D & D....is online better than in-person [Archive] - Wizards Community

D & D....is online better than in-person [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DungeonDude101
06-08-04, 09:27 PM hi im new to dungeons and dragons. ive only played a few times.
i just bought the core books for 3.5, and i play with my friend. the only bad thing is we can only hook up about once a week. i know you can do alot in three hours , once a week , but i want to play more. do you suggest i play online????? i've heard online games aren't that fun. what do you think?

thanks,
DungeonDude101
Bacon and Eggs
06-08-04, 09:33 PM I think that they are fun. But you have to find the right peoples to play with.

Not so much different from real life really.
Seeker95
06-08-04, 09:57 PM I am enjoying my current Play-By-Post game.

I do not think I would enjoy an online game as much as a home game. Play-by-Post is sufficiently different that it doesn't really get direct comparison to a home game.
Edymnion
06-08-04, 11:31 PM Face to Face games have the extreme advantage of the fact you're sitting around with a bunch of your buddies chugging down enough caffine and sugar to kill a horse and having fun doing it. Its a social event.

Play by Post has the advantage of giving you time to think, time to look up a rule when you need to, and not worrying about looking like an idiot while really roleplaying. Its slower, so you have time to step back and figure out whats going on.

Both have their strengths and weaknesses compared to the other, but I find that playing online is a lot of fun, and a great way to have a "background game" going on. You just have to find a good place to play. Hit the Roleplay Online link in my sig, that'll take you to the absolute best place on the net to play ANY pen and paper roleplaying game (not just D&D). And its 100% free.
Astanphaeus
06-09-04, 12:28 AM Different mediums have different strengths and weaknesses.

Also, "online play" could mean a lot of different things. I'm aware of...

1. Playing by e-mail.
2. Playing by post (as some here have mentioned).
3. Playing on "perpetual worlds" built with Neverwinter Nights.
4. Text-based virtual worlds built with various flavors of MUSH, MUX, MUD, and so on.
5. Scheduled sessions, using a chat client.

Of these, I've personally only done 1 and 4.

The e-mail thing was a lot of fun, but we were playing nations, not characters. In between turns, we could (sort of) roleplay w/ ambassadors, but it was mostly a strategy game.

Finding and getting into a text-based environment can be tough -- especially now, as they seem to be fading -- but it can be rewarding. Some people love it, some people don't.

I think the best thing would be to just try this stuff out, because even if it doesn't appeal to other people, you never know... it might appeal to you.

~ A.
Tenzhi
06-09-04, 12:36 AM Play-by-post is okay, but if I'm playing online I prefer doing so by Chat (be it IRC, some sort of Web-Chat program, or Chat via IM). Since Chat is realtime RP, there are more genuine reactions like one gets in face-to-face play.

But really, none of the online options is a perfect substitute for face-to-face play. Online RP is more of something to do when you're bored and between tabletop games... fill-in-the-blank roleplay, as it were.
Geethree
06-09-04, 12:58 AM I prefer online games (via a chat program like IRC) more than real life games. I still play with my friends and online games tend to reduce a lot of the OOC chatter. Not that OOC chatter is bad, but I'd rather just play videogames or something if I wanted to talk to my friends.

Not that there isn't an appeal to real life games. I'd probably play in some if I could ever organize one that doesn't fall apart.
Lone Wolf88
06-09-04, 01:53 AM personally i prefer D&D in real life. the few time's i've tried it in chat rooms i found it hard cuz sometimes the other people wont pay attention to you (or maybe that's just me) and it can come off like bragging if you're trying to establish a backstory for your char. plus it's easier to slap your friend around a bit in RL if he bull****s about how much his dwarf could beat your human ten times over (again)than it is to get into a big online argument:smirk:
Cyricist
06-09-04, 05:37 AM Apart from my real life campaigns, I am currently into two IRC based campaigns, using our very own D20 bot (a virtual dicebag who can also make skillchecks using modifiers set in the command line by the player/DM/person who rolls the dice, very nifty) and apart from some restrictions (like not being able to look into eachother's face while playing) it is actually a lot of fun. I ca recommend this style of play to people who cannot reach a gaming table for real because they live so far apart.
Trydan
06-09-04, 10:21 AM D&D real-life is much better - the ability to convey expressions, humour, explain situations and just the sheer pace of it.

