(One of the co-creators of Original Dungeons & Dragons, E. Gary Gygax, died today. He was asked in an interview not all that long ago to state what his deepest desire was with regards to gaming. He answered, “…that more people would know what RPG’s are all about so that more people would be interested in them.” This is my feeble attempt to help further that worthy goal.)
This is a large topic, but I’m going to try to avoid creating an epic informational pamphlet, here. (I doubt I’ve succeeded.)
In its most simplistic form, an RPG is simply interactive storytelling in the form of an open-ended game.
Structure: The basic structure of a Role Playing Game is simple.
- Rules – There is a set of rules (often called the system) which attempt to simulate some form of reality. In games like Spycraft, the rules attempt to simulate what we know as reality. (To some extent…the reality of Spycraft is more like the reality of James Bond than our reality, but it’s not fantasy-based.) In games like Dungeons and Dragons or Lejendary Adventures, the rules attempt to replicate an alternate reality based in fantasy. This is much like J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth. The rules simply say “Characters can move this far in this much time”, or “a fighter can swing his sword this many times in this amount of time.” The rules often break time up into rounds, for ease of keeping track of things. The rules are often complex (like the laws of physics are complex), governing the creation of a character, the actions of that character on a day to day basis, and the potential death of that character in the storyline. The rules are simply a framework upon which interactive storytelling can be accomplished. Remember the old games of cowboys and indians (a very simple form of role-playing game)? Remember the whole “I shot you”, “no, I shot you first” arguments we all had? The rules attempt to regulate who acted first, how long the action took, and where everyone else was when it all went down. The rules are often complex, since they have to represent the laws of physics, technology/magic, and everything else that happens in the interactive story. The rules often take into account things that are outside the players’ control, represented by a roll of various types of dice. (More on that later.)
- Setting – The setting of a game is just like the setting of a movie or book. The setting is where the game takes place. In a game like Dungeons and Dragons, the rules are kept somewhat generic so that they can be dropped into any setting. In other games, such as Vampire: The Masquerade, the setting is integral to the rules; the two can never be separated. The setting of the game can be as simple or as complex as the creator of the setting wants to be. Famous in-depth settings for Dungeons and Dragons are Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft. The setting can dictate such things as economics, politics, power shifts, nations or cities, among other things. Often, inventive players will create their own settings, preferring the creation aspect of things to buying a pre-built setting. Such an undertaking can take years to complete.
- Players – The most important element of a RPG is easily the players. Without the players, there would be no one to tell the stories of their characters. The players decide how their characters will act in various situations, interact with one another, and interact with various non-player characters (NPC’s) they meet in the course of the telling of an interactive story. In most games one player takes on the responsibility of being a sort of referee. This position, often called the Game Master (GM) or Dungeon Master (DM) is one that demands in-depth knowledge of the rules, an equitable personality, and the ability to think quickly to rule on situations where the rules are vague. The GM takes on the responsibility of playing the NPC’s that the players will meet in the course of the game, while each player usually is only responsible for playing their own character. More on the GM’s job later.
- Plot – This is the story itself. Now, as with any good story, the interaction between characters and how they choose to behave will be the entire telling of the story. However, usually, the GM will come up with a story hook. Maybe the group has come into possession of a treasure map, and now the group will head for the high seas to find this treasure. Maybe an evil overlord has seized control of a city, and it is up to the players to free the citizens from the overlord’s clutches. This is the adventure hook. It does not dictate how the players will act…that’s not the job of the GM. The GM should have a basic plotline formed, but he should be ready and willing to adjust his plans based on the actions of the players. The plot of an adventure is largely fluid, going where the players want it to go. After all, it is their characters who are the protagonists of this interactive story.
