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Goblinworks announces Pathfinder Online

Matt Daniel — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items

For pen-and-paper RPG players, Pathfinder remains a perennial favorite game setting. Those players may find themselves excited to know, then, that Goblinworks has announced Pathfinder Online. This MMORPG adaptation of the extremely popular system will be a "hybrid sandbox/theme park-style MMO roleplaying game." The title will feature a "robust trading system [that] puts players in control of the world's economy," which should be wonderful for players who like to work the market. Characters can also establish settlements and expand them into full kingdoms while raising an army to help defend their turf.

The announcement boasts randomly generated events, as well, stating that "as settlements develop, the surrounding wilderness develops more complex and challenging features." The goal appears to be not just to create a game, but in fact to bring to life a real, evolving world. Pathfinder fans should keep their eyes on Goblinworks' official site, where further development updates will be posted.

Goblinworks announces Pathfinder Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Introducing Shadowrun Online

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Browser

Cliffhanger Productions, the makers of the upcoming Jagged Alliance Online, has announced another title in progress: Shadowrun Online. Based on the popular pen-and-paper game, Shadowrun will share a similar top-down strategy format with Jagged Alliance. Shadowrun takes place in a dystopian 2070 where magic and technology clash, and where hackers and street samurai are commonplace.

Shadowrun Online players will split their game time between prepping missions and carrying them out. While some of the maps will require all-out action efforts, others will require stealth, hacking, and even magic. Between fights, players will seek out contacts, prepare spells, and purchase gear to improve their odds when the time comes.

Shadowrun Online is in pre-production and the team hopes to get it into full development by November. It is planned to be a browser-based title, and Cliffhanger is drawing from Shadowrun alumni efforts to keep the game in line with the franchise. The company is still looking for partners to help with publishing and distributing.

Introducing Shadowrun Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What pen-and-paper RPG would make a great MMO?

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

This weekend thousands of gamers and geeks are descending on Indianapolis for GenCon Indy. Over four days, countless board, card, LARP and RPG games will be played, merchandise purchased in mass quantities, and new friendships formed.

GenCon's always been a good reminder that we MMO fans have roots in a much larger community of gamers, and that our interests often converge in unexpected ways. For all of the MMOs we have, there are even more pen-and-paper roleplaying games out there, some of which might just make a good online game if put into the right hands.

So how about it? What tabletop RPG would make a good MMO -- and for kicks, what studio would you want handling it?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: What pen-and-paper RPG would make a great MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Does realism have any place in MMOs?

Justin Olivetti — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

We may roleplay a lot of different things in our MMOs, but realistic living is usually not one of them. After all, we can fly, sustain massive amounts of damage without a visible scratch, never have to go to the bathroom, expect chainmail bikinis to protect us, slaughter thousands without remorse, keep horses in our back pockets, defy every law of nature there is, and encounter dozens of animals that are all missing essential organs needed for a quest objective.

So as much as we've gotten used to the fantastical elements that pave the way to fun gameplay, I have to wonder: Does this mean that there is no place for realism in MMOs at all? If you look at older pen-and-paper RPGs, realistic elements such as pack weight, the need to eat, and persistent injuries all helped contribute to a relatable experience.

What do you think? Should devs reconsider realistic elements in MMOs? Are we getting so far away from a believable experience that we've lost something crucial to RPGs? Or are you just hunky-dory with things as they are?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Does realism have any place in MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exploring Eberron: Our interview with DDO community members

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Culture, Interviews, Free-to-play, Exploring Eberron

In this week's Exploring Eberron, we resume our player interviews at the other end of the vet scale: those newer players. I had the pleasure of talking to a few people who joined up when they heard about the Dungeons and Dragons Online free-to-play switch and loved it enough to jump in with both feet. This is another long read, and these three have some great tales and thoughts, so without further ado, let me introduce our community members!

Dulcimerist is a 36-year-old musician who plays an electric mountain dulcimer and who is a three-time cancer survivor.

Bryanmeerkat is a new player since October 2010 and a self-proclaimed "occasional troll," often spotted "pretending I know what I am talking about on the forums."

