I sustained a whiplash injury today falling out of a van. I'm fine just massively sore in the neck and back. That's not my point though- since I went home in pain I wasn't much in the mood to do any of the work I'm suppose to be doing so I jumped on a MMOLRPG and started grinding quests for a distraction. <br /><br />After awhile I started to notice that the quests are fairly repetative- names are changed for monsters, quest items and NPCs but largely they are pretty much the same. So then I started thinking about the difference between this style of game and your regular pen and paper RPG. <br /><br />a Pen and paper quest is pretty much the length of a module or a 3 module campaign. 5-15 game session<br />MMOLRPG quests are about 5-15 minutes play time though that can run longer <br /><br />You have to locate the exact area in a MMOLRPG where the quest dingus is located and if you cant find it there is no helpful GM to help move things along, the quest can stagnate. In a pen and paper RPG the GM can and will help move things along. <br /><br />They both can involve lots of combat<br /><br />One has actual Role play and the other has simulated role play (the simulated role play can be dispensed with as you just rapidly click the responses to what the NPC is saying so that you get to the offered quest quickly without wasting time).<br /><br />they both have rewards, EXP, treasure and magic loot.<br /><br />Adventuring areas for MMOLRPGs seem to be more contained with artificial barriers like mountains and cliffs that prevent you from going beyond the prepared area. Pen and paper RPGs can have this but usually dont and a good GM will usually allow for parties to go off scripte or of the map some.<br /><br />In MMOLRPGs you cant talk to some NPCs at all until you are of a level high enough to do their quest but of course in a Pen and Paper RPG the GM can allow you to talk to any NPC regardless of level issues.<br /><br />What is important in this analysis is that the shorter style of quest and the MMOLRPG style of setting is perhaps more ideal to playing with younger children. A slimpler more straight forward sort of quest- go do A&B and come back for reward and now that that's happened, "Hey would you mind doing C as well the pay is good?" I suppose what I'm saying is that quests for children might maybe work best if they are able to be done in one game session. Add to that the Everquest Island syndrom where the play area is more or less bounded though this area can be broken into areans with "gates" between the various areas. these gates can be portals, tunnels, mountain passes etc. Spell jammer settings could also work best for this style of play or not- just give the kids a galleon and paint the world as lots of small to meduim islands for them to visit.<br /><br />Warriors of White Light module has this sort of set up 5 encounters that are pretty much playable in one session they each have their own opposition, Reward and sometimes NPCs to interact with. that module was very playable and short quests probably work better for kids anyway. <br /><br />Thinking in terms of a fantasy game for my kids, and knowing how much my youngest daughter loves fairies I would work up a fairy village in the forest with arena areas around it. In the village would be a whole host of NPCs each with a problem (or two or three) they need help resolving. Part of their rewards might be a knighthood from the fairy queen, a reward of pegasus mounts, etc. besides the usual rewards. Individual quest are less epic though linked quest may add up to an epic story. Its just that the epic story is broken down into small bites I guess is the best way to describe it.
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