The Witcher - Which sort of RPG is it? @ Rock, Paper, Scissors

I also liked the author's point about "RPG" being a historical thing that means “mechanics derived from D&D." That doesn't say enough, but I think it's a good place to start. D&D defined this genre.

D&D is the ultimate game. It's the one where anything's possible. That's worth keeping straight, IMO. But developers never mention that, no matter how often they discuss and describe RPG, and that's because they're not in the business of making that kind of game, not exactly. With technical and business constraints to consider, they compromise on that fantastic original concept.

The biggest difference between today's computer-based RPGs and the one that defined the genre is that today's are committed first-and-foremost to interpreting and presenting their worlds visually. That makes for cool simulation and nice immersion, but it's also hugely limiting.

Originally Posted by Squeek
I also liked the author's point about "RPG" being a historical thing that means “mechanics derived from D&D." That doesn't say enough, but I think it's a good place to start. D&D defined this genre.

D&D is the ultimate game. It's the one where anything's possible. That's worth keeping straight, IMO. But developers never mention that, no matter how often they discuss and describe RPG, and that's because they're not in the business of making that kind of game, not exactly. With technical and business constraints to consider, they compromise on that fantastic original concept.

I don't know. Plenty of RPGs used their own systems, often totally separate from D&D, especially ones based on books, because those have pre-set rules and characters. Or even if not based on books, do you really think that Fallout series were really derived from D&D for example?

I think fantasy books defined the gender, not D&D. D&D is used sometimes, but I would even argue it's not a very good system for cRPGs. Lots D&D mechanics get lost and bypassed in order to have the game be playable, in the end all feeling of it being a D&D game is mutated to something else. For example, when you play D&D on pen and paper, you take a long time to develop your character and often spend a lot more time walking around talking to people and using skills then fighting hordes of monsters. This gives a lot of extra depth and you get a lot more attached to your character. But in D&D based cRPGs you often end up doing the opposite, look at Icewind Dale, NWN, NWN2, or even the KotOR 1 and 2. You often get most of your levels from killing hordes of monsters in those, and end up with lvl 20 chars within a couple days. Hell, when I first played NWN for example, it felt like playing Diablo.

Id much prefer runequest system to dnd but they have only ever made one game for it.

Originally Posted by Sergius64
Plenty of RPGs used their own systems, often totally separate from D&D, especially ones based on books, because those have pre-set rules and characters.

Right. I'm agreeing with the author that D&D was the original RPG that defined the genre and that everything else came later. That's a good thing to remember, I think. It doesn't mean D&D dominates the genre. In other words I think progress is fine and should be viewed in its proper perspective.