A Touch of Class – Classes in Traditional RPGs and Vanguard
By Mercurie

The concept of classes in role-playing games originated with the very first role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), all the way back in 1974.

In that earliest version of D&D there were only three classes: fighter, magic user, and cleric. Eventually D&D would develop more classes and Advanced D&D would add even more. Some role-playing games, such as Rolemaster, featured more classes than one could count on both hands!

MMOs inherited the concept of class from those old pen-and-paper games. And, like many of the pen-and-paper games, the MMOs often feature many different classes. The original Everquest, for example, has 14 different classes that fall into four broad archetypes. The first archetype is the Tank. These are fighters (such as Paladins and Warriors) who generally have the heaviest weapons and the heaviest armor. They can literally bash their way into the thick of any battle. The second archetype is Melee. These are combat-oriented classes (such as Monks and Rangers) who not only assist the Tanks, but also act to protect the more vulnerable members of a party (namely, the spell-casters). The third archetype is the Priests (such as Clerics and Shamans). Their role is generally to protect the party and provide healing when needed. Finally, there is the Caster archetype (such as Wizards and Magicians). It is they who provide a party with magical support through casting spells.

Everquest II upped the ante with 33 classes divided into five archetypes. The Fighter, Priest, and Mage archetypes roughly correspond to the Tank, Priest, and Caster archetypes of the original Everquest II. The Scout archetype has much in common with the Melee archetype, but with some major differences. The primary purpose of the Scout archetype is to use stealth and cunning against the enemy. They rely largely on the element of surprise. The Artisan archetype is exactly what it sounds like. They are the craftsmen who manufacture goods and weapons for use by other characters.

One of the problems that I can see with the class set up in both Everquest and Everquest, based on my discussions with others, is that many times within any given archetype there will be a class that is the ideal within that archetype. For instance, both Warriors and Paladins are tanks, but Paladins, due to their abilities, would seem to be better suited for use within a party. That is, they are the ideal tanks. Similarly, within the Priest archetype, Clerics would seem to be more proficient in many abilities than Shamans, so that they would seem to be preferable. Obviously, this is not exactly desirable within an MMO. Ideally, each class would be equally desirable and would have its own specific role.

Naturally, if Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is to be successful, or if it is to be different from other MMOs, it would have to solve this problem of any given class being preferable over others. For that reason, the classes are somewhat interdependent on each other within Vanguard. This can be seen in the way that classes are set up in the game. There are four spheres of classes: Adventuring Classes (those classes that are most likely to go out on adventures, such as Warriors, Clerics, Rangers, and so on), Harvesting Classes (those who do the work of gathering goods, such as Prospectors and Reapers), Diplomacy Classes (those whose jobs center on interacting with other people, such as Philosophers and Demagogues), and Crafting Professions (those who manufacture goods, such as Blacksmiths and Woodcrafters).

The Adventuring Classes, those classes most players will probably elect to play, are further divided into four Roles. The first is that of Arcane Casters, who use spells in an offensive capacity. Necromancers and Sorcerers are examples of classes with this Role. The second is that of Arcane Healers, who use spells to support the party through healing and defensive capabilities. Clerics and Shamans are examples of classes with this Role. The Third is that of Defensive Fighters, whose job it is primarily to defend the party. Paladins and Warriors are examples of classes within this Role. Finally, there are Offensive Fighters, whose job it is to cause as much damage to opponents as possible. Rangers and Berserkers are examples of classes within this Role.

This entire setup is meant to make each class somewhat dependent on the other classes. For instance, a well prepared party might have a Psionicist (the Arcane Caster), a Cleric (the Arcane Healer), a Warrior (the Defensive Fighter), and a Ranger (the Offensive Fighter). The Psionicist would cast spells to attack the enemy, while the Ranger would physically attack them. The Warrior and the Cleric would defend the others (the Warrior through combat, the Cleric through protective spells). The Cleric would furthermore see to it that the wounded were healed. Alone, any one of these classes might succumb to their enemies. Together they have a greater guarantee of success. Given the interdependency of the classes, people might wonder if solo play is even possible, but this concern is soon assuaged. Vanguard will make allowances for solo play.

Even more interdependency between the classes is apparent when one considered the other spheres of classes. Let us say that our party of a Psionicist, Cleric, Warrior, and Ranger must get information from someone on the location of a dungeon full of treasure. They might well engage a Charlatan (a class in the Diplomatic sphere) to weasel the information out of the source. Later, once they reach the dungeon, they find that its entrance has collapsed and any way inside is blocked by heavy stones. They might well have to hire a Stonecrafter (a class in the Crafting sphere) and some miners to remove the stones.  Quite simply, there are going to be instances in which parties will have to rely on others to get things done. In this way, every class has its role to fulfill and its place in the game.

This is what largely sets Vanguard apart from previous MMOs. In both Everquest and Everquest II, one could simply choose those classes which have the most power and expect to succeed, whether or not most of them are Tanks. In Vanguard it will be necessary, in many cases, to have nearly all of the Roles filled. A party going up against an ancient and particularly powerful dragon might well regret not having an Arcane Healer of some sort, while a party trying to visit the local potentate might well wish they had someone in the Diplomatic Sphere to help get them a invitation to the palace. Not only does this make Vanguard more interesting, in my opinion, but also more realistic. I guess we can only wait until the official release to see how the majority of players will react to the interdependency between the roles and classes.

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