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Role-playing game

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Role-playing game (RPG; often roleplaying game) is a term used to describe a broad family of games in which players assume the roles of a fictional character, or take control of one or more avatars, in a constructed world.[1] Actions taken within the game succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.

The original form of role-playing game, sometimes called "pen-and-paper" games, are conducted like radio drama; only the spoken component is acted. In most games, one specially designated player, the game master (GM), creates the setting in which each player plays the role of a single character.[2] In live action role-playing games (LARP), players perform their characters' physical actions.[3] At the heart of these formats is in-character participation in a collaborative narrative.[2][3][4]

Several varieties of RPG exist in electronic media, including text-based MUDs and their graphics-based successors, massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The term is also used to describe role-playing video games using character progression mechanics first developed in pen-and-paper RPGs, though these games do not involve role-playing in the term's original sense.[4][5][6][7]

Purpose

Main article: Role-playing game theory

Role playing games are fundamentally different from most other types of games in that they stress social interaction and collaboration, whereas board games, card games, and sports emphasize competition.[6]

Both authors and major publishers of role-playing games consider them to be a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling.[2][8][9][10] Like novels or films, role-playing games appeal because they engage the imagination. Interactivity is the crucial difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a television show is a passive observer, a player at a role-playing game makes choices that affect the story.[11] Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a small party of friends collaborate to create a story.

While simple forms of role-playing exist in traditional children's games such as "cops and robbers" and "cowboys and Indians", role-playing games add a level of sophistication and persistence to this basic idea with the addition of numeric rule sets and the participation of a referee. Participants in a role-playing game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief. The level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story or credible challenge up to full-blown simulations of real-world processes.

Varieties

Role-playing games are played in a wide variety of media from the spoken form of pen-and-paper games, to physically acting out characters in LARP or playing characters virtually in digital media.[12] There is also a great variety of systems of rules and game settings. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game. These types of games tend to minimize or altogether eliminate the use of dice or other randomizing elements. Some games are played with characters created before the game by the GM, rather than those created by the players. This type of game is typically played at gaming conventions, or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign.

Pen-and-paper

A pen-and-paper RPG at the Convention Burg-Con in Berlin 2009
Main article: Role-playing game (pen and paper)

Also known a tabletop role-playing games, this is the format in which role-playing games were first popularized. Players describe their actions through speech, and the game master describes the results. The GM describes the game world and its inhabitants; the other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes. Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM.[2]

To distinguish this original format of RPG from other formats, the retronyms "pen and paper role-playing games" or "tabletop role-playing games"[2] are sometimes used, though neither pen and paper nor a table are strictly necessary.[2]

Live action

Main article: Live action role-playing game
A fantasy LARP group

A LARP is played more like improvisational theatre.[13] 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.[3][14] Some live action role-playing games use rock-paper-scissors or comparison of attributes to resolve conflicts symbolically, while other LARPs use physical combat with simulated arms such as airsoft guns or foam weapons.[15]

LARPs vary in size from a handful of players to several thousand, and in duration from a couple of hours to several days.[16][17] Because the number of players in a LARP is usually larger than in a tabletop role-playing game, and the players may be interacting in separate physical spaces, there is typically less of an emphasis on tightly maintaining a narrative or directly entertaining the players, and game sessions are often managed in a more distributed manner.[18]

Electronic media

Pen-and-paper role-playing games have been translated into a variety of electronic formats.[1]

While pen-and-paper and LARP tend to be clearly defined formats, the classification and terminology used for role-playing using electronic media varies substantially between researchers writing on the topic. MacKay (2001) cites a distinction between computer role-playing games and adventure games by the use of mechanics based on Dungeons & Dragons, the original tabletop role-playing game.[19] Copier (2005) compares analog (pen-and-paper, LARP) and digital (MMORPG, MUD) role-playing games, and considers any single-player, offline game to be more properly termed an adventure game.[5] Lindley & Eladhari (2005) use "computer-based RPGs" to refer mainly to MMORPGs.[20] Tychsen et al. (2007) describe tabletop, LARP, single- and multi-player computer-based RPGs, and MMORPGs as being the main formats within the broad genre of RPGs.[21] Barton (2008) uses the term "computer role-playing game" to refer specifically to single-player games, distinguishing them from MUDs and MMORPGs, which he says have more in common with LARPs than other computer RPGs.[22]

