What is roleplaying?
- Thread starter Wolfspirit
- Start date
First I ask if they have heard of the Final Fantasy video game, which most people have, in order for them to get some point of reference. Then I mention that it is similar to FF, in that you have a character which earns levels, experience, abilities, etc. The main difference is that you are not limited to what is programmed for FF; you are free to do virtually anything you want.
You ever wish you could try and talk to a monster instead of kill it?
Now you can!
You ever wish you could try and kill a villager instead of talking to it?
Now you can!
You ever wish you could try and talk to a monster instead of kill it?
Now you can!
You ever wish you could try and kill a villager instead of talking to it?
Now you can!
Guilt Puppy
First Post
Role-playing: One or more participants adopts a character or persona and performs or designates that character or persona's actions. Sometimes one or more participants will adopt the role of the world at large, and dictate its actions in response to the character(s). There is also sometimes a universal method of task resolution which may further define, in whole or in part, the world, to the degree that the world is fictional.
Role-playing game: A system of role-playing which includes goals for both the characters and participants. Goals for the characters vary; the mutual goal for participants is entertainment.
I think that pretty much covers it (you can fit LARPing, psychotherapy, and even group storytelling into there, although it's most suited for table-top gaming.) Rip it apart if you find a situation where it doesn't work
One thing I find kind of curious is the importance of task resolution to most role-playing games... Granted, you can do without it, but it would be hard to take that kind of game "seriously" -- which is to say, somehow task resolution aids in the suspension of disbelief.
I can't say, really, why this is: You don't have a mechanic for task resolution in movies, books, et cetera (although it could be argued that genre conventions can behave as a system of task resolution, but genre isn't a necessity in those forms, either)... Any thoughts on this?
Role-playing game: A system of role-playing which includes goals for both the characters and participants. Goals for the characters vary; the mutual goal for participants is entertainment.
I think that pretty much covers it (you can fit LARPing, psychotherapy, and even group storytelling into there, although it's most suited for table-top gaming.) Rip it apart if you find a situation where it doesn't work
One thing I find kind of curious is the importance of task resolution to most role-playing games... Granted, you can do without it, but it would be hard to take that kind of game "seriously" -- which is to say, somehow task resolution aids in the suspension of disbelief.
I can't say, really, why this is: You don't have a mechanic for task resolution in movies, books, et cetera (although it could be argued that genre conventions can behave as a system of task resolution, but genre isn't a necessity in those forms, either)... Any thoughts on this?
Lalato
Adventurer
I'm not sure that task resolution has anything to do with the suspension of disbelief. It has a lot more to do with the fact that this is a game.
Even games that claim to have no real task resolution like "The Sims" end up having some by virtue of the fact that no one plays a game without some sort of goal.
You're right in noting that one can make a movie in which there is no task resolution, but why on earth would I play a game about nothing.
Those are good, lucid and well thought out definitions for role-playing and role-playing game. However, it seems your definitions are missing something... Fun, Camaraderie, Friends, Beer, Monty Python...
--sam
Even games that claim to have no real task resolution like "The Sims" end up having some by virtue of the fact that no one plays a game without some sort of goal.
You're right in noting that one can make a movie in which there is no task resolution, but why on earth would I play a game about nothing.
Those are good, lucid and well thought out definitions for role-playing and role-playing game. However, it seems your definitions are missing something... Fun, Camaraderie, Friends, Beer, Monty Python...
--sam
Similar Threads
