Role-playing game

A role-playing game (RPG) is a game in which each player assumes the role of a fictional character and through this character, interactively experiences adventures and other situations in a fictional world. Role-playing games are a popular application of conworlds.

The most popular genre in role-playing games is high fantasy, but other genres such as dark fantasy, horror, cyberpunk science fiction, space opera as well as historic or present-day settings are found as well.

There are three main kinds of role-playing games: pencil and paper (also called tabletop) RPGs, live action role-playing (LARP), and computer RPGs (CRPGs).

Pencil and paper role-playing

Pencil and paper RPGs are the oldest modern role-playing games. The game proceeds by a combination of conversation (each player announces what his character says and does), dice rolling (to reach random decision) and, optionally, moves on a map. Each player records the game-relevant data of his character (strength, intelligence, skill levels etc.) on a character sheet; these values may change during play. Usually, one player functions as a game master (GM), who does not play an individual character, but is in charge of the world the characters live in. This is a demanding and creative task and should be taken over by an experienced player.

There are many pencil and paper RPG rules sets. The oldest is Dungeons & Dragons, first published in 1974, and continuing, in much modified form, until today. Dungeons & Dragons is a high fantasy game for which several world settings are available. Other popular RPG systems are Traveller (space opera), Vampire: The Mascerade (vampire horror) and GURPS (a universal system applicable to any genre).

Live action role-playing

In live action role-playing (LARP) the players do not sit at a gaming table, but act out the game situations with props and costumes in a live action setting. Obviously, this mode of role-playing offers a much more intense experience of the game world and the events therein. The drawback of LARP is cost; while in a pencil and paper game, the limits of what can be enacted in the game are set only by the imaginations of the players and the GM, in a LARP game, everything costs real money, and most LARP events do not have the budget of a Hollywood blockbuster crew.

Computer role-playing games

The idea behind computer role-playing games (CRPGs) is to have a computer act as a GM. Using a computer as a GM is appropriate to some aspects of game mastering (bookkeeping about the world), but less so to others (a good game master requires creativity and readiness for improvisation). This means that CRPGs are limited to what has been programmed into the game. Modern CRPGs offer a realistic graphical rendition of the scene, allowing a more intense experience than tabletop games (though less so than LARP). On the other hand, single-player CRPGs are a solitary rather than social activity, and even in multi-player online games, the social aspect is mediated via the computer network and thus less immediate than in other kinds of RPGs.