|
A typical role-playing game unifies its participants into a single team, usually known as a "party" or "troupe", which plays as a group. These episodic games are often played in weekly sessions over a period of months or even years, although some gamers prefer playing one session games. A player at a roleplaying game makes choices that propel the action. Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a small party of friends collaborates on a unique adventure. Forms of roleplaying exist in traditional children's games such as "cops and robbers", "Cowboys and Indians" and "playing house." Role-playing games add a level of sophistication and persistence to this basic idea. Instead, participants in a roleplaying game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief. The level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story (often called narrativist gaming) or credible challenge to full-blown simulations of real-world processes (simulationist gaming). Most role-playing games are conducted like radio drama: only the spoken component is acted, and players step out of character to describe action and discuss game mechanics. In traditional roleplaying games, participants usually sit around a table and conduct the game as a small social gathering. One participant, the "gamemaster", describes the setting and the actions of the inhabitants, while the others describe their characters' actions and responses. The game system typically requires players to roll dice to determine the outcome of some of their actions, most typically in combat or other stressful situations. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game. Almost all roleplaying games require the participation of a gamemaster (GM), who creates a setting for the game session, portrays most of its inhabitants and acts as the moderator and rules arbitrator for the players. The rest of the participants create and play inhabitants of the game setting, known as player characters (PCs). During a typical game session, the gamemaster usually has goal for the players to achieve through the actions of their characters. Frequently, this involves interacting with non-player characters, other denizens of the game world, which are played by the gamemaster. Game sessions consist of challenges like combat, but may also include puzzles, negotiation, and chases. The goal may be made clear to the players at the outset, or may become clear to them during the course of a game. Before play begins, players develop a character to play in the game, using the game system's rules to form a representation of their characters, in terms of game mechanics. The character's statistics are usually recorded on a form called a character sheet, though some players eschew such formalities. Game "campaigns" are set in a fictional world in which adventures and campaigns can take place. Usually a campaign setting is designed for a specific game or a specific genre of game, with games modelling settings for nearly every imaginable type of adventure, from fantasy to soap opera, though fantasy, horror, and science-fiction are the dominant genres of role-playing games. Games rules determine the success or failure of a character's actions. Most Games use statistics, die-rolling, and other randomizers as cards. The gamemaster determines a target number, then the player tries to get a result either more than or less than the target number.
|
