Originally Posted by grysqrl
I'm with the OP here. By calling it a D&D game and having D&D classes, skills, mechanics, setting, etc., they're setting people up for disappointment if they don't have a D&D experience


Originally Posted by clavis
D&D logic = Not everyone is going to be happy with a DM's style of DMing, or what they add to make it feel like their own, also what they add to flavor the story they are trying to tell, or setting they are creating for the story. As stated in core rulebooks.

<small snip>

Larian is tweaking, adjusting things like other DM's to make it more their own, per official WoTC documentation such as rule books thats what is expected. They don't put well you have to have 95% of the rules in this book for it to be D&D, or you have to abide by 30% of the rules for it to be D&D. They don't put percentages on it, they don't have absolutes to follow (Only sith deal in absolutes) they give some basic guidelines, and structures then let the DM decide what works and what doesn't.

<major snippage>

Things about how true it is to being what your used to at your table, is not how it is at another table, or another table. Because rules in D&D are simply guidelines, it's stated in the handbooks, that if something isn't working for you toss it out, or change it.


I quoted both of these because I think that where they intersect is the answer.

Larian Studios' "BG3" is yet another D&D adventure by yet another "DM" (in this case gaming studio) and there will inherently be things that are "the same" as other D&D sessions/DM's and things that are different.

I'm enjoying the exploration and the differences from what I recall from D&D - and this was a while ago, but it was still "D&D"

-Wizards had one spell a day and that was it - cantrips didn't exist at all, and when they were first brought in, it was tiny things like "wrapping" a spell component in a hanky-sized conjuration - no possible combat usage.
-Druids topped out at whatever level, and quickly got overshadowed by the rest of the party
-There were a very limited number of options for class and race. No Teiflings, no Gith, no Drow.
-Pretty much no sub-classes (Barbarian was quite a bit later)

I'm also enjoying "GM" differences

-Borderlands had barely any interaction with the environment other than looting occasional things
-ESO has minimal "surface" options basically based on spell or weapon effects; meaning if you don't have the spell, you can't just toss a barrel or a grease bottle
-Bard's Quest and Wizardry (early versions; not sure about later ones) restricted targeting so that if you weren't "in the front line" during combat you were severely limited in options

I love some of Larian's "House Rules"

-Shove doesn't do damage per se, but you can push someone into fire or off of something - great in terms of tactics, and when you have nothing else to do, it's nice to be able to fill Something!
-Some of the party can be "in combat" while others are still hidden - the computer keeps much better track of that than most human DM's I've known.