Cam Neely lives in the greater Boston area and works at one of the colleges in Boston. Cam is an officer in the Forgotten League on Orien with two main characters: a TRing Barb and a capped Bard Warchanter. Cam is a casual but committed player, typically playing a few hours in the evening when there's time.

Follow along after the break to see what they had to say!

Continue reading Exploring Eberron: Our interview with DDO community members

Exploring Eberron: Our interview with DDO community members originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Roleplaying, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month, he chooses a different title in order to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences.

Part of the holy mission of the Game Archaeologist is to ferret out the roots of history that ultimately led to MMORPGs as we know them today. Another part of the mission is to root out ferrets, as my claw-scarred arms can attest. Some of that history is fairly recent, but today we're going to travel back -- way back -- to a time before many of you were born. Including me, as a matter of fact.

The year is 1974. The world is hip-deep in the throes of shag carpeting, driftwood furniture and the strains of Grand Funk Railroad. It truly seemed like nothing would ever be cool or non-earth-toned again. At this, the lowest moment in all of history, game designers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson took the concept of miniature wargaming, merged it with a fantasy motif, and sold it under the name Dungeons & Dragons. Geeks everywhere had a reason to rejoice, and through this roleplaying game the foundations for MMOs were laid.

Let's take a brief survey through D&D, giving special emphasis to how this great-granddaddy of RPGs passed down a legacy that we enjoy in our modern online titles. Also, there will be popcorn.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon

The Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: Rockin' the Roleplay

Larry Everett — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

I once asked, "What is roleplay?" in Massively's IRC channel. My intent was to define roleplay in its simplest terms. After all, the majority of us play RPGs, even if they are MMORPGs. I was surprised that, once you added "game" versus just the word "roleplay," the context changed astronomically. For instance, roleplay taken by itself could be defined as taking on another character. We all know that LARPing (live-action roleplay) is dressing up as character and performing the actions of a character who is not you. If you ask someone who considers herself a roleplayer in an MMO, she would define roleplay similarly: taking on a character in that particular setting. But ask a group of gamers what defines an RPG and you'll certainly get a wide variety of answers. Some define it as leveling. Others say it's telling a story in a game. Some define it by the DIKU-type playstyle. Some go so far as to say that you have to have a gamemaster, rules, and story for it to truly be an RPG.

Our Senior Editor Brianna Royce suggested in the interview with Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Manager Stephen Reid that BioWare is "putting the RPG back into MMORPGs," to which Reid replied in general agreement, "I think that's part of it. It's really about allowing you to experience real choice in a great story." The phrase "putting the RP back into MMORPG" (or something very similar) was used a couple of times in "booth chat" with developers of SWTOR. It was good to see a developer respond to that phrase. But is it true? Does SWTOR put the RP back into the MMORPG? What makes an RPG an RPG? Does SWTOR fit that bill? How will it will work with traditional MMO roleplayers? Join me past the break to find out.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Rockin' the Roleplay

Hyperspace Beacon: Rockin' the Roleplay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2

Larry Everett — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

It happens all the time: When a new game is coming out we attempt to compare it to something familiar. "Jumpgate Evolution is like EVE combined with Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed." "Guild Wars 2's battles are scalable like Warhammer's." Even Rich Vogel, the Executive Producer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, couldn't get away from comparing his crafting system to an existing MMO when we interviewed him at E3. "It will be very similar to what WoW has," is what he said. Granted, Blaine Christine later set our minds at ease at PAX: "I think it's a different take on crafting than what people will be expecting. It's not the standard implementation." Unfortunately, the stigma of comparison was already there.

One of my favorite features of MMO creation is the fact that there are no real rules regarding gameplay style. Granted, in the early days of MMO design, a creator had to consider the heavy latency of dial-up connections, so most games were designed to be turn-based. However, now there really is no limit to gameplay style, so there are no rules regarding what makes a game an MMO besides its having a persistent online world. There are no rules that say a game must have similar gameplay to other games that came before, even a prequel. Guild Wars 2 is a great example of this, yet people, inevitably, are going to attempt to compare Guild Wars and its sequel -- sometimes to the point of being unfair about it.

