Nights and it's sequel, Oblivion, and a bunch of other CRPGs you can. MMOs aren't the only games out there.

 

[Hussar]

Except that a computer can't even do that much... yet...

Heh. True. But, at least the computer will never tell you to roll the wrong dice:

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1297

Not that I'm remotely claiming any superiority for CRPG's. I'm totally not. But, there are points where CRPG's have a bit of an edge. To me, if an idea has merit, I don't care where it comes from. Gank it. I've never understood this impulse by gamers to somehow preserve the "purity" of the game from certain influences. D&D has always been the kitchen sink game - steal whatever looks cool at the time. Why stop now?

 

[TwinBahamut]

I made a post earlier about this, but it seems ENWorld stopped working for me right when I was posting it. Oh well...

The characters can only act as they are written? Um...yes. That I suppose is correct. I would really be impressed if characters in a written work could act in any way other then how their creator put on the paper. :\ Fantasy fiction as a source is essentially unlimited because you can write down anything you think of. Few things in my opinion are as unlimited as the written word.

Arn't you holding videogames and books to different standards, then? By this logic, videogames are just as unlimited as books, if not more so (since books, at least, require you interact completely with text and static images, which is not a requirement for videogames). Game designers can make anything they can think of, and have unlimited possibilities for gameplay and story.

From the perspective of creators, both videogames and books have unlimited options and potential. From the perspective of players and readers, the experience is completely determined by how the creator permits the reader to interact with it. In both cases, there tend to be more options and flexibility in videogames.

Either way, the "freedom to do whatever I want" is a pretty bad thing to measure different forms of entertainment by. It is completely unrelated to the enjoyability of any particular medium, and few things even hold it as any form of ideal. Why measure most videogames by their ability to create an infinitely varied sandbox experience, if so few of them even hold that as a goal to achieve, and most are very enjoyable regardless? Actually, I tend to think that the infinite sandbox is a pretty boring experience, in games and in D&D itself.

Also, the only infinite sandboxes you seen in books or movies are blank pieces of paper and blank rolls of film, so I doubt those mediums would want to be measured by that odd ideal either.

Can mods add original content and dungeons of your own design to the crpg you're playing?

Yes, that is the entire point of a mod.

 

[Doug McCrae]

A hero in a D&D game should defeat the villain if he comes up with a plan that works. Any plan that he can think of, not just the plans the DM thought of. Or he could join the villain. Or he could just go off and become a pirate

And what if the player thinks the plan works and the DM doesn't?

Joining the villain or becoming a pirate will only work if the rest of the party wants to go along with it. This sort of thing is much easier in single player sandbox crpgs such as Morrowind or Oblivion. In these games you can go anywhere you want, join any number of factions. That's why I like them - they offer so much *more* freedom than trpgs.

Multiplayer games, such as tabletop rpgs are inherently more limited than single player games because the wishes of the many will always have more weight than the wishes of one person. Most of the time you can't do what you want because your wishes are unlikely to exactly coincide with those of everyone else at the table. So you're forced to compromise.

 

[Doug McCrae]

If you want to do something and your GM says no, its your GM that is limited or limiting and not the game itself.

The presence of other people are an essential feature of trpgs. Other people are always going to be a limitation on my freedom.

 

[Nifft]

Other people are always going to be a limitation on my freedom.

Yes but they're fun at parties.

Cheers, -- N

 

[The Green Adam]

I suppose there is no point in putting forth further discussion on this subject for me. Semantics and such will prevent this from continuing on as a friendly arguement and likely degenerate quickly.

I will admit that the limitions and/or lack there of for each and every form of entertainment is completely dependent on one's individual point of view (what isn't?). So...simply put, I don't feel that the hobby of table-top roleplaying games would benefit from an abundance of computer and video game inspired rule mechanics unless your trying to create a computer or video game themed RPG. Just not what I'm looking for.

AD

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Yes but they're fun at parties.

Cheers, -- N

Unless the other people are your neighbors that have to go up at 6 o'clock in the morning.

Hell is other people.

 

[Hussar]

Unless the other people are your neighbors that have to go up at 6 o'clock in the morning.

Hell is other people.

Ooo. Props for the Camus reference.

I don't feel that the hobby of table-top roleplaying games would benefit from an abundance of computer and video game inspired rule mechanics unless your trying to create a computer or video game themed RPG. Just not what I'm looking for.

Did an abundance of wargamed inspired rules make for an RPG that was wargame themed? D&D was modeled pretty heavily on the wargames of the time. Does that mean that D&D must be a wargame themed RPG?