Game with Dungeon Master mode?

[Slant]

Hi, this may actually be the first thread that I create... fancy that.

A couple of friends and I were wondering if there is any sort of game that includes a game master mode? We were thinking something like Neverwinter Online plus a DM to be able to interact with the players live while they play it.

The best current example of that would be the Zeus/MCC system in ArmA3, for the people that know it. Is there anything in a fantasy setting that is similar to that?

[Pachycrocuta]

Isn't Neverwinter Nights like that? I never played it, but I remember they had a mode where DMs could create adventures. And by Neverwinter Nights, I mean the old game, not the new MMORPG Neverwinter by Cryptic and shitty Perfect World.

[Slant]

Isn't Neverwinter Nights like that? I never played it, but I remember they had a mode where DMs could create adventures. And by Neverwinter Nights, I mean the old game, not the new MMORPG Neverwinter by Cryptic and shitty Perfect World.

Many games allow you to make custom content. We are looking for a game where you can be a proper gm and modify the custom content while players are playing it. To my faint memory, you can't do that in Neverwinter Nights, it's also pretty old and I was looking for something more recent.

Imagine this scenario:

My player group is advancing rather fast, because they get lucky and make the right decisions everytime they are at a crossroads. So, to extend the gameplay and make it a bit more challenging, I can create an ambush along their route that will give them something to do and a feeling of danger instead of just lucking their way through my labyrinth.

[Jaojin]

Many games allow you to make custom content. We are looking for a game where you can be a proper gm and modify the custom content while players are playing it. To my faint memory, you can't do that in Neverwinter Nights, it's also pretty old and I was looking for something more recent.

Imagine this scenario:

My player group is advancing rather fast, because they get lucky and make the right decisions everytime they are at a crossroads. So, to extend the gameplay and make it a bit more challenging, I can create an ambush along their route that will give them something to do and a feeling of danger instead of just lucking their way through my labyrinth.

You can do that in NWN2 I believe. Dynamically scale encounters and introduce random encounters (as well as create custom content)*, it's in a DM mode. You can activate DM mode by right clicking the game in your library -> select properties -> under general tab choose button: "Set launch options..." -> in the window for setting parameters type -dmc and then accept with ok.

(the custom content is in the world builder tools though, which aren't very user friendly)

Nothing more recent has been introduced, barring 4e tabletop interfaces (shudder)

[namelessone]

Hi, this may actually be the first thread that I create... fancy that.

A couple of friends and I were wondering if there is any sort of game that includes a game master mode? We were thinking something like Neverwinter Online plus a DM to be able to interact with the players live while they play it.

The best current example of that would be the Zeus/MCC system in ArmA3, for the people that know it. Is there anything in a fantasy setting that is similar to that?

There's a game in the pipeline by BioWare, that will do something similar to what you are suggesting. It's presented as 4v1 action/adventure. Basically you have a group of 4 going into the dungeon, working on an objective - and one player as a DM-type figure opposing them, controlling the enemies in the dungeon, placing encounters etc. Of course it's going to be very limited due to competitive nature, but it's still a very interesting idea.

[Wilian]

Many games allow you to make custom content. We are looking for a game where you can be a proper gm and modify the custom content while players are playing it. To my faint memory, you can't do that in Neverwinter Nights, it's also pretty old and I was looking for something more recent.

Imagine this scenario:

My player group is advancing rather fast, because they get lucky and make the right decisions everytime they are at a crossroads. So, to extend the gameplay and make it a bit more challenging, I can create an ambush along their route that will give them something to do and a feeling of danger instead of just lucking their way through my labyrinth.

NWN (the first one) has excellent, very easy to use toolkit and DM tools just for that. It's amazing and was way ahead of it's time.

- - - Updated - - -

There's a game in the pipeline by BioWare, that will do something similar to what you are suggesting. It's presented as 4v1 action/adventure. Basically you have a group of 4 going into the dungeon, working on an objective - and one player as a DM-type figure opposing them, controlling the enemies in the dungeon, placing encounters etc. Of course it's going to be very limited due to competitive nature, but it's still a very interesting idea.

And it's sad it's so limited in scope because they had practically perfect system with NWN. All it'd need is polishing the graphics to up to date standards and maybe alter gameplay if people don't fancy DnD RTwP

[bbr]

NWN works.
Also, you could try some tabletop games like gurps,. or obviously dnd.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

NWN is what your looking for.

[Lady Dragonheart]

Neverwinter Nights has an amazing customization to it.

My husband plays the old ones, mainly the original with the expansions and community expansion, and loves just creating entire worlds in them.
It would be sooo nice if a newer one would come out that harnessed that aspect, it was way ahead of its time and is really quite amazing to see what can be done with its editor.