Current Star Wars fans cannot help but compare SWTOR to Star Wars Galaxies. Follow me after the break as I make an attempt to debunk this stigma.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2

Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Mask: Six editions of legacy can't be all bad

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Lore, Roleplaying, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

Before we get into today's discussion on the merits of Champions Online's lore, I want to do a quick brief on the pet pass and the Demonflame update for those not hounding the forums. Demonflame is a little under a week away on PTS and about two weeks on live; you can get the skinny from Poz here. The pet patch is currently on PTS, and it's not bad, but it still needs some work. If you're interested at all in bashing out pets I strongly advise getting on PTS, going to the boards and dropping some feedback. A few other things have been tweaked too.

This week on Behind the Mask, we're going to talk about lore. I'm not talking about the game's lore, although I'll cover some of that too. I'm talking about the book lore! I finally gave in and picked up the PDFs (you can buy them from the Hero Games website), and I browsed through a lot of the lore content. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Most of the content in Champions Online consists of parodies of comic and MMO culture, and those elements dilute the serious and interesting lore content that is available. If you've read the lore entries that you can find throughout CO, you'll find that most of them actually sound kind of cool. Unfortunately, that lore is scattered and doesn't show a lot of the big picture.

Fortunately, I blew a ton of cash on PDFs (including even the rulebooks) to get a good sense of the game's lore.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: Six editions of legacy can't be all bad

Behind the Mask: Six editions of legacy can't be all bad originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

So I noticed something last week, in the comments section of my piece on UI design, that finally kicked me back into "endless rant" mode. It's a sentiment that I've noticed in the video game community at large for a while now, but I never really knew how to approach it until recently, thanks to my own life experiences with games. It's an idea that's pretty misinformed on how the industry works.

It's the idea that the developers behind any given game are an idiots. According to commenters, they're all blind, non-gamer morons, bumbling around in the dark without the slightest sense of what game mechanics are actually fun.

Why are these bumbling morons in the industry? Why don't they listen to the endless array of golden ideas that pop up on game forums? Don't they realize that these revolutionary ideas will turn every game into double-rainbow-crapping unicorns? Why haven't 15% of my readers (a totally accurate statistic, mind you) figured out how sarcastic I'm being at this point in the introduction?

This week we're going after some of the common misconceptions about developers and game design, and how making a game as complex as an MMO is really never as easy as you claim it is.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa

Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: When did a bad game have a good idea?

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Tips and tricks, Opinion, The Daily Grind

In a recent post, Syp of Bio Break was observing neat ideas that other games really ought to steal. One of them was the trophy system in Warhammer Online, and while he personally feels that it was implemented poorly, it's still a neat idea. As he puts it, just because you feel a game is lackluster or even bad doesn't mean its ideas were also bad.

Even if said ideas aren't very well put together, taken as pieces, it's sometimes easy to see something in a game you dislike as an aggregate that seems like a fine idea when isolated. After all, pen and paper games have historically cannibalized from games of any caliber -- why shouldn't MMOs do the same?

So today,we're asking you to think of a game that hit you as lukewarm at best and find something in there that seems like a worthy idea. Whether it's a system that's in a game focused toward a genre you don't care for or just a game that struck you as lackluster, if you played it, odds are there was still something worth porting to other games. What would you suggest?

The Daily Grind: When did a bad game have a good idea? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond

James Egan — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Consoles, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, DUST 514

Massively was on the ground at the Game Developers Conference 2009 in Austin this week, and had a chance to sit down with Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson, Executive Producer of EVE Online. We discussed EVE's winter expansion, Dominion, and the new dimensions to the sci-fi MMO's setting that CCP Games hopes to introduce. We also learned a bit more about the company's plans to expand EVE into other platforms, namely through the COSMOS social network which will tie in with the game from Dominion onward.

Continue reading AGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond

AGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are you checking out DDO?

