Which computer RPG best captured the 'spirit' of tabletop D&D?

[gurugeorge]

Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2. And i don't mean the official campaign, but the custom modules with several players, ran by a DM. Or the servers with even more players and DMs. No game has since captured that feeling of actual tabletop as well, with the DM(s) reacting and interacting directly with your groups actions (maybe the DM mode for Divintiy Original Sin 2, don't know how active multiplayer scene is).

There are great singleplayer games, but they are always on (more or less visible) rails: the core benefit of P&P - a DM customizing and running the world, reacting to your actions, and the freedom of doing whatever you can think of - just isn't possible (so far).

Yeah I agree very much with this. I only played a few of those custom modules run by a DM, but those are among the most amazing gaming experiences I ever had. There is NOTHING more immersive you can do on a computer in terms of fantasy roleplaying, than being in a group of roleplayers (even just lite) being led through a NWN1/2 module adventure by a DM. Being able to have actually intelligent conversations with "NPCs" and being led by clues along an adventure trail is just superb, with the world coming alive around you and reacting to your actions - nothing like it.

It continually amazes my why no developers have tried to iterate on this, as it's peak gaming. I'd love to see it with even more sophisticated systems and modern graphics. I envisage that if "AI" actually does develop into something that can have a passable conversation with you and build an adventure for you on the fly in a passably intelligent way, this sort of thing might be possible in single player or multiplayer games; but even then I doubt it would be able to beat the experience with a proper DM.

Short of that, re. the OP, ofc ToEE and Pathfinder: Kingmaker (with the turn-based mod) so far, especially the latter as the more rounded experience (though I think ToEE's combat just edges ahead).

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

ToEE's combat, BG1's atmosphere, IWD's narrative, NWN's creation tools.

Fuse these together and you have it.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Well BG1 probably resembles me and my idiot friends playing AD&D as early teens. Just wandering around without much of a focus killing shit in the woods. And occasionally a cave. Good times.

 

[Lilura]

ofc ToEE and Pathfinder: Kingmaker (with the turn-based mod)

lololol

Poncefinder: Cuckmaker's combat system can't stand alongside ToEE's without being laughed, booed and egged off-stage.

Go back to reddit or RPGWatch, pls.

 

[octavius]

FRUA is as close as you come to real AD&D, I guess, with all the adaptations of the old classic modules.
And Temple of Elemental Evil since it's based on that old AD&D module.

 

[AArmanFV]

Depends of what you mean with spirit. The spirit from the first D&D was similar to the Wargames in a way in which the imagination was the only thing limiting the game. The rules were flexible so the referee (later known as DM) could make any campaign he wanted, any race he wanted, modify or expand rules, etc. Rules were just a base to work with. Wizardry acomplished an RPG with its own rules based in oubliette the D&D idea, to think of one.

Now of course I never had the privilege to play a PnP session, neither played an AD&D CRPG, so I'm just talking out of my ass.

 

[Casual Hero]

From what I know, my vote has to go to Phantasie. The dungeons in that are extremely evocative, and the top down abstract map makes it feel like you are mapping it out on a piece of paper.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD

 

[Riddler]

Obviously NwN. The uncontrollable AI is the best digital representation I've encountered of trying to wrangle one's drunk friends towards pursuing a common goal.

 

[Alex]

Zork

This!

Zork had the spirit of the strange, sometimes nonsensical traps and the main focus of treasure hunting. Combat plays a minor role in it, but it played a minor role in many old school games as well (not as minor, but my point is that it isn't nearly as important as many people make it out to be).

 

[Lilura]

Combat plays a minor role in it, but it played a minor role in many old school games as well (not as minor, but my point is that it isn't nearly as important as many people make it out to be).

Blasphemy! Combat is the prime mover. As an authoritative source states:

"RPGs consist in combat. And the more there is combat, the more is it RPG".

ToEE dev also states:

"Let's face it; combat is the mainstay of an adventurer's life... combat is inevitable, so you may as well get good at it".

