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Role-playing game

Encyclopedia : R : RO : ROL : Role-playing game

This article is about games played by playing the role of a character. See computer role-playing game and console role-playing game for their electronic counterparts.
This article is part of

the Role-playing games series

History of role-playing games
Role-playing game terms
Role-playing game designers
Role-playing game publishers
Role-playing game systems
List of role-playing games: by name or by genre

[WikiProject Role-playing gamesWikiProject Role-playing games]

A roleplaying game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create stories. Gameplay progresses according to a predetermined system of rules and guidelines, within which players may improvise freely. Players' choices shape the direction and outcome of roleplaying games.

A roleplaying game rarely has winners or losers. This makes roleplaying games fundamentally different from board games, card games, sports and most other types of games. Like novels or films, roleplaying games appeal because they engage the imagination.

Roleplaying games are typically more collaborative and social than competitive. A typical roleplaying game unites its participants into a single team, known as a "party", that plays as a group. Most roleplaying games are conducted like radio drama: only the spoken component is acted, and players step out of character to describe action and discuss game mechanics. The genre of roleplaying games in which players do perform their characters' physical actions is known as live-action roleplaying games (LARP).

Computer games incorporating settings and game mechanics found in roleplaying games are referred to as computer roleplaying games, or CRPGs. Due to the popularity of CRPGs, the terms "roleplaying game" and "RPG" have both to some degree been co-opted by the computer gaming industry; as a result, traditional non-digital pastimes of this sort are increasingly being referred to as "pen and paper" or "tabletop" roleplaying games, though neither pen and paper nor a table are strictly necessary.

Contents

Concept

At their core, roleplaying games are a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling. Simple forms of roleplaying exist in traditional children’s games such as “cops and robbers”, “dogs and mailmen”, “cowboys and indians” and “playing house”. Roleplaying games add a level of sophistication to this basic idea; unlike a child who just wants to feel like a cowboy for a few minutes, a group of adults in a Wild West roleplaying game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. Their goal is to reproduce the enjoyment of a film or a novel. Like serials or novel sequences, these episodic games are often played in weekly sessions over a period of months or even years.

A crucial difference between roleplaying games and traditional fiction is interactivity. Whereas a viewer of a television show is a passive observer, a player at a roleplaying game makes choices that propel the action. Such roleplaying games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a small party of friends collaborates on a unique adventure.

According to Tracy Hickman’s convictions and experience expressed in his books, novels and essays, in roleplaying, the characters must constantly be confronted with problems and situations strongly based on their morality, so that they face the ethical dilemma of being faithful to their beliefs or betraying them, and players must be aware of the consequences of their decisions, within the conscience of the role the player chose to play at the beginning of the game. To Hickman, roleplaying is an exploration of ethical choice; in his words, “The characters[’] actions in a role playing game must have lawful consequences just as surely as we expect a mace to do damage. Anything else would be a lie. [. . .] Good fantasy demands ethics and good fantasy role playing demands ethical play and design.”

History

Roleplaying games emerged in the 1970s as a as a variation on fantasy wargames inspired by sword and sorcery fiction, in which each player controlled only a single unit, or "character". These prototypical RPGs used miniature figurines and scaled terrain grids to illustrate action in a way similar to that of tactical wargames, and although these supplementary materials are no longer necessary, they are sometimes still used to illustrate the setting, and this variety of table-top interaction remains a prominent model for roleplaying.

The first commercially available roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, was published in 1974 by E. Gary Gygax's TSR. TSR marketed the game as a niche product. Gygax expected to sell about 50,000 copies.[Interview with Gary Gygax] at Atlas of Adventure After establishing itself in boutique stores it developed a cult following.

Dungeons & Dragons was a subject of controversy in the 1980s when well-publicized opponents claimed it caused negative spiritual and psychological effects. Academic research has discredited these claims[The Attacks on Roleplaying Games] - originally from the Skeptical Inquirer. Some educators support roleplaying games as a healthy way to hone reading and arithmetic skills[An educator's opinion of roleplaying games]. Though roleplaying has been accepted by some[Christian Gamers Guild] explaining that one may be Christian and a roleplayer at t\he same time, a few religious conservatives continue to object"[Dark Dungeons]", a Jack Chick comic tract portraying D&D as the "Filth of Satan" and promoting book burning. 

Games such as GURPS and Champions also served to introduce game balance between player characters to roleplaying games; later,  introduced a rules-light approach, encouraging immersive storytelling.


Competition from computer roleplaying games and collectible card games, led to a decline in the roleplaying game industry.  The financially troubled market leader TSR, Inc.  was eventually purchased by Wizards of the Coast[Wizards of the Coast to acquire TSR], Ken Tidwell April 10, 1997.  To better cope with the economics of role-playing games, and to combat growing bootlegging problems, they introduced a new regime of open gaming, allowing other companies to publish D&D-compatible supplements.  Meanwhile, self-defined "Indie roleplaying" communities arose on the internet, studying roleplaying and developing a threefold model of roleplaying games.