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Launches, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Yesterday saw the open launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited, and from what we hear the stampede of players headed for Turbine's servers to check it out caused a bit of a hiccup. As it's tied to the monstrous name in Pen & Paper gaming, there is definitely a bunch of interest in seeing just what has changed in the game since its early days.

That said, we wanted to ask you if you'd gotten a chance to check out Turbine's re-imagined take on the tabletop favorite of so many? Did you give the new Dungeons & Dragons Online a whirl? Now that it has a F2P option, will you be spending time doing some dungeon crawling in DDO?

The Daily Grind: Are you checking out DDO? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area

Mike Schramm — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Trading card games, Roleplaying, Free Realms, Champions Online, Legends of Norrath, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Massively was at Gen Con 2009 yesterday in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while most of the (gigantic) convention was involved with more traditional types of gaming, from dice and board games to collectible card games and RPGs, MMOs made their own splash in the "e-gaming" area. Sony Online Entertainment probably had the biggest presence -- in among huge posters of Free Realms and Star Wars Galaxies, they had demos running of all of their current games (though we didn't see any previews of DCUO or The Agency running). A costumed model posed for pictures in front of a large Legends of Norrath poster, while over in the CCG area, SOE held tournaments of the game for players.

Gallery: MMOs at Gen Con 2009

Continue reading Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area

Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games?

James Egan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, The Daily Grind, Consoles, World of Darkness

We know that CCP Games, creators of EVE Online, is going to announce a new project at GDC Europe in August. As CCP acquired White Wolf, creators of pen-and-paper RPG titles like Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf (the World of Darkness setting), we've known for some time that a World of Darkness MMO is in the works. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the project exists at some stage of development, we know very little. But this mystery project announcement might not be about WoD at all. We're also aware that CCP Games has plans to release a first person shooter based on the EVE Online IP, which they hinted at during EVE Fanfest 2008.

The latest info we've found about a new project at CCP Games (via @crazykinux) is a job listing at CCP for a Senior Game Engineer. The successful applicant "will join a seasoned team based in Shanghai, China where they will work on original IP for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3." The listing also mentions development on the Unreal Engine.

Regardless of whether they're planning to unveil World of Darkness Online or an EVE Online first person shooter, you don't need to be an EVE player to appreciate how cool either of these releases could be. What game do you think CCP is going to announce at GDC Europe?

The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions Online dev Randy Mosiondz on storytelling and gameplay

James Egan — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Interviews, Champions Online

Writing for Examiner.com, Daniel Nations recently interviewed Champions Online lead designer Randy Mosiondz about the balancing act between providing guided gameplay and exploration. The interview also touches upon Champions Online's gameplay across different environments. Namely, Mosiondz explains a bit about the challenges that players will face in the underwater area of Lemuria with its full 3-D movement capabilities, and how some player powers will be modified for use underwater.

Also a nice touch is that the discussion heads into his roots as a writer for pen and paper games. Mosiondz explains the differences in storytelling between pen and paper games and MMOs, and why it can be tricky to bring a story with lasting consequences to a massively multiplayer online game. Check out the Champions Online developer interview over at Examiner for more about what the Cryptic Studios super-hero title will offer.

Champions Online dev Randy Mosiondz on storytelling and gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Roper of Cryptic Studios discusses Champions Online

James Egan — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, MMO industry, Champions Online

MMO-centric website Allakhazam is running an interesting piece on Champions Online. Tamat, the site's Editor-in-Chief, caught up with Bill Roper, the Design Director for Champions Online at Cryptic Studios. The interview ranges from what Roper does at Cryptic to some of mistakes learned along the way -- particularly in the wake of what happened with Flagship Studios and Hellgate: London.

The interview covers a good range of topics, discussing Roper's transition from the business side of an MMO developer to focusing on creating a game, and how trying to compete with WoW isn't a concern for Cryptic with Champions Online. Roper also discusses the idea of bringing some of the original pen and paper Champions Online system to the MMO. He says, "We're including the core concepts of talents, perks, and even exposing the stats system to a degree. We've streamlined some of the concepts of the game to make it more accessible to a broader range of players, but without losing the beauty of what makes Champions the great game and IP it is."