However, if you can't get enough real-life D&D, then start a second group.

Failing that too, then online-, solo- or postal-D&D is an alternative.
LordofIllusions
06-09-04, 12:52 PM Real life for me. PnP is DnD. If I want video games I will play my PS 2 or Xbox.

~~~
Atlantis1982
06-09-04, 01:45 PM Hmmm, I think I would get worried about people that rather play as a munchkin online. By means of "fake rolls", and other crap like that. Other than that, I would like to try out that method of DnD since I haven't been getting any chances lately to play. :sad:
LordofIllusions
06-09-04, 01:54 PM If you PbP(Play-by-Post) the DM can check your rolls in the dice roller (depending on which one you use).

~~~
Grayson
06-09-04, 08:29 PM You might want to look into getting Neverwinter Nights. It's a great single-player RPG, and there's a HUGE number of online servers to play in a persistant world.
Edymnion
06-09-04, 08:43 PM Originally posted by Atlantis1982
Hmmm, I think I would get worried about people that rather play as a munchkin online. By means of "fake rolls", and other crap like that. Other than that, I would like to try out that method of DnD since I haven't been getting any chances lately to play. :sad: Its not a problem if you have a good place to play. Roleplay Online, the Play by Post boards I play on, have a built in dice roller with logs, so you can see exactly what was rolled, and there's no way for the players to fudge rolls (although the DM can).
Geethree
06-09-04, 08:51 PM There are also dice-rolling programs for IRC that can't be faked.
Edymnion
06-09-04, 08:59 PM http://krisinchico.brinkster.net/rolldata.asp
That site is an online dice roller with database that you can't fake, short of hacking the site.
Lord_BloodMoon
06-09-04, 09:02 PM I much prefer playing in person. It's social, often comical, and generally much more fun. I've played in a chat room before....and well....when people just randomly leave...start having connection issues, blah blah blah.....dull and no fun. Not only that...but I've DMed several online chat sessions...and more often than not, I find myself bogged down answering IM questions from the PCs asking for more details, or attempting to sneak away from the group, etc. etc. etc. So in short, I'm all for in person play. IMO, the only way DnD was meant to be played.
Geethree
06-09-04, 09:24 PM It seems that people have a lot of problems in IRC games that I don't have. Out of curiosity, where do you guys organize IRC games?

EDIT: By that I mean where do you get your players, not what server/channel you play in.
d4everman
06-09-04, 09:49 PM Edymnion, I play on Rpol too. What game are you in?
Zolgar
06-10-04, 12:59 AM I've never done the PBP.. not my thing. I prefer to be able to actualy interact.

I have however done alot of meetings over AIM. And, for me this is how AIM and in person comnpare:

Roleplaying:
In person: You get better character interaction usualy, and it's alot easier to get a point across in person.
Online: It's easier toactualy find the mind of a character so much different from yourself (meh, for me atleast) when you can imagine them sounding how you think they do, little physical mannerisms, etc. As well, you can be more descriptive with your actions, people don't have to shut up and listen while you spend five minutes explaining how your halfling thief slid down the bannister, lept off, grabbed the cha........ that's where you just trail off becauise noones paying attention to you.

Mechanics:
In person: It's usualy harder to cheat in person, you don't have to lie to your DMs face, and you can always be made to re-roll a die where everyone can see it. And, you can have a map determing where people are in combat.
Online: It's impossible to cheat dice rolls, as long as the DM rolls them.

