Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 theplaneswalker Jun 30, 2010 4:56:57	So my group as been playing DAO lately and wanted to play in that setting, so i said ok and divided the existing classes such as the fighter and the warlord are the warriors, druid, wizard, sorcerer the mage, etc. For a while it was good but they slowly started to feel like they were just playing D&D and not dragon. So i asked them what was wrong, they stated it didn't feel like dragon age (Some mechanics at least). They aske me to implement some of the game elements into the 4e system and this is what they asked for: Armor as damage reduction. Warrior, Rogue, And Mage classes using talent trees like in saga. Skills divided into 4 tiers that u can upgrade and gain a solid bonus rather than outscaling. Stamina/Mana Point system for powers an abilities Fatigue Cooldown for powers.  They want the rest to remain somewhat the same a dnd 4e. I think it sounds stupid but alas, i am here to make the game fun for everyone, and if i can pull this off i am sure ill feel happy. Now my question is if any of you guys have suggestions. Help will be greatly appreciated! Cover i made for the would  be player's guide:
#2 ordrus Jul 01, 2010 16:55:32	*SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T PLAYED DRAGON AGE* This issue here is that you are looking at adding complex game mechanics to an already developed game. Personally I wouldn't focus on any of those to make the game more like Dragon Age. First and foremost, make sure your campaign is focused on the lore and the feel of the game itself. Second, try adding in roleplaying elements from the game into your campaign. For example, ask your players what paragon paths they'd like to take for their characters and then work in an RP path that would give them the knowledge to become that Paragon path (specialization). This would reflect the Arcane Warrior, Bard, Duelist and other specializations in the game. Third, look at developing a light mechanic for the darkspawn taint and how Grey Wardens use it. In this way your players could all have high perception but once they join the Grey Wardens (if they do that is) they can use their perception checks to sense the presence of Darkspawn. Also, Gabe from Penny Arcade has his own little section on their site about his ideas that he's used for DMing. One of them was to create an overworld map and a travel system where the players can choose to go. This will definitely give your players the feeling like they are travelling across Ferelden. I think deep down, adding cool downs and stuff to 4e would just mess it up. Explain that to them and then show them your other cool ideas to make it more interesting.
#3 Mechalibur Jul 01, 2010 19:31:04	Green Ronin made a Dragon Age Origins Roleplaying game. You should check it out.
#4 theplaneswalker Jul 01, 2010 20:10:12	*SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T PLAYED DRAGON AGE* This issue here is that you are looking at adding complex game mechanics to an already developed game. Personally I wouldn't focus on any of those to make the game more like Dragon Age. First and foremost, make sure your campaign is focused on the lore and the feel of the game itself. Second, try adding in roleplaying elements from the game into your campaign. For example, ask your players what paragon paths they'd like to take for their characters and then work in an RP path that would give them the knowledge to become that Paragon path (specialization). This would reflect the Arcane Warrior, Bard, Duelist and other specializations in the game. Third, look at developing a light mechanic for the darkspawn taint and how Grey Wardens use it. In this way your players could all have high perception but once they join the Grey Wardens (if they do that is) they can use their perception checks to sense the presence of Darkspawn. Also, Gabe from Penny Arcade has his own little section on their site about his ideas that he's used for DMing. One of them was to create an overworld map and a travel system where the players can choose to go. This will definitely give your players the feeling like they are travelling across Ferelden. I think deep down, adding cool downs and stuff to 4e would just mess it up. Explain that to them and then show them your other cool ideas to make it more interesting. Will think about this, thanks. Green Ronin made a Dragon Age Origins Roleplaying game. You should check it out. I did and i didnt like the system and thats what made me want to adapt dnd to dao.
#5 Mechalibur Jul 01, 2010 21:51:59	Well, I thought it worked a lot better than adapting DnD ever would. 4e and DAO are just so different that you'd be creating an entirely different system from the original that you might as well be playing something else. You'll just have to stick with 4e, or make up your own game entirely.
#6 phaqueue Jul 01, 2010 23:09:11	I have to agree with some of the above... My best suggestion here is to talk to your players and get to the root of what they really want... You say they want the mechanics to match DAO more, but honestly - I really don't think that's as viable as it would seem. The system is very different. However, I think you can get the feel of DA:O without all the extra work of converting an entire system... The above suggestions are good, and I'll add a few... Remember that you can always rename/add cosmetics to spells as you please... for instance... even though in the DnD rules it is listed as "prismatic spray" who's to say it can't be "cone of cold" or "shock" from DAO? Just a matter of a small tweak... Overhauling a system is a huge chore, and will likely give you more headaches than you want/need. Also, making sure it feels like the world of DA:O is a big part... The best way to do this for your players is to find out what they liked best about Dragon Age, and highlighting those things especially. Did they love the fights with waves of enemies (ie. Redcliff Village, Denerim during the assault on the archdemon?), did they like the huge epic feeling  boss battles? (ie. the High Dragon, Flemeth, the Archdemon?), fid out what they really liked about the game and make sure that is included in your world, it will help a lot... I definitely have to agree with the above though - overhauling a system as complete as DnD will not only be a lot of work and a huge headache, but may not turn out to be as fun as your players think it will be... I think what you really need here is to capture the flavor of the world of Dragon Age and your players will love it...
#7 theplaneswalker Jul 02, 2010 5:12:32	Thank you all for your great advises on this issue. I talked with my group and even pointing some of them directly to this thread and after 3 hours of discussing the issue i came to the conclusion that the issue is not the system, its them. I explained to them how some aspects of the video game cannot translate to pen and paper since, well, its a video game and most of the tedious calculations are done for you by the computer (just to give out an example). I explain to them that the issue would be the tone of the game and hows its presented rather than the rules. But still the argued that it wouldn't be the same. I told them then to try and come up with a system thats balanced, because what they ask for could be done, but it would be waaaay unbalanced. I doubt they will stick with dnd 4e in regards to DAO (they stated they are very happy with their current normal dnd campaign but that dao needs something else).
#8 ChrisTheS Jul 03, 2010 11:43:34	I suggest True20 as an alternative, in that case (on the grounds that it's the easiest system in the world to homebrew for).  It has most of what your players are looking for in it already, and could easily be adapted for the rest.
#9 theplaneswalker Jul 03, 2010 18:39:45	I suggest True20 as an alternative, in that case (on the grounds that it's the easiest system in the world to homebrew for).  It has most of what your players are looking for in it already, and could easily be adapted for the rest. alright, will look into it.