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Role Playing GamesRPGs are something that I haven't been into for very long. Only 4 years at this point. I began by doing Live-Action Role-Playing (LARPs). It's kind of like it sounds. You have a character. You act out what they do. The only exceptions are (usually) combat, and special skills. This is done using a system, where you take into account your special characteristics. Which means if you want to do something that you can't do in real life, you don't have to. You find a Game Master and they get to explain what everyone sees. Table top games are slightly different. You don't usually dress up as your character, and everything is down on paper. You roll dice to figure out how you do with the abilities you are trying to do. And there is always *some* chance of failure. Not necessarily a good one, but you can't always do something. This is just following real life. No matter how good someone is at, for example, martial arts, there is always the chance that you will duck at just the wrong moment and get kicked in the face. Table top systems are easy to find. There are tons, and they all do things slightly differently, use different dice, have different races, etc. Many systems have specialized subsystems for different genres, or creatures. I've played with about 6 systems personally, and I know there are tons more out there... Dungeons and Dragons/Advanced D&D This is the basic system that most people think of when RPGs get mentioned. D&D is a fairly easy system to play in, but it leans towards "good guys beat up bad guys" as a theme. It is possible to create in depth characters, but for the most part it's a "hack and slash" system. The setting is fantasy, with the traditional fantasy things: big bad monsters, magic, wizards, elves, etc. The game was created by TSR, Inc., which has been bought out by Wizards of the Coast.This is a another fantasy system. You will find that most of them are, for some reason. This is heroic adventure in the land of Barsaive. The peoples are re-emerging after the age of the Scourge, in which the Horrors wandered over the land, ravaging as they went. The world is full of strange cultures, cities waiting to be found again, treasure, and of course, magic. There are many different races here, from the lizard-like T'Skrang to the Obsidimen, who look like the rocks they are. It's a different system from D&D, but I really like it. Unfortunately, FASA has discontinued the system, and it's going to be really hard to find soon. This is also the only system for which I have a rule book. My GM, Anne, bought it for me as a Christmas present. This is the first system I ever played, and it was completely confusing for me then...mostly because I had no idea how this role-playing thing really worked. This is the second system I ever played with and I love it. Created by Steve Jackson Games, the Generic Universal Role-Playing System was created to let you play anything you want. You can do fantasy, future, superheroes, historical, hard science fiction...anything. They've written books for most settings, several for entire worlds, ones for optional rules, and even translations from other systems, though if you like the system, don't use the translations. This is a very useful system for creating very detailed characters. The only thing I don't like as much is the combat system. The combat system is incredibly realistic (i.e. deadly), and not easy to understand. At one point we ran a 30 second combat in 6 hours. But I like the system for the range of character creation possibilities. Paranoia The Computer is your friend. Yes, Friend Computer. Loitering is treasonous. Loit-R-ING is treasonous. Must destroy Mutant Commie Traitor Scum. At least destroy Mutant Commie Traitor Scum who aren't you. One of the few futuristic/science fiction systems I've ever played. It's very strange. Your friend is the computer...really. The object is to get through the scenario with at least one of your six clones alive. This is easier than it sounds. Everyone is out to get you. The Computer knows everything. And underneath it all, you are trying to find a way of carrying out your goals. The one game I've been in was run by Ann-U-BIS, other wise known as Anne Cross. Having no real clue what I was doing was interesting, but I didn't enjoy it all that much. I can't think that paranoid, personally.... Toon Another system by Steve Jackson Games. This one is incredibly silly. You can create anything. It's harmless...i.e., no one dies. But that doesn't mean things don't happen to you. In the one game I've been in, I was a peach jellyfish. My enemies were the peanut butter fish. I flew with the aid of a beanie, and I had 36 tentacles each tied with a different color ribbon. One of my companions was a tree. *sigh* The monsters of myth are real. Faeries, vampires, werewolves, and mages walk among us, all unknown. They live among the mortals, but each is constrained by the one law: no one must know. This system by the White Wolf Game Studio is set in the modern day, but has it's fantastical elements. There are five systems, one for each type of character. And generally, only one is played at a time, though there are exceptions. The five systems are for Mage, Vampire, Werewolf, Changeling (Faerie), and Wraith (the dead). Each has it's own little quirks and foibles. In general, I'm not as fond of this system, mostly because I can't get my mind around some of the basic ideas. Other RPG Links As you can see, there are lots of systems, and they all differ from one another. There are lots of other systems, but I haven't played them, and so don't know all that much about them. You can also make up your own system, or world, and use them to despoil all the virgin minds you choose.... Back to the Game Room This page last updated 02/16/2000. If you have any questions/problems/comments/help, write me |