January 26, 2006 - D&D Online: Stormreach isn't quite what its title suggests. Rather than being a strict translation of the 3.5 rules, D&D Online merely uses the core concepts as the foundation for an MMO. If you've played through a few Eberron campaigns, you'll find that the world and the mechanics are very familiar but still full of surprises. All this week we've been playing through the beta of the game, getting a feel for how things work in the world of Stormreach.

It's helpful to point out that D&D Online is focused on a very specific type of playing style. There's no crafting here, no long overland hikes, no player versus player combat, and few opportunities for solo players to make their own way through the world. Instead, D&D Online presents loads of opportunities for party-based dungeon crawling expeditions launched from a large urban common area.