There has been an age-old debate between table-top RPG purists (D&D players like me) vs. MMORPG players. The most common accusation is that online games and MMORPGs have killed the hobby which, ironically, started the RPG revolution into the online arena.

Now, being one of those veterans of the pen-and-paper hobby and now directly involved in the MMORPG industry, it’s hard for me to take a direct stand on the issue. When I encounter threads in the gaming groups I am involved with, I always say that MMORPGs complement the pen-and-paper industry. Online gaming just solved the problem on “preparation” and finding a schedule and a venue where a group of friends can gather every week “physically”

I used to run a lot of pen-and-paper campaigns during the 80’s and the 90’s. In fact, here’s an old site of my Forgotten Realms campaign, “Winter’s Twilight”. At any rate, Wizards of the Coast has announced the release of the new D&D 4th Edition rules scheduled for May 2008.

But that’s not all, WOTC is also releasing a new system called D&D Insider which melds pan-and-paper into a pseudo-online experience. Check out the video below

More about 4TH Ed and Insider after the jump…

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