This Should Happen

When Wizards initially launched D&D 4th Edition, we were promised robust online tools to assist campaigns in facilitating information gathering and actual gameplay online from the D&D Insider portal.  In addition to the repository of source books, the character builder, the monster database, we were told that they were also developing an online gametable which would link into their monster/rules databases and provide a complete virtual solution for online D&D nerdcraft.  It was supposed to be ready any day now, and they'd gladly accept your subscription payments anytime.

To date, that online table/map never materialized.  Perhaps they felt that opening up all the online tools would undercut their physical product's appeal.  Perhaps Wizards put their creative efforts into assisting with the D&D Online MMO, which was largely a failure, and even now with its free basic play and microtransaction expansions it's still not very popular.  Personally I think this is because they tried to shoehorn D&D branding into what is by all accounts a World of Warcraft gameplay within a WoW-clone environment.  It wasn't really D&D as we tabletop gamers know it, but just D&D-flavored Warcraft.

Meanwhile, multiple online tools have been developed (free and for-pay) that somewhat approximate the original D&D Insider vision of an interactive map.  Some have even integrated D&D and other tabletop game rulesets into the program, and offer updated tile and pog graphics to get as close to the D&D experience as possible.  But they're pretty cold and sterile, don't have integrated voice options, and don't necessarily have all the customization options you'd like.

I think there's a market somewhere between these two points, with grid-based turn-based DM-run combat, but within the vibrant terrain and environment of a persistent MMO universe.  Here's what it should do:

• Have artistically crafted and diverse 3D regions stitched together, very much like World of Warcraft, to create one large setting.  They could even just say "We're implementing Eberron."  They'd have the towns, the forests and deserts, mountains and magical marshes and basically every fantasy mini-setting you could dream of.  Transit would occur in the world in realtime.  There'd be plenty of caves and ruins and strongholds to provide opportunities for the DM to create encounters, but also distinct permanent towns staffed with NPCs.
• All non-combat situations would occur within the MMO.  Your party riding horseback between villages could pass other adventurers, and you can yell at them, or RP with them, or encounter them next week in a tavern to share stories, or maybe work with their DM to have a combat.
• Combat and  DM-controlled roleplay with NPCs would occur within "instances", which are like private versions of the zone that only that DM's party can play within.  So no other players in the MMO can interrupt your combat (unless you invite them into the DM's game party) or occupy the NPCs your DM needs to tell you about Plot Hook B.
• The DM player can, in realtime or saved in advance, generate combat on a grid overlay on the 3D map, simply by pulling monsters from context menus and placing them on the grid.  All the game rules and physics could be handled by the game itself, but the DM would choose enemy actions and movement.
• The DM can also take control of any NPC, to increase immersion and roleplay options.
• Experience and rewards would be handled either by the DM manually assigning them, or via standard rules and random rolls by the game.  Similarly, NPC shopkeepers could have their item lists manually chosen or modified from stock lists based on the type of town, type of store, and party power level.

Tell me this wouldn't be mindblowing.  All the control of an online gaming tool, but refined within the awesome MMO gamespace.  You could even recruit replacement players in the game's local taverns (lobbies) or have your players hire mercenaries (other PCs with nothing to do) for adventures.  Players could barter for items on their own time with other players while the DM roleplays a split scene or takes three minutes to setup a random encounter in the alley.  Bored on a tuesday night?  Fire up the MMO and offer your services for a few hours.  Rate your favorite DMs!  DMs, rate your favorite players!  Maybe the developer could even code in some encounters that wouldn't require an active DM, so you could get into a little solo action, or just band together with some bored people for a quick jaunt into Adventure C.

The amount of money I would pay for this game would make Blizzard shit their pants.