DMing
In person: Well, it's more effective when you growl at someone to shut the hell up. moods can be (sometimes) easier to set, mood music, etc.
Online: This is where I've done most of my DMing so, lemme break it down:
I always keep a copy of my payers character sheets on hand, just in case I want to check something out.
It's alot easier to set a scene when you can have something pretyped and just copy and paste it in, rather than find your notes, read them and deal with those two little *******s snickering and causing problems for everyone. (Was in a agme where this guy put ALOT of work in to the history, and finally gave up even trying to give us the highlights because of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum)
It's alot easier to keep logs of what happeend, remember who did what.. And, if you want to have fun. make notes about certain things said, go back, get the exact quote and use it against the player later.
Planning a campaign is alot easier on a PC, you can edit-in notes and things, you can change something, etc.
Loot! Pre-rolled, copy and paste in to the window.
It's ALOT easier to be one of those secretive DMs who doesn't tell a player what *blah* magic item does, because you have your copy of their character sheet.

I'm sure there's more. To put it short:

Play IRL when you can, online when you can. Both are fun. It's not like you just have to do one! :)
Ringmereth
06-10-04, 05:17 PM Online, in my opinion, is better if you like lots of flavor and roleplaying. My group has a hard time talking in character a lot and tends to metagame a bit much. When you play by post, then you have time to write out what your character says, so you don't sound like an idiot. It also lets the DM come up with more colorful descriptions ('You gracefully swing your sword in a dance of death. You feel your blade, Giantcleaver, bite once, twice, three times into the flesh of the vile ogre, cutting it down in it's tracks,' instead of 'Yeah, you hit the ogre 3 times for 28 points of damage.'). On the other hand, play-by-post isn't as much fun if you play for the social aspect. I like doing a little of both. Right now I'm DMing a PnP campaign, streight D&D, and playing in an online d20 modern game. Both of them have weak and strong points.
Edymnion
06-10-04, 08:06 PM Originally posted by d4everman
Edymnion, I play on Rpol too. What game are you in? 3DnD The Last Beastmasters
DnD 3.25: The Platinum Dragon
DnD 3.5 - How to play DnD
DND 3e Forgotten Realms
Icewind Dale - 3.5 Forgotten Realms

All in Fantasy.
LordofIllusions
06-11-04, 09:30 AM Originally posted by Lord_BloodMoon
I much prefer playing in person. It's social, often comical, and generally much more fun. I've played in a chat room before....and well....when people just randomly leave...start having connection issues, blah blah blah.....dull and no fun. Not only that...but I've DMed several online chat sessions...and more often than not, I find myself bogged down answering IM questions from the PCs asking for more details, or attempting to sneak away from the group, etc. etc. etc. So in short, I'm all for in person play. IMO, the only way DnD was meant to be played.

