roleplaying

[ZFR]

Okay here's the deal:

before finding BG I never new what roleplaying was. Then with BG I learnt the DnD system and finished many other CRPGs.

But my whole roleplaying experience is confined to computer games... I still have no idea how is it possible to play PnP. I mean I have a vague idea. Someone is a dungeon master... then what? Is it like:

DN: youre attacked by goblin.
Player: I attack with long sword.
DN: (does the dice roll) you hit goblin and make 7 damage. goblin misses.
Player: I use magic missile.
etc etc

is it like this? But what if there are more players then? Do all players have to be in same party? And if they're in different parties what then?

er... I'm trying to find someone in my area who has already played this but I cant find anyone really...

I know I can just google for it but I find like a zillion sites, and most of them assume the user already knows what is this about. I need someone to explain this (or give links) as if explaining to A 3-year-old [img]redface.gif[/img] .

And the reason I'm asking about is because I'm considering playing in the RP section here on IW. So please can someone also explain how this is done. I assume it's like PnP only done through the forum. I've ready some of the threads but all it seems to me is like a story written by many users. how does one know when it is his turn to post? what happens if you can't post for a few days? all others have to wait for you to make your action?

Really glad if someone could explain

[robertthebard]

With the PnP version of DnD, you're pretty much right on. If there are multiple players, they are pretty much limited to what the DM can maintain. If the DM is comfortable running more than one party, they may allow it. Otherwise, it's a one party scenario. Using BG for an example, it would be like you and one of your friends are playing the protaganist, hero type, and Imoen. Then you meet up with a couple of other friends playing Khalid and Jahiera. All the stuff that you would tell them to do, the person playing the respective char would be telling the DM; "I'm doing this," etc.

While I've never actively participated in the Roleplay forum, and am not sure about the rules, you are basically right on that it is a story told by many authors, instead of just one. There is a basic premise set up at the beginning, or maybe in chapters, and people play according to what their character would do, as opposed to what they would do. Note: All posts in that forum should be in character, and as I said, I've never actively participated, so I'm not clear on how you join a session.
Hope that helps some.

[ZFR]

hmmm... so is there any story I can join? And how do I go about it?

[Larry_OHF]

Let me see if I can help, ZFR. I was in the same boat as you with not having any RP experience except for CRPGs. Then I got busy writing stroy-like gaming here on IWs and ended up getting a role-play forum built for us that were doing so (in BGII forums and GenCon back then).


In the Role-play forum, There are two types of threads. There are gaming threads where a person acts the part in-game, and then there are out-of-character threads that are used for sign-up or discussion about game play.

Have you read the Forum Guidelines and Tips thread stickied there?

There are more ways than one for a game to play out.

1. The story game: This is where a number of people come together and contribute to the story's progression. Each has his or her own part to play and everybody has equal reign.

2. The DM'ed story game: Much like the story game, except there is a definate leader who is calling the shots. People post their contributions to the story, but the game's designer is the one who initiates action by throwing monsters or other aversive tasks at the players. Life and Death are dependent on the DM's interventions in the story and the gamer's ability to survive. This is our most famous gaming style in the RP forum at this time.

3. The True Game: This will more resemble a PnP game. The DM controls all enviroment and is asked questions about the enviroment by the players so that they can better understand what surrounds them. The DM will explain a situation like a battle sequence and the party reacts to the situation by telling what they are about to do, and the DM posts the results of those moves.

In the last two games, it is up to the DM to roll dice on action that could mean life or death to a player. Sometimes, a DM trusts his gamers to roll their own dice at home and post their results.

Since we are not all sitting down at the same table, rather are spread all across the world we have to have the consideration of waiting for our teammates...sometimes for days. There are two ways to meet up and play. You can have everybody in the party meet at a certain time online and play back to back like a traditional game or you can post as it comes back to you. You make a post, and then wait for your friends to post in sequence after you, as they are able. Sometimes it could take a week to get through everybody's move and make its way back to you. If there is a DM, he or she will announce what the posting rate should be, and how tardiness or absence will affect your participation in the game.


