D&D General What is an RPG and is D&D an RPG?

[Reynard]

I'd probably go somewhere similar for the definition. Embodiment of a specific character (or possibly group of characters) that is somehow differentiated from the person portraying them.

So would it not be an RPG if it was a portal fantasy about you the player being sent to a magical land, a la Narnia or Adventure Time?

 

[pointofyou]

So would it not be an RPG if it was a portal fantasy about you the player being sent to a magical land, a la Narnia or Adventure Time?

I would think that the character in the game would diverge from the real person and that it would probably happen pretty rapidly.

 

[Scribe]

What is an RPG: A game in which one takes on the role of one or more characters.
Is D&D an RPG: Yes

I must have missed the thread that lead to this being posted, because it seems about as simple as it gets.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Here's my personal preferred definition:

1. A social activity and passtime played with others on a real or virtual tabletop.

2. One participant is designated the Gamemaster, whose job is to create and sustain an imaginary world in which the game takes place.

3. The others are players who take actions within that world through their characters.

4. The choices the players can make are limited by the imaginary world, not by the game rules.

5. The resolution of the players actions within that world are determined by the game rules or, when the rules are lacking, by the Gamemaster.

6. The outcome of the actions are determined objectively for the characters in the imaginary world, without regard for factors outside the imaginary world.

7. The characters experience the agency of making real choices that affect the characters in the imaginary world, and the world in general.

I know this definition is unpopular, and leaves out things many people consider to be RPGs, but, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with those activities or the people who enjoy them, I personally consider them different kinds of games. It's also an ideal, and not always reached in my own games, let alone others who may or may not want that kind of experience. My thoughts on RPGs are shaped by this definition, and the closer to it I get at my table, the happier I am.

Some versions of D&D are pretty close to this, mostly the older ones.

 

[Reynard]

I would think that the character in the game would diverge from the real person and that it would probably happen pretty rapidly.

It might, but that wasn't the point of the question. I was quibbling with the idea that the character needs to be "different" than the player. i don't think that part is strictly necessary. Bob can play a fighter that acts just like Bob and makes the choices Bob thinks he would make in those situations, and it is still an RPG.

 

[pointofyou]

It might, but that wasn't the point of the question. I was quibbling with the idea that the character needs to be "different" than the player. i don't think that part is strictly necessary. Bob can play a fighter that acts just like Bob and makes the choices Bob thinks he would make in those situations, and it is still an RPG.

My point is that the fighter isn't Bob. Even if it's a game where the PC is explicitly modeled on the player the character isn't the player.

 

[Reynard]

My point is that the fighter isn't Bob. Even if it's a game where the PC is explicitly modeled on the player the character isn't the player.

There are few games where that isn't true, though (outside of direct play games like chess) so I'm not sure how it can be especially relevant. If the player has any interface or avatar, it isn't them.

 

[pointofyou]

There are few games where that isn't true, though (outside of direct play games like chess) so I'm not sure how it can be especially relevant. If the player has any interface or avatar, it isn't them.

I think players of TRPGs tend to identify with their characters in ways that perhaps point at the distinction. They tend to have a good deal of choice in terms of what and who those characters are and they tend to have more choice in terms of those characters' actions and goals.

 

[Reynard]

I think players of TRPGs tend to identify with their characters in ways that perhaps point at the distinction. They tend to have a good deal of choice in terms of what and who those characters are and they tend to have more choice in terms of those characters' actions and goals.

Seethe comment by @Kobold Stew above. That makes any game when someone decides to "play a role" into an RPG, despite the design intent of that game. This also suggests that the option to play D&D "like a board game" (or, to "roll play") makes D&D not an RPG.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Seethe comment by @Kobold Stew above. That makes any game when someone decides to "play a role" into an RPG, despite the design intent of that game. This also suggests that the option to play D&D "like a board game" (or, to "roll play") makes D&D not an RPG.

My definition deals with that, at least.