That last sentence was soooo on point. Nice post!

~~~
Naeron
06-11-04, 10:09 AM I've played PbP and online using openrpg. I've never seen any cheating online because we use dice rollers. With the maps and miniatures available online play can approach the experience of face to face play and you do get less OOC distractions happening.

Its a very good option if you don't have a local group or can't meet very regularly.

Of course the final option, and one we are arranging to try, is to have some people at the table and some people connecting using webcams. This will be great for us because the players in the campaign no live over most of the UK so its very rare to be able to get everyone together (especially with babies and kids now making demands on peoples time).
boshuda
07-14-04, 03:59 PM OpenRPG, as described above, is a virtual table top. I dm a game with it and play in a game with it. As for DM'ing I can't compare because I've only dm'd online with OpenRPG, never IRL. Playing can be as good as IRL for me. I'm introverted and it takes me a loooong time to feel comfortable with people. So even though I've been playing pretty regularly with a RL group for about a year I still feel funny acting out my characters mannerisms, speeches, etc. Online I don't have that problem. My online rogue is well thought out and I don't feel any fear when I type out his speech or make him do something. I definitely role play much more online, and roll play much more IRL.
TyrantOfPants
07-14-04, 04:37 PM I most definately prefer real life, I just find ot more fun...plus, the lack of a battle map in online games has led to some very confusing combats. I've found that the best way to get my RP'ing fix if my group isn't available is Neverwinter Nights...which, IMO is the best MMO out there because of its sheer size and level of customization.
Ranger REG
07-15-04, 02:48 AM Originally posted by DungeonDude101

what do you think?
It's an alternative, but it is never substitute for the real face-to-face thing.
You're lucky, and probably young. These days for me, I'm lucky if I can play two weekends a month.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DungeonDude101 06-08-04, 09:27 PM	hi im new to dungeons and dragons. ive only played a few times. i just bought the core books for 3.5, and i play with my friend. the only bad thing is we can only hook up about once a week. i know you can do alot in three hours , once a week , but i want to play more. do you suggest i play online????? i've heard online games aren't that fun. what do you think? thanks, DungeonDude101
Bacon and Eggs 06-08-04, 09:33 PM	I think that they are fun. But you have to find the right peoples to play with. Not so much different from real life really.
Seeker95 06-08-04, 09:57 PM	I am enjoying my current Play-By-Post game. I do not think I would enjoy an online game as much as a home game. Play-by-Post is sufficiently different that it doesn't really get direct comparison to a home game.
Edymnion 06-08-04, 11:31 PM	Face to Face games have the extreme advantage of the fact you're sitting around with a bunch of your buddies chugging down enough caffine and sugar to kill a horse and having fun doing it. Its a social event. Play by Post has the advantage of giving you time to think, time to look up a rule when you need to, and not worrying about looking like an idiot while really roleplaying. Its slower, so you have time to step back and figure out whats going on. Both have their strengths and weaknesses compared to the other, but I find that playing online is a lot of fun, and a great way to have a "background game" going on. You just have to find a good place to play. Hit the Roleplay Online link in my sig, that'll take you to the absolute best place on the net to play ANY pen and paper roleplaying game (not just D&D). And its 100% free.
Astanphaeus 06-09-04, 12:28 AM	Different mediums have different strengths and weaknesses. Also, "online play" could mean a lot of different things. I'm aware of... 1. Playing by e-mail. 2. Playing by post (as some here have mentioned). 3. Playing on "perpetual worlds" built with Neverwinter Nights. 4. Text-based virtual worlds built with various flavors of MUSH, MUX, MUD, and so on. 5. Scheduled sessions, using a chat client. Of these, I've personally only done 1 and 4. The e-mail thing was a lot of fun, but we were playing nations, not characters. In between turns, we could (sort of) roleplay w/ ambassadors, but it was mostly a strategy game. Finding and getting into a text-based environment can be tough -- especially now, as they seem to be fading -- but it can be rewarding. Some people love it, some people don't. I think the best thing would be to just try this stuff out, because even if it doesn't appeal to other people, you never know... it might appeal to you. ~ A.
Tenzhi 06-09-04, 12:36 AM	Play-by-post is okay, but if I'm playing online I prefer doing so by Chat (be it IRC, some sort of Web-Chat program, or Chat via IM). Since Chat is realtime RP, there are more genuine reactions like one gets in face-to-face play. But really, none of the online options is a perfect substitute for face-to-face play. Online RP is more of something to do when you're bored and between tabletop games... fill-in-the-blank roleplay, as it were.
