Pen and Paper or Plastic?

[VashdeStampedo!]

Sorry about the title, I just had to, or be killed by my robotic legion of the damned.

So, who likes what kind of RPGs more: pen and paper, or PC/Console? I think P&P games have more potential to be fun (unless whoever's running it is an idiot), but it's so hard to find time if you have a job, school, and/or a life. PC games are too limiting, but still a lot of fun.

Any suggestions for good games would be appreciated. A few I can think of off the top of my head are Fallout and Fallout 2 (of course); Hero X, though not really an RPG, is still entertaining; and the GTA games (see above).

[Ganonator]

I have never actually sat down and played a PnP RPG. (I've played the game of Magic twice, but i don't that as a PnP)

Console games just give the player more depth - and they don't require other people to be around or even CARE what you are doing.

[DarkDragoonX]

Originally posted by Ganonator
Console games just give the player more depth - and they don't require other people to be around or even CARE what you are doing.

Gwahahahahaha!

More depth? Have you been testing a new narcotic or what? Console (and many PC) RPGs just give you recycled characters with predetermined personalities. That is bad. With a PnP RPG, your character has infinite depth, only limited by how "deep" the player wants him/her to be.

As for having other people around... that's what makes it fun. You're not just controlling some generic twit with an enormus, penis-size-compensating sword, talking to cardboard cut-out NPCs, as you do in the typical console RPG... In a PnP RPG, you're actually speaking with other humans, instead of calling up a prewritten line of text.

As for "plastic" RPGs that are really good... I'd go for Fallout/Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, and Arcanum any day over Square's next reguritiation of Final Fantasy (now with more taste... even LESS filling!).

That's not to say console RPGs are bad... they just aren't REALLY RPGs. They're adventure games using RPG statistics and turn-based combat. You see, RPG stands for Role Playing Game (duh). In games like FF, you aren't really playing the role... you're just controlling the characters and watching their roles unfold.

Planescape: Torment is a good example of a "plastic" RPG. Sure, some guy asks you to get his engagement ring which he lost, but hey, that guy over there is offering you TWICE the reward money if you give the ring to him instead... Hmm... Or, you could give the ring to the owner, being a nice guy, then kill the owner, take the ring back, and sell it to a shop for even MORE gold. Plus, if you're feeling angry, you can kill every shopkeeper in town. They won't get resurrected, either. But hey, you have the option, and that's what's important in an RPG.

[fatcatfan]

Of any of the PnP RPGs I participated in, my favorite was the Amber diceless RPG. When the campaign begins, all the players bid for ranks in various stats. You have a limited number of points to bid over the entire auction, and any points you have left at the end can also be spent on powers, equipment, etc. But if you get the highest bid in "physche" you will always be the winner in a contest of the mind against other PCs. NPCs are another story. As you play, you earn more points which can be spent on new powers or to increase your rank, but the neat thing is that unless you aquire a very obvious item or power, you don't know when you've gained it. You just give the GM a list of the things you want to "buy" and as you have enough points, you aquire them. If your strength goes up, making you second in rank rather than third, you aren't aware of it until you put it to the test in some kind of PC contest.

For a short time I GMed an AD&D campaign based on DragonLance. All of my players loved it, but we unfortunately only got several sessions in before we all went our separate ways.

[Axel]

deffinitely Pen and Paper. fact is that you can do anything. if the GM doesn't expect you to turn south for no apparent reason, so what? ist not like there's suddenly going to be a small rock or wall blocking your path...

[Fiyerstorm]

What is a Pen and Paper RPG?

...

/me hopes the nerd-patrol won't assasinate him.

[Blonde799]

A RPG using just that, pen and paper.:) Never really liked those.

[VashdeStampedo!]

I totally agree with you, DarkDragoonX. I hate that so many people think of those type of games as RPGs. Even the Fallout games aren't true RPGs, but that's about as close as they can get, so I'm happy with calling them RPGs. Of course, MMORPGs can be more open, but often unbelievable (when are the guards in a town actually good at keeping people out?), and unbalanced.

[Axel]

actually, text games are alot more like true RPG's, as are MUD's.

a pen and paper RPG is a true Role Playing Game. involving a Game Master (otherwise known as Dungeon Master) who designs the game world and adventures. and players who design their own characters. the characters can interact in any plausible way, however the GM may encounter something he didn't expect, so he has to make up alot of things on the spot.

[VashdeStampedo!]

Sometimes i's fun in PnP to just kill a character off socially. Take pants off (not necessarily your own), throw cats at people (again, not necessarily your cats), ride hippos through the town, and do other generally stupid things. . . usually end up with a new char, though.

[Axel]

one time I was DMing and this one halfling thief kept pulling pranks until this huge butcher chased him out of town waving a cleaver after him.

[VashdeStampedo!]

Yeah, that's the stuff.

[Axel]

it was annoying because he was supposed to have taken a ship out of town.

[siddisoza]

I honestly didn't realize how much I don't use pen/paper for my blog until now. All of my articles are written in Google Docs or directly in WordPress. If I ever was away from my computer and wanted to jot something down real quick, it's to the "Notes" app I go. Sermon notes however are all pen/paper. Surely there must be some underlying reason for this.