I'm not sure about the new MMO, as I understand it's not made by Bioware or anything. I'm really not sure, but now that I think about it, I'm curious if anyone else has played the MMO. What's it like?

[Arcanimus]

Neverwinter Nights has an amazing customization to it.

My husband plays the old ones, mainly the original with the expansions and community expansion, and loves just creating entire worlds in them.
It would be sooo nice if a newer one would come out that harnessed that aspect, it was way ahead of its time and is really quite amazing to see what can be done with its editor.

I'm not sure about the new MMO, as I understand it's not made by Bioware or anything. I'm really not sure, but now that I think about it, I'm curious if anyone else has played the MMO. What's it like?

I have so many memories of NWN, me being the turbonerd I am.

Neverwinter is crap though. Stupid facebook game crafting system.

[Lady Dragonheart]

I have so many memories of NWN, me being the turbonerd I am.

Neverwinter is crap though. Stupid facebook game crafting system.

Is it really that bad? D:
I've barely played the original, but my husband says that it's way old compared to most games I play, but damn. It can be really fun.
I was honestly hoping the MMO would be good at least, bring a great concept to a more modern age that would benefit from it...

[Wilian]

It's not really that old in terms of the gameplay, UI and controls are fairly slick. It's just the graphics that are fairly dull to modern standards.

What most people don't really understand when they see NWN and "auto attack galore" is that it's DnD, not active combat system per se. It's that different characters really have very different gameplay. If you're a simple fighter, yeah you end up mostly auto attacking. Then again if you are mage you end up with so much spells you'll be easily overwhelmed if you don't know what you are doing.

Classes like rogues in general are no damage dealers. They are trap crafters, scouts, pick-pockets, trackers and all of it can be extremely useful in proper scenarios. Utility is big word vs. the typical modern standard of DPS-healer-tank.

A lot of people won't realize this because the OC of NWN is very awfully bad and boring, underutilizing about all of the game's systems while working more like showcase to what the editor can easily perform.

[Pachycrocuta]

Just go to the Neverwinter MMO thread to get an idea of it. At least one poster will tell you it's the greatest game. The launch was horrendously terrible, massive exploits left and right, and an absurd cash shop that sold the absolute best crafting followers (and things are obscenely over priced, but that's about normal for Perfect World). Some say it is fun, some say it is shit. The most recent patch, "Tyranny of Dragons", let you unlock the Dragonborn race (plus give you a few extra things) for the low low price of $75-100 dollars.

There's a big chance that a game like Neverwinter Nights will never be made again. I would love to have a game like that with the new 5th edition ruleset, but I don't think it will be happening. I never got to play the original NWN or NWN2, despite wanting to. Never had a computer that could handle them when they were new, and now it is damn near impossible to find them. GOG.com might have them, but I don't know.

There aren't a lot of games like those, and probably not many that will be coming out anytime soon. Definitely no MMORPG.

[Slant]

It's not really that old in terms of the gameplay, UI and controls are fairly slick. It's just the graphics that are fairly dull to modern standards.

What most people don't really understand when they see NWN and "auto attack galore" is that it's DnD, not active combat system per se. It's that different characters really have very different gameplay. If you're a simple fighter, yeah you end up mostly auto attacking. Then again if you are mage you end up with so much spells you'll be easily overwhelmed if you don't know what you are doing.

Classes like rogues in general are no damage dealers. They are trap crafters, scouts, pick-pockets, trackers and all of it can be extremely useful in proper scenarios. Utility is big word vs. the typical modern standard of DPS-healer-tank.

A lot of people won't realize this because the OC of NWN is very awfully bad and boring, underutilizing about all of the game's systems while working more like showcase to what the editor can easily perform.

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I have played NWN back in the day, I am loosely aware of the custom content there but I wasn't aware that it allowed D&D style DM interaction within a live game. I may check it out.

The bolded text is one of the reasons we want stuff like this. Modern "RPG" (yes, in quotes...) are rather narrowly designed and a lot of the flair of old pnp RPGs like D&D is utterly lost in these games. Where is the dude that can deal with traps? He's not there, because there are no traps. And if they are there, they're easy to detect and simply avoid. What about luring enemies into an ambush starting with traps? No go, too OP for most games, because we have to cater to MMO, etc.

I hope someone has another idea, as I'm not sure we're willing to go that much back in the time machine with respects to graphics. Other than that, I'm suggesting to any developer that may read this... do it! This is a niche that seems to be absolutely empty.

About tabletop D&D, yeah we could do that... roll20.net even has a nice interface for online gaming if you don't want to meet up (or can't due to distance). But we'd like to have a game with 1st person perspective for maximum immersion if possible. 3rd person like WoW would work, too. We'd draw the line at Diabloesque passive point-and-click interfaces, though.

Just to give you an idea what we're looking for. Great ideas, though. Keep it coming.