Role Playing Games

An RPG, or Role Playing Game, is a way of shared storytelling, in which players become the "main characters" in the story, and the Gamemaster becomes everything they encounter -- the minor characters, the situations, and the plot. Players in tabletop games like World Tree describe what their characters are doing, and the gamemaster describes what happens in response. Each character has a set of numbers which describes what s/he is like and what her/his skills are. Tools like dice or cards are used to determine outcomes of chance events. Typically, a game will be played by 3-8 players and one Gamemaster.

Role playing allows you to "try on another skin," having the experience of being someone else for a while. You might want to be an alternate version of yourself, someone who has a lot of your personality traits, but as an Orren with a tail and fur and two wives and a big sword, placed in this very new social environment. Or you may want to try out the feeling of a very different style, like a shy person playing a rambunctious and foul-mouthed Khtsoyis bouncer. You'll definitely have fun, and maybe you'll even learn something new about yourself.

A few good general links about RPGs:

• RPGnet
• RPG Gateway
• RPG Archive