The World of Layonara
The Layonara Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kolskeggr on May 11, 2007, 05:59:24 PM
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Hello all,
I was wondering what you guys thought. Do you like playing online better than playing pnp or visa versa? Do you like both equally?
I have found it very difficult to get together with a pnp group. (scheduling, travel, kids, etc.) With Layonara, I get the same feel of rp (even though we aren't face to face) I used to get with pnp, plus the extra added bonus of actually seeing what is happening right before my eyes. :)
I'll go on step further and say that this has been the best experience/fun I have had in a long time. Heck, even the solo version of NWN pales in comparison to being online. When I'm talking to someone, I know there is an actual human intelligence on the other end, not some preprogrammed AI.
I just want to thank everyone in this community for making me feel welcome and hope to enjoy many more adventures with you. ;)
Looking forward to your responses,
Kolskeggr
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Online all the way. PnP can be fun but have you seen how many dice rolls there are in that info window and for PnP to have the same fidelity as the online game the GM has to remember every little special rule that might apply. The computer makes it much more transperent and you can focus on the what you are doing rather than all the calculations. That said I think that with the GM involvement online play would be much less satisfying since you would be limited to taking actions that the computer was programmed to handle. So for me the onlline quest with GM wins hands down.
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They both have their merits and their places.
This is where I come for more serious RP... But honestly? If I want to run an adventure, and I want to go through with the same character for a decade... PnP wins every time. It's more fun with a real DM, but I can't seem to get the quality of RP in PnP that I can here.
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I think that's because you're probably going to have a different DM for most of your quests, and the campaign-like series quests will swap out characters a lot who can't/don't want to come back to the quest or attend every session. So it's always a new face in terms of both player and DM - hard to get 'familiar' with the player and what they're all about on short notice, likewise adapt to changing DM styles and a changing party all the time.
I don't actually play PnP, though. I was just referring to why it's probably better that way if you want that single character through the long campaign thing. While some people don't like characters familiar with the DM going on their quests, I prefer it, so that whoever is running the quest will understand her motivations and have a lot of experience with her strengths/weaknesses.
You know what I mean though, it's the difference between rolling a crazy lore and being told obscure facts about the history of pottery, or the DM knowing that your character knows absolutely nothing about pottery despite the lore score and giving her something in her field, instead, or just plain telling her that she came up blank. It sounds like a small thing but it adds a lot! :P It's particularly noticeable in 'deepest fear' or 'heart's desire' or 'sees into your thoughts' moments in quests, hehe.
Other than that, I don't know if I would even take to a PnP session very well... never actually done it. Gasp, shock, oo, aah. ;)
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I adore Layo. But I have to say I prefer PnP. Dice rolling only gets in the way if you let it. The cinematic freedom PnP affords goes beyond anything online play can offer. In PnP, a raging barbarian can pick up a nearby orc and use the beast as a bludgeoning tool on his enemies. A fighter with no ranks in Disable Device can strategically eliminate traps. A paladin can throw her silver sword across a room to pierce the heart of a vampire. You just can't do that sort of stuff online.
Still, Stephen's right. There are upsides and downsides to both. I do confess that some of the best RP I have ever had has been on Layo. It's why I keep coming back.