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What is the "role" in roleplaying
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<blockquote data-quote="Mercule" data-source="post: 6933693" data-attributes="member: 5100"><p>My gut reaction was that this was an absurd question whose answer was wonderfully self-evident. Since there are actually some votes that go the other way, I had to ponder it.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I would say just the opposite. Focusing principally on the function, to the point of ignoring the personality, reduces the game to little more than a strategy game. Taken to an extreme, you may as well be playing a board game or minis skirmish game. The thing that sets the RPG category apart from other types of games is that it is well suited to the storytelling aspect.</p><p></p><p>D&D was born of miniatures war gaming. Take a basic medieval minis game. Then add in marquee heroes, like Aragorn and Legolas. Now, focus on those heroes as they delve into Moria -- without any faceless troops on one side. That's how we got D&D. That's also why the classes were so samey-samey -- it was a matter of what basic archetype you were playing.</p><p></p><p>I would say, however, that it didn't truly become a <u>role playing</u> game until the PC heroes started becoming memorable personas, in their own right. </p><p></p><p>Even if Gygax mocked overly-invested dramatists, it's clear that his group hammed it up quite a bit. I'm more than happy to mock folks (DMs or players) who think their games are works of timeless fiction or deep explorations of the human psyche. But.... I wouldn't actually want to be at a table where the players only focused on their function. I don't necessarily have a problem with games like that, but I wouldn't call it an RPG (regardless of system used).</p><p></p><p>To turn the scenario around, if the group spends an entire "adventure" in a town, with no combat, is it still a role playing game? Or, since they aren't fulfilling their functions, is it something other than role playing?</p><p></p><p>Sure, you can talk about out-of-combat roles, but those are pretty vague. Even then, what happens when the group doesn't "beat" the adventure? Did they do a bad job of role playing because no one played the face? Maybe the Fighter wasn't a good enough role player because he didn't do the math well enough to max out his GWF, which would have saved the party. What if everyone involved remembers the characters -- even the dead ones -- and talks about them for years to come? Did they role play well, despite "failing"? How about if the PCs looted the dungeon and killed the BBEG handily, due to good tactics, but no one can remember the characters' names or, in a couple months, whether James played a rogue or a ranger? Did they succeed at role playing or did they do a sub-par job?</p><p></p><p>If it isn't clear, I'd consider the group who created the memorable characters and years of conversations to have done a better job of role playing. YMMV, but that criteria seals the deal, for me, about what role is being played.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercule, post: 6933693, member: 5100"] My gut reaction was that this was an absurd question whose answer was wonderfully self-evident. Since there are actually some votes that go the other way, I had to ponder it. I would say just the opposite. Focusing principally on the function, to the point of ignoring the personality, reduces the game to little more than a strategy game. Taken to an extreme, you may as well be playing a board game or minis skirmish game. The thing that sets the RPG category apart from other types of games is that it is well suited to the storytelling aspect. D&D was born of miniatures war gaming. Take a basic medieval minis game. Then add in marquee heroes, like Aragorn and Legolas. Now, focus on those heroes as they delve into Moria -- without any faceless troops on one side. That's how we got D&D. That's also why the classes were so samey-samey -- it was a matter of what basic archetype you were playing. I would say, however, that it didn't truly become a [U]role playing[/U] game until the PC heroes started becoming memorable personas, in their own right. Even if Gygax mocked overly-invested dramatists, it's clear that his group hammed it up quite a bit. I'm more than happy to mock folks (DMs or players) who think their games are works of timeless fiction or deep explorations of the human psyche. But.... I wouldn't actually want to be at a table where the players only focused on their function. I don't necessarily have a problem with games like that, but I wouldn't call it an RPG (regardless of system used). To turn the scenario around, if the group spends an entire "adventure" in a town, with no combat, is it still a role playing game? Or, since they aren't fulfilling their functions, is it something other than role playing? Sure, you can talk about out-of-combat roles, but those are pretty vague. Even then, what happens when the group doesn't "beat" the adventure? Did they do a bad job of role playing because no one played the face? Maybe the Fighter wasn't a good enough role player because he didn't do the math well enough to max out his GWF, which would have saved the party. What if everyone involved remembers the characters -- even the dead ones -- and talks about them for years to come? Did they role play well, despite "failing"? How about if the PCs looted the dungeon and killed the BBEG handily, due to good tactics, but no one can remember the characters' names or, in a couple months, whether James played a rogue or a ranger? Did they succeed at role playing or did they do a sub-par job? If it isn't clear, I'd consider the group who created the memorable characters and years of conversations to have done a better job of role playing. YMMV, but that criteria seals the deal, for me, about what role is being played. [/QUOTE]
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