In thirty years the genre has grown from a few hobbyists and boutique publishers to an economically significant part of the games industry.  Grass-roots and small business involvement remains substantial while larger projects have attracted several million players worldwide.  Games industry leader Hasbro purchased Wizards of the Coast in 1998 for an estimated $325 million[WotC buyout by Hasbro] at about.com.



Varieties

In traditional roleplaying games, participants usually sit around a table and conduct the game as a small social gathering.  One participant, the "gamemaster", describes the setting and the actions of the inhabitants, while the others describe their characters' actions and responses.  The game system typically requires players to roll dice to determine the outcome of some of their actions, most typically in combat or other stressful situations.  Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game.



Live-action

A Live action roleplaying game (LARP), is played more like improvisational theatre.  Instead of describing their characters' actions, participants act out their characters' actions, often in costume.  Further, the players' environment is used to represent the imaginary environment of the game world.


LARPs de-emphasize die rolls and rulebook references.  Theatre-style live action roleplaying games often use rock-paper-scissors or direct comparison of attributes to resolve conflicts, while "boffer" games use padded weaponry to simulate real combat.  LARPs vary in size from a handful of players to several thousands, and in duration from a couple of hours to whole weeksrec.games.frp.live-action [Live Roleplaying FAQ].



Electronic media

The challenge of producing a video game with which players can interact through roleplaying, rather than simply a framework within they can interact with each other, is yet to be answered.   Computer imitations of roleplaying games instead incorporate role-playing game elements into a man-to-man wargame.  It has so far proved impossible to recreate the depth, flexibility, teamwork, and characterisation of traditional gaming.


Nonetheless, computers and other electronic media are not unknown in roleplaying.  Computer-assisted roleplaying games blend elements of traditional roleplaying with computer gaming. Computers are used for recordkeeping and sometimes to resolve combat, while the participants generally make decisions concerning character interaction. This may include tools used to facilitate traditional pen & paper games to be played over the internet. Such tools may be nothing more than an IRC program, but there is also specialised software which includes built-in functions for dice, character sheets, mapping, and such (e.g., OpenRPG).


Some roleplaying games use the internet as their medium.  Online text based role playing games, in which players interact through a text-based medium rather than face-to-face, are popular on the internet.  Some games are played in a turn-based fashion, whether play-by-mail games using email, or play-by-post games on internet forums.  Others are played in a more real-time way, similar to offline games, over TELNET or IRC; these are known as MUDs.



Freeform

Freeform roleplaying games are played with minimal or no rules and a greater focus on character or plot development, with the organisers as referees.  Most, but not all, freeform games are also live-action games.  Freeform games are most often seen at gaming conventions, though they are also sometimes run by gaming clubs or a dedicated team of independent GMs.



Game mechanics


The rules of role-playing games are known as game mechanics. Almost all roleplaying games require the participation of a gamemaster (GM), who creates a setting for the game session, portrays most of its inhabitants and acts as the moderator and rules arbitrator for the players.  The rest of the participants create and play inhabitants of the game setting, known as player characters (PCs). The player characters collectively are known as a "party".


During a typical game session, the gamemaster will introduce a story goal for the players to achieve through the actions of their characters.  Frequently, this involves interacting with non-player characters, other denizens of the game world, which are played by the gamemaster.  Many game sessions contain moments of puzzle solving, negotiation, chases, and combat.  The goal may be made clear to the players at the outset, or may become clear to them during the course of a game.


To determine the success or failure of a character's actions, many game systems use weighted statistics and dice rolls. In most systems, the gamemaster uses the rules to determine a target number. The player rolls dice, trying to get a result either more than or less than the target number, depending on the game system.  Non-random task resolution (usually called "diceless" as dice are with very few exceptions the primary randomizer in RPGs) is an additional method of resolving; an early and highly popular non-randomized game was the Amber RPG by Erick Wujcik (1990).



Statistics


Characters in roleplaying games are usually represented by a number of statistics. Many game systems make distinctions between two key types of statistic: attributes and skills.


Attributes are statistics all characters possess: strength, agility, and intelligence are common examples. These are ranked, often on a numeric scale, so that a player can gauge the character's capabilities. For example, a character's strength rating could be used to determine the likelihood that the character can lift a certain weight.


Skills are abilities that only some characters possess, such as negotiation, horseback riding, and marksmanship. Game systems often define skills that are genre-appropriate. For example, Asian adventures commonly emphasize martial arts. Fantasy settings include magic. Science-fiction settings may contain psionics. However, some skills are found in several genres: a medieval rogue and a Wild West outlaw may both be very proficient at throwing knives.