Goal – Unlike many games, a true RPG has no real goal or winning condition that must be met. The goal is to tell an engaging story by interacting with player characters (PC’s) and non-player characters (NPC’s). To that effect, the goal of each player for their character is different. A person playing a fighter-type character may only be interested in gaining money, power and fame for his character in the game setting world, such as many of the knights of the medieval times. A person playing a thief may be supremely interested in robbing from the rich to help the poor, such as Robin Hood. A cleric may be interested in winning souls to the afterlife. These characters all have goals that have been decided upon by their players. Thus, the purpose of the game is to tell the story of these characters. There are no winners; there are no losers. The goal is to tell a story with your fellow players.
Dice – One of the most iconic elements of an RPG is the many dice that are used. Most people recognize the standard 6-sided dice with dots (called pips), but they might be a little confused when it comes to the “standard” set of role playing dice, which include a 4-sider, 6-sider, 8-sider, 2 10-siders, 12-sider, and a 20-sider. The basics of these dice are simple: They represent different probabilities. So if I tell a player that he will successfully dodge out of the way of a swinging blade trap on a roll of a 1 on a 4-sider, he has a 25% chance of succeeding in his action. (1/4 is 25%.) The 2 10-siders are often used to represent a number between 1 and 100. (The first die roll is the 10’s place, and the second is the 1’s place. So a roll of 4 and 2 is equal to 42.) Those are called percentile dice. (Representing numbers between 1% and 100%.) There is nothing mystical or magical about dice. A roll of a die represents an action or occurrence that is at least partially outside the players’ control. In combat, not every attack attempt succeeds. There are a number of factors completely apart from the skill of the character making the attack. So if a player is very skilled, he might get a +3 to his attack roll on a 20-sided die, which would be helpful. His skill sort of lessens the factors outside of his control. When you have positive modifiers to an attack roll, you have a greater chance of rolling higher, which is usually good. Dice are simply a way to get a random number.
So how does a game work? - As is already described, one person takes the role of Game Master. The GM is sort of like the director of a movie. He knows what will happen from start to finish. He can choose to reveal things to the actors (players) or he can keep these things hidden, revealing them only as their characters discover them. Each GM has their own style of concealing or revealing information. Generally, the GM has prepared an adventure beforehand, trying to anticipate his players’ actions in order to be ready to reveal to them what they are experiencing. Since there is no screen showing the players what they see, the GM must rely on his storytelling abilities to help them “see” what is going on around them. A very simple example of a game session follows.
Sara, Bob, Dave, and Brian are players in a game called Hackmaster run by their friend, B.A. They have just sat down at B.A.’s table to start a new adventure, having finished their last adventure last week. (Names borrowed from the Knights of the Dinner Table comic book, written by Jolly Blackburn.) Try to spot the elements of structure I described above: Rules, Setting, Players, and Plot.
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B.A.: Ok, guys. Good to see you. You all finished the adventure last week, and did a good job, I might add. So this week, we’ll start the next adventure I’ve prepared. If you’ll recall, we ended the night in your favorite tavern, the Tipsy Blacksmith.
Dave: And as I recall, I had just toasted the rest of the group with a nice pint of Dead Viking Ale.
Bob: Man, can we afford that? I’m just sticking with the house ale, B.A.
Brian: Actually, Bob, my character made out rather well. Teflon Billy, the Magic-User is quite close to his goal of raising enough money to build his own Wizard Tower. (With guest rooms for all of you, of course.) And B.A., Teflon Billy is smart enough to know that the water in this place comes from the horse trough. I’ll just have a glass of wine, thanks.
Sara: Why, Brian. That is kind of you!
Brian: You’ll be paying rent, of course.
Sara: (grumbling). Well, B.A. I’m drinking water from my waterskin. What’s going on around me?
B.A.: Aside from the sight of your comrades in arms drinking to a successful campaign, not much. You notice a group of 3 people with their heads together in the corner of the tavern. The largest of them looks around the room suspiciously pretty frequently.
Sara: (Trying to be heard over the sounds of Knuckles (Bob’s character), El Ravager (Dave’s Character), and Teflon Billy (Brian’s Character) toasting one another repeatedly.) B.A. do I know these guys? Recognize them from any of the town meetings we’ve attended?
