The Magical World of RPGs

RPG is an arguably misleading term, which stands for “Role-Playing Game”. The reason I say it is arguably misleading is that there are very few games, both tabletop and otherwise, in which the player does not take on a role. Yet the term roleplaying game nevertheless has a very precise definition. An RPG is, specifically, a game in which the player takes on the role of a specific character and controls that character through various encounters. Often, the character is represented by various numbers and statistics, but the key part is that RPGs are about each player controlling a single character.

Broadly, I split RPGs up into three groups: cRPGs, MMOs, and tabletop RPGs. cRPG is a term used to mean computer RPG – that is, any roleplaying game that is a video game. In these, stats are very important and you have a fixed goal to achieve. Examples of cRPGs are Neverwinter Nights, the Elder Scrolls series (of which Skyrim is the latest), and the _Final Fantas_y series. MMO stands for Massively Multiplayer Online, and MMORPGs are very similar to cRPGs (technically being a subcategory of them). But the difference is that where the former are normally one player and have a single storyline, the latter focus on player interaction and often have ever-changing storylines where each player can have an impact on the game world.

Tabletop RPGs are a completely different beast. In a tabletop RPG, one player takes on the role of the “Games Master”, or GM, which is effectively taking on the role of the computer in the other types of RPGs. The GM controls any characters not controlled by the players, the world around them, and sets the difficulty of tasks – it’s not an easy job to do! Often, these tasks have a randomisation element to determine whether or not the player succeeds. The simplest version is to roll a die, add a number representing the character’s ability, and compare this to a number set by the GM representing the difficulty of the task.

There are a few things you need to do if you want to get started with RPGs. You should be aware of the role of the GM, and decide whether or not you’d be willing to take that role on (remember that a GM is an arbitrator, not an opponent!), you need to find people to play with, and you’ve got to have an idea of what sort of game you want to play. RPGs can be split into three categories (as well as combinations of them), and this can really help narrow down what players like in a game.

The first of the three categories is ‘gamism’. In essence, these are the RPGs where there is a strategic choice to make in what you do – most commonly in combat. Gamist RPGs often have combat ‘minigames’, which make up a decent chunk of any given session. Rather than encouraging a player to play true to a character, games in this category often encourage players to create characters in an “optimal” way, which don’t necessarily line up with choices that make narrative sense, but instead allow the character to perform better. If you like to be able to ‘win’ an RPG, gamism is for you.

Simulationist RPGs focus on what would be realistic (within their universe) in any given situation. These are the games where you can argue with your GM about the physics involved in the scene and where they might actually change their plans based on what you say. Simulationist games often have very large rulebooks, as they have to account for a large number of possible situations even if they take place in very specific settings. Don’t be put off by this – you don’t need to read these books cover to cover! If you want your RPG to be realistic, simulationism is for you.

The final category is narrativism. With narrativist RPGs, the plot is the most important thing. Where gamist characters often have optimal setups, narrativist ones don’t – and people who play narrative RPGs a lot might even choose to create characters that give them disadvantages relative to everyone else (not in terms of stats, but in terms of plot) because they find it more fun to play games where their characters do badly. Additionally, pure narrative games are sometimes GMless (or GMful) – where the role of GM is either not needed, is shared by all players, or done by the game itself using some sort of simple algorithm. If you enjoy realising that your character is not about to die, but rather that events have conspired to create a situation so horrific that death would be greatly preferred (or in general if you like making stories), narrativism is for you.

Here are some examples of each of the combinations of style, with a bit of info on each one. Each RPG I mention here is either widely available, or I have access to it personally (if the latter, feel free to contact me to borrow my copy).

Pure Gamist: This is a difficult one to place, because most RPGs that are pure gamist are closer to board games than RPGs. But the one that I know of which fits this criteria is Warhammer Quest – it is essentially standard Dungeons and Dragons in the Warhammer universe, but with the focus on going into dungeons and beating up monsters. It is also, apparently, incredibly difficult to progress. Sadly, _Warhammer Quest _is now out of print, but the _Dungeons and Dragons _(see below) board games often give a similar feel, if you want to try these out.

Pure Simulationist: The best example of this is probably the Battletech/Mechwarrior series of RPGs, in which players take on the role of mech pilots in the 31st century. Another (arguable) example is GURPS, the General Unified Role Playing System, which makes different abilities more or less difficult to gain and thus involves a lot of looking things up. The best thing about GURPS is that the books give such detailed setting-creation information that it can be adapted to any system.

Pure Narrative: This is my thing, so I’ve got a few examples for you. Itras By is my personal favourite, which is a 1920s surrealist game, but the system is so neat and concise that it can be adapted to any setting with very little difficulty. Mystic Empyrean is your standard sword and sorcery setting, but the system prevents character optimisation by giving other players control over how your character improves. The idea is for it to be based on how you play. Finally, Fiasco is a GMless game designed for single sessions in which every character sets up an elaborate plan to get their way, and it all ends up in (you guessed it!) a fiasco.

Gamist-Simulationist: The most common is Dungeons and Dragons, widely considered the first ever RPG. It’s a standard swords and sorcery type game. It is worth noting that the latest iteration of this game is an attempt to switch it to a Narrative-Gamist RPG, which is an interesting change. However, another popular game in this category is the Warhammer 40k series of RPGs (starting with Rogue Trader), which take advantage of the rich backstory of the Warhammer universe to create a sci-fi compelling universe for the players to explore.

Simulationist-Narrative: This is a difficult combination to pull off. Eoris is an example of this kind of game, but it isn’t well executed. Whilst it provides a rich and compelling universe in which magic is consistent with modern science, the rules are messy and incomplete. There are a lot of criticisms of the game and most are valid – but it is nevertheless a salvageable system. However, this combination hasn’t yet been done well as far as I am aware, and so I would personally recommend that if you like both simulationist and narrative styles, pick one or the other (or play single session games and switch between the two).

Narrative-Gamist: A big example is the FATE system, which combines action-RPG combat with a heavy focus on character development and plot. It’s a very fluid system, but puts a lot of stress on the GM relative to other games. There is no fixed setting.

Now that you have an idea of what kind of game you want to play, you need to find people to play it with! There are three major RPG groups in Central London – Darksphere, the London Indie RPG meetup, and (of course), the Imperial Tabletop Gaming society. Darksphere is a store that takes about 20 minutes to get to by tube. The focus in the store is Magic: The Gathering, but they run Dungeons and Dragons games every wednesday evening. The Indie RPG group meet up a few times a month near London Bridge, and focus on single session, narrative games. They’re a great place to go if you enjoy narrative games!

Finally, if you’re interested in playing RPGs at Imperial, we run single sessions on alternating Fridays and Sundays. Send me an email for the details.

And welcome to the wonderful world of tabletop RPGs!