Have a look at the full interview with Cryptic's Bill Roper over at Allakhazam for more on the directions Champions Online will be taking.

Bill Roper of Cryptic Studios discusses Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What do you think of table-top games?

Samuel Axon — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Culture, Warhammer Online, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Trading card games

There exists a very close relationship between MMOs and table-top games.

Yesterday saw the launch of Ethernauts, the fifth expansion to EverQuest-related collectible trading card game Legends of Norrath. LoN is digital, but gameplay-wise, it's totally a table-top game. World of Warcraft has an entirely material trading card game. Warhammer Online is of course based on the Warhammer miniatures game, and WoW is getting a miniatures game of its own. And of course, the RPG genre originated on the table-top with Dungeons & Dragons.

We're wondering: how much crossover is there between digital and table-top games? How many of our readers play them? Tell us! What do you think of table-top games?

The Daily Grind: What do you think of table-top games? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Download taps into Champions Online

Matt Warner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Classes, Game mechanics, Lore, New titles, Champions Online

We give em' two big thumbs-up, and we hope you don't think super-hero and villain MMOs are overplayed. One very cool thing about Champions Online is that Hero Games will develop a tabletop version in tandem with the MMOG. The pen and paper ruleset will borrow heavily from the design-direction in Champions Online. You won't make any throw-away character sheets. Whatever character you play in the MMOG will be available to create and play in the pen and paper arena. But enough about the roll hacks.

That's long ways down the road, and our sister site Big Download is slowing it down for those looking to catch up. Their Champions Online feature, is a retrospect that details how it all came about: In it they delve into the mastermind and find out why Jack Emmert and Cryptic Studios decided to develop the comic property. Emmert's candidness might surprise you. The feature also details the bios and back stories behind some of the caped and masked crusaders from the Champions Online Universe.

Big Download taps into Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cryptic Studios delves into the tabletop DNA of Champions Online

Michael Zenke — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, Champions Online

The highly pedigreed PC-gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun is offering up a week of Champions Online features. They began at the very beginning - the pen and paper game that spawned the online representation. Jack Emmert kicks off the week by noting that moving from tabletop to MMO is a no-brainer move. The Champions license has a 25-year history, allowing for a lot of really compelling content to be 'just lifted' straight from the pages of the RPG sourcebooks. He also notes the relative infancy of the MMO genre, and obviously hopes that future titles like his own will aid in the game type's creative expansion.

Following close on Mr. Emmert's heels comes commentary from pen-and-paper designer George MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald had worked on the Champions game for some time, and has a great viewpoint on the point-based system driving the game's undercarriage. The site and the designer go back and forth on the concept of "expressive" game mechanics, and briefly reflect back on MacDonald's work with the SSI gold box D&D games. These are two great pieces about the intersection of MMOs and their originating art form.

Cryptic Studios delves into the tabletop DNA of Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recognizing Champions Online's tabletop roots

Chris Chester — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Champions Online

One of the unexpected benefits (at least from our perspective) of Cryptic's shift from Marvel Universe Online to Champions Online is the professional relationship it fostered with the guys who managed the Champions pen and paper IP. While the crossover from paper RPG to MMO is far from straight-forward, there is a considerable brain trust from which Cryptic can draw in the creation of their game. The Escapist recently posted a terrific article which went into some depth with one such mastermind -- 16-year veteran of the franchise, Steve Long.

While Long maintains some unadulterated affection for the HERO character creation system of the pen and paper game, he seems to be of the belief that the current arrangement (with Cryptic buying the Champions IP outright and licensing it back to Hero) is going to be beneficial for both parties. While MMOs seem to be driving the overall simplification of pen and paper RPGs, Long thinks that MMOs have a lot to learn as well, especially in the areas of customization and interactivity with environments.

Recognizing Champions Online's tabletop roots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition?

