Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Umbran]

I think that we'd have to give that one to improv theatre, which has been around for centuries. Hell, I bet Shakespeare did improv.

The earliest report (that I know of) of people playing roles for their own entertainment comes from the Han Dynasty China. Role-playing is then a couple thousand years old.

 

[Bedrockgames]

. There's lots of options. To say that we "wouldn't have RPGs" without D&D is kind of like saying we wouldn't have airplanes without the Wright Brothers. Gygax and Arneson were great and all, but not such singular geniuses that nobody out of the billions of others on the planet would come up with an idea.

I don't know. I think this example is not particularly great. Some things are about 'who will be the first to make X'. There was a clear need, desire and expectation that we would make flying machines. I don't think that was there with RPGs. There were games that accidentally trod into this territory. And whether one thinks Arneson or Gygax are singular geniuses isn't really the point. It is more about the right game at the right time, catching the right culturally wave and leading to the hobby we have today. I genuinely think without that, you wouldn't have anything like we understand RPGs to be today. You might have some other hobby that grew out of bookshelf games or historical re-enactment. But would it have caught on in the same way? Would it be anything like what we do at the table with RPGs. I think you can draw a pretty straight line to D&D and what came out in the hobby after

 

[Ryujin]

The earliest report of people playing roles for their own entertainment comes from the Han Dynasty China. Role-playing is then a couple thousand years old.

Exactly. And then you also have a principle that seems to apply to many things. Call it parallel development, synchronicity, or what have you, but the world seems to get something when it's ready for it. It's truly rare for something to appear, without it also being worked on elsewhere.

 

[Scribe]

Exactly. And then you also have a principle that seems to apply to many things. Call it parallel development, synchronicity, or what have you, but the world seems to get something when it's ready for it. It's truly rare for something to appear, without it also being worked on elsewhere.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The earliest report of people playing roles for their own entertainment comes from the Han Dynasty China. Role-playing is then a couple thousand years old.

“Tonight, I want you to pretend to be The Emperor, and I’ll pretend to be your favorite courtesan. But I’m upset because I saw you talking to another potential courtesan in the western garden.”

Oh, wait…

 

[Scribe]

Here we see a stylish Half Elf (note the beard and ears) out in the wilderness, touching grass.

 

[trappedslider]

“Tonight, I want you to pretend to be The Emperor, and I’ll pretend to be your favorite courtesan. But I’m upset because I saw you talking to another potential courtesan in the western garden.”

Oh, wait…

a scene from Danny's last relationship.

 

[Ryujin]

a scene from Danny's last relationship.

RPG! RPG!

 

[Mad_Jack]

RPG! RPG!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Meanwhile, in the future at the pearly gates ...

St. Peter: Not only are you an accomplished actor, but you are one of the few Hollywood celebrities that have made it this far. I mean, that much success in Hollywood, and you somehow still managed to be a nice guy? Amazing. We are all impressed.

Tom Hanks: Thank you. So what's the hold up?

St. Peter: Well, we have seen Mazes and Monsters ....