Character creation



Before play begins, players develop a concept of the role they would like to play in the game. They then use the game system's character creation rules to form a representation of their characters, in terms of game mechanics. The character's statistics are recorded on a special-purpose form called a character sheet. Some systems, like the d20 System, use character classes to define character concepts, while others, such as GURPS, allow the player to create unique character concepts by freely assigning statistics.


Game mechanics are not a substitute for a character concept. For example, one Wild West gunfighter may become a quick drawing revolver marksman, whereas another with similar game statistics could be a mounted rifle expert.



Genres

Roleplaying games can also be divided into genres by the fictional setting where they take place.



Fantasy

Fantasy roleplaying games draw their inspiration almost exclusively 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 of medieval Europe. Fantasy elements include magic and supernatural/mythological creatures, such as dragons, elves, and orcs. The genre can be subdivided into high fantasy where supernatural events are commonplace, and low fantasy where there are few or no supernatural aspects. When the main setting of the game is not taken directly from the history of our world (as in games set in feudal Europe or Japan) they still tend to draw heavily on historical models, though distorted by the presence of magic; also, as gods often have direct and tangible interations with the world, religion tends to be very unlike our world.


Because the world's most popular roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, is part of the fantasy genre, fantasy is also the most played roleplaying genre. RPGs of the fantasy genre are sometimes collectivelly called "Fantasy roleplaying games" ("FRP").

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Science Fiction

Science fiction roleplaying 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, though in many cases the setting bears no connection to the world we live in, e.g. Star Wars. 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. SF is the second most played genre after fantasy.
Cooperative roleplaying can be a seed for the culture of international cooperation too. The experience of virtual "classical" roleplaying in 2050 helps the main hero of "Otherland", a book by Tad Williams, to gather partners and to solve a major challenge for the future of humankind.
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Historical

Historical games take place in the past. Because historical games often overlap the fantasy genre, a distinguishing mark is that fantasy games are set on a "fantasy world" similar to but distinct from Earth, while historical games are set in the past of Earth. Settings that have been explored in roleplaying games include Pendragon (Arthurian), Sengoku (Japanese warring states), Recon (Vietnam War),  (historical Tibet), and Fantasy Imperium (historical Europe).


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Horror

Horror games take their inspiration from horror literature. Horror Roleplaying can be divided into two major groups. The first are those in which generally normal people fight against malevolent supernatural entities. Such games often are structured as a straightforward "monster hunt", though the leading game of this style, Call of Cthulhu, also involves a great deal of investigation and clue-finding. The second style of horror game reverses the roles, with the player characters being such supernatural creatures as vampires and werewolves. This second style was popularized by White Wolf's . A series of games by the same company followed, sharing a setting called the World of Darkness.


The setting in both these styles of horror games is often contemporary, between the 19th century and the current day. Creating the correct mood and air of suspense is very important in these games.

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Comic Book superhero

Superhero roleplaying games are inspired by superhero comic books and graphic novels. The setting is generally the present, sometimes near future or past, though in many cases the setting is significantly different from the real world. Rubber science, viable mutants, and space aliens are all common in the genre. The RPG games themselves usually have the players as super heroes, saving the common people from crime and supervillains. The genre can be divided into sub-genres that mirror comic book genres and time periods: for example, Golden Age where the heroes are always virtuous and morality is black and white, and Silver Age where the distinctions are less clear.
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Humor

Humor games are based on creating situations which are funny or have a funny premise. Humor is not usually a genre in itself (although it can be), but a modifier added to other genres.
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Multi-genre

Multi-genre games that mix elements of different genres together. For example, Deadlands presents a Wild West in which elements of horror and magic are prevalent, and Castle Falkenstein presents a Victorian-era world with Jules Verne- and H.G. Wells-inspired technology alongside fantasy elements like magics and the denizens of Faerie.


Universal

Universal or Generic games are based on creating a generic system that can be adapted to any genre. In practice, universal games are often biased toward a specific style or genre and adaptable to others.
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Indie

Indie games are published independently of the larger publishing houses. Free from the pressure of having to create games with broad appeal, the Indie roleplaying game community often produces games with a very specific setting and rules tuned to that setting. Not all Indie games follow this concept though and games can go from being within the category of Indie into that of the larger commercial market if they become popular or find a sponsoring publishing house. Fudge is an example of an Indie game that became more widely distributed and was designed with a more universal or multi-genre usage.

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Licensed

Licensed games are tie-ins to larger media franchises. They were once rare but the number of these games is increasing. Licensed games are usually considered part of their franchise's genre rather than a genre in and of themselves. Many licensed products are now defunct because of license expiration.


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