Geethree 06-09-04, 12:58 AM	I prefer online games (via a chat program like IRC) more than real life games. I still play with my friends and online games tend to reduce a lot of the OOC chatter. Not that OOC chatter is bad, but I'd rather just play videogames or something if I wanted to talk to my friends. Not that there isn't an appeal to real life games. I'd probably play in some if I could ever organize one that doesn't fall apart.
Lone Wolf88 06-09-04, 01:53 AM	personally i prefer D&D in real life. the few time's i've tried it in chat rooms i found it hard cuz sometimes the other people wont pay attention to you (or maybe that's just me) and it can come off like bragging if you're trying to establish a backstory for your char. plus it's easier to slap your friend around a bit in RL if he bull****s about how much his dwarf could beat your human ten times over (again)than it is to get into a big online argument:smirk:
Cyricist 06-09-04, 05:37 AM	Apart from my real life campaigns, I am currently into two IRC based campaigns, using our very own D20 bot (a virtual dicebag who can also make skillchecks using modifiers set in the command line by the player/DM/person who rolls the dice, very nifty) and apart from some restrictions (like not being able to look into eachother's face while playing) it is actually a lot of fun. I ca recommend this style of play to people who cannot reach a gaming table for real because they live so far apart.
Trydan 06-09-04, 10:21 AM	D&D real-life is much better - the ability to convey expressions, humour, explain situations and just the sheer pace of it. However, if you can't get enough real-life D&D, then start a second group. Failing that too, then online-, solo- or postal-D&D is an alternative.
LordofIllusions 06-09-04, 12:52 PM	Real life for me. PnP is DnD. If I want video games I will play my PS 2 or Xbox. ~~~
Atlantis1982 06-09-04, 01:45 PM	Hmmm, I think I would get worried about people that rather play as a munchkin online. By means of "fake rolls", and other crap like that. Other than that, I would like to try out that method of DnD since I haven't been getting any chances lately to play. :sad:
LordofIllusions 06-09-04, 01:54 PM	If you PbP(Play-by-Post) the DM can check your rolls in the dice roller (depending on which one you use). ~~~
Grayson 06-09-04, 08:29 PM	You might want to look into getting Neverwinter Nights. It's a great single-player RPG, and there's a HUGE number of online servers to play in a persistant world.
Edymnion 06-09-04, 08:43 PM	Originally posted by Atlantis1982 Hmmm, I think I would get worried about people that rather play as a munchkin online. By means of "fake rolls", and other crap like that. Other than that, I would like to try out that method of DnD since I haven't been getting any chances lately to play. :sad: Its not a problem if you have a good place to play. Roleplay Online, the Play by Post boards I play on, have a built in dice roller with logs, so you can see exactly what was rolled, and there's no way for the players to fudge rolls (although the DM can).
Geethree 06-09-04, 08:51 PM	There are also dice-rolling programs for IRC that can't be faked.
Edymnion 06-09-04, 08:59 PM	http://krisinchico.brinkster.net/rolldata.asp That site is an online dice roller with database that you can't fake, short of hacking the site.
Lord_BloodMoon 06-09-04, 09:02 PM	I much prefer playing in person. It's social, often comical, and generally much more fun. I've played in a chat room before....and well....when people just randomly leave...start having connection issues, blah blah blah.....dull and no fun. Not only that...but I've DMed several online chat sessions...and more often than not, I find myself bogged down answering IM questions from the PCs asking for more details, or attempting to sneak away from the group, etc. etc. etc. So in short, I'm all for in person play. IMO, the only way DnD was meant to be played.
Geethree 06-09-04, 09:24 PM	It seems that people have a lot of problems in IRC games that I don't have. Out of curiosity, where do you guys organize IRC games? EDIT: By that I mean where do you get your players, not what server/channel you play in.
d4everman 06-09-04, 09:49 PM	Edymnion, I play on Rpol too. What game are you in?
Zolgar 06-10-04, 12:59 AM	I've never done the PBP.. not my thing. I prefer to be able to actualy interact. I have however done alot of meetings over AIM. And, for me this is how AIM and in person comnpare: Roleplaying: In person: You get better character interaction usualy, and it's alot easier to get a point across in person. Online: It's easier toactualy find the mind of a character so much different from yourself (meh, for me atleast) when you can imagine them sounding how you think they do, little physical mannerisms, etc. As well, you can be more descriptive with your actions, people don't have to shut up and listen while you spend five minutes explaining how your halfling thief slid down the bannister, lept off, grabbed the cha........ that's where you just trail off becauise noones paying attention to you. Mechanics: In person: It's usualy harder to cheat in person, you don't have to lie to your DMs face, and you can always be made to re-roll a die where everyone can see it. And, you can have a map determing where people are in combat. Online: It's impossible to cheat dice rolls, as long