B.A.: No, you don’t recognize any of them.
Sara: Ok, B.A. I’m using my Glean Information skill to try and see if I can determine what they’re talking about.
B.A.: Alrighty, Sara. Roll percentile dice. (Sara rolls a 95 out of 100.) Ooooh, not good Sara. Not only do you have no idea what they’re talking about, but the big guy takes an interest in you listening in on their conversation and stands up.
Sara: Uhh…guys. Can we postpone the toasting? I seem to have annoyed one of our tavernmates.
Brian: B.A., is he brandishing a weapon, or making any other threatening gestures?
B.A.: Now that you mention it, Brian, yes. He’s punching the palm of his hand with a fist.
Brian: I’m bringing a fireball spell online, B.A. If he makes a move toward us, I’m letting loose.
Bob: Knuckles is patting his crossbow, which I always have slung over the back of my chair. I want him to see that we mean business, and we can all walk away from this without violence.
B.A.: Bob, he sees your motion, but doesn’t seem to care. He’s still slowly walking toward your group.
Dave: I’m not gonna take this! I pull out my Hackmaster +12 sword, jump up on the table, and brandish it menacingly. I’m going to use my Intimidate skill, too.
B.A.: Uh…Dave, that Dead Viking Ale is strong stuff. You’ve had 3 of them between last week’s adventure and today.
Dave: El Ravager can handle it, can’t he?
Bob: I totally think he can, dude.
Dave: Alright, jumping on the table.
B.A.: (Consults the rules for alcohol consumption and rolls a couple dice.) No, sorry Dave…he can’t. El Ravager slips when trying to step onto the table, falls, fumbles his sword, and nicks his leg pretty bad. Take 5 points of damage for falling and cutting yourself.
Dave: Dude…that was so embarassing.
Bob: Can I help Rav up? We’re going to need him in the fight, I think.
B.A.: Yeah, Bob. Knuckles isn’t doing anything else at the moment, but the big guy is closer at this point.
Sara: I’m taking out my hand axes. Perhaps a display of strength will convince this guy it’s not worth it.
B.A.: He’s still walking. And now, he’s reached behind him and pulled out a wicked-looking knife. You guys had better get ready.
Brian: That’s it…he’s drawn. I’m done playin’ around here. I’m letting loose with the Skipping Betty Fireball. That probably won’t take him down, but might show him the error of his ways.
B.A.: Alright guys. Roll for initiative. We’re starting combat.
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You can see here that the rules accounted for El Ravager’s alcohol consumption and determined whether Sara heard anything of interest when she attempted to use her Glean Information Skill.
The setting was a tavern that the players appear to frequent. Sara made mention of attending town meetings…sounds like the adventurers are involved in this town when they’re not adventuring.
B.A. made mention of the plot when he talked about the new adventure he’d created for his players. This encounter with the angry tavern patrons was obviously something that B.A. had planned for. Maybe they’ve got a map on them? Maybe they’re plotting an overthrow of the mayor? Rest assured, the players soon found out what the plot was.
Finally, it’s easy to see how the interactions between the players were what the game was all about. Bob and Dave were enjoying themselves with toasts, though that seemed to hurt Dave later. Brian and Sara were working together well to ensure that the group was not caught unawares. This is your basic game session. (The beginning of one, anyway…)
So what is the point of playing a RPG? – Playing a Role Playing Game is a way to get together with friends, enjoy one another’s company, and tell stories. It’s not for everyone, sure. But it’s no different than getting together to play Scrabble, Sorry!, or any other board game.
What about when your character dies? – What about when your favorite character in a book or movie dies? There is sadness, as you’ve spent a lot of time developing your character, and now he must exit the scene with his hopes and dreams unfulfilled. In some systems, death generally doesn’t happen; the character becomes unconscious or can be resurrected by technology or magic. But after the initial “awwww” factor, you roll up a new character, the GM works him or her into the storyline, and you continue. Stories of people committing suicide based on the death of their character are either fabricated out of whole cloth (in every case I’ve ever researched) or else, the victim had far worse problems. I can tell you that given statistics of groups of people, gamers have a lower suicide rate compared to any other group of people. (I believe this is directly attributable to what I list below as the benefits of playing RPG’s.) We’ve had a couple character deaths in my groups, and no one has passed more than a few minutes doing their best to try to escape their fate. Generally, most players try to quickly roll up another character so they can join the action again!
