This blog series is a beginner’s guide to roleplay, also for those who, while they may not be interested in roleplay themselves, have often had questions about what it is or “how to do it”. We’ll also be covering myths and mythos about roleplaying as we go along. But first, we need to begin at the beginning…
Session One: “The Basics”
I. What is “roleplay”?
Wikipedia defines it as thus:
Role-playing refers to the changing of one’s behavior to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role.
In essence, when you roleplay, you are an actor and you take on the role of whatever entity you are planning to portray.
To expand on that further, and for the intents that a group like ours would use roleplay, let’s look at Wikipedia’s definition of a “Role-playing game”:
A role-playing game (RPG; often roleplaying game) is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.
By this definition, you have a more expounded view on what a roleplayer’s intentions are and that a role played within the game is purely fictional. Characters can vary, having different skills, abilities, backgrounds, but oftentimes share some common goal, which brings them together in the game in the first place.
Roleplay was brought into mainstream primarily by game systems like “Dungeons & Dragons”, but many of us have most likely been roleplaying long before we knew what roleplaying was. We’ll go into more depth on that subject later in this series.
II. Common Terminology
GM: The acronym for “Game Master”; the primary person who has total control over the game. Sometimes referred to as the Narrator or Storyteller; in some games, they are considered to be the equivalent of the Hand of God, so to speak.
RPG: The acronym for “Role-Playing Game”; also commonly seen as roleplaying game.
IC: In-Character; this is when a Player is considered to solely be playing his character; no real life inferrences should be made from his words or actions.
OOC: Out-of-Character; this is when a Player is considered to be him or herself; they can talk about real life aspects of every day life and should not be taken as the words or deeds of his Character.
Character: This is the persona a Player assumes when he or she is ready to participate in the game.
Player: This is the real-life person who portrays a Character.
PC: The acronym for “Player Character” or “Played Character”; these Characters are portrayed by a real-life person, or Player. They are usually considered the Main Characters of a story or campaign.
NPC: The acronym for “Non-Player Character”; these Characters are potrayed by the GM as part of the story or campaign. They are usually considered minor Characters in comparison to the Player Characters.
Storyline: The primary scenario that Characters engage in, making decisions that progress the story along.
Campaign: A campaign is usually several Storylines that may or may not be related, but usually set within the same game world.
d20: The acronym for 20-sided die. This is also used for other dice used in traditional RP: d6, d8, d4, et cetera.
III. Rules & Guidelines
Rules and guidelines typically vary from game to game, dependent totally on the person running the game. This person is oftentimes referred to as the “GM”, which stands for Game Master. Depending on the game, this title can be synonymous with Narrator, Storyteller, or Dungeon Master. All this means is this is the person telling the characters about the environment they find themselves in. The GM never takes action for a character, but rather, tells them what they see/hear/smell/taste and let each character decide for themselves how to react.
Two of the more common rulesets for roleplay are:
1.) The d20 System
As defined by Wikipedia:
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The system is named after the 20-sided dice which are central to the core mechanics of many actions in the game.
This is a specific system type that is typically played in a real-life setting among real people, since the rolling of dice is the accepted medium for decision-making. The dice decide most outcomes when it comes to combat or skill success and failure.
For the unintiated, this system can seem complex and confusing, with rule on top of rule on top of rule that govern each aspect of the game. However, this system is not completely inflexible. Many GM’s modify the d20 ruleset to suit the needs of both themselves and their Players.
Many game systems these days utilize the d20 system for their rulesets. For more, just do an online search for “d20 roleplaying”.
2.) Freeform Roleplaying
From Wikipedia:
Freeform role-playing games, also called freeforms, are a type of role-playing game which employ minimal or no rules; occupying a middle-ground between traditional role-playing games and improvisational theatre.
This is a roleplaying system where there are little to no rules; it’s a system that usually requires a lot of faith in the players around you. The concept is still the same, though, each Player controlling a Character through a Storyline.
This is an easier system to adapt to, as they are minimal rules, and more often than not no dice are involved. All that is required is a Player’s creative ability to write or speak on his character’s behalf.
So there you have it, the beginnings of understanding the world of roleplaying. In our next session, we’ll further explore roleplaying and where you find it in the world. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to realize just how often you engage in it, without realizing it. Feel free to comment on this post with questions on these three points.