as the DM rolls them. DMing In person: Well, it's more effective when you growl at someone to shut the hell up. moods can be (sometimes) easier to set, mood music, etc. Online: This is where I've done most of my DMing so, lemme break it down: I always keep a copy of my payers character sheets on hand, just in case I want to check something out. It's alot easier to set a scene when you can have something pretyped and just copy and paste it in, rather than find your notes, read them and deal with those two little ******s snickering and causing problems for everyone. (Was in a agme where this guy put ALOT of work in to the history, and finally gave up even trying to give us the highlights because of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum) It's alot easier to keep logs of what happeend, remember who did what.. And, if you want to have fun. make notes about certain things said, go back, get the exact quote and use it against the player later. Planning a campaign is alot easier on a PC, you can edit-in notes and things, you can change something, etc. Loot! Pre-rolled, copy and paste in to the window. It's ALOT easier to be one of those secretive DMs who doesn't tell a player what blah* magic item does, because you have your copy of their character sheet. I'm sure there's more. To put it short: Play IRL when you can, online when you can. Both are fun. It's not like you just have to do one! :)
Ringmereth 06-10-04, 05:17 PM	Online, in my opinion, is better if you like lots of flavor and roleplaying. My group has a hard time talking in character a lot and tends to metagame a bit much. When you play by post, then you have time to write out what your character says, so you don't sound like an idiot. It also lets the DM come up with more colorful descriptions ('You gracefully swing your sword in a dance of death. You feel your blade, Giantcleaver, bite once, twice, three times into the flesh of the vile ogre, cutting it down in it's tracks,' instead of 'Yeah, you hit the ogre 3 times for 28 points of damage.'). On the other hand, play-by-post isn't as much fun if you play for the social aspect. I like doing a little of both. Right now I'm DMing a PnP campaign, streight D&D, and playing in an online d20 modern game. Both of them have weak and strong points.
Edymnion 06-10-04, 08:06 PM	Originally posted by d4everman Edymnion, I play on Rpol too. What game are you in? 3DnD The Last Beastmasters DnD 3.25: The Platinum Dragon DnD 3.5 - How to play DnD DND 3e Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale - 3.5 Forgotten Realms All in Fantasy.
LordofIllusions 06-11-04, 09:30 AM	Originally posted by Lord_BloodMoon I much prefer playing in person. It's social, often comical, and generally much more fun. I've played in a chat room before....and well....when people just randomly leave...start having connection issues, blah blah blah.....dull and no fun. Not only that...but I've DMed several online chat sessions...and more often than not, I find myself bogged down answering IM questions from the PCs asking for more details, or attempting to sneak away from the group, etc. etc. etc. So in short, I'm all for in person play. IMO, the only way DnD was meant to be played. That last sentence was soooo on point. Nice post! ~~~
Naeron 06-11-04, 10:09 AM	I've played PbP and online using openrpg. I've never seen any cheating online because we use dice rollers. With the maps and miniatures available online play can approach the experience of face to face play and you do get less OOC distractions happening. Its a very good option if you don't have a local group or can't meet very regularly. Of course the final option, and one we are arranging to try, is to have some people at the table and some people connecting using webcams. This will be great for us because the players in the campaign no live over most of the UK so its very rare to be able to get everyone together (especially with babies and kids now making demands on peoples time).
boshuda 07-14-04, 03:59 PM	OpenRPG, as described above, is a virtual table top. I dm a game with it and play in a game with it. As for DM'ing I can't compare because I've only dm'd online with OpenRPG, never IRL. Playing can be as good as IRL for me. I'm introverted and it takes me a loooong time to feel comfortable with people. So even though I've been playing pretty regularly with a RL group for about a year I still feel funny acting out my characters mannerisms, speeches, etc. Online I don't have that problem. My online rogue is well thought out and I don't feel any fear when I type out his speech or make him do something. I definitely role play much more online, and roll play much more IRL.
TyrantOfPants 07-14-04, 04:37 PM	I most definately prefer real life, I just find ot more fun...plus, the lack of a battle map in online games has led to some very confusing combats. I've found that the best way to get my RP'ing fix if my group isn't available is Neverwinter Nights...which, IMO is the best MMO out there because of its sheer size and level of customization.
Ranger REG 07-15-04, 02:48 AM	Originally posted by DungeonDude101 what do you think? It's an alternative, but it is never substitute for the real face-to-face thing. You're lucky, and probably young. These days for me, I'm lucky if I can play two weekends a month.