Talk:Role-playing game/Archive 1

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"Roleplaying games are a hobby, most commonly found in the U.S. and England, that provide an opportunity for enthusiasts to act out the roles of imaginary individuals of their design in a non-drama setting. 
"Most people in America have heard of the game Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, the game, created in 1974, is (as of 2004) over thirty years old. But there are few people who really know what constitutes a game of Dungeons and Dragons, or even what it would look like to see people playing.
"The most traditional form of roleplaying games involves a map, figurines, notes of game statistics, character sheets, dice of varying shapes, and writing utensils. Play centers around the players acting out the roles of their chosen characters (which they have designed before play) in a combination of verbal description, dice-rolling to determine the outcome of events, and a referee in the form of a Game Master or Dungeon Master. The referee's job consists of overseeing dice rolls, explaining the outcome of player choices about the game, and acting out the roles of every necessary character that the players do not themselves perform.
"By "every necessary character", imagine a traditional play. Some of the major characters are performed by the players, while extras, walk-on characters, and major characters that do not belong to the players are all covered by the referee. Due to the largely verbal nature of the game, it is possible for the referee to occupy as many roles as necessary for the game to flow properly.
While most forms of roleplaying games use dice, papers, and character sheets, the use of maps and figurines and similar visual aids is disputed and often ignored in the interest of a more purely verbal experience. Some groups even forego dice, papers, and character sheets, in the interest of being as "unburdened" and "open" as possible.
"In the roleplaying game scene, there is a notion that hobbyists of the scene exist on a continuum that reflects how many play aids they use. The most "hard core" and "traditional" hobbyists of the scene are thought to use all of the play aids mentioned above in traditional play. The continuum runs the gamut from this point to a style of gaming that uses no play aids whatsoever, or may only use character sheets and no other play aids.
"While there are many points of contention among hobbyists as to how exactly one should play roleplaying games, one of the biggest issues is whether dice should be used. The use of dice provides a sense of randomness and saves the referee some effort, keeping him or her from having to arbitrarily decide the outcome of every single player option. A lack of dice in play, however, allows the narrative of the game to continue without interruption, and for the players to get deeply into character in their roles. 
"The content of roleplaying games tends to follow very genre-focused and pulp-style settings, particularly science fiction and fantasy styles. There is a strong, recent movement among some hobbyists of this scene to attempt to create settings in the "real world" and in the style of realistic fiction. In addition, there is a recent movement that attempts to create independent games, following a DIY work ethic."
Stan 20:11, 31 May 2004 (UTC)
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