Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
Can’t express enough, nor can I make this a full review as it would take far too long, how amazing this game is. Still survives more than 18 years after launch through the Enhanced Edition and I’ve been playing since that launch. Roleplaying online for over 15 years, as well. It continues to get amazing improvements as it goes along, and I’m excited to see how much more it can bring.
– Real player with 7840.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeons & Dragons CRPG Games.
You know what you could be playing instead of a MMO?
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition.
– Real player with 965.0 hrs in game
D&D Lords of Waterdeep
I’ve never played the board game, but I thought I would give this game a shot since I’m a long time D&D player and have been craving a bit of solo fun. Most people have already outlined the pro’s and con’s regarding it, so I will not go through them. I will tell you:
-The game is worth $10 easily. Even $15 is acceptable if you like computerized board games.
-You must play the tutorial to understand what’s going on. I played it twice, and after that was a pro at playing.
-Ignore all the naysaying about the animation speeds. Once you know what is going on, you will appreciate the speed of the animations. Could they be slower? Sure. However, a couple games through and you know exactly what the cards are doing. There is also a review icon that you can click called the “Discard Pile” to read and look at the cards that have been played. In addition, you can click on the individual players cards and review those that they have drawn which may have moved too fast to read initially. IN FACT, it is a good strategy to review the other players cards to make decisions in the game.
– Real player with 61.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeons & Dragons Strategy Games.
My “hours played” stat is a little misleading, because I played the iOS version of Playdek’s adaptation on the iPad for years.
This version is virtually identical to the iOS version, with a few exceptions. The most obvious is the fact that the game is horizontally oriented, instead of vertically. This is an unfortunate necessity, since monitors can’t be oriented vertically. As such, the expansions –- and I strongly recommend getting that DLC – have to be awkwardly crunched into the board, instead of elegantly just placed below the board. One has to scroll as well, and non-obvious tabs implemented to save space.
– Real player with 43.1 hrs in game
TaleSpire
This tabletop will change the way you play your online sessions forever.
If you are a DM and felt at any point that your sessions were “flat”, that combat was lacking the 3d aspect, or that your maps were not detailed enough, you need to get this.
If you are a player and you appreciate when the DM had a table with an impressive set of walls, traps and miniatures waiting for the game session, you need to get this.
If you at any point looked at your game board, and said. I’d love for it to be as impressive as videogames, with animations and lights, you need to get this.
– Real player with 160.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeons & Dragons Tabletop Games.
This program is amazing, and it has allowed many in our group to get into D&D that never would have before. We’ve been running a campaign for a few weeks now, and it has been a blast using this program. We all live far away from each other, so getting together was not an option, but the visual aspect of this game has helped some of our players enjoy D&D that never would have enjoyed sitting around a table and playing.
This game is also a huge money saver. For $25, you get to create all these maps and have access to so many minis, which would cost a fortune getting real ones from Dwarvenforge (for example, an unpainted cottage stone set on there is $40, that’s just the cottage).
– Real player with 110.0 hrs in game
Wildshape - Map Editor (free demo)
Definitely would recommend giving this map editor/VTT a try if you’re running campaigns with your friends either online or locally. It is best used with a second monitor to have as indicator for what your players see.
The tool sports the most visually impressive map editor I have come across, and whilst the VTT features definitely still need some work to be considered top of the line, they are certainly usable and enjoyable. I am a first time DM, and am very much looking forward to utilizing this tool for a long time to come if it is kept up in the same pace as it has so far.
– Real player with 97.2 hrs in game
Absolutely love it. The level of realism and natural beauty you can create with Wildshape is simply unmatched. To me, Wildshape is a simulation for those insanely detailed real world battle map models you see at your local geek shop, but it’s here, on your screen with loads of assets, and textures to bring it to life without ever touching a bottle of glue.
I own several map makers, such as dungeondraft and arkenforge. This is entirely a different product, and with that there is a learning curve. Expect to spend time getting used to creating in a 3D space as it’s not going to be simply drag and drop like other 2D applications (for obvious reasons). So yes, takes time to learn, but the pay off is huge.
– Real player with 28.8 hrs in game
Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition
This is Baldur’s Gate 2. You wouldn’t need something else to say.
But 2.0 update came out.
It did bring some improvements with it. Some spells and abilities were tweaked, a new class was added, some bugs fixed. Changes were made into a save system - now there are 4 slots for quicksaves. Cloudsaves and achievements were enabled. Off-hand weapons became equippable with launchers and two-handers, preventing constant jumping into inventory. Further zooming is enabled. That’s a good thing.
Some of the graphics was changed. Outlines were added for sprites, for instance. This gave the game a cartoonish look, turning them off replaced thick lines with thin ones thus retaining cartoon style.
– Real player with 325.8 hrs in game
Baldur’s Gate II is the best role-playing game ever made.
It is everything that so-called RPGs of more recent times have forgotten: not defined by skill trees, vapid dialogue, time-wasting errands or how big the world is, but by its unparalleled depth, insane replay value through class variety and actual choice and consequence throughout the world.
“Ah, the child of Bhaal has awoken."
Awakening to a cold cell deep beneath the city of Athkatla, far to the south in the nation of Amn, you find yourself in over your head once again. It seems that no matter where the Bhaalspawn goes, fate and the latent power in your blood has a way of catching up in the end. After escaping, your path is set to figure out just what brought you into contact with this “Irenicus” you keep hearing whispers of… and what exactly the powers that be have in store for you.
