- This article is about role-playing games as entertainment. See computer role-playing games for their digital counterparts or roleplay for a more general definition.
A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of fictional characters via role-playing. In fact, many non-athletic games involve some aspect of role-playing; however, role-playing games tend to focus on this aspect of behaviour.
Concept
At their core, these games are a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling. Whereas cinema, novels and television shows are passive, role-playing games engage the participants actively, allowing them to simultaneously be audience, actor, and author. An example of this difference could be the classic scene in a horror film when a doomed character ventures alone into the basement to fix a broken fuse. The audience experiences dramatic irony and says, "Don't go down there!" because they know the monster is lying in wait. In a role-playing game, the player may choose what to do about the broken fuse.
In role-playing games, participants play the parts of characters in an imaginary world that is organized, adjudicated, and sometimes created by a gamemaster (aka narrator, referee, dungeonmaster (DM), storyteller). The gamemaster's role is to provide a world and a cast of characters for the players to interact with, and to adjudicate how these interactions proceed. In addition, the gamemaster may also be responsible for advancing some kind of storyline or plot, albeit one which is subject to the somewhat unpredictable behavior of the players.
In a sense, the players are the "actors" who play the heroes, improvising more freely while the gamemaster plays all the supporting roles (ranging from villain to victim) and keeps them at least partly limited to the script s/he had in mind as the "writer." At the same time, the gamemaster "directs" or referees the outcome of each decision, and his/her descriptions "produce" and "stage" the game setting.
Some newer role-playing games expand the players' powers beyond dictating the actions of their player characters. Some groups or games have rapidly rotating gamemaster duties, or in the more radical cases, no gamemaster at all.
The cooperative aspect of role-playing games comes in two forms. The first is that the players are generally not competing against each other, nor against the gamemaster. Most sports, board games and card games place players in opposition, with the goal of coming out the winner. A role-playing game is not a zero-sum game; in the majority of these games, the only way to actually lose is not to enjoy the game. The second form of cooperation is that all of the players are writing the story together as a team. At the end of a role-playing game session, the events that transpired could be written into a book that would tell a story written by all of its participants.
Game mechanics
Despite this generally non-competitive nature, RPGs usually have rules, or "game mechanics", which enable the players to determine the success or failure of their characters in their endeavors. Normally, this will involve assigning certain abilities to each character (such as exceptional strength, x-ray vision, or magical spells). Frequently, dice are introduced in order to bring in an element of chance, though this is not always the case.
Game mechanics commonly center around the fictional characters represented by the players. An essential step is character creation, where aspects such as the background, abilities, personality and resources of the character are recorded, often onto a character sheet. This usually takes the form of numerical values that represent different physical and mental aspects of the character, such as dexterity or charisma, or the character's skill in some task, such as singing, computer operation, or martial arts. In early role-playing games, the emphasis in character creation was often in the combat prowess of the character. More recently, there have appeared games that emphasize personality and background over combat mechanics.
Adherents of a gaming style accentuating character personality, background and story development sometimes use the pun roll-playing to describe the style of gaming more focused on mechanics, combat rules and their resolution using die-rolling.
Variations
The term "role-playing game" is used for a few distinct methods of play. The traditional method is a pen & paper or tabletop game played with dice by several people. These frequently use several types of polyhedral dice. Some games and gamers also use miniatures, either on a square or hexagonal grid, or on a plain table, to depict strategic and tactical situations for play. Combat can be (but does not have to be) a significant aspect of such games. Position, terrain, and other elements can affect the probabilities of success for a given action. For example, a character making an attack from an opponent's rear or flank may gain a significant bonus on their chances "to hit" and may also gain advantages on any damage they inflict.
Sometimes miniatures are not used at all, and sometimes a whiteboard, chalkboard or similar drawing surface is used in lieu of any figures or tokens. However, many gamers are also collectors of the miniatures and engage in the related hobby of miniature figure painting.
