Blog @ Canadian Geek

Experience Points #1: Why Not Roleplay?

Posted on 2007 under Experience Points

Welcome to the first installment of Experience Points, Canadian Geek’s new RPG centric column. Without further ado, on to the article.

I started role-playing when I was in my pre-teens. My ‘gateway drug’ was Star Wars d6 from West End Games – of the reasons I ended up playing this game, the biggest was because it was Star Wars. My gaming groups weren’t larger than 3 or 4 and after my first few adventures, I ended up being the GM for everything. Eventually, one of my friends came across a number of Dungeons and Dragons materials at a garage sale. He picked them up and promptly handed me everything so that I could learn the system and run a game. We ran one D&D session. I really wasn’t interested in running a game in that system, which made it difficult for me to really provide a great game for my players.

I was able to put together a few Star Wars games, but nothing that really lasted long-term. Eventually, I began looking online for an online group to game with. I eventually found an established Star Wars play-by-post community which I played with for a few years. Again, because I was reliable, knew the rules, I was asked to GM. I put together a few games, but unfortunately, with play-by-post, games with new players tend to die as the players go ‘poof’. As time went on, I moved up the site’s administration ranks and took the reigns. I made a number of changes that I felt would improve the community, which I feel it did. What I did realize however, was that I was completely bored of Star Wars. To this end, I founded a new community, to meet my need of ‘not-Star Wars’. This community infused me with a new outlook on role-playing.

With this newfound interest, I searched out more communities to find out what I could do to improve mine and improve my skills on both sides of the table. I found a number of very interesting podcasts which gave me a number of thoughts. Why do people shy away from role-playing? Is it because they haven’t had an experience or a poor experience? What is the difference between a standard board game and a pen-and-paper RPG?

As I thought about it, my opinion became such that I don’t believe that board games are any different than role-playing. I asked my friends about it, and I did receive a number of responses that showed me that many of them had tried an RPG, but found the experience lacking in some way, compared to a board game. The most common reason for not playing RPGs was the time. Based on the knowledge of RPGs of the people involved, I completely understand the concern, but I think there are many other options available that do not require long-winded campaigns. Another comment was the differing reward structures between RPGs and board games. A direct quote: “RPGs reward effort, whereas board games reward strategic thinking”. Again, I think this attitude comes from playing online in a D&D/Experience Points based system – there are plenty of other systems that emphasize the story rather than character advancement. Does this enhance the strategy aspect of the game? Maybe not, but other systems exist that provide more out to the players than just than dungeon-crawling.

There are so many different game systems available, in more settings than you can imagine. So many great games like Mutants and Masterminds, Spirit of the Century, Star Wars: Saga, Dungeons and Dragons, and Vampire: The Requiem, to name a few. If you’ve never played an RPG, I’d love to talk to you about it. If you have and didn’t like it, I’d love to know why. You’re reading this blog, so you’re not afraid of being called a geek. So my question to you is, why not role-play?

8 Comments so far »

Kevin Sole said

November 23 2007 @ 2:43 pm

I used to play D&D a long, long, … long, time ago. This was like, pre-2nd edition, long ago. I enjoyed it, but always had this growing sense of … ‘this isn’t as interesting as it should be’.

Perhaps it was just lack of imagination on my part, but I couldn’t see what was happening clearly. Perhaps it was the GM we had, not making things interesting. Or we just didn’t know how to play — the rules were kind of ‘loose’ at the time. I remember there being a lot of confusion over how many spells the mages could learn, and whether or not they lost the spell after they cast it, etc.

We experimented with TMNT. and … another one I can’t quite remember. I think it was something like Netrunner. Very sci-fi infuenced, just not a universe I remember.

Nowadays, pen & paper — whether actually using pen & paper, or being an online post by post kind of deal — role playing doesn’t interest me in the slightest.

The only role-playing I get these days, is in World of Warcraft, and that all depends on your definition of role-playing.
Josh Bazin said

November 23 2007 @ 3:33 pm

There’s definately opportunities for role-playing in the MMORPGs, but for the most part, I don’t consider them to be that ’strong’ of a RPG. I feel the same holds true for the video game RPGs on the market, though, things are changing and the game worlds are able to change based on your decisions, molding the story to your decisions. With that said, these games do boil down to a basic ‘hack and slash’ RPG.

You say it doesn’t interest you - can you quantify it more? What is it that doesn’t interest you about role-playing? I’m just curious, since as you said, you play WoW, which is at its heart, an RPG.
Kirby said

November 23 2007 @ 6:13 pm

I’ve never done D&D or anything involving dice, because first off, my friends weren’t interested in it at the same time as me (most of them aren’t interested in roleplay at all), and secondly, time’s a bit of an issue.

However, back in high school I did a lot of free form play-by-post roleplay in forums. I even ran a couple of small ones. I loved those because they kept me writing, even when my personal writing wasn’t going so well.

Ironically, I get more addicted to hack and slash MMO’s even though I hate hack and slash in PBP roleplay.
Kevin Sole said

November 24 2007 @ 7:50 am

I think it’s strictly a visual thing.

It’s nice to say that you’re playing a 6′2″, chaotic neutral elf, who has a tendency to run into rooms labeled ‘DANGEROUS’, just to find out if it’s telling the truth …

Or playing a Neutral Evil Cleric, who worshiped Dark Gods, carried a gigantic mace whom she would pound into the enemy, bring them to the verge of death, and then heal them. And then of course clobber them again.

Both were fun. But it was still missing that visual factor.

It’s not that I’m not interested in RPG, I’m just not interested in it, if there isn’t a visual factor involved.
Andrew Foley said

November 25 2007 @ 4:24 pm

“So my question to you is, why not role-play?”

Because I can’t find anyone to GM the game I actually enjoy playing (Champions/Hero System).

AA
Josh Bazin said

November 26 2007 @ 12:25 pm

Kevin:

Does using miniatures change your feelings or are they ‘too static’?

Andrew:

Have you tried Mutants and Masterminds?
HHComics said

November 30 2007 @ 4:13 pm

I haven’t played lately cause I haven’t found a group to ‘click’ with yet. Many RPGers refuse to actually role-play. They use their normal voice, normal body actions, etc. Why pretned to be someone else if you’re just going to act like yourself?

When I’ve taken my style of play to other groups, I tend to scare them off. If I’m a 4 foot elf, I speak in the voice of a 4 foot elf and for some reason that makes some people think I’m weird.
Josh Bazin said

December 3 2007 @ 7:20 am

I will agree with you on that. Even I’m a bit apprehensive to ‘act’ more when I’m playing face to face. Of course, I would like to think that if I played with people more often rather than online, I wouldn’t have that apprehension.

Its all about comfort zones.