What about what I’ve heard about Dungeons & Dragons being Satanic or containing real spells? – Nothing could be further from the truth, but an in-depth debunking of this popular myth is outside the scope of this post. These types of claims are perpetuated by people who have never seen the rule book for D&D or any other Role-Playing Game, and are based solely upon the existence of the word “magic” in these books. (Or else adherence to some unprovable, anecdotal evidence sent to them by a friend.) The same people have no qualms about reading about the magic of elves and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Their problem is based entirely on a belief that in a RPG, the player actually casts the magic spell, or actually does any of the things that their characters do. In reality, a player whose character is casting a spell says “I’m casting thus and such spell.” The rules determine whether the spell was successful or not, and play continues. There are no rituals involved, no magic words, no incantations. In fact, magic in a fantasy role playing game serves the same purpose as technology in a futuristic game. A character might cast Magic Missile to attack their foes in a D&D game, whereas in Gamma World, they would fire a laser pistol. Laser pistols are just as non-existent as the spell Magic Missile, but a laser pistol would not really fit into a fantasy setting, would it? To summarize, the people who say these things about RPG’s are either misled or else are blatantly lying to further their own goals. In any event, they are not speaking the truth. Rather than parrot what you’ve heard, do your own research. Ask questions of gamers. Gamers love to talk about their hobby, and they’ll be happy to tell you anything you want to know about the games they play.
So what if RPG’s aren’t bad, per se? Do they have any benefits? – Well, I’ve not done my own studies, but I can say for a certainty what values RPG’s promote. RPG’s promote ingenuity and creativity in solving problems. In a RPG, players are presented with a problem they must solve. A good GM doesn’t present his players with the solution…just the problem. It is up to the players to come up with the solution.
RPG’s promote teamwork. The players usually must work together to a high degree to solve problems. Lone Wolf style playing usually won’t get them very far.
In a world where we as a society are increasingly becoming unable to interact socially, RPG’s provide a way for people to interact with other, very real people. The games foster interaction. Sitting off to one side is no fun, and someone who plays that way likely won’t enjoy it. A good GM will attempt to integrate them into the plot, as well.
For the GM, but to a large extent the players as well, RPG’s foster the ability to tell a good story. When our group tells stories about gaming experiences, those who weren’t there wonder when the heck we all got into a barfight because Matt couldn’t keep his mouth shut, or when a giant fly spit acid on James and Matt while they tried to knock it from the sky. These stories always get a laugh once our non-gamer friends realize the context of the stories. Storytelling is such a part of my life, that I can’t imagine not doing so. As a result I try to encourage it in my players.
RPG’s reward overcoming overwhelming adversity…not giving in to it. Depending on how the GM runs his game, they can also reward kindness, gentleness, meekness, self-control… You get the point.
Finally, and possibly most importantly, RPG’s foster imagination. Back when I was a lad, we played games where we pretended we were space travelers. We pretended that we were knights slaying a dragon. We pretended we were pirates, sailing the seven seas. We pretended… These days, children play computer games where the visual style or their surroundings are just handed to them. They don’t have to create stories out of whole cloth, they just click the mouse, and there it is. I’m a fan of computer games, you see, but I’m also a fan of writing, reading fiction and other stories…things that involve the imagination. RPG’s are a GREAT way to foster this in a child or adult.
RPG’s are an excellent hobby and I commend them to everyone. Whether Fantasy, Science Fiction, Spies, Pirates, or anything else is your cup of tea, there is a Role-Playing Game for it. Find a group near you and tell your characters’ stories.