Michael Zenke — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Today's the day, long anticipated by tabletop gamers of the d20 variety; Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition releases today, coming to a Friendly Local Gaming Store near you. If you aren't familiar with the new edition of the game, Eurogamer has a great rundown on the system's ins and outs. For a more hands-on technical approach, you can't beat the official Wizards of the Coast site and their lengthy series of preview articles. You might have also noticed Penny Arcade's recent discussion of 4E. Though it requires a site login to reach, their hands-on playtime with PvP's Scott Kurtz is hilariously listenable.

We ask, because we have to imagine some of you MMO fans out there also have occasion to 'roll the bones'. These games are ultimately all built on the foundation that the late, great Gary Gygax built, right? So, how about it: are you jumping to the newest edition?

The Daily Grind: Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Champions Online QnA special broadcast

Kyle Horner — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Champions Online

Get your decoder rings out kids. It's time for a super-special secret broadcast for this recent Champions Online Q&A, brought to you by Ovaltine! Well no that's not true. Actually, this particular decoding article is brought to you by the guys over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun and it isn't trying to sell you more Ovaltine. What the article is trying to do is explain some of the answers in the recently published community Q&A all about Champions Online.

Most of the commentary covers the powers customization answers and rightfully so, as they're a bit daunting for people that haven't experienced a point-based table top RPG before. So if you're not experienced with the pen and paper version of Champions or un-familiar with pen and paper RPGs completely, then we highly recommend reading it. As they saying goes: There's gold in them there hills, or possibly some kind of super gamma-exposed uranium that could give you laser nostrils able to cut through anything at the smallest of sneezes.

A Champions Online QnA special broadcast originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cryptic has something to ask you

Kyle Horner — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, New titles, News items, Champions Online

You probably already know that Cryptic Studios plans on coming to Gencon Indy and PAX this year. What you may not know is that Cryptic would like you all to tell them what you want to see. What team members do you want to meet? What panels do you want them to attend and discuss? All of your questions can be asked in the discussion thread.

Our personal suggestion is definitely related to PAX, where we'd love to see Jack Emmert, Randy Mosiondz and John Layman. Last year at PAX there was a very interesting "Future of MMOs" panel that we would love to see get some Cryptic input. Although truthfully we just want to find a bunch of you guys and chat about all things superheroes, MMOs and pen and paper RPGs. Oh and of course if we could get some crazy demoing of Champions Online, that'd be super awesome too. It's probably asking a bit too much, but it's nice to dream isn't it?

Cryptic has something to ask you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our games are built on paper and dice

Michael Zenke — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

As a tip of the hat to the passing of a tabletop gaming icon, I thought it worthwhile to link back to a great article Allen Varney wrote for the Escapist website in 2005. Entitled "Our Games Are Built On Paper", it outlines the incredible impact that people like Gary Gygax and Dave Arenson have had on videogames in general and Massively Multiplayer games in specific.

The piece notes the numerous PnP designers that have made the jump to videogame development; a reminder of the numerous people who have worked on City of Heroes and City of Villains that originated in the pen and paper world. It concludes by noting the advances of a more recent generation of tabletop designers, and fittingly begins with words that ring very true today:

IN THE BEGINNING - which is to say, 1974 - there were E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, two tabletop miniatures gamers in Wisconsin who begat Dungeons & Dragons. And D&D begat an orc-horde of paper-and-dice imitators and emulators. And it was good.

Our games are built on paper and dice originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DDO Module 6 includes raised level cap and more

Samuel Axon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:27:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, News items

Module 6 for Dungeons & Dragons Online is currently in testing, and the developers have posted a list of changes they're working on. The most notable of these is a raise of the level cap to 16, but there are many other interesting updates as well, such as whole slew of new spells. Want to charm whole masses of enemies, or trap their souls in a gem? Well, soon you'll be able to!

Though it's not exactly Turbine's flagship product anymore, DDO provides a unique online gaming experience to a passionate niche that includes fans of the table-top RPG. If you're part of that niche, get ready to move on up to the next level and take on new quests sometime soon-ish.

[Via Razorwire]

DDO Module 6 includes raised level cap and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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