Dungeons and Dragons

I was wondering if anyone has or is intersted in playing regular games of Dungeons and Dragons in Second Life. There would be some scripting and logistics challenges, but it could be done. I am relativly new to the game and can't DM, but perhaps a more experienced player would be intersted? Any thoughts?

Can't we just make it a whole lot easier? Come play NWN on my server. teehee.

I DM'd for roughly 10 years. In doing that I wrote what was essentially a database program in TRS-DOS Basic that had the entire DM, Monster and Player's Manuals coded onto 5.25 inch disks. I did convert that program once to a series of Excel spreadsheets for a PC XT/386 back in the early Windows days. Again the issue is simply one of database management.

To write a DM program involves relatively simple routines and modules that can serve multiple purposes if called correctly. For instance, most random encounters are simple random number generation routines hooked into lookup functions in random access databases (sequential access if necessary and speed is not an issue) followed by a simple display results routine. Displaying the results here in SL via LSL could be done by writing/issuing notecards to the DM.. then again, I am not sure that writing a notecard in LSL is possible... seems I heard somewhere it is not.

If you want to discuss the idea further, feel free to contact me inworld and I can tell you what/how I structured boh systems.

One thing, I am no longer familiar with the details of the current version of D&D rules, so I can't discuss particulars of this version.

Now THAT I've been thinking about for a while now.

Can we do it in Eberron?

I love Baldurs Gate - all three - and NWN - Have never played other then that, but I am definitely interested!

Simcast is currently working on something like that. IM Prong Thetan or Grim Hathor if you guys need some info on it. They have been hard at work on it for a long time

Why does this have to be hard? In game dice, playing grid, and some figures and we should be set. Just need a dm who can type fast.

Two comments...
True D&D is played with pen and paper... Simple as that coming from Gygaxx himself (I got to play with him twice... kinda weird, but he obviously knew his game). Gugaxx did feel that D&D being augmented by computer databases did not change the feel and character of the game so long as no 3D computerized imagery was used ... of course this was a while back and his opinion might have changed since then. He, of course, had no problem with little figurines but said that the difference between that and computerized imagery was that the latter removed a necessary element of the game - visual imagination that is unique to each player. The essence of the game itself as Gygaxx envisioned it then was creating a visual image via text.... modern computer games have changed the very essence of classical D&D in that sense.

Baldur's Gate rocks... 1 was good, the extension pack better...2 got played nearly 20 times before I put it away for a while and then came the TOB extension... ooooomph. Almost made a different game there. Much more difficult.. I needed to completely rework my strategy for winning. I think there are only three player character race/profession combos I did not successfully run through BG2... TOB ... well, let's just say that I only got through it five times without cheating.

Korg - BG2 was the BEST! I palyed that first and based on that one played the others. I miss it!! I want to play right now!

2 words.


Al Qadim.

anyone here ever play Gemstone III? I used to be quite the addict.

BG2 was the genesis of Korg... Half-orc Fighter/Mage... 18/25 STR, 12 INT, 18 DEX, 17 CON, 12 WIS, 8 CHA.... I usually managed to find him he necessary belts and rings to raise the key stats so that he would walk into battles and wipe the room unless outnumbered 6 to 1 or facing Mind Flayers/Illithids.

I finally converted him to a F/T/M - technically a cheat - using Shadowkeeper. I manipulated the stats to reflect the racial adjustments but always played him as a Half-Orc with a bad attitude. Minsc used to hate him and Aerie routinely left because of the verbal insults. Jaheira, for some weird reason, would always successfully complete the romance with Korg...

We just started our umpteenth D&D campaign via MUSH - which works well when your friends are all net friends anyway, and there aren't enough (sane) people locally for a face-to-face game.

We'd probably run it on SecondLife if it weren't for the fact that only 4 of our players have SL accounts anyway, and it would be silly for people to have to pay $9.95 and spend hours in Orientation just to D&D with us! Throwing up a MUSH on a UNIX server is much easier

I may be making my character as an SL AV, though....

Why not just give it a try in game for the heck of it. I am so new to D and D and eager to play any game.

i might write up a front end for it in SL. I did the HCR mod for NWN and it went well, for those who preferred DnD to Diablo.

First off - count me in as possibly interested in playing (maybe even DMing... maybe).

