Table Top Style PC Games

[Lola Granola]

Would trying out a table top PC game be helpful for DnD beginners? Or spark more interest (maybe for the ladies)? So far someone recommended Neverwinter Nights. Any other suggestions?

[sunnyside]

Would trying out a table top PC game be helpful for DnD beginners? Or spark more interest (maybe for the ladies)? So far someone recommended Neverwinter Nights. Any other suggestions?

Well if your up for das oldskoolen you could do Shadowrun for the old sega genisis on an emulator. Fun and reasonably representitive. Free too, and I'm pretty sure there are sights that offer it legally.

For the ladies may I suggest the Final Fantasy series? Certainly popular with my mom.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Well if your up for das oldskoolen you could do Shadowrun for the old sega Genesis on an emulator. Fun and reasonably representitive. Free too, and I'm pretty sure there are sights that offer it legally.

HA. Not a chance it's legally available unless it's wound up on Steam or GameTap through some insanity, in which case it wouldn't be free.


For the ladies may I suggest the Final Fantasy series? Certainly popular with my mom.The Final Fantasys in particular and JRPGs in general have almost nothing to do with table top RPGs. They're far, far, far too linear and are basically nothing but oversimplified combat encounter after oversimplified combat encounter.

Neverwinter Nights is delicious cake. I also suggest the Elder Scrolls Series (Morrowind and Oblivion in particular), Baldur's Gate series, Icewind Dale (haven't got around to playing it, though), the Fallout Series, Planescape: Torment, even Eye of the Beholder. Most of those are based on D&D 2.0 or proprietary systems, but if you are planning on using 3 or 3.5 then letting Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 teach them many of the basics wouldn't be a bad thing.

There's also some D&D MMO out there, but I've never heard especially good things about it. MMO's would be a good starting point for teaching D&D 4.0 BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS.

[Yugure's Goddess]

All those computer games are good, too. Another good game that I really liked that was for the PS2, is Baldur's Gate: Dark Aliance. I suggest the second over the first for quality of gameplay, though they're both pretty fun. It doesn't have the same representation as some of the computer game like, say, Neverwinter or Icewind Dale, both of which I've played and liked. However, it's impossible to get a decent representation in a video game of a table-top game like D&D, which bases its whole gameplay on a massive amount of imagination. Though they are good for a nice, sneaky reel-in, since they are pretty fun, and they do preserve, as best they can, gameplay mechanics of the original RPGs from which they are derived.

I also suggest a game I saw a long time ago but didn't get to try out very much: Temple of Elemental Evil. There was another where you started out in the woods near an encampment and some cave, but I can't, for the life of me, remember what it was called.

love
dani
dude

[ShadowWalker]

Heroes of Might and Magic is another wonderful series, that can teach you all about hit points and things like that. I suggest 3, and if you want to have it in steady action, then do Battle for Middle Earth, any will do. =) Orcs can eat each other, that makes me happy. You can even get a Balrog! I named mine Bobby. ^^

[SGI]

If you hunt around the bargain bins of various games shops, I'd highly reccomend Black Isle's infinity engine games for the PC. Namely,

Baldur's Gate I+II (And its various expansions).
Planescape: Torment (I highly, highly recommend this game, if you can find it).
Icewind Dale I+II

[Princess Minako]

Icewind Dale is that based off of the R.A. Salvatore books too? I know that Baulders Gate had the ability to play Drizzt Do'Urden and Artemis Entreri

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Icewind Dale is that based off of the R.A. Salvatore books too? I know that Baulders Gate had the ability to play Drizzt Do'Urden and Artemis Entreri
They're all set in The Forgotten Realms, but R.A. Salvatore didn't have anything to do with it other then authorizing the cameos.

I THINK he was involved in the story with one D&D game, but it was a horrible console-based Diablo clone or something.

[SGI]

Icewind Dale is that based off of the R.A. Salvatore books too? I know that Baulders Gate had the ability to play Drizzt Do'Urden and Artemis Entreri

Most satisfying moment in Baldurs Gate, being able to kill Drizzt while screaming 'This is for ruining the drow mofo'

[lightning spades]

Most Bioware games use some form of the D20 system. One good one that (I don't think) has been mentioned yet is the Knights of the Old Republic games. I stayed up until 8 in the morning playing the first one. Ah, good times.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Most satisfying moment in Baldurs Gate, being able to kill Drizzt while screaming 'This is for ruining the drow mofo'
I still say that Drizzt's sin was more then made up for by Jaraxel, who manages to be Drow-y while still being morally ambiguous enough to bastardize versions of him into PC's for non-Evil campaigns. And, as far as R. A. Salvadores other charcters go, I love Pikel the Dwarven Doo-Dad (Druid).

[SGI]

I still say that Drizzt's sin was more then made up for by Jaraxel, who manages to be Drow-y while still being morally ambiguous enough to bastardize versions of him into PC's for non-Evil campaigns.

And that's why I'm going to do a Dragonlance campaign for my next generic fantasy setting. No obnoxious Drow, and any Kender get struck by DM lightning.

[Lavos]

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind is fun too.

[ShadowWalker]

Hero's of Might and Magic 3 is one of the best I feel, The Balder's Gate games are great, I suggest them as well. As for PC, there are LOTS of them. These folks are naming great ones! If you are going for broad based fantasy, then The Battle for Middle Earth are all great. And even addicting. XD What other gaming interests might you have? Just Fantasy or maybe something like Diablo 2 or somesuch?