Video Games or Pen & Paper Games?

I was discussing this topic with a few peers the other day and was wondering if there are as many people getting together with their friends to play pen and paper, face to face RPG's,or are we in a life that is so busy, hectic, and encouraging in its need for immediate gratification, that video games are the only thing we do these days. I know I've touched on this at least once before, but the audience has grown and I believe that I have more insight on why we do what we do.

Do you make time to spend time with your friends face to face or do you strictly speak to them online in a game, via text or in an email? How busy are we these days, I wonder?

I am going to a friends house this evening to play a game and am looking forward to it. I haven't played a face to face P&P game for over a year and did not realize how much I missed it. There is something special about seeing friends in person and sharing food, drink a few laughs that video games cannot compete with. Now, I am not condemning video games because I play them too. Its too easy to play 'em due to the facts that they are so fun and stimulate your senses like nothing else. Am I right?

But there is a dynamic to the P&P RPG's that video games cannot capture: human input. It is the best and most incentivizing reason to play RPG's with other people--human intervention and human reason. It makes the games so much more fun to me.

What are your thoughts?

Oh, and before I close, let me remind you that a friend also makes full color, full scale battle maps for pen & paper RPG's ! Check him out at INFERNALTITANS.COM!

Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All Artwork and covers by William J. Kenney

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See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Also, please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Which version of D&D do you play?

I was going to do a post about different gaming attractions and such, but then I decided to break it down into different versions of Dungeons & Dragons specifically. Reason being is that I have several friends who play older versions of Dungeons and Dragons as well as the more current 3.0, 3.5 and 4^th editions as well as the DDO MMORPG. (Eberron? Really?!)

I have been staying current, albeit reluctantly at first, as I generally fear change! Actually, not really, but, I saw no good reason to move forward as I thought that 3^rd edition was pretty good and advanced D&D as far as it could go. I may have been right! Current 4^th edition D&D is a far cry from your older versions and really mirrors the feel of an MMORPG, which I assume it feels as its competition.

Again, these are my opinions, so feel free to disagree. I love a good debate.

I think each of the versions has 'good' and 'bad' characteristics and I wanted to touch on a few of the good and bad. Let me preface also by adding that I think all of them have their place and they are meant for you to have fun in whatever form that may take.

Older versions of D&D were fun, simplistic and a bit generic. Role-playing was the key as well as the imagination of the DM and players both. Managing your inventory is another factor as it added a ‘realistic’ quality to the game. I personally did not enjoy this as I felt it detracted from the overall game-play and felt more like homework than actual fun! In addition, I felt that there was nothing heroic about an average guy picking up a sword and shield to go adventuring—it’s just silly. Add in the fact that all classes were basically the same. (ie. all characters have the same statistics, hit points, etc, like your fighter is made in a production line like a car or a piece of equipment), detracted from it further as more modern versions became available. But, it was an older representation and sometimes classic is the way to go. It was very dependent upon the story and the environment to move the game along. I personally enjoy the character that I play and want him to be a bit more…heroic? But, I digress--to each his own--que sera sera.

Third edition was pretty unique in that it diversified from the norm and really brought old school D&D into the modern age. It felt like an amazing leap in game mechanics while still keeping the familiar names, spells and abilities we all knew and loved. You could custom build your fighter, rogue, barbarian, etc. so that he or she was different from the others. Multi-classing, prestige classes and customizations were its strengths. Third edition was also ground-breaking in that they opened the game up to the community and made it essentially an open-source product (think Linux) which enhances the overall game experience as the consumer has a vested interest in the end product. However, as supplements became more and more available, power-gaming eventually put an end to this version and the market was saturated with over-the-top classes/variations/prestige classes. Sometimes, we experienced that a player accidentally created an overpowered character! Yikes! 

In 4^th edition, I kind of miss the skill selection or separation as I think they may have lumped too many of the individual skills into one overall skill. That being said, simplification has its place, I suppose. DM’ing has seriously gotten easier, encounters can be extremely easy to prepare and balance and the monsters are quite easy to manage now. As opposed to third edition where a significant monster may have two pages of spells, abilities and powers of which would send your head spinning when it was the monsters turn to go! Balance I think is the key to 4^th edition and it is very clear that they wanted combat to be very gripping and encapsulating to the point of making the battles a bit more epic. It certainly has become a tabletop game for the most part.