You are right it doesn't have to be very complex. There are seemingly two approaches to playing D&D online - one is merely a virtual tabletop around which to gather people to play, the other is actually attempting to create the whole scenario virtually in interactive 3D (ala Neverwinter Nights and what I assume SimCast is doing). I gather you are going for the former simpler option... which seems rather feasible in SL. This approach would hinge on everyone having easy access to rules and such though. At the very least the DM needs to have the books on hand in RL. The only other essential i think is having scripted dice rolling in-world. Figures and maps aren't essential to D&D but it would be a fun addition. Other enhancements could introduce more DM automation, utilities and information access like Korg was talking about, but I don't see that as essential.

One thing cool that could be done in SL that is less possible in just text is to easily show visual aids of scenes / creatures etc. I'm not talking about recreating the whole world like an online RPG, but The DM could periodically rez structures for the group to give them an idea of the type of space they are in.

So yeah.. I'm interested. I could see this being fun. I haven't played D&D in a while but I've played on and off for like 15 years.

Yaaaahhhrr!

I'm a druid!

I'm a bloody Gatekeeper!

I'm a neutral good human Druidic Gatekeeper from a small Druidic Gatekeeper community on the far western edge of the Eldeen Reaches! With Gatekeeper Initiate and Education (nature, the planes)!

Damnit, lets play! Don't need no stinkin' uber-databases of monsters and rules! Just... books, dice, pencil and paper (or MAYBE coded in-world notepads). That's all!

Hell, we don't even need the dice. A number generator will do, in a pinch. Sure, those things aren't ACTUALLY random, but what really is?

EDIT, much MUCH later:
Hell, if we need it, we can use my place! It's got a marble decor with flame-topped pillars and a pool that sorta looks like a scrying pool. (Oo. I wonder what it'd look like if it were shiny?) It's even got sounds, and a classical music stream (which I could change to anything even more appropriate if someone has a URL)! I could add in some trees nearby, or even on the... damn, this is giving me some good ideas for thematic alterations. I feel the need to build some more. Anyone have a copy of the in-world ground textures I could have a copy of?

Note, haven't played since I was twelve but I think a combination of npcs in SL and D&D would be cool.

I always found the debates with your team members on what to do was lots of fun so something that is live or near live action would be silly. I remember a 5 minute battle could take up to an hour to play sometimes when it was really tricky and everyone's lives were on the line. That was fun

It would be cool to create all the monsters and NPCs and settings for the modules and just have a DM sort of control them as you go along. They could describe the area and fill in the blanks for things that might be missing, just have the easy stuff made up.

Kind of like that movie, mazes and monsters with tom hank? Somethings left to imagination, somethings to make it a bit more immersive. Hopefully no one goes wiggy, though..

Lets start a D&D group on SL. WE can at least then have an inworld meeting to figure out the essentials. Although I have played BG1,2,TOB and NWN these are all PC game format and I am clueless about the paper and pen method. Can we meet and talk? Can we Can we??? I am a Ranger!

Somewhat related, DarkLife project is taking off again soon ..if you're reading this you will love it. DL would be a good place to sit round a table and RP too!

PC

I agree... and true about the dice.. I just thought it might be fun to have actual physical dice to toss around on the virtual tabletop.


That would be very cool but I see it as optional. DMing takes enough preperation as it is without also having to do tons of 3D modeling. I think we'll be able to get games qoing quicker if the 3D stuff isn't required. But yes.. if the DM has time and wants to do it that would be fun for sure.


Yes lets form a group so we can all at least stay in contact and remember who is interested.

YES!

Group created! Who wants in?

And do you think it should be open enrollment?

Ursa had a sweet idea. Rotating meetings, so everyone gets a bit of Mr. Dwellnor.

EDIT:

Bloody group IM sessions won't let other people in after it's started! ARGH! Ok. I'm emailing Haney to see if we can't get a group forum!

ive already got physical d6's working, toss from your hand, any number you specify.

ill probably be running HARP or RM for those who care about the rules.

Focus will be on roleplay and adventure, not rules and making character more powerful. Life can be just as exciting at level 1 as at level 20.

More format info to come, but scripting the d10's

also, SL lets you hand out nifty notecards and textures and play sounds if you want to enhance the over the table play.

HARP? RM?

And damn, if you're already coding the physical dice, I guess I can stop working on my dice roll generator. If you can, make as many as you can (especially any that spawn) TempOnRez. Less used prims, and if any get away...

Haney replied, said he's pass the request along for the forum. Said he liked the idea too, so we'll probably get it.