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RPG Blog Carnival, May 2009: The Future Of Roleplaying

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  1. #1 Rebecca says:
    May 1, 2009 at 7:56 am

    When it comes to topic of technology and table top gaming, then EpicWords.com is coming up more and more in conversation. It’s a relatively new service that provides an on-line home for your RPG, where your entire group can chronicle their adventure, track their loot, and plan the next game. Basic accounts are free.

    Thanks again to Sam for being the first to post a review.

  2. #2 SonofDayerethsMom says:
    May 1, 2009 at 8:56 am

    Although some people may not like it, 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons is at the vanguard (as D&D usually is). They have put together a new mechanical paradigm that, while slightly more complicated than “I attack. I roll an 18. I do 7 points of damage”, it works well when you have learned it. People complain that the rules are light on roleplaying without realizing that tthat is Wizards of the Coast’s intention. Their game leaves roleplaying where it should be, in the hands of the players. Their support network game is unparalleled by any other RPG company out there and looks to be getting better with time, not worse or abandoned.

    There are areas I would like to see some minor improvement, but as I can’t offer a solution that improves on the game, I’ll keep mum on this one.

  3. #3 jonathan says:
    May 1, 2009 at 10:28 am

    @Sonof — 100% agree. Check out Newbie DM’s post recently on that exact topic. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that 4E is the New Old School. Rules for characters; not players. “Roleplaying is where is should be, in the hands of the players.” Well said.

    jonathan’s last blog post..Mordred — delayed till Monday

  4. #4 John Lewis says:
    May 1, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    @Jonathan. For months now I’ve been looking for the exact right phrase to articulate 4E and now you’ve beautifully provided one:

    Rules for characters; not players.

    Bravo my friend. This is exactly the paradigm shift I’ve been waiting for in gaming. I’ve long had the opinion that many of the games out there are trying to roleplay for you; mechanics for alignment, bonuses for “good roleplaying”, rules for personality, mechanical effects tied to personal quirks and traits etc. Even in 3e and earlier the game made certain roleplaying assumptions for you; paladins are always lawful and good and ride war-horses and rangers are always animal-companion loving nature oriented warriors to give just a couple of examples.

    In 4e the mechanics focus on simply what the mechanics need to focus on; how to move, the effect of a power, maneuver, or attack, and the general mechanical build of a class (i.e. lightly armored skirmisher, heavily armored tank, etc.). Everything else is left open for roleplaying. The 4e ranger is a great example of this; nothing in his mechanical build requires or really even suggests the ranger to be a woodsy scout type. The rules are just for a “lightly armored warrior that specializes in movement, maneuvering, and high damage strikes against single opponents”. You (the roleplayer) figure out what he is, what he believes in, where he’s from, and who he is. We’ll just call him a ranger to keep things simple and define the mechanic.

    I think the edition divide comes down to this in many ways. Some gamers want, or need a little “pre-packaged” roleplaying for their game and others (myself included) simply want the mechanics and we’ll provide the roleplaying. I’m not judging either need as superior to the other just pointing it out.

  5. #5 Mad Brew says:
    May 5, 2009 at 7:11 am

    Just published my contribution to the carnival:

    D&D 5ive: The Future of Gaming

    Mad Brew’s last blog post..Portrait of a Villain: Tyrant King

  7. #7 Samuel Van Der Wall says:
    May 5, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    @ Mad Brew – Pretty insightful view overall. I have to agree with you on a lot of points in your post, especially about Paizo, Green Ronin, and RPG bloggers.

    @ gleichman – I hope the future of gaming is brighter than the picture you paint! But I agree with you on D&D-esque games continuing to rule the industry. Personally, I’d like to see a change in that at some point but realistically I don’t see that happening.

    Also, everyone take note that your topics can be about anything related to “The Future Of Roleplaying”. You don’t have to just answer those questions I listed. They were food for thought.

  8. #8 Mike Bourke says:
    May 5, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    Another contribution to the blog carnival: The more things change…

    It will be interesting to see how many people’s predictions form a consensus opinion, and how many are diverse or even opposing!

