Roleplaying - A Beginner's Guide

Beginner’s Guide to Roleplaying

So…you’ve heard all these awesome things about your friends D&D group, and now you want to play! Trouble is…you’ve never roleplayed before in your life. No worries. Let me break down what it means to roleplay.

Roleplaying isn’t very complicated at all. Roleplaying is pretending to be a fictional person for a while. We’ve all played pretend and make-believe when we were younger. This is just a more mature form of that same game. All the players involved just take turns continuing a story.

A few you’ll need to know

Below you’ll find some that you need to know in order of importance (in my opinion) instead of alphabetically.

Tabletop Games – any game that is played on top of a table. Some universally familiar games are Chess, Checkers, Poker, Yahtzee, Backgammon, Candyland, Clue, and on and on and on. But there are innumerable tabletop games out there just begging to be played. Some of THOSE include Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, Legendary, Zombie Dice, Exalted, Kittens in a Blender, and so many more. Check out our game reviews to find some that you may not have heard of.

Roleplaying Game (RPG) – Any game in which you take on the persona of another. While there are video games out there, this article will focus on tabletop games.

Pen and Paper – When people talk about roleplaying games and they use the phrase “Pen and Paper” this means you’ll be creating character sheets, taking notes, and likely rolling dice at some point in the game (awwwwsooooome!). They usually take a step away from the computer to accomplish this, but with technology growing quickly on the roleplaying front, there’s websites that allow you to play pen and paper games online without loss of content (Roll20.net is one great example).

Game Master (or GM) – This is the person who’s going to make your life hell in the most loving way possible. This is the person who usually guides the storyline of the game you’re playing. They’ll be responsible for giving you obstacles to conquer and they will help determine whether you succeed or not. Variations: Dungeon Master or DM (D&D), StoryTeller or ST (WoD).

Core Rulebooks and Source Books – These are all of the books that make up the rules of whatever game you are playing. Not all games have them, and not all games need them.

Conflict Resolution System – the means by which players may resolve conflict. Whenever there’s a fight, or an opportunity for failure, you need some impartial way to let fate decide who is successful or not. Most games use dice with varying sides, but there’s many other forms of conflict resolution out there (Ro-sham-bo, draw the high card, draw the low card, etc.)

Character Sheets, usually shortened to “Sheets” – A piece of paper that contains all the statistical facts about your character. Things like age, height, weight, how strong they are, how smart they are, etc. The sheets are usually provided by the GM, but in free-form roleplay (FFRP) sheets aren’t always necessary.

Character – This is the fictional person you will make up. Some characters are based on real people, and that’s okay.

Player – This is you. :blush:

Advanced

In Character (IC) – This means that whatever is going on is happening in the game, not out in real life. Your character is being exposed to information, people, or situations and may now use this information to progress their own game.

Out of Character (OOC) – This means that whatever is going on is happening in real life, AWAY from the game. There are certain situations where YOU may find out some information about your game that your character hasn’t stumbled upon yet (maybe you overheard the GM talking to a friend on the phone about the Orc in the next room). Be very careful not to use this information to your character’s advantage. Only use what your CHARACTER has been exposed to during the game. People who bring OOC information into the game (OOC to IC or “meta”) are generally considered cheaters and are shunned from civilized life then later are drawn, quartered, hung by the neck until dead, then burned at the stake for being a roleplaying heretic. (not really…but most people would like to when this happens. It’s bad form. Just don’t do it.)

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) – These are similar to characters except they won’t be played by any of the players. These are usually controlled by the GM.

Cannon – This is a term usually associated with genre specific roleplaying games that have a TV show, movie, or massive collection of toys or source books available. Cannon means that it will be taken directly from the official source without alteration. For example: if you’re ing an X-men game and you decide that instead of creating your own mutant, you decide to just go with Wolverine. You’ll be playing him just as he appears in the comics. You would be playing a “cannon” character. The moment you alter Wolverine (like give him the ability to fly – which Wolverine can’t do) he ceases to be cannon.

Freeform - a form of roleplaying that uses no particular system.

Semi-Freeform - based on a system, but doesn't adhere to the rules strictly or uses house rules.

Play-by-post (PbP) – This usually means that the roleplaying game you want to get involved with is a text-only roleplaying game. Very likely, this game will be played in a chatroom or via a forum or blog.

Literate or Semi-Literate (“lit” or “semi-lit”) – This is a term applied to PbP roleplaying games. Either of these usually means there is a minimum posting requirement for each post a player makes. The requirements vary from game to game. Some consider 5 lines or more literate, while others consider 15 lines or more literate. Some people also use the term “Literate” meaning they expect full sentences and grammar. Just check with the Game Master on what they mean when entering these games.

Paragraph-post (para-post) – Also a term associated with PbP roleplaying; para-post means that players are expected to make full paragraph (or multiple paragraph) posts with each turn. Writers tend to do well in these kinds of games. Check with the DM for any posting requirements when entering these games.

Immersive – Immersive games are games that require you to type in a specific voice or perspective and are intended to bring you directly into the mind of your character. They may require that you write all of your posts in first person: I walk into the library and look to Lidia. “What have you done to father?” I ask. Some may require third person: James walked into the library and looked at Lidia. “What have you done to father?” He asked. And they generally don’t allow posts like: I want to have James walk over to Lidia in the library and ask what she did to their dad.

Even MORE Advanced

Courtesy of Stanley Teriaca

Class and Level: RPGs which uses levels to advance characters. DnD, Tunnels and Trolls, and Pathfinder are all examples of C&L systems.

Point Advancement: Systems which use build points for character building and advancement. GURPS, Hero System, and Big Eyes Small Mouth are all examples of Point Advancement Systems.

Universal RPG (URPG): A system which can almost any setting with one set of rules. GURPS, Hero System, Big Eyes Small Mouth, and Savage Worlds are examples of true Universal RPGs, while World of Darkness by White Wolf is an example of a limited Universal RPG (a system which does some changes for each subject, but the base system is the same).

LARPGs: Short for Live Action Role Playing Game. This type can ONLY be played face to face and away from the Tabletop. Examples includes Champions Live Action RPG, and, well, there are others out there.

Types of Roleplaying Games

The first kind of roleplaying games I’m going to talk about are social roleplaying games. These are designed to be primarily generated by the players and any conflicts that arise are usually sorted out through good old fashioned discussion in the game. They focus on human interaction instead of conflict. Some people just want to take turns telling a story, and that’s okay. You don’t always have to face down a Minotaur to enjoy roleplaying. Social games are usually played in a group.

Similar to social RPGs, there are 1x1(one on one) and private games. These are roleplaying games that are played with 2 people. These are usually very similar to social RPGs, though tend to lead towards creating fictional romance stories.

Another kind of roleplaying game is adventure games; these stories are usually guided by the GM. The GM will design the setting, plotline, and conflicts that you face along the way, including any NPCs you run into. When people talk about Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, World of Darkness, GURPS, etc, they’re usually referring to these kinds of games. These are the games where you might have a shootout at the O.K. Coral or you might be fighting a zombie dragon in outer space. The situations you’ll face are generally only restricted by the imagination of your GM and the players, or the stricture and/or rules that govern the game you’ve chosen to play.

How to Find a Game

First, try checking our #TabletopClassifieds for players or games that are desperately seeking !

If that doesn't work, Google! The Google is wise and knows all. But if that fails, for real life (away from the screen) games, check MeetUp.com. If you would like a tabletop game without leaving the comfort of your computer chair, then try Roll20.net.

I hope this helps guys. If you have any questions - Hit me up!