Indeed, the best RPGs were made by wargamers, not "role-players".

"Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns" -- I don't see "role-playing" in there.

 

[Morality Games]

As far as the big single player cRPGs go, the Temple of Elemental Evil. The first couple of hours is just RPing around town getting encumbered in the small folk's petty problems while you try to figure out the lay of the land, that's as near to real life D&D as I've ever gotten in a single-player PC RPG.

 

[Lady_Error]

FRUA is as close as you come to real AD&D, I guess, with all the adaptations of the old classic modules.
And Temple of Elemental Evil since it's based on that old AD&D module.

I never liked the combat in Gold Box games, but the atmosphere comes pretty close.

In that regard, Realms of Arkania did a better job with combat, while the atmosphere is also pretty good.

 

[Lilura]

As far as the big single player cRPGs go, the Temple of Elemental Evil. The first couple of hours is just RPing around town getting encumbered in the small folk's petty problems while you try to figure out the lay of the land, that's a near to real life D&D as I've ever gotten in a single-player PC RPG.

And for replays, we can basically ignore most of Hommlet/Nulb and play ToEE as a combat simulation consisting of one dungeon, three main wilderness zones and a megadungeon.

It's a solid setup if playing Ironman mode/employing party arbitration. Basically plays like a Gygax tournament.

Indeed, that's what makes Jagged Alliance 2 so great as well, but it substitutes party arbitration for deep mercenary pools.

 

[Zombra]

Temple of Elemental Evil. More than any other, it felt like playing a real module.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

I had this tabletop feeling playing Pool of Radiance, Fallout 1-2 and Planescape: Torment.

 

[CryptRat]

I never liked the combat in Gold Box games[...]Realms of Arkania did a better job with combat

What? Realms of Arkania is possibly my favourite series, but its combat is mediocre at best while Gold Box combat is top of the barrel.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

Indeed, the best RPGs were made by wargamers, not "role-players".

There's actually truth to this and I'll add in that when I used to play tabletop I can assure you me and other grown ass men weren't LARPing a bunch of gay elves and doing overly dramatic monologues. It was all about the encounter design and how your character would react in certain situations. The real fun in D&D isn't sitting around pretending to be a dwarf or paladin, it was kicking the shit out of EVIL and driving them from the LANDS.

And you do that through COMBAT, baby. Iron & blood, nigguh.

Roleplay is nice, but those groups that sit around all evening pretending to be their character for hours on end is some straight up faggy Second Life degenerate shit. I WANNA HACK SOME LIMBS, MAMA.

 

[Lady_Error]

I never liked the combat in Gold Box games[...]Realms of Arkania did a better job with combat

What? Realms of Arkania is possibly my favourite series, but its combat is mediocre at best while Gold Box combat is top of the barrel.

Maybe it's just the UI and the less than atmospheric combat graphics in Gold Box games. It always felt kind of 'sterile'.

I liked the exploration part in Gold Box more, that one really evoked imagination.

 

[samuraigaiden]

If it even exists, a "spirit of tabletop" has no bearing on story and atmosphere. Different groups of people and different DMs will influence the game in those areas more than the ruleset or the lore.

The application of the ruleset - and thus the use of dice rolls and skill checks to mediate relevant interactions - is the consistent element present in all PnP sessions that aren't throwing rules out the window for the sake of LARPing.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

. I WANNA HACK SOME LIMBS, MAMA.

You got eight of them, hop to it, old boy.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

"spirit of tabletop"

And there's an Ouija board joke here somewhere.

 

[thesheeep]

"spirit of tabletop"

And there's an Ouija board joke here somewhere.

Which computer RPG captures the spirit of Ouija best?

 

[V_K]

Realms of Arkania HD

Jokes aside, from what I heard RoA emulated a TT TDE play extremely well.

 

[V_K]

And speaking of TDE, Blackguards also comes pretty close in structure to TT: each encounter is handcrafted, you can use environmental features to your advantage, and non-combat gameplay is abstracted to a worldmap and individual adventure screens.