  10. #10 bonemaster says:
    May 6, 2009 at 6:21 am

    Here’s my submission to the carnival.

    http://www.bonescroll.net/node/249

    bonemaster’s last blog post..As I Gaze into My Crystal Ball

  12. #12 satyre says:
    May 6, 2009 at 11:06 pm

    My answers to the questions are at the future of roleplaying.

    This one is spawning a lot of follow-up articles, isn’t it?

  14. #14 Stargazer says:
    May 12, 2009 at 3:47 am

    Hehe, I missed a few things in my first post, so I wrote a second post on that topic: http://www.stargazersworld.com/2009/05/12/the-future-of-roleplaying-2/

    Stargazer’s last blog post..The future of roleplaying #2

  15. #15 Samuel Van Der Wall says:
    May 12, 2009 at 5:47 am

    Thanks again everyone for your contributions to this month’s Blog Carnival topic! For those of you that haven’t written about the topic this month, help keep ‘em coming.

  16. #16 Wimwick says:
    May 13, 2009 at 11:52 am

    Here is the contribution from Dungeon’s Master:

    http://dungeonsmaster.com/2009/05/desktop-killed-the-tabletop-game/

    Wimwick’s last blog post..Monster Manual 2: An Early Review

  17. #17 ravenpolar says:
    May 14, 2009 at 2:45 am

    Heres my take on the subject….

    http://rpgbraindump.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/rpg-blog-carnival/

    ravenpolar’s last blog post..RPG Blog Carnival

  20. #20 Ripper X says:
    May 18, 2009 at 8:35 am

    Thanks, this was fun!

    Here is my insane manifesto

    Ripper X’s last blog post..RPG Blog Carnival: The Future of Gaming

  21. #21 Samuel Van Der Wall says:
    May 19, 2009 at 7:51 am

    Thank you everyone for making this such a successful topic. I am looking forward to the end of the month round-up! If you’ve been thinking about this topic and haven’t written on it yet, keep them coming!

  22. #22 Chris Cumming says:
    May 19, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    Here is my contribution to the blog carnival too:
    http://1001bobs.weegamers.com/2009/05/gaming-in-2019/

    Chris Cumming’s last blog post..Gaming in 2019

  24. #24 Mike David Jr, says:
    May 22, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    Here’s my contribution to the RPG Blog Carnival for May 2009 (and my first one ever:

    http://madavid13.blogspot.com/2009/05/rpg-blog-carnival-5-thoughts-on-future.html

    Peace out,

    Mike David Jr.

    Mike David Jr,’s last blog post..RPG Blog Carnival: 5 Thoughts on The Future of RPGs

  25. #25 Wyatt says:
    May 26, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    I totally forgot to submit my post, which was done on The Core Mechanic!

    http://www.thecoremechanic.com/2009/05/golly-gee-future-of-rpgs.html

    Wyatt’s last blog post..Ladybird Chapter 2, Scene 4

  26. #26 Joe Wetzel says:
    May 28, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    I posted about this topic just a few days before this carnival started. But this assignment gave me the chance to rethink and revise it. Here are my thoughts on it, although I stick to just two aspects of the future of roleplaying: http://inkwellideas.com/?p=370

    Joe Wetzel’s last blog post..Bright Future for Roleplaying Games

  27. #27 Questing GM says:
    May 31, 2009 at 9:02 am

    My last minute entries which I’m lucky to have managed to cook them up before the deadline. One is a serious one while the other is….not so serious.

    http://questinggm.blogspot.com/2009/05/questing-for-future-of-roleplaying.html

    http://questinggm.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-grim-darkness-of-far-future-there-is.html

  29. #29 Samuel Van Der Wall says:
    June 3, 2009 at 7:03 am

    @ Bob – Thanks, Bob. The post was updated to reflect the new link.

  30. #30 Boss Resurfacing says:
    September 6, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    Off topic – Help with PM?
    lost password
    Boss Resurfacing
    Boss Resurfacing

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