video game D&D?

I'm convinced we'll see a return to the basics. You see it throughout human history in many facets. Things get really complex and then we rebel against the complexity and simplify. There's already a rising tide in more people playing old school games. I think we'll see a new generation of DTP published games from people. There will be a second coming.

serleran wrote:Descent blows compared to Warhammer Quest. The miniatures for WHQ are vastly superior, and the game play much cleaner, and more immersive - it can actually be a roleplaying game aside from the board game. So, no, today's gamers have it far worse - they have to be handheld and coddled. They've had their imaginations emasculated in many ways. All that great graphics has stolen their ability to see with their eyes shut, and the linear, repetitive nature of what they do play has forced them into save mode tabletopping, if they can even do it... so, what is coming? Hopefully something that shatters the status quo. I have hopes for some products, but I am not sure the new generation can be "saved."

My that is gloomy. The molds for Warhammer Quest were cool, though the relentless grey hard plastic was uninspiring to a non-painter. The mini's in Descent are more appealing to me.

Todays gamers do have a handicap. Too much has been done. I was lucky enough to be in highschool when D&D first appreared and was presented with a bare bones game system with little or no prewritten material to draw upon. I had to use my imagination or die, or at least not have anything ready for the players when we got together to play.  

But I do not agree with the principal Skinner philosophy ("These children have no future"). Primarily games are about inspiring imagination and a game like Descent does that, even if the rules aren't great. A bad rule system can inspire a creative mind to make better rules. I know that the blue D&D rulebook out of that first boxed set only had spells and charts for the 1st few levels of experience. We had to make our own after that and we did, which is what helped to make D&D such an incredible experience. Todays gamers have to wade through the mire of terrible, bad, okay, good and even fantastic material. They'd be better off starting just with their own imagination, but I have no doubt that their imagination will win out. For me a game like Descent instantly capture my imagination and inspires me. After 30+ years of gaming that impresses me.

What games inspire you today? Modules, game systems, boardgames?

Descent for me, from what I have seen of it, Tide of Iron, etc... I'm impressed by the new FFG releases. What about pen and paper? Any new modules or games systems? Any hidden gems?

Busman wrote:I'm convinced we'll see a return to the basics. You see it throughout human history in many facets. Things get really complex and then we rebel against the complexity and simplify. There's already a rising tide in more people playing old school games. I think we'll see a new generation of DTP published games from people. There will be a second coming.

I hope so. I never got into the style of 2nd edition play. It went in a different direction than I'd hoped. I also didn't like the slick professional feel of AD&D once it became successful. Judges Guild's Dark Tower, the style of the early Dragon Mags and monochrome modules, ink sketches rather than full color ilustrations. Rough paper, black & white, like Pegasus or the Dungeoneer, I find those much more appealing. And game systems and campaigns that offer a skeleton for a creative mind to flesh out. I'd like to see RPGs stress and instruct on role-playing with a solid dice and card based combat system to hold the roleplaying up. I hope Arthur wakens from his sleep and hears the cries of his people waiting for their hero-king to come again and lead them to glory.

JZavoda wrote:
My that is gloomy. The molds for Warhammer Quest were cool, though the relentless grey hard plastic was uninspiring to a non-painter. The mini's in Descent are more appealing to me.

Todays gamers do have a handicap. Too much has been done. I was lucky enough to be in highschool when D&D first appreared and was presented with a bare bones game system with little or no prewritten material to draw upon. I had to use my imagination or die, or at least not have anything ready for the players when we got together to play.  

But I do not agree with the principal Skinner philosophy ("These children have no future"). Primarily games are about inspiring imagination and a game like Descent does that, even if the rules aren't great. A bad rule system can inspire a creative mind to make better rules. I know that the blue D&D rulebook out of that first boxed set only had spells and charts for the 1st few levels of experience. We had to make our own after that and we did, which is what helped to make D&D such an incredible experience. Todays gamers have to wade through the mire of terrible, bad, okay, good and even fantastic material. They'd be better off starting just with their own imagination, but I have no doubt that their imagination will win out. For me a game like Descent instantly capture my imagination and inspires me. After 30+ years of gaming that impresses me.

What games inspire you today? Modules, game systems, boardgames?

Descent for me, from what I have seen of it, Tide of Iron, etc... I'm impressed by the new FFG releases. What about pen and paper? Any new modules or games systems? Any hidden gems?

I think we've house gamed every single board game we ever played.  My four year old grandson is fascinated by the TSR oldie Warlocks and Warriors and we've both already houseruled the heck out of it to make it more fun. I think games like Descent and Runebound look cool, and I have no doubt we will house rule that to death also to make them play "better", or more as we like them.

Jason you are right with one thing, back in the old days we didn't have to swim through so much dreck to get to the good stuff, I feel bad for the RPG gamer that has to wade through so much waste.  Luckily some good products do exist that can inspire, but it may be harder than ever to find them!  Castles and Crusades is a GREAT system to start someone out on, it has the simplicity of early D&D with a few added twists to make it more interesting and playable.  Serelan is right it does exactly what it sets out to do.

I don't think there is anything unique here but I think Castle Whiterock could be quite inspiring to a beginning DM or player. If this had come out 25 years ago we as gamers would have cults dedicated to something like this, it's every thing we wanted the original Castle Greyhawk to be, namely a double digit level ruin exploration. Like I said nothing really new here but I can see if I was a newbie just looking at the box and maps would get me excited.  The same thing did happen to me when I opened Ed Greenwood's Ruins of Undermountain and saw all those gigantic poster maps, and thought about all the cool creatures and adventures I could put within! Night Below had a similar but smaller effect on me.  I can't really think of anything else since then that has really fired me up enough to want to immediately run an adventure.  Old School wise T1-4 hit me like that, as did the original D1 when it came out (seeing that gigantic underdark map with only a few encounter spots filled in!!!).   Sometimes when I see a particular Goodman games cover by Otus I get that twinge a bit, but the thought of having to convert eveyrthing to 2E immediately damps my enthusiasm.  

Maybe someday I'll work Castle Whiterock over and make it playable but truthfully it would just be easier to run T1-4 or Ruins of Undermountain or even Night Below again since these are already in a playable format.  So I guess I'm still waiting for the post 1999 product that will get me so excited I will just have to sit down and run a session even if it means a lot of work on my part converting it.....

Mike B.

What games inspire you today? Modules, game systems, boardgames?

I think at this point it would be rediscovering some of the little gems published in early White Dwarf magazines back in the day.  So many odd and unusual things that seem to fit so well with the Wilderlands setting that I will most likely start incorporating some of them when I start back playing once again.  Ahhh ... for the good old days ... nostalgia rears up once more ...