Arole-playing game(sometimes spelledroleplaying game,[1][2]or abbreviated asRPG) is a game in which players assume the roles ofcharactersin a fictionalsetting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development.[3]Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formalsystem of rules and guidelines.[4]
There are several forms of role-playing games. The original form, sometimes called thetabletop role-playing game(TRPG or TTRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas inlive action role-playing(LARP), players physically perform their characters' actions.[5]In both of these forms, an arranger called agame master(GM) usually decides on the rules and setting to be used, while acting as the referee; each of the other players takes on the role of a single character.[6]
This type of game is well-established, so some RPG-related game forms, such astrading/collectible card games (CCGs)andwargames, may not be included under the definition. Some amount ofrole-playingactivity may be present in such games, but it is not the primary focus.[9]The termrole-playing gameis also sometimes used to describe games involvingroleplay simulationand exercises used in teaching, training, and academic research.
Both authors and major publishers of tabletop role-playing games consider them to be a form of interactive and collaborativestorytelling.[2][10][11]Events, characters, and narrative structure give a sense of a narrative experience, and the game need not have a strongly-defined storyline.[12]Interactivity is the crucial difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a television show is a passive observer, a player in a role-playing game makes choices that affect the story.[13]Such role-playing games extend an older tradition ofstorytelling gameswhere a small party of friends collaborate to create a story.
While simple forms of role-playing exist in traditional children's games ofmake believe, role-playing games add a level of sophistication and persistence to this basic idea with additions such as game facilitators and rules of interaction. Participants in a role-playing game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realisticcampaign settingin games aidssuspension of disbelief. The level ofrealismin games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up abelievable storyorcredible challengeup to full-blownsimulationsof real-world processes.
Role-playing games are played in a wide variety of formats, ranging from discussing character interaction in tabletop form, physically acting out characters inLARPto playing characters virtually in digital media.[17]There is also a great variety ofsystems of rulesandgame settings. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the namestorytelling game. These types of games tend to reduce or eliminate the use of dice and other randomizing elements. Some games are played with characters created before the game by the GM, rather than those created by the players. This type of game is typically played atgaming conventions, or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign.
Tabletop andpen-and-paper(PnP) RPGs are conducted through discussion in a small social gathering. The GM describes the game world and its inhabitants. The other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes.[18]Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM.[19]
This is the format in which role-playing games were first popularized. The first commercially available RPG,Dungeons & Dragons(D&D), was inspired by fantasy literature and thewargaminghobby and was published in 1974.[20]The popularity ofD&Dled to the birth of the tabletop role-playing game industry, which publishes games with many different themes, rules, and styles of play. The popularity of tabletop games has decreased since the modern releases of online MMO RPGs.[21]
This format is often referred to simply as arole-playing game. To distinguish this form of RPG from other formats, theretronymstabletop role-playing gameorpen and paper role-playing gameare sometimes used, though neither a table nor pen and paper are strictly necessary.[6]
A LARP is played more likeimprovisational theatre.[22]Participants act out their characters' actions instead of describing them, and the real environment is used to represent the imaginary setting of the game world.[5]Players are often costumed as their characters and use appropriate props, and the venue may be decorated to resemble the fictional setting.[23][24]Some live-action role-playing games userock paper scissorsor comparison of attributes to resolve conflicts symbolically, while other LARPs use physical combat with simulated arms such asairsoft gunsorfoam weapons.[25]
LARPs vary in size from a handful of players to several thousand, and in duration from a couple of hours to several days.[26][