Diane's Worlds: World of Playtime

What is this roleplaying stuff?

Roleplaying is a game. The idea behind the game is that you take on a character, like in a play.

So it's like acting then?
Not exactly - unlike a play you usually decide what your character is like, defining him or her before the game and basing your actions on what that character would do in the situation.

Is that like Ad Lib Theater?
In some ways. There is no character script - no one tells you what to say or do, you have to decide as you go along. However, there is a plot script. One person usually runs the game, they are known variously as the DM (dungeon master) or GM (game master) or ST (Story teller).

How does it actually work?
Well, that varies from group to group. Most games have one GM and between 2 and 10 players. Generally the GM describes a scene, trying to give you as much information about the surroundings and such as they can - or as they think is necessary - tells you what any non-player characters are doing, and lets you tell her what you want to do in response, although its rarely as ordered as that. What you do affects what the other players want to do and what the characters the GM is playing do. Some games actually move roleplaying even closer to acting. Live Action Roleplaying (LARPs), such as the Society for Creative Anachronism, and freeforms are almost improv acting.

Where's the board?
There isn't one. Some GMs give out physical handouts or use maps, and a lot of groups will use a mat with hexes that can be written on with markers and will place small figures on it. But the majority of roleplaying games are played in the mind's eye. Roleplaying isn't a board game. Its not about who gets to the end first or who collects the most doohickeys - Its about taking on and portraying a character.

So how do you make a character?
That varies a lot between systems, games and genres. The usual method is to think of a concept, a main idea that the character can be based around. The GM might constrain you as to what sort of people you can play (no ex-SAS assasins, etc), and you might be constrained by the genre (no Tolkein elves in a Star Wars game), but usually the choice of who you take on as a character is up to you. Your character may be made up of just a set of notes about their family, their likes and dislikes and maybe a description. Most games also have a specific set of stats that a character is made up of as well. These numbers and suchlike provide a method of describing your character's skills and abilities in a quanitified way, so that they can be compared to other beings' equivalent skills, in order to provide a way to resolve conflicts.

What's this genre thing? I thought it was all fantasy games?
Not all roleplaying games are based on the "get some friends together and beat on a dragon" concept. Nearly any genre has a roleplaying game for it. For instance, Fantasy games include D&D, AD&D, Elric, Runequest, Middle Earth Roleplaying and Ars Magica, Science Fiction games have Shadowrun, Cyberpunk, Star Trek, Star Wars and Traveller under their belt, while Horror games include Call of Cthulhu, Vampire, Kult, Werewolf, Nephilim and Wraith.

Aren't most roleplayers geeks?
That is a rash generalization. Many roleplayers seem to be drawn from the same group of people who read science fiction and fantasy, many of whom like computers and other traditionally geek pasttimes. A generous number of roleplayers are independant thinkers, and don't fit in with normal society. A group I played with at one time contained: an Army Major; a high school teacher; a medical student; a law student; a graphic designer; a technical writing student; an engineering student; and a computer science student. The popular opinion of roleplayers is that they are socially inept people by day, but evil charismatic cult members by the light of a gibbous moon. Do you believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, too?

Is roleplaying dangerous?
Well, I've laughed until my sides ached and tears rolled from my eyes, but apart from that, not really. Its acting - but without the physical action. How can that be dangerous? It has been said though, that roleplaying is addictive. I've found that it's no worse than computer games and other recreational activities that people enjoy, like TV or movies or reading. Some people carry fun to an obsession, but there's nothing about roleplaying that makes that habit dangerous or addictive.

I've heard that roleplaying is Satanism...
That's Evil Bloodletting Satanism, thank you very much. LOL For some reason many churches seem to think that roleplaying is somehow a religious thing. Some of the fantasy games have gods and godesses in them, and characters that worship them... but they have trees and flowers in them too, that doesn't make the players gardeners. The main problem that most of the churches have is that roleplayers aren't always devout churchgoers even when they believe in God ... and many are free-thinkers who don't believe in God. Therefore they must be satanic! Any church member or preacher has always been welcome (and invited) to attend and observe any game of which I have ever been a part. We have nothing to hide. Of those who actively preach against us -- they, specifically, have been invited, but none have ever accepted and come to see what we are really about. Kinda makes you wonder where they're getting their information . . . .

Art Edmund Blair Leighton

Midi "Tourdion" from Early Music