Video Games and TTRPG's

I have previously discussed the upcoming Darksouls TTRPG and looked through the Fallout 2d20 system on this blog and I think the relationship between Video games and ttrpg is a subject worth discussing. Over the years there has been many video games adaptations of ttrpg's and many ttrpg adaptations of video games (both Official and fan made) and there is defiantly some of cross over in terms of design and fanbase. But when it comes down to the finer details of design I think there are some very clear differences in strengths.

In my opinion it seems obvious that the strengths of ttrpg's are their flexibility and open ended nature, this aspect is often emphasised in the OSR though not exclusive to it. The ttrpg's leave room for the GM to make adaptations and rulings that fit their table instead of trying to have highly complex rules to manage actions and circumstances.

there are certain trends in ttrpg's however that seem to be trying to emphasised things that ttrpgs are naturally weak in, these include making boss fights, increased combat complexity and character builds. I feel that a lot of people try to emulate the wrong things from video games as an inspiration source, they try to copy mechanics that don't translate well to pen and paper, complexity can be very fun in format where such equations are done instantaneously by a computer but watching someone try to do mental maths isn't. 

Closed system ttrpgs that feel the need to have paragraph long rules for every conceivable action are also irksome especially when such systems breed rules lawyers as a natural consequence of the text reading like a legal document, you don't need to spell out what the consequences of casting a fireball in a hay barn in summer is its literally fire you know what fire does don't you?

A living world is again where ttrpgs shine, a video game is great when you first play and you encounter events and npc's for the first time, but sooner or later they end up feeling 2D and repetitive. Ttrpg's on the other hand can be infinite you don't have the same limitations and can improvise dialog on the fly and can react to the player precise actions at the time rather than having to predict their actions at the planning stage of the adventure.

Many people will claim that ttrpgs are a tool box and you can do just about anything with them, this is true but like with any tool understanding their strengths and weaknesses is important for using it effectively. So in conclusion embrace the flexibility and adaptability that ttrpgs have and don't get too bogged down with "Realistic combat" or custom magic systems.

M.C.