– Real player with 225.9 hrs in game
Game Master Engine
I would rate this programme. It is obviously still in Early Access still and I am a new dungeon master (DM) which means I am probably bias with how flashy this comes across.
I DM online (with a group of friends that are located in different cities) and primarily use this as a world map “top world/view/map (can’t remember what it is called)” and use the “battle map” for creating townships and combat arenas. I definitely do not use the bulk of the functions and the availability of models (animals, certain races etc) is still limited. I use the screen share option on Discord because this is what we use for our DnD group voice and text channels. It appears that the Dev’s are working on a multiplayer update but I probably will not use this function anyways.
– Real player with 6.8 hrs in game
It is important to keep in mind that this game is in Early Access, however I can confidently say that this game (“program” is a more accurate term) has an infinite amount of potential. The controls are currently quite clunky but with some playing around you can get the gist and begin to compromise. As a DM for 5 years this program has already helped me create our world as a 3D model and my players are ecstatic to see the alternate world they’ve been living brought to life. I still have some playing around to do but I have a few suggestions thus far:
– Real player with 3.3 hrs in game
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
I hesitated honestly to recommend it, but Beamdog has been doing bugfixes still in 2020-2021 (!), so that certainly deserves respect and appreciation as such! (Beamdog is the company responsible for the Enhanced Edition. The original was developed by Black Isle Studios [Fallout 1-2, Planescape].)
Though it looks like Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 (same engine, though not the same designers), the design and story are very different. I highly recommend playing BG1 and 2 in priority. IWD is much more linear (though I like the ambiance), with very little choices, and the AD&D rules used in BG1 and BG2 were butchered a bit in IWD. Although the rules are very similar, many of the character statistics have changed. The game balance (difficulty) is sometimes very odd in IWD. Many creatures can hit -15 AC easily (beyond rolling natural 20 which are always automatic hits in all those games). In terms of being linear, it is more of a dungeon crawl, from point A to point B, and so it is not a region to explore in an uncertain order à la BG2 or Fallout. And, really, sometimes your party is crawling forward under waves of creatures to slay.
– Real player with 155.9 hrs in game
Having never played neither D&D or an Infinity engine game before, I was pleasantly surprised by just how much value was put on the table in Icewind Dale: EE, not just as a videogame, but also as an introductory of sorts to D&D for new players.
Right of the bat you’re given the option to create a party of six (though you can choose to roll with a smaller party, or even solo the whole game) with a ludicrous amount of customization at your fingertips. For those new to the whole thing such as myself at the time, the options available might seem too overwhelming at first with all the different races, classes, weapon proficiencies, etc. Needless to say I’d spent the first few hours just to setup my party. This is a good thing.
– Real player with 129.7 hrs in game
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
Baldur’s Gate is truly a masterpiece. Despite it’s beauty, tactical depth and great story, the game does not take itself too seriously. This cannot be said of many other leading RPG titles, which I soon begin to find rather corny. If you like RPGs and have not played Baldur’s Gate, then this is an absolute must, you do not even need to waste your time reading this review but of course you are welcome to. If you have played the original BG and are curious about Beamdog’s boob job, I share with you my opinion.
– Real player with 425.6 hrs in game
Classics are often thought to be timeless for future generations to enjoy, but the same cannot be said for Baldur’s Gate—and it’s not because CRPGs are uncommon. To go blind into BG in 2016 is practically impossible because how modern expectations are at odds with the brutal accessibility of ’90s computer games.
Baldur’s Gate, simply put, is an sarcophagus; it is a coffin of a bygone time of design philosophies and of late ’90s player expectations, immersed in the counter-culture of D&D and of fantasy-fiction that is written in its code like hieroglyphics to modern eyes. The game’s reverence is both a nostalgic call-back as well as an appreciation of BG’s systems as a traditional role-playing experience.
– Real player with 203.9 hrs in game
Dungeons & Dragons Online®
Introduction;
I have spent many hours on this game over the years, and even though it may feel a little antiquated now, it is still one of the best RPG’s that I have played in a very long time.
It feels like a true RPG, and a true adaptation of the AD&D Rule Set that true AD&D gamers are familiar with. There is none of that level scaling crap in this game which has become a trend recently. It is all leveled content.
This is one of the few games which I install every time I have to do a re-install of Steam for what ever reason.
– Real player with 2656.1 hrs in game
I have been playing this game for years and only recently started playing it through steam. I would say my actual hours are probably closer to 2000. this is a huge, well established MMO with tons of content. if you like customized builds, look no further. you have the ability to create your character from the ground up. you choose where every ability, skill, feat and enhancement point goes, and you can even multiclass. ever wondered how an Archer Monk Wizard would fare in combat? Now you can find out.
– Real player with 639.2 hrs in game
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
Idle D&D game? Count me in! Cute characters, addicting game play, funny story lines (sensiblechuckle.gif), easy to grind gems to pay for shiny upgrades. Kept me up hours past bedtime. 10/10.
– Real player with 2609.5 hrs in game
Love this game. Played a few idle clicker types but nothing like this. Exceptionally fun and I’m sure I’ll be playing it for a long time to come.
– Real player with 2155.3 hrs in game