Generally, digital role-playing games may be divided into two intertwined groups: single player games using RPG-style mechanics, and multiplayer games incorporating social interaction.[5][22][23]

Single-player

Dragon Warrior, a console role-playing game.
Main article: Role-playing video game

Single player role-playing video games form a loosely defined genre of computer and console games with origins in role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, on which they base much of their terminology, settings and game mechanics.[22] This translation changes the experience of the game, providing a visual representation of the world and losing the feature of collaborative, interactive storytelling.[1]

Multi-player

Main articles: Online text-based role-playing game, Massively multi-player online role-playing game, and Virtual tabletop
File:Eq2 level 60 mount.jpg
A character from the MMORPG EverQuest 2.

Online text-based role-playing games involve many players using some type of text-based interface and an Internet connection to play an RPG. Games played in a real-time way include MUDs (multi-user dungeons), MUSHes, and other varieties of MU*. Games played in a turn-based fashion include play-by-mail games and play-by-post games.

Massively multi-player online role-playing games combine the large-scale social interaction and persistent world of MUDs with graphic interfaces.

Virtual tabletop software or Internet chat clients can be used for online play of what would otherwise be a traditional pen and paper RPG. Computer-assisted gaming can be used to add elements of computer gaming to in-person pen and paper role-playing, where computers are used for record-keeping and sometimes to resolve combat, while the participants generally make decisions concerning character interaction.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Tychsen, Anders (2006), "Role Playing Games – Comparative Analysis Across Two Media Platforms", Proceedings of the 3rd Australasian conference on Interactive entertainment, Australia, pp. 75–82, The variety of role playing games makes it inherently challenging to provide a common definition. However, all forms of role playing games – be they PnP RPGs, CRPGs, MMORPGs or LARPS - share a group of characteristics, which makes them identifiable from other types of games: storytelling with rules, control of fictional characters, a fictitious reality, usually the presence of a game master (or game engine), and at least one player. {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kim, John. ""Narrative" or "Tabletop" RPGs". Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  3. ^ a b c Tychsen, Anders (2006). "Live Action Role-Playing Games: Control, Communication, Storytelling, and MMORPG Similarities". Games and Culture. 1 (3). Sage Publications: 255. doi:10.1177/1555412006290445. Retrieved 2007-11-04. LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique features: (a) The players physically embody their characters, and (b) the game takes place in a physical frame. Embodiment means that the physical actions of the player are regarded as those of the character. Whereas in a RPG played by a group sitting around a table, players describe the actions of their characters (e.g., "I run to stand beside my friend") {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b Kim, John. "What is a Role-Playing Game?". Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  5. ^ a b c Marinka Copier, Connecting Worlds. Fantasy Role-Playing Games, Ritual Acts and the Magic Circle
  6. ^ a b Rilstone, Andrew (1994). "Role-Playing Games: An Overview". RPGnet. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  7. ^ Kim, John. "Computer RPGs". Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  8. ^ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (2nd Edition). White Wolf. 1994. pp. Chapter 1. ISBN 1-56504-112-7. Although Werewolf is a game, it is more concerned with storytelling than it is with winning. Werewolf is a tool enabling you to become involved in tales of passion and glory, and to help tell those stories yourself. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ GURPS (4th Edition). Steve Jackson Games. 2004. pp. Chapter 1. But roleplaying is not purely educational. It's also one of the most creative possible entertainments. Most entertainment is passive: the audience just sits and watches, without taking part in the creative process. In roleplaying, the "audience" joins in the creation. The GM is the chief storyteller, but the players are responsible for portraying their characters. If they want something to happen in the story, they make it happen, because they're in the story. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook (4th Edition). Wizards of the Coast. June 6, 2008. pp. Chapter 1. ISBN 0-7869-4867-1. A roleplaying game is a storytelling game that has elements of the games of make-believe that many of us played as children. