I was told awhile ago that Wizards of the Coast was going to release a version of D&D that allowed the DM to create a visceral (a tangile visual) world where players could come into and play the game, experiencing more of the pen and paper side of RPGs than MMOs?
I was told that one could download a program that has simple world creation tools and that you could set up a server to host modules that can be mastered just like the normal game. I was thinking that this would be a cool idea since many of my friends now live all across the country and the world.
It would be so interesting to play D&D again with my friends, allowing them to generate characters and then play through the dungeons I created. I have toyed around with Neverwinter Nights, but that is not strictly a Mastering game, though I guess you could take over the various creatures and lead the players abit.
What I am looking for is a true translation of the game into a world where I can host a server and run players through the world. It needn’t be real time nor gorgeous graphics, but it should allow me to play the game exactly as I want to play it (no overriding stifling rules about magic items, the cost of spells and items, and handing out specific allotments of xp).
I would love to hear from people that have played the newest version of AD&D and know if what I am talking about exists?
There’s allegedly some kind of online component available for the new D&D 4th edition, but word I’m hearing on it is that it hasn’t met either expectations or promises.
There’s always play-by-post on various message boards such as RPGNet, but I’ve always found that pretty awkward.