In case you haven’t read up on the latest and thought D&D was dead there’s a new article talking about a new product that Wizards of the Cost is trying to promote called “D&D Encounters”. Here’s the full article, http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/06/08/new.dungeons.dragons/index.html?hpt=C2 but I can save you some time.

“Wizards of the Coast, the current publishers of D&D, recognized that some of the 24 million people who used to play the game left, not because they didn’t want to play, but because their lifestyles changed and they didn’t have the time anymore — so they have created a new rules system to address those concerns and bring back their former fans.”

Yeah, this sums it up for me right here. WotC, WTF?! The reality isn’t that the people who used to play have had life style changes. Trust me, I just did a Firefly Shindig and these guys still have the same free time for gaming now as they did 20 years ago. No, it’s that the 24 million people who used to play hack and slash games have evolved to seek a higher level of entertainment than just “roll-playing”.

“”Encounters” has premade characters and a premade adventure provided to the game’s referee and storyteller, the Dungeon Master. Maps, tokens, game pieces and player aids, such as bonus cards, are all included.”

So let’s just call this for what it is – “Gold Box Pen and Paper!” Yes, I went there! I mean let’s get real, this is everything you love about MMOGs without the subscrpitions or creative thought process. At least “Daggerfall” let you crate your own character before it tried to railroad you along the plot line.

“Wizards of the Coast wants to remind players that using an active imagination can be very satisfying compared to simply being fed information from a computer screen.”

Because being fed information from a human, word by word, is much better than walking around the Shivering Isles going “Wow! Check out the trees!” Thanks but compare that to my friend who named all the vendor stalls in town after pop culture references that only we’d understand. And I can’t forget a Toy Store owner who looked at my character and went “Oh, thank God. I thought you were some damned kid. I hate kids!” I’ve never talked to him since, but I haven’t forgotten him either.

Even though I’m loosing faith in White Wolf, I do have to thank them for changing the role of Game Master to Storyteller. What real Role Players want is the story. To live the story, and be the story. We want to create something that is our own, not just meander through the motions of a setting someone else created. If I wanted that I’d re-install “Neverwinter Nights”… the original http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights_(AOL_game)

*shudders*