Have I covered it all? I cannot think of anything else that you might want to know starting out. I know that right now in the RP forum, there are games being played that are considered DM driven stories. The gamers are helping the DM tell the story but the DM has the game mapped out in a direction he expects everyone to go so as to stay on target. That way, it is sort of open-ended in a way that allows people to be creative, but not sway from the goal. Rolls are calculated by the DM when there is fighting or other action that requires it. If this is not the type of game you would like to be in, then post a request for a more traditional PnP.

The best way to learn to game is to get into a game. I invite you into my game to play alongside Sever and Kazilan who have been great to game with! Their example will help you learn to get into character. PM me if you would like to accept my offer and I will help you set up a character.

[ 05-22-2006, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Thoran]

PnP gaming provides a widely varying type of gameplay depending primarily on three factors... the game guide (DM in dnd parlance), the players, and the Gaming World. Online PnP gaming is another variant (described above)... but since I don't do it I won't comment on it.

The game world and mechanics define the underpinnings of the gaming experience, what kind of world is it (sci-fi, fantasy, historical, post-apocyliptic, cyberpunk, etc...), this is tyically done with a number of books, some define the general setting (Adventures or settings guides), some the mechanics of game guiding (DM Guide), some the mechanics of gameplay (Players Guide).

In the last year I've Roll Played in four totally different environments... Ars Magica - a Fantasy/Semi-Historical universe that I both play and GG in, Shadowrun - a Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk/Fantasy hybrid, DnD - which everyone knows, and Eldrich Asskicking - a goofy tongue-in-cheek fantasy pnp equivelant of an action RPG.

The gameplay for each is fundamentally based on dice roles, but beyond that it's vastly different. DnD uses the old d20 system, Ars uses multiple d10's, Shadowrun and Eldrich use D6's. The success/failure mechanics are substantially different for each of the systems, and with SR, Ars, and Eldrich you have 'botch' potential, where certain rolls result in a botch that can have disasterous consequences.

Now all this stuff only serves to provide a skelaton, but the real flavor of the game is determined by the Game Guide (DM) and players. One of our Game Guides is highly experienced, gaming for decades in very experienced groups (one of his older groups writes guides). His games (he's our Ars Game Guide) tend to focus more on character development, setting up and managing our Covenant (our base of operations). Adventures are sometimes ad-hoc, sometimes structured, but always very fluid. He's able to easily adapt to the sometimes whimsical decisions of the members. His adventures are rarely combat centric... and often a full day of gaming will have no combat at all.

Our second Game Guide (Shadowrun) is very quest oriented. His games tend to have clearly defined beginnings and endings... with elements of the larger Campaign added in (much like a TV series). He's a lot more combat centric, which leads to things like me making my most recent character an anti-violence activist (which threw him for a loop). He's also young (20's) and new to GG'ing... so he's growing and learning as time goes on.

My GG style is more guided than the other Ars GG, and more adventure focused than development focused. I tend to throw a lot of curveballs at players and use humor a lot more than any of the other GG I play with (in my last adventure, a shape-changing Mage turns into a bear to attack my party... but when he chases the party into a cave he's done in by an amorous she-bear. One of the players (my son) has been cursed with a faerie helper that almost always messes up when he tries to help... his name is (predictably) Dobbie, the kids LOVED it).

I guess that brings the other big factor that affects the experience... the players. When we play games with the kids there is a lot of fun and humor that isn't present in the adult only games... but obviously some of the violence and adult themes are removed. The thing about pnp gaming is that uber-gaming isn't really how you have fun, it's a lot more about role playing - developing your characters quirks. Usually character flaws are more fun to play out than virtues. Like I said, my Shadowrun character is a mercinary with gobs of fighting experience who's turned over a new leaf and is now a pacifist. My Eldrich character is a Gay Vampire, and my Ars character is a very powerful Flambeau (Fire) Mage who has a disturbing tendancy to botch spells... which often results in death and destruction to my own party (I've already killed two PC's on accident).

You really do get out of pnp games what you put in... if you enjoy going into character and becoming someone else for a while you'll love gaming.