Another mode of play is live action role-playing (LARP), in which the players physically act out their characters' actions. The two types of LARP are theater-style and live combat (sometimes known, respectively, as "Fest" and "Dungeon). Theater-style gameplay is usually more focused on characterization and improvisational theatrics and less focused on combat and the fantastic, if only because of the physical limitations of the players themselves. Live combat games, as the name implies, feature actual combat using padded props called "boffer" weapons. Live action gamers often dress up as their characters and use appropriate props in the game. The related style of freeform role-playing is less physically oriented, and is often played at conventions.
Online text based role playing games have gained popularity throughout writing-based communities. These games often have little to do with the dice or random number generators used by some players to determine outcomes; rather, characters are created and manipulated by their players in the form of a large interwoven story, using only the imagination to determine what occurs. These are usually conducted through internet forums, but can also occur through e-mail or chat programs. This type of role playing can be a form of fan fiction, with players taking the roles of characters from their favorite movies, television shows or books.
The term is also used as a name for a genre of video games that almost always lack the "role-playing" element of pen-and-paper games but borrow many gameplay elements from said games. These games are called CRPGs which stands for "computer role-playing games" or "console role-playing games" depending on whether the game is played on a personal computer or on a video game console.
These computerized simulations have become increasingly prominent over the last two decades. The most recent computer role-playing games have endeavored to incorporate social interaction via networking, beginning in the realm of text based chat rooms, and soon moving to static persistent worlds represented in the text MUD and the like (MUSHes, MOOs and MUXes). Currently, these have evolved to incorporate graphical representations of tokens (characters, equipment, monsters, etc.), as well as physical simulations obscuring much of the underlying rules of the games from users. Today, online role-playing games are epitomized by massively multiplayer online games such as EverQuest and City of Heroes. These games (MMORPGs, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) are played exclusively online and feature graphically intensive gameplay in a virtual world shared by thousands of other players simultaneously.
Computers are inarguably superior to humans in creating simulations, and they have allowed simulation games to become more realistic than ever before. They do, however, have one great drawback: They do not have the creativity and flexibility of a human referee. Some people also prefer the face-to-face interaction of paper-and-pencil role-playing games to computer games which are played over a network. Computer-assisted role-playing (CARP) seeks to overcome the limitations of both computer and paper-and-pencil games.
Genres
Role-playing games can also be divided into genres by the fictional setting where they take place.
Fantasy role-playing games draw their inspiration from fantasy literature, such as the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. The setting in these games is usually a world with a level of technology similar to that in Europe sometime between years 800-1400. Fantasy elements include magic and supernatural creatures, such as dragons. The genre can be subdivided into high fantasy where supernatural events are commonplace, and low fantasy where there are little or no supernatural aspects.
SF role-playing or sci-fi role-playing games are inspired by science fiction literature. The setting is generally in the future, sometimes near future but also quite often in the far future. Common elements involve futuristic technology, contact with alien life forms, experimental societies, and space travel. Psionic abilities (i.e. ESP and telekinesis) often take the place of magic. The genre can be divided similarly with science fiction literature into sub-genres, such as cyberpunk or space opera.
Historical games take place in the past. Settings that have been explored in role-playing games include Maya civilization, Ancient Rome, and Victorian era.
Horror games take their inspiration from horror literature. Horror Roleplaying can be divided into two major groups. The first is inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, focussing on humanity's fight against malevolent, extra-dimensional entities. The second focusses on playing supernatural creatures, mostly preying on humanity, such as the books of Anne Rice. The setting in these games is often contemporary or from the 19th or 20th century. Creating the correct mood and suspense is important in these games.
Several games combine different genres. Ars Magica can be considered a fantasy role-playing game in a historical setting, Shadowrun combines cyberpunk with fantasy elements whereas steam punk games combine elements of science fiction with history. There also exist games unique enough that they do not fit comfortably into easily-defined genres, but these are rare.
History of role-playing
- Main article: History of role-playing
Interactive and impromptu dramas have included elements of play long before the advent of modern wargames; the children's games of "let's pretend" are in essence very simple role-playing games.
