1. Board Games: This calls to mind endless Monopoly and Risk games that everybody dreaded playing on "family game night." While some TRPGs are similar to board games, with pieces and maps that are pretty much game boards, I think it's best to draw the line. A game of D&D for example, could look like this, or even (rarely) this, but usually a gaming mat (the grid in the first photo) and miniatures (the play tokens) aren't needed for play. Without the monopoly board, dice, and money, you lose an essential part of Monopoly. I've seen D&D played without dice, using random number generators on a computer. Without maps, since ranges and attacks can be guesstimated. It's a different feel with each play style, but you still have D&D. Some games, which I'll be talking about in later posts, don't even need dice, or don't need character sheets. TRPGs are mutable and able to fill many situations. They aren't board games. Not to say board games are bad, though some are. Good board games just fill a different need than good tabletops do.
2. Video Games: This is one of the other big mistakes. When people already into gaming start talking about it around other people, it can seem like an incredibly immersive video game. Which would also be cool. And by all means, video and computer games are not bad. They are a fantastic, ever growing art form. As I said with board games though, they just feel a different need. There are no disks or downloads or WASD controls for TRPGs. It is entirely pen, paper, and dice. Some people choose to cheep their character information on a computer screen, but that's not needed and sometimes more cumbersome, though there are some great resources online, like all of the Pathfinder game system rules. But not a video game.
3. Dangerous, Violent, or Cult-Like: Tabletops got a bit of a negative stereotype back in the early 80s, not too far off from the negative stereotypes you see from video games today. The fact that many fantasy games involve characters "casting spells" (with no real background to them, just like your Skyrim character) made some people throw around accusations of witchcraft and devil worship. This is one of the most serious cases of mistaken identity for TRPGs, but thankfully one of the most rare, as the old accusations have mostly fallen out of mainstream media. Tabletop games cause violence or witchcraft no more than video games would (so none), possibly less, since tabletops promote teamwork, positive social interaction, and critical thinking skills. It's an excuse to hang out with friends for people that often feel awkward around people.
Alright, that's enough talking about what these games aren't. How about what they ARE.
While many of these rules can be changed and altered, especially given the innovation and spread of indie tabletop games, these are the main components of a tabletop.
1. More than one person, usually one Gamemaster and at least one player. At heart, a tabletop game is getting together with friends and playing through a story. There are Gamemaster free games, and some where one person will share leadership with another, but you've got a group of people sitting together.
2. Story. This is the core meat of tabletops, and one of the rules that I'm pretty sure can't be broken. Without a story being told, even the most bare bone, linear adventure, you don't have a game. My essential explanation to those who want to know how these games work is this: It's like those old Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books, where the Gamemaster plays the part of the book and the players take the part of the reader. As a player, you think up who you want to be in a setting given to you by the GM. (You're all inhabitants of New York City? Alright, you can be a down on her luck ballerina.) Then the GM puts these characters in some sort of conflict, and the players decide what they do. (The GM tells you Miss Tippy Toes hears an explosion a block away. What is she going to do then?) If you've got the right type of group for it, sometimes a GM doesn't even need to put in super strong breadcrumbs or story elements for you to follow. Sometimes the players are just expected to create their own conflict based on their characters. But story is key. A bunch of dudes sitting around not doing anything is boring. A bunch of dudes trying to take out the vampire Prince in Washington DC? That's something you want to play.
3. Equipment: This is the most easily broken rule, but usually a game has a core book of rules that tell you how to play that specific game, along with a setting and how to structure your characters. Usually that character structure involves you writing permanent or pertinent info down on a "character sheet." Conflicts, like getting into verbal or physical fights, are usually resolved with a roll of some kind of die (with variability anywhere from 3 to 100), with bonuses to how well you do based on your character sheet. Some games involve maps and play pieces but often these aren't needed or are easily improvised (I personally never use minis and have always represented myself as the top hat from Monopoly whenever a gridded map comes out). Some people love them though, and if it makes the game more fun, I urge you to try all the trappings! Also, snacks and a meal often happen at games, given their usual length.
So a Tabletop Roleplaying Game is when a group of friends gathers together with food, books, paper, and dice, and act through a story together.It's pretty similar to extended improvisational theater, and there's a huge variety of game settings to try out. You can even make your own, altering other game rules to make your Pokemon/Naruto fanverse a reality!
I figure that's a decent enough definition for now. Come by next time, when I start introducing a few core games it's good to know about. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment