Forums > MobyGames > Turn-based RPGs are not all the same.
SharkD (425) on 2/27/2013 11:11 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Might & Magic and Jagged Alliance 2 are both turn-based RPGs, but combat gameplay is vastly different. Would it be useful to have another Non-Sport theme in order to differentiate between the two? For instance, "blobber" for the former or "grid-based" for the latter?
Discuss.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/27/2013 11:26 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Creating differentials is a nightmare to do here, especially when a popular gaming consensus (read=some dude mentioning a marketing soundbite in a game interview, whilst gamers blindly follow the trend) has not been established. Half the crowd doesn't care, the other half doesn't even bother thinking through a proper argument before expressing an opinion.
Best approach you can expect (and reasonably safe) is a variant game group. Might and Magic for example would go under a King's Bounty (the 1994 one) variants, which may also include the Disciples series.
Jagged Alliance is probably unique enough (e.g. perhaps not to be lumped in with X-Com) to have its own variant game group. X-Com certainly warrants its own variant group (forgot the names of example series).
SharkD (425) on 2/27/2013 11:35 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I think that would result in arguments as to which game did it first. I'm not sure about King's Bounty variants, but games like Dragon Quest and Bard's Tale had blobby combat IIRC, and X-COM presumably borrowed from pen-and-paper systems like Chainmail.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/27/2013 11:41 PM · Permalink · Report
Oh, you don't have to necessarily identify which game was first. At least which ones would be that may warrant as a milestone.
Some example game groups I've made in the past in relation to your suggestion (mind you, it may be a bit too comprehensive for some casual gamers):
Have enough games in the variants and eventually it'll be upped to become a genre.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/28/2013 12:40 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rola wrote--]Define "blobby"? [/Q --end Rola wrote--]I've always wanted an excuse to mention Iggy's Blob game group. Fascinating description.
SharkD (425) on 2/28/2013 4:16 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I first heard the term used on RPGCodex. It's when all party members move as a single unit, or "blob", instead of individually across the playing field. Sometimes this is in first-person perspective (Bard's Tale, Wizardry) or from an overhead perspective (Wasteland). More recent RPGs (Baldur's Gate, ToEE) have all party members move independently for maximal tactical effect.
Rola (8483) on 2/28/2013 4:50 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
...and I once coined a word gothafokker (a euphemism swearword), but it didn't catch on among aviation fans.
Please don't use that confusing blob: nobody else does this. It's not intuitive.
I don't see even uvlist.net differentiating between party-moves-individually and party-moves-together RPGs (they only say you control a group). Maybe someday we should add a game group.