How do you explain RPGs to others?

[devilbat]

I don't often bother explaining role-playing to others. Generally it is just a simple explanation like "a game I play every week with some friends". That is about all most people want to know.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I tend to avoid talking about the game when not surrounded by other gamers.

If pressed, I lay out a scenerio, much like the grizzly bear example from a previous post.

 

[diaglo]

i tell them the truth.

depending on how interested they are after the first few words i go further or stop.

usual scenario...

nongamer: so would you like fries with that?
diaglo: only if i can use them as purple worms this weekend
nongamer: huh?
diaglo: you know. D&D. interested? we are getting together..
nongamer behind me in line: hey, buddy are you gonna pay or what?
diaglo: you wanna game too?

 

[diaglo]

my coworkers don't even ask anymore...

coworker to the crowd: so what are you guys doing this weekend?
diaglo pipes up: i'm gaming. i'm having some friends over to kill monsters and take their things.
foreign visiting scientist from China: huh? what are monsters?
coworker: don't ask. run. run now. run fast...
diaglo chasing Chinese scientist: they are kinda like.... hey wait up. ...

 

[Oryan77]

What a coincidence, I was just explaining to my new roommate lastnight before I went to bed what D&D was. I let him know I was playing D&D this weekend so he started asking about it. He was surprised I "still" play because he thought it was a kids game. So I explained to him that it's more like something you do with your friends the same way some guys gather together to watch football or go bowling. We hang out, drink beers, eat pizza, and joke around while we're playing D&D.

I never give details because that can scare people & confuse them. They don't need to hear terms like "roleplaying" or "Dungeon Master". People automatically label us as nerds when they hear "D&D", I'm not going to back that up by using dorky terms that they aren't familiar with. I just told him that you pretend to be a character and you live out his life while a "DM" tells you what is happening around your character. I gave him a quick bar scene example, "The DM tells you yer standing at a bar, you decide you want to order a drink & you tell the DM you order the cheapest beer they have. The DM then says that you feel someone push you from behind and that's when you might say 'I turn around and punch the %#*^ out of the guy'. Then the DM says a bar fight breaks out and we start rolling dice to see who punches who and who takes damage".

Then he began asking about the religious arguments over D&D and I just explained all the hooplah from back in the 80's and how that's BS. It's just a game, and if a person happens to do something stupid over a game, he would have done something stupid anyway whether he ever played the game or not...he was already nuts. I didn't scare him off or look like a moron, and in fact, he might play with us this weekend just to check it out. He seemed really interested but he did say that it sounds intimidating. I did warn him that it can be intimidating at first because it can be hard to understand what's going on when you're new, especially when you're surrounded by strangers pretending to be fantasy characters. But once you get it, it's a lot of fun.

 

[NewJeffCTHome]

Now you see, I have to ask; what is fantasy football? I've heard the term on occasion but have no idea what it is. It sounds like Bloodbowl to me.

Not sure if you were serious or not, but fantasy football is a game where you choose American football players for your team at the beginning of the season. Then, based on how these players perform statistically during the season, you get a certain amount of points... better performance=more points. I've never played it, but I think that is the general idea.

 

[Keith Robinson]

My mother-in-law thought that we all sat around a table dressed up as elves and dwarves! I never really could get beyond the "there's no board" thing.

Mind you, maybe she couldn't hear me through the fake dwarven beard I was sporting

 

[diaglo]

Olgar Shiverstone or other new edition DM: so i've gotta wrap up the campaign..
diaglo: we could play OD&D(1974) the only true game. All the other editions are..
other gamer: i could run a campaign set in space with ninja pirates.
other gamers: done. when do we start.
diaglo:

 

[loki44]

I don't often bother explaining role-playing to others. Generally it is just a simple explanation like "a game I play every week with some friends". That is about all most people want to know.

Can't believe I'm agreeing with some guy calling himself maggot. I feel no need to justify what I do with my spare time to others, not looking to convert anybody to the game, and like magoot asserts, I'm not gonna sweat a lengthy explanation since most people just ain't all that interested. If someone presses for more info however, I'll gladly offer it up.

 

[diaglo]

Piratecat: Bring your OD&D stuff. I'm sure we can get a game up at Gen Con.
diaglo: Sweeettttt...
diaglo shows up at Gen Con Indy 03 with a 40lb backpack of minis and OD&D material. spends 4 days lugging it around. and plays.... ZERO OD&D. heck, his 5 sessions cancel on him 1 at a time.


did get to meet some friends from the TSR boards and get Dave Arneson's sig for my DM.

 

[diaglo]

diaglo on a nonD&D website/chat room/bulletin board/ forum/ newsgroup...
other users: oh crap it's him again.
diaglo: Hiya, anyone want to talk about OD&D?

crickets;;;;; Chirp:;;


diaglo: you know i could convert crickets to .. hey, where'd they go?