Modern role-playing games evolved from wargaming roots in the late 1960s. Where a marker or miniature figure once typically represented a squad of soldiers (although "skirmish level" games did exist where one figure represented one entity only), in early proto-RPGs each token invariably represented a single character.
The first role-playing games as such were played in the late 1960s in and around the University of Minnesota's wargaming society, especially in the groups moderated by Dave Wesley and Dave Arneson. Around the same time, Gary Gygax was developing the medieval wargame Chainmail (unusual, the vast majority of wargames were and are based around relatively modern wars like the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War and the World Wars) with much the same intentions.
Dungeons & Dragons, published by Gygax's TSR was phenomenally successful, bringing numerous players into the field of role-playing games and spawning a cottage industry centered around the hobby. As with all successful games, D&D spawned a large number of imitators and competitors, some of whom blatantly copied the "look and feel" of the game (e.g., one of the earliest competitors to Dungeons & Dragons was Tunnels and Trolls). Along with Dungeons & Dragons, early successes in the "first generation" of role-playing games included Chivalry & Sorcery, Traveller, Space Opera and RuneQuest.
Dungeons & Dragons soon became Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, which expanded the game (and the role-playing game industry in general) beyond amateur hobbyism and into the realm of "professional" gaming. As more elaborate, more expensive role-playing game products appeared on the market, organized conventions and professionally published magazines (such as Dragon Magazine) catered to the growing field, while role-playing moved out of college campuses and into mainstream life.
The 1980s saw a glut in the role-playing game market, as numerous rulebooks, game systems, adventure modules, and other materials crowded the shelves of hobby shops. The biggest game in the field continued to be Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, which grew into a mass of consistent and inconsistent rules, explained in as many as fourteen different hardcover rulebooks. The games that relied heavily on obscure rules eventually folded, and Dungeons & Dragons itself was simplified somewhat with the release of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in 1989.
The advent of trading card games, most notably Magic: The Gathering, outshone the popularity of role-playing games during the mid-1990s. The sudden appearance and remarkable popularity of the Magic card game took many gamers (and game publishing companies) by surprise, as they tried to keep pace with fads and changes in the public opinion. For a while, some pessimists forecasted the "end" of role-playing games as a serious hobby because of the onslaught of trading card games, though eventually the dust settled and role-playing continued to thrive. The makers of Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast, bought out TSR (at that time with serious financial troubles) and adapted the venerable Dungeons & Dragons game into a newer version of the game. Wizards was later taken over by giant toymaker Hasbro.
The 1990s proved to be an innovative decade seeing many new role-playing games flooding the markets. Perhaps the most popular role-playing game from this period was Vampire: The Masquerade. A game designed as an immersive storytelling experience, Vampire easily lent itself to LARPing. The game industry introduced a variety of new game systems during this time, until the buyout of TSR by Wizards of the Coast and the subsequent release of the D20 System/OGL rules.
The 1990s also saw many advances in computer technology taking role-playing into new technological frontiers. Computer role-playing games were already well established in the computer world. However, with the proliferation of home computers, the ability to play games online over BBSes or networks paved the way for MUDs, MMORPGs, and play-by-email (PBeM) gaming. The first stirrings of copyright and intellectual property concerns had already been felt during the latter part of the 80s with TSR leading the way in litigation precedents, first against Mayfair Games, the publishers of the Role-Aids line of game supplements, and later against file sharers who were bootlegging RPGs.
In 2000, a significant change occurred in the tabletop role-playing industry. Wizards of the Coast released their open gaming license for use with their D20 system. This has allowed many small role-playing game publishers to quickly and easily create role-playing material that a large body of role-players could easily adapt for their own campaigns. However, it has also led to a dominance of the d20 rules system over many games, including some ill-adapted to it.
