So apparently White Wolf's big project is an MMORPG, set in the world not of the current world of darkness, but the Old World of Darkness.

How fascinating. Two comments spring immediately to mind:
"Awesome. Now you can play a pretentious dick who can't actually accomplish anything despite having incredible power, online."
and
"This pretty much proves that nWoD was an unmitigated disaster for that company".

RPGPundit

What's the difference between new World and Old World of Darkness?

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;408450What's the difference between new World and Old World of Darkness?

Lots. Too many to list casually. The new line, mechanically, is more balanced and the settings changed so that they're vaguely like the old games in some ways, but are their own entity.

Seanchai

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;408450What's the difference between new World and Old World of Darkness?

- Better rules, more streamlined, unified mechanics that allow for crossover if you want. Specially more fluid combat. Overall, a bit more gritty and low-key, which is OK in my book.
- No metaplot. At all.
- No impending end of the world.
- Weirdness amped up to 11. No one knows shit about what's out there.
- Toolbox approach. Many books bring several different explanations to a group or phenomenon, letting you choose, mix or discard as you will.
- More protagonism of mortals, with the basic line and the Hunter line devoted to them. Hunter rocks so much is hard to explain.
- A very very higher usefulness and quality of the books, specially the "second part" of the big series. The Vampire line has received nothing but top-notch books since Russell Bailey got the developing. The books before were more a mixed bag, some very good, some not so much.

Pundit, I don't think the nWoD is a disaster and the MMO shows it. I feel that the oWoD was more suitable to set an MMO on it.

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;408450What's the difference between new World and Old World of Darkness?

As it pertains to the MMO, the background, mostly. Old World of Darkness has a pretty well defined, overarching metaplot that stretches back years and years into the lines' design material. New World of Darkness has little to no background metaplot, which lets the author come up with their own blurry elements on whatever the "truth" about whatever game element might be.

Looking at this, I'm just struck by a simple realization: that WW finally decided that tabletop RPGs are dead to them, and the only way to make a living from then on is to join the MMO technology. That's sad, really.

There's not a snowball's chance in hell I'd play this game, but I'm sort of curious how they are going to reconcile the massively in MMO and the supposed mystique of the creatures you're supposed to play in the World of Darkness.  How much fun could it possibly be to play your vampire running around in a digital city populated by half a million other vampires?  Instances? Mission-based game play?

I had the same sort of doubts concerning City of Heroes.  I didn't really feel like the genre was appropriate for an MMO and that there was no possible way to come up with a unique hero in a massive game.  Anyone here play that?  Is that a model that would work for the World of Darkness?

Now, if they just cut right to the chase and made a shooter with vampires v. werewolves with plenty of humans caught in the middle and lots of collateral damage -  I would see great wisdom in this. :cool:

Quote from: Benoist;408464Looking at this, I'm just struck by a simple realization: that WW finally decided that tabletop RPGs are dead to them, and the only way to make a living from then on is to join the MMO technology. That's sad, really.

I disagree on this. Books are in development, and they will keep coming. The entire old catalogue is released again as PDF/POD. Again, new books will keep coming.

It may be as you say in the future, but is untrue right now.

I'd happily play it, though not on this pc.

I think the setting lends itself to an MMO fairly well. Clear heirarchy, lots of factions to interact with. Maybe include werewolves as well.

Quote from: Imperator;408468I disagree on this. Books are in development, and they will keep coming.

OK. Which ones?

The rules are more streamlined, they still suck though.

Quote from: DeadUematsu;408487The rules are more streamlined, they still suck though.

Here's the mail.

It never fails.

Quote from: Benoist;408464Looking at this, I'm just struck by a simple realization: that WW finally decided that tabletop RPGs are dead to them, and the only way to make a living from then on is to join the MMO technology. That's sad, really.

I wouldn't entirely agree. DnD has had computer games, and even DDO, for years now with no apparent harm done to the ttrpg.

Well OK I see what you guys mean. It's just that I thought the WW production of actual role playing books was all but dead for several months now. Apparently I was wrong. It's alright.

Anyway, the use of the Old WoD is a good move. It's still seriously more popular than the nWoD.

Quote from: winkingbishop;408467There's not a snowball's chance in hell I'd play this game, but I'm sort of curious how they are going to reconcile the massively in MMO and the supposed mystique of the creatures you're supposed to play in the World of Darkness.  How much fun could it possibly be to play your vampire running around in a digital city populated by half a million other vampires?  Instances? Mission-based game play?

The same questions pop up in my mind... though if I could join a group of human hunters who set out to kill vampires and muck up other occult nonsense... I'd play that.
I agree about the oddity of having lots of vampires... even the RPG seemed a bit crowded with them... and I've got no clue what epic quests/instances would fit the setting as written.

QuoteI had the same sort of doubts concerning City of Heroes.  I didn't really feel like the genre was appropriate for an MMO and that there was no possible way to come up with a unique hero in a massive game.  Anyone here play that?  Is that a model that would work for the World of Darkness?

I LOVED CoH... it was the first MMO I ever played and still prefer the gameplay over WoW. The character creation was surprisingly versatile and I always felt like my heroes were unique... much more so than any other MMO I've played. It felt like pulp era heroics... fighting weird sorcerors, witches, Nazis (with vampires and werewolves), Frankenstein-style monsters, subterranean rock-men, clockwork robots, an ENORMOUS octopus, etc...
The only shortcoming of the game, for me, was that the missions got kind of redundant... there weren't all that many different maps for instances. Nothing like the big signature instances in WoW.
If they ever reboot the setting with a makeover of the content (but same basic mythos) I'd re-up my subscription immediately.
V:tM seems like a harder fit... the background of CoH makes for why heroes are not as secret and rare as they seem in comics, even though each one is unique... but it did have a system where your mission choices were somewhat effected by your chosen background... determined what sorts of enemies you'd fight. I could see that sort of thing working for the factions in Vampire... vs. WoW where once you got out of your startup area everyone has access to the same quests (except for a small handful of class/profession quests).

Maybe it will be more like a huge chat room with avatars... you just stand around smoking cloves and glaring at the 'normals' (What happens when the sun comes up? Does the sun come up?)

QuoteNow, if they just cut right to the chase and made a shooter with vampires v. werewolves with plenty of humans caught in the middle and lots of collateral damage -  I would see great wisdom in this. :cool:

Yeah, that would seem like the obvious way to go... I'd give it a go.

I was never a rabid fan of the OWoD but I've had more interest in the NWoD... I like a lot of the changes to the setting... the different emphasis for the werewolves and changelings. Promethean was a pretty cool book... at least for reading. I hated the 'new age' threads running through a lot of the OWoD stuff and there seems less of that now... except maybe with the mages.