When the average Joe on the street hears "Role-playing Game" they think about giant rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons, or the odd news article about a group of geeks wearing plastic armor and hitting each other with foam swords.
In truth, there are many things funneled under the title of "role-playing game". They from LARP (live-action rpg, the foam sword guys), to computer games that pretend to be a rpg, to what I consider a role-playing game, tabletop role-playing.
In essence, a tabletop rpg is a collective story with one person, the Game Master, setting the stage, playing the villain, and generally controlling the world the players interact with. Everyone else is a player, and plays the part of one hero in the story, dictating what that hero does.
Important note: a rpg at its simplest takes almost no materials to play. The GM describes what is going on, and the players say what they are doing.
You following?
While this is all well and good, the staple of an rpg, the thing that moves it from a game of make-believe, is dice. Rolling a die to produce a number allows for a random, uncontrollable element. Simplest form: Roll a die when someone is trying to something that with an element of risk. High number means success, low number means failure.
Have an Example, since this post is already long-winded.
GM: The building is crumbling around you from the shockwave. The mercenary in the building across the street jeers and waves the gold statue at you, enjoying your predicament.
Player: I get a running start and leap into the other building.
GM: That'll be tough, it's a long jump. Roll for it.
On a 20-sided die, he got a 14. Not too great, but not bad.
GM: Hmmm....You clear the street and slam into the windowsill. You manage to hold onto the window with your hands but your legs scrabble at the wall, unable to find a foothold. The mercenary stops smiling and starts walking towards you. What do you do?
Okay, so that was really long-winded, but somehow fun to write.
Added layers of complexity add loads of mechanics for what dice to roll when, what unique advantages certain people have, which gives rise to individualized characters, etc. etc. Eventually these added complexities get so enormous they are put in a book and sold, but that's not what this article is about. I'm trying to educate people that an rpg, at it's simplest, is not the gargantuan monster rule-books most people know about. It's a few friends, their imaginations, and probably some dice. I have had multiple enjoyable, impromptu games of this kind of barebones rp.
Thanks for reading!
Carl
P.S. Comment about things that are unclear. That way I can make this article better!
