rpg

toc = = =__Role Playing Games (RPGs)__=

A role playing game is defined as any game in which players take on the persona of a different character to participate. The three most common forms of games played are live action, computer-mediated, and tabletop. Roleplaying games have a regulated storyline in some way, which is enforced by either a computer system (in software driven RPGs) or an administrator, commonly called a game-master (GM) or referee. There is an enormous range of possible settings ranging from the past (medieval, the old west, tribal/clans) to the future (on earth, interplanetary) or even abstract time periods which combine past, present, and future.

Roleplaying in many of its forms (live-action, social computer mediated, and tabletop especially - non social computer mediated roleplaying has become mainstream) is not socially accepted by many people and cultures. It can be considered child-like and the players "freaks" for their participation. In reality, the large majority of roleplayers are friendly, creative, and imaginative individuals with no social difficulties or disorders.

Tabletop Roleplay
The most well known tabletop roleplay game is [|Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).] These are games in which players physically gather together, usually around a table of some sort, and "talk out" an adventure or quest in which they assume characters. Games are regulated by a GM who enforces rules and guides the storyline for the players. These games are usually fairly complex, with rules and regulations spanning over multiple large manuals.

Combat in the majority of these tabletop games is carried out through dice rolls that involve detailed rules, [|many-sided die], and complex "mods" (ex. adding 10 to your roll).

Live Action Roleplay
Known more commonly by thier abbreviation, "LARP's" are games in which players gather together and physically act out the storyline according to the GM. This can range anywhere from only a few players to thousands. This is comparable to an improv theatre group making up the story as they go along while playing out created characters, or even the type of roleplaying that children engage in (eg. "playing house"). These may be short, day-long games, or games which stretch over an unlimited amount of time that "pause" between game dates.

If confrontation or combat occurs in LARPs, which is a frequent theme, a number of different methods may be utilized. Physical combat can be used, in which the fight is acted out, or non-physical, which can range from dice rolling to verbal agreement based on character merits or level.

Recently, LARPs all over the world have come under public scrutiny due to groups trespassing on private property to play, and some groups useage of real weapons (guns with blanks), or replicas so lifelike that people unaware of the game believe it is real. It is not a widely accepted activity in most areas of the world, and is most commonly played in Europe.

//One of the internet's largest LARP directories by location;// [|http://www.larplist.com] //Two local Toronto LARP groups;// http://www.neroto.com/postnuke/index.php //and// http://www.epoch-larp.ca/main.html

Non-social
Non-social roleplaying is played through a computer with software. The player adopts a character to play in the game and plays the game as that character, completing certain goals to win. These range from games such as the popular [|Zelda], where the player becomes the hero "Link", to more involved games like the [|Baldurs Gate series,] in which the player creates his or her own character from scratch and goes on to control an entire cast of characters themselves. Many of these games are enabled to transform into social roleplay, where the player will compete and/or team up with other players that may or may not be in the same physical location. Computer mediated roleplay can be played on a traditional computer or a specialized gaming computer called a gaming console. The most popular gaming consoles are [|Xbox], [|Playstation], and [|Nintendo].

Social
Social computer mediated roleplay takes on two main forms. These are games that are flexible and can turn into non-social roleplay if desired (these are described above), and games that require other players to have the game progress. This section focuses on the latter type of game. These are commonly called [|Massively Multiplayer Online Social Games (MMOSGs)] and are accessed through the internet. They may be played on chat-based applications such as [|MUD]s (multi-user dungeon), MUCKs (multi-user chat kingdom), or [|MOO]s (MUD object oriented), as well as online message boards. The chat interface requires synchronous communication to take place (users must be online playing at the same time to interact), while message board (forum) based play can support asynchronous communication (users playing at different times and dates).

Gameplay in a computer mediated social setting can range from computer guided plots and settings to completely player controlled, with the computer simply providing a means of communication.

Examples:

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