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Waskul, Dennis; Lust, Matt (2004). "Role-Playing and Playing Roles: The Person, Player, and Persona in Fantasy Role-Playing" (PDF). Caliber. 27 (3): 333–356. doi:10.1525/si.2004.27.3.333. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  12. ^ Tychsen, Anders (2007). "Cross-format analysis of the gaming experience in multi-player role-playing games" (PDF). Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Conference: Situated Play. Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Retrieved 2010-01-01. The Role-Playing Game (RPG) is one of the major genres of games, and has proven an extremely portable concept - from the physically embodied live action and tabletop formats to the various digital, mobile and even enhanced and augmented reality formats. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |booktitle= ignored (|book-title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Kilgallon, John (2001). Rules to Live by: A Live Action Roleplaying Conflict Resolution System. Interactivities Ink. p. 1. ISBN 0-9708356-04. A live action roleplaying game is a cross between a traditional 'tabletop' roleplaying game and improvisational theatre. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Falk, Jennica (2004). "Live Role-Playing Games: Implications for Pervasive Gaming". Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2004 (PDF). Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 3166. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. p. 131. ISBN 978-3-540-22947-6. Retrieved 2008-10-28. The LRP player, like a stage actor, is a person who under-goes a transformation into a character. The character's costume and accessories, or kit, aids this transformation ... Physical structures may be used as game locations, and sometimes even purposely constructed to enhance the game world ... Players frequently use physical artifacts as props and tools in their role-play, primarily to back up their character roles. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Young, Mike (Editor) (2003). The Book of LARP. Interactivities Ink. p. 7-8. ISBN 0-9708356-8-X. "Live combat... requires the players' abilities to perform an action. You want to hit someone with a sword? You have to actually hit the player with a prop representing a sword, usually a padded weapon. ... Simulated combat is more abstract. It uses an external method that does not rely on player ability. For example, if you want to hit the other person with a sword, you may have to make a rock-paper-scissors challenge. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ Widing, Gabriel (2008). "We Lost Our World and Made New Ones: Live Role-Playing in Modern Times". In Markus Montola, Jaakko Stenros (ed.). Playground Worlds. Ropecon ry. ISBN 978-952-92-3579-7. ...the participants sustain these temporary worlds for a few hours or several days
  17. ^ Tychsen, Anders (2006). "Live Action Role-Playing Games: Control, Communication, Storytelling, and MMORPG Similarities". Games and Culture. 1 (3). Sage Publications: 258. doi:10.1177/1555412006290445. Retrieved 2007-11-04. Games range in size from a handful to more than 4,000 players) {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Tychsen, Anders (2005). "The Game Master". The Second Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment. Creativity and Cognition Studios Press. p. 218. Retrieved 2008-12-03. [The GM is] forced to let go of the game and let it take on a life of its own outside his or her control. While based on similar principles, the requirements [are] therefore very different in practice from GMs in PnP RPGs... The GM is generally, unless the LARP is small in terms of number of participants, not responsible for keeping the narrative flow. The GM can however oversee the progress of the game and help or influence where needed... Establishing a hierarchy of GMs and NPCs to monitor the game and ensure everyone is entertained and activated within the shared game space is a typical way of controlling large fantasy LARPS. This structure is usually established before the game commences. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |booktitle= ignored (|book-title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Mackay, Daniel (2001). The fantasy role-playing game: a new performing art. McFarland & Co.
  20. ^ Lindley, Craig A.; Eladhari, Mirjam. "Narrative Structure in Trans-Reality Role-Playing Games: Integrating Story Construction from Live Action, Table Top and Computer-Based Role-Playing Games". DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |booktitle= ignored (|book-title= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ http://www.digra.org:8080/Plone/dl/db/07311.39029.pdf
  22. ^ a b c Dungeons and desktops: the history of computer role-playing games By Matt Barton
  23. ^ Yee, N. (2006). The Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively-Multiuser Online Graphical Environments. PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15, 309-329.
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