I don't know...I enjoy what little I've played of the game...and I certainly hope Green Ronin does well...

But all Dragonage has to offer as a P&P rpg is the same old oft-regurgitated Tolkien crap that's been holding fantasy games back for years.

I need a little more than just Humans/Dwarves/Elves and Fighters/Rogues/Mages.

Perhaps Green Ronin's intended target audience isn't hardcore gamers who cut their teeth on (A)D&D and other rpgs.  They could be trying to attract people who have never played rpgs before, such as some of today's high school or college kids who would have otherwise played video games.

Quote from: ggroy;347678Perhaps Green Ronin's intended target audience isn't hardcore gamers who cut their teeth on (A)D&D and other rpgs.  They could be trying to attract people who have never played rpgs before, such as some of today's high school or college kids who would have otherwise played video games.

I think that this is exactly their target audience.

Consequently I have no interest in the game, although I wish them great success with it.

Quote from: Akrasia;347679I think that this is exactly their target audience.

What would be amusing is if the first Dragon Age box set ends up selling over a million copies in the first year.  I don't think this will happen, but it would be amusing if it was a surprise.

Wonder how WotC would react to something like this happening.

Quote from: ggroy;347710What would be amusing is if the first Dragon Age box set ends up selling over a million copies in the first year.  I don't think this will happen, but it would be amusing if it was a surprise.

Wonder how WotC would react to something like this happening.

If they play their cards right and maybe EA/Bioware is willing to cross-advertise, it could be possible.  Anything is possible with enough marketing if the brand is popular enough, and I think DA sold pretty well, though it's lasting impressions on the gaming community as a whole (especially younger gamers who didn't grow up with Baldur's Gate) remain to be seen.

But I highly doubt Bioware/EA will do more than make a sticky on their forums.

Dragon Age has a fucking awful system, but apparently they mostly butcher it here from what I can see anyway, so it depends on how much they keep intact.  DA the vidgame is basically a single player MMO, complete with MMO tank/DPS/healer and aggro system in place of any actual AI.

Also, that page design is fuckawful.  Not only is the giant red dragon painfully distracting, but at several points they actually use fucking red text on top of the red background, which is just infuckinexcusable.  I haven't seen page design that unreadable in a long, long time.

Quote from: J Arcane;347716Dragon Age has a fucking awful system, but apparently they mostly butcher it here from what I can see anyway, so it depends on how much they keep intact.  DA the vidgame is basically a single player MMO, complete with MMO tank/DPS/healer and aggro system in place of any actual AI.

DA has no "system" to convert to tabletop since it was designed from the get-go to be a PC game, not a PC game emulating a tabletop game, and 90% of all the crap is dealt with under the hood. It's better for it, IMO, as most CRPGs suffer more than they should for trying to be faithful to emulating rulesets that aren't supposed to just be plugged into a computer.

As for the AI, it's behavior is programmable down to the T by the player, so I don't know what you're getting at there.  But this is a whole 'nother argument, so I'll let it be.

Either way, Green Ronin has come out and stated that it'd be impossible to convert the PC game "system" over to tabletop since its inner workings are way to complex to put in a form people could deal with at a table.   Regardless of how you feel about the franchise, I think the tabletop version could help bring some fans into the hobby if it's dealt with correctly.

Quote from: ggroy;347710What would be amusing is if the first Dragon Age box set ends up selling over a million copies in the first year.  I don't think this will happen, but it would be amusing if it was a surprise.

Wonder how WotC would react to something like this happening.

You know, I'm no great fan personally of Pramas & Co.; but I hope and pray that this is what would happen. Based on everything I've heard, this is the first case where someone is actually trying to do what I said they should do for YEARS: go back for inspiration to the one model of presentation, design, and marketing that blew away all the others: The Basic D&D box set.

IF that's what DA is; and IF they do a good job of promoting it, it'll be the ultimate experiment. And if it does end up selling inordinately well, it'll change the whole game, all over again.

RPGPundit

Like others I applaud what GR is attempting. But there's something very underwhelming about the previews. It screams bland, bland, bland to me. While I'm not the target audience, I wonder if this game has any secret sauce to bring in the young 'uns.

The Dragon Age ruleset look like, compared to d20 D&D style systems:

- replaced a d20 with 3d6 as the generic dice roll
- replaced the skill system + feats with focuses + talents
- replaced vancian magic with a point based magic system

Otherwise it doesn't look much different than other fantasy rpgs.

Quote from: The_Shadow;347723It screams bland, bland, bland to me. While I'm not the target audience, I wonder if this game has any secret sauce to bring in the young 'uns.

Franchise/name power.  Bioware is a recognized name among hardcore RPG fans, Xbox kiddies, and gets blowjobs from gaming critics all the time.  It doesn't matter how bland the sauce is, as long as it says Big Mac on the wrapper.

My only fear is that there won't be enough market penetration due to lack of funds for advertising.  If they advertised tabletop games in their video game manuals, I bet it they'd sell, and even if it was just the hardcore fans, it'd be a significant number in terms of RPG sales.  

But if they don't, and the only people who know about these side projects are us, well, it may as well not exist.

Quote from: RPGPundit;347722You know, I'm no great fan personally of Pramas & Co.; but I hope and pray that this is what would happen. Based on everything I've heard, this is the first case where someone is actually trying to do what I said they should do for YEARS: go back for inspiration to the one model of presentation, design, and marketing that blew away all the others: The Basic D&D box set.

IF that's what DA is; and IF they do a good job of promoting it, it'll be the ultimate experiment. And if it does end up selling inordinately well, it'll change the whole game, all over again.

Wonder why exactly the basic D&D box set model was abandoned around 15 years ago.

Quote from: ggroy;347728Wonder why exactly the basic D&D box set model was abandoned around 15 years ago.

D&D went through the "hot new toy" phase for a few years, and the boxed sets played a part.  But for a "hot new toy" it had a fairly long run, though all toy fads eventually fade, never to return to their peak. If history is correct, roleplaying will never again reach a heyday equivalent to the 80's.

Of course, a growing "geek chic" culture combined with recognizable video-game franchises could inject some life back into the hobby, if handled right.  But I don't think we'll ever see a resurgence back to former glory, maybe just a slight jump, if the stars are right.  Kind of like how the 70's teleported themselves to the late 90's for a few years.

At this point, though, any income of fresh blood is good.

Quote from: Peregrin;347726But if they don't, and the only people who know about these side projects are us, well, it may as well not exist.

This was possibly the problem that set the fate of the Everquest and World of Warcraft d20 rpgs (by Sword & Sorcery/White Wolf).  Everybody I knew that were hardcore EverCrack and WarCrack players (and addicts), were completely oblivious to the existence of the d20 rpg versions, until I mentioned it to them years later when the d20 rpgs were on their way to going out-of-print.

Ability stats of Dragon Age, compared to 4E D&D equivalents.

- Communication -> Charisma?
- Constitution
- Cunning -> Intelligence?
- Dexterity
- Magic -> ?
- Perception -> Perception skill?
- Strength
- Willpower -> Wisdom?

They decoupled magical abilities completely from intelligence and wisdom.