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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 5416281" data-attributes="member: 5834">reAre you seriously trying to say that the video games from the late 70s early 80s are anywhere near comparable to today?I'm a gamer from the Red Basic Set. I know for certain there were no advanced video game systems anywhere near what they are today. I sat around reading books all the time. Chronicles of Narnia, Arthurian Legends, Greek and Norse mythology, and Lord of the Rings and all the other strange fantasy books of that time. Reading was still something kids did a lot because video game consoles were expensive and fairly new.Atari and Nintendo early on had Mario Brothers. Even a fantasy game like Gauntlet or Dragon's Lair paled in comparison to World of Warcraft or Everquest or even Neverwinter Nights.I watch this younger generation on their cell phones and computers playing video games I never even thought would exist back when I was young. And you're comparing the video games when D&D came out to what is out there now? That's pretty unbelievable to me.Kids can log on nowadays to a virtual fantasy world like WoW with other people from around the world and play characters most of us needed pen and paper to create. Fully developed, first person characters with all types of magic items and weapons and virtual monsters and a virtual world that allows them to engross themselves for hours of time for less than the cost of a D&D book. You spend about 17 a month ($204 a year) and $40 for the expansion and you get countless hours of gaming fun. No need to go to anyone's house. No need to have a book present or know a bunch of rules. No need to imagine what your character is doing, you can see it on the screen. No need for a world setting book or hours of prep time.Have you really not played an MMORPG to see what D&D is competing against?If you haven't played an MMORPG, then I can understand the lack of awareness of what video games are like now compared to 1980. But I'm telling you that D&D is competing with MMORPGs and it won't be easy.I knew when I saw the 4E ruleset and the various roles that a corporate edict was given to the game designers: Thou Shalt Design a Ruleset that is Video Game Friendly and especially works as an MMORPG.I figured even the people that are enjoying 4E knew that part of the design philosophy was based on making the game appealing to video gamers and making a ruleset easily turned into a video game. That's a very different influence than the books and tabletop tactical gaming that influenced the first generation of D&D gamers. You can see it in the new ruleset.And the need to design a game around the video game set is necessary because that is how competition works. D&D isn't competing against GURPS or Legend of Zelda any longer. D&D is competing against MMORPGs influenced by D&D taken to the virtual world through the computer. That's a hard level of competition.The only way to maximize the game and keep it alive is follow the money to the virtual world. D&D is trying to find a way to do it. But the previous ruleset was MMORPG unfriendly and this new one is exactly the type of ruleset that an MMORPG designer can work with.If I  had access to a 100 million plus, I would buy the rights to D&D and the Forgotten Realms and take it virtual. That's the big problem with an MMORPG is you need a lot of money to start up that type of business. It seems no one is willing to lay out the money to do it for D&D yet, even though D&D has the best source material that would far exceed World of Warcraft or Everquest.Could you imagine seeing a fully virtual Forgotten Realms populated by the archive of monsters D&D has built through the years? That would be amazing. Imagine a fully developed virtual Underdark. It's coming someday. Someday someone with money (maybe Hasbro) is going to get wise about all the D&D source material and shell out the cash to make an MMORPG out of it to rival World of Warcraft. This new 4E ruleset is the first step towards that end. They had to create a rule set that is easily rendered into video game form. Previous editions were either too simple (Basic D&D) or too complex and arcane (3rd Edition).As much as I don't care for 4E from a pen and paper perspective, the rule set looks perfect for an MMORPG. And Hasbro/WotC can make hundreds of millions by successfully turning D&D into a popular MMORPG. It will never make that much money in pen and paper gaming. D&D is an asset best leveraged into the MMORPG market to maximize revenues. Start off with Forgotten Realms core like Dalelands and Cormyr and the areas around there.Then have your expansions which you could base on each of the box sets: Underdark, Frozen North, Waterdeep and the Sword Coast.Then move into your planar regions with angels and demons. And build around Sigil and Planescape.Then incorporate planar travel and do Dark Sun and Mystara.The profit possibilities are endless. You have no idea how much I would love to have a 100 million laying around to capitalize a D&D MMORPG. The money possibilities as well as the sheer joy of bringing the vast D&D archive to life in a virtual world. That would be incredible fun.</blockquote>

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