In recent years, Dungeons & Dragons has dominated the hobby economically, after a period of decline in the late 1990s. Owing partially to heavy marketing from corporate parent Hasbro, products branded Dungeons & Dragons, including small lines of subsidiary products developed by Kenzer & Company (Kingdoms of Kalamar) and White Wolf Game Studio (Warcraft: The Role-Playing Game), made up over fifty percent of the role-playing game products sold overall in 2002. Perhaps predictably, the economic dominance of Dungeons & Dragons has led to resentment from fans of competing game systems.
For those with a love of a specific world, such as the Star Wars universe, the 2000 AD comic, or Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, there are more and more game systems and associated source books available.
Controversy
Almost from the beginning of the role-playing hobby there have been those who have leveled accusations of connections to devil worship, as well as claims that role-playing games lead to suicide.
The most famous case perhaps being the work of author Rona Jaffe that exploited the hysteria surrounding Dungeons & Dragons in her novel Mazes and Monsters, a thinly-veiled attack on Dungeons & Dragons, released in a time when very few people who didn't play Dungeons & Dragons knew what it actually was about. The book was turned into a TV movie featuring a young Tom Hanks in the key role of a mentally unstable collegian who experiences a psychotic episode and loses himself in the game world. It should be noted that the allegations in the book and film were based on faulty interpretation of William Dear's 1979 investigation. Dear, a private investigator, searched for a wealthy college student, James Dallas Egbert III. While the search proved successful, the brilliant and depressed boy committed suicide after a quarrel with his domineering father. Dear later wrote The Dungeon Master: The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III [1] written from case notes. The author described his own experiences learning D&D, as a key to understanding Egbert's withdrawal from reality. Dear also makes it explicitly clear that Egbert's suicide had more to do with family troubles than with roleplaying games. [2]
Such negative portrayals of role-players, ironically, may have originated from an initial inability of some outside observers to properly differentiate between reality and the immersive role-playing aspects of gameplay. Perception, or rather misperception, has been the major prejudice that role-players have had to face over the years.
Religious fundamentalists such as Jack Chick (famous for the anti-RPG tract Dark Dungeons) claim that role-players gain (or seek to gain) the ability to cast "spells" and use "magic" and as such are anathema and anti-God. Such accusations continued well beyond the 1980s and into the 1990s.
Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (BADD) was an organization founded by Patricia Pulling after her son (Irving "Bink" Pulling) committed suicide which she believed was from playing the game. Pulling wrote Interviewing Techniques For Adolescents (1988), a primer for police officers who are dealing with crimes that involve role-playing games.
Studies by Michael Stackpole and others have explored the connection between gaming and suicide and have generally concluded that it does not seem to encourage suicide. In The Pulling Report [3] (1990), Stackpole uses BADD's own statistics, the suicide rate is actually lower among gamers than non-gamers. Moreover, attempts to catalog incidents which would link role-playing to self-destructive, occult, or obsessive behavior have been observed to typically devolve into myth chasing and sorting through hysterical urban legends, as addressed by Jeffrey S. Victor in his book Satanic Panic (1993).
The Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs has published a report on "role-playing as a hobby". The report describes role-playing as a stimulating hobby that promotes creativity.
Recently, two crimes in Brazil against RPG gamers shocked the Brazilian society [4] [5]; a discussion in the press about the permission of these games by parents, based on the lack of information, cruelty and format of these crimes, was exposed in the media. In Espírito Santo, the site of the crimes, law projects to ban RPG games have been initiated by religious leaders in the local deliberative assembly. [6].
Types of role-playing games
The term "role-playing game" can be applied to a number of distinct genres:
Links
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Community
- RPG Wolfpack - An online community dedicated to the design and creation of many forms of role-playing games.
- Role Players Gaming Network - An online games-server and forums community for role players.
- RPG Forum - Discussions about online RPG games
- RPG.net - One of the largest general role-playing game fan-sites.
- indie-rpgs.com - "The Forge"; maintained by Ron Edwards, this site for Independent Role-Playing Games includes discussion forum, articles, and other resources.
- FreeRoleplay.org - a site for developers and players of open-source RPGs; includes a mailing list
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