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I have my very own view on (A)D&D : All those C-RPGs (computer-based role playing games) which feature the (A)D&D rules are to me like clever product placement for TSR / Wizards : People are playing these games, get accompanied to the rules, and want to play them later as "pen & paper" (P&P) games as well, eventually.

And considering how far and wide the distribution of these games is, it certainly adds to the world-wide market of the P&P stuff that these C-PRGs are sold so widespread (meaning world-wide).

Unfortunately, there are very few other C-RPGs using other rule sets, like DSA or Midgard, for example, or small ones created somewhere in countries or areas we might not know of, so even if there *might* be better systems than (A)D&D, we won't see them because of its dominance, and publishers not producing games with *other* rule-sets.

That's basically what I meant with my article at RPGDot, which was greatly misunderstood (greetings to the guys at RPGCodex ).

very good point. that's why i found out that nwn is so much easier to understand and to play than games based on 2nd ed.

Another unfortunate thing about Video RPGs (PC and Console both) that are based off of ANY pen & paper ruleset is that they never take the ful ruleset into account. Take any V-RPG... Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for example. "Based off" of 3e... in truth it holds little resemblance at all with the real ruleset. Many rules are omitted, altered, or "dumbed down" so gamers will have an easier time hacking into the next skeleton. When the game has the option to display dice action on screen, this is mostly for show, as the game itself reduces most probability down to precentages, or "flipping a weighted coin". The true experience is lost, not only because they're used in a fashion they were not meant for (age-old p&p vs. video argument), but because the player doesn't have to actually deal with the rules. Granted, a game made full use of any p&p ruleset would be a pretty big endevor (both to create and to play), but isn't that similar to playing D&D with your 3-foot stack of rulebooks sitting next to you as you argue the ability to upgrade the intelligence of an intelligent weapon with your DM? (BTW, for those that have run into DMs that argue that point, have them e-mail Wizards. The mental scores of an intelligent item CAN be upgraded using the rules for upgrading items in the DMG. The Wizards rules lawyers confirmed it for me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />)

However, these are simply the ramblings of a hardcore D&D fan with many years under his belt...