I have also heard grumblings on the internet that 4^th edition loses the RP feel, which I disagree with totally. This is completely up to your DM as it is his or her job to add that element. I have also heard that 4^th edition isn’t deadly enough. Wrong again…I have gotten my derriere handed to me several times and have been in one TPK (total Party Kill.) It was vicious! 

I am the DM! Whatever I say-goes!

All in all, I think you can take each framework of the game and add whatever style you like to it as they all have their own charm and ambiance. The bottom lines is that we are having fun, exploring dungeons and slaying dragons…After all, this is what it’s all about!

My question to you is: What version do you like best and why?

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit my HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.  

Interview with an Avid D&D Gamer

 

 A very good friend of mine is a HUGE Dungeons and Dragons gamer. He has played since 1987 to present. He has played alongside your truly as well, but most of the time without. That being said, I wanted to do a brief interview for all of you gamers and D&D players who have played over the years and thought it would be cool to ask him a few questions. He was kind enough to take the time to answer my questions.

The interview is with Nicholas Titano of Infernal Titans, a company that he established this year in an attempt to provide gaming maps (at first) to the gaming community as he felt there were very few to choose from. Check his website out here...go now! And then come back here to see what Nick had to say!

We here at INFERNAL TITANS have been avid gamers for over two decades and as such, have had our finger on the pulse of the gaming community the entire time. Being mindful of your income, our goal is to not only provide the gaming community with quality products at an affordable price, but to satisfy what our own players have been clamoring for in the past few years: new gaming products! We strive to produce the highest quality role playing supplements that we can and look forward to producing many more in the future. These products are the first in a line of what we hope will be MANY products that make your game (and ours) a more enjoyable experience.

INFERNAL TITANS

What drew you to Dungeons & Dragons?

I was always a fan of swashbuckling sword and sorcery stories. My favorite toys as a child were the castle themed Lego sets, and anything Star Wars. So Dungeons & Dragons was a natural progression.

What is the most important element of the game in your opinion?

The social element. Dungeons & Dragons is inherently a group activity, if you don't like the people you play with, you are not going to enjoy yourself.

Did anyone ever ask you if you won or lost a game of Dungeons & Dragons?

Yes, on several occasions. It's usually a waste of time to try to explain the game to them, so I usually just say "Yes, yes I did."

How would you attract new gamers in the video game age?

Make a video game. If the game accurately simulates the tabletop experience, that would generate interest in the tabletop game. Then couple the video game experience with an in depth online community that caters to the video gamers, and the tabletop gamers. Thereby creating an interconnected community of gamers.

Making the game more dynamic, accessible, and user friendly is also a good idea.

What do you like best as a player in Dungeons & Dragons?

Being a part of a team. I generally lean towards characters that fill more of a supporting role when I play.

What do you like best in the role of Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons?

Creating memorable experiences for my friends.

Why do you still play after 20+ years of playing?

Because I still enjoy it. As I grow and change, so does the game. That's the beauty of a tabletop RPG, it can be anything you want it to be. There are no constraints.

What is your favorite edition of Dungeons & Dragons?

4th edition is my favorite. Its elegant mechanics are far easier to work with than any previous edition. At the same time it brings back the feelings I had as a 12 year old back in 1987 paging through the old Red Box Basic Edition- "Anything is possible in this world".

What is your most memorable event in Dungeons & Dragons as either a player or a Dungeon Master?

 

Surprisingly my most memorable events occur away from the table, as opposed to at it. The fact that my wife named her cat after an NPC from one of my campaigns is awesome. Obviously that campaign, and that NPC in particular, had a profound impact on her. That's just one of many. My players remembered minute details about a minor NPC whose purpose was purely comic relief. The party was close to Epic levels, so I figured one of the "famous" heroes should have a stalker. They remembered that his "spirit companion" (The PC he is stalking is a 4E shaman) was a plush badger attached to a string. Things like that stand out to me more than anything specific that happens at the table.

What do you think of the internet wars of Pathfinder vs. Dungeons & Dragons?

I don't, and neither should anyone else. Internet "Wars" are a waste of time.

Nick can be reached here:

customerservice@infernaltitans.com

Oh, before I forget, go like Nick's facebook page found here. It is so easy! Follow the link here, click the 'Like' button! It is super simple!Thanks in advance for you assumed compliance and cooperation in this matter. :-)

NICK'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Also, I would encourage any of you who are interested to take one of the questions, copy it and paste your answer in the comments!

See you in Wothlondia! (And maybe at the gaming table!) Cheers!

Please visit: www.ashenclaw.com to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.