What Is Roleplaying?
Introducing Roleplaying
Roleplaying games are a rather new hobby (appearing in the late 70s), although its roots trace back to the earliest traditions of storytelling. Players use their imagination to create fantastic worlds and tell amazing stories of great heroes and places. It's part improvisational theatre and part board game. There are strategy and chance elements (usually using dice) that direct the stories in unpredictable ways.
RPGs are almost always played with 2-6 participants with one serving as a GameMaster (sort of a Narrator) and the others as individual heroes in the story.
Other names given to roleplaying games include tabletop games, pen and paper games, and story games.
Since the hobby's earliest beginnings, RPGs have evolved to encompass a wide variety of play styles and directions. No matter your preferences, you'll find something in the hobby that will interest you and tickle your imagination.
See also:
Roleplaying Games (@wikipedia)
RPGs are almost always played with 2-6 participants with one serving as a GameMaster (sort of a Narrator) and the others as individual heroes in the story.
Other names given to roleplaying games include tabletop games, pen and paper games, and story games.
Since the hobby's earliest beginnings, RPGs have evolved to encompass a wide variety of play styles and directions. No matter your preferences, you'll find something in the hobby that will interest you and tickle your imagination.
See also:
Roleplaying Games (@wikipedia)
Links & Resources
Author and game designer, Greg Stolze, has written a couple of helpful downloads that give you more information, tips, and guidance for both playing and running roleplaying games. You may find these useful as you learn more about this fun, peculiar hobby. Each link leads you to a ZIP file with reading material and resources.
How to Play Roleplaying Games
How to Run Roleplaying Games
The Forge
The Forge is a movement/collection of game designers who love to talk about game design and the process of playing games. A lot of cool games have come out of this group of folks. Their site contains resources to help you dig further into a variety of styles and possibly improve the fun you have with friends. Check out the glossary for starters.
RPG.Net
RPG.Net is a great site with articles, reviews, news, and forums for the discussion and celebration of all things roleplaying. It might be a place to begin to find RPGs being played online through the forums or read about other games that are being played and discussed.
How to Play Roleplaying Games
How to Run Roleplaying Games
The Forge
The Forge is a movement/collection of game designers who love to talk about game design and the process of playing games. A lot of cool games have come out of this group of folks. Their site contains resources to help you dig further into a variety of styles and possibly improve the fun you have with friends. Check out the glossary for starters.
RPG.Net
RPG.Net is a great site with articles, reviews, news, and forums for the discussion and celebration of all things roleplaying. It might be a place to begin to find RPGs being played online through the forums or read about other games that are being played and discussed.