Are MMORPGs going the way of PnP?

I've been looking to replace the MMORPG I've been playing for the last four years or so. Typical reasons, the game is moving away from the play style it started with. The people in charge move on, new goals appear and core concepts change. It's the way of things, when it happens in Pen and Paper you just don't buy the new edition and keep playing. But that isn't possible with an MMORPG, so you find a new game.

MMORPG game design (and PnP too for that matter) has effectively been stagnant for years now. Modified D&D style combat with rare (and rather unsuccessful) exception. And that looks to continue. The online world never experienced the explosion of different approaches that was attempted in the 80s. And given the costs of development and marketing for even a small attempt- likely never will.

But while the core game play remains very familar, they are playing with stuff around the edges.

I've been watching three games in development with an eye towards one of them being my next waste of time: Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, and The Secret World. All these talk about radical changes in game play- they lie. The new stuff from that point of view is little but minor changes or additions.

What is new is the focus on Story. The first two promise individual and personal storylines. Frankly, I think that's a lie too. It's really just a choice between whatever handful of character arcs *they* allow us. In the case of the Old Republic, it's even worst than that- as your storyline choices may not even be yours when in a group, but instead is owned by a random member of your party.

But still, this is quite new for the MMORPG scene. The Secret World doesn't promise an individual storyline, but does promise mysteries and investigation arcs into the storyline of the world and your place in it. Not individual, but still a major feature of the setting.

After more than a decade of playing D&D, it seems the MMORPG world is now ready to try World of Darkness. Let's hope they do a better job than White Wolf did.

Champions Offline

In something somewhat related to HERO Games, Champions Online crashed Christmas day and was still down as I went to bed last night.

For those who are unaware, Champions Online is a MMO using the HERO Games setting. Sort of fun, but IMO an incomplete game. Its system isn't based on HERO (in fact, being not effect based it's a complete reversal of HERO System). Just the background and characters and even those seem greatly altered at least in appearance.

The owning company isn't HERO Games, but rather Cryptic. Still, Long is always talking about it at the official web site. So I consider the crash on what had to be an important day of first experiences to many customers to be karma for 6th edition.

I'd smile except that I work in IT and know that the poor slobs working at Cryptic are in for a major backside chewing over this. Someone there deserves it, but it may not be the people getting the worse of it.

Why I'll never replace RPGs with MMORPGs

Got the lastest patch notes(called Volume II Book 7) a couple of weeks ago for the MMORPG I play on the side, Lord of the Rings Online.

MMORPGs are a different kettle of fish than table top games. Everyone should know this. From pacing to distance from an often hiden ruleset to highly restricted world play. They are persistent in one way only, your character stats and equipment- the world always reverts back to baseline.

And sometimes even the character isn't persistent. Which brings me to the Book 7 update notes I referenced. I run a Captain as my primary, so I always check that section of the notes hoping nothing bad happens. This time they are nerfing what many consider the keystone ability of the class (one that allows them for a handful of seconds absorb damage targeting other members of their group- a "we will carry on no matter what" ability). They've had this for two years, and more. Since early Beta.

Players don't own the rules in a MMORPG, they do own them in table top. They can alter them if they wish. They can refuse new editions if they wish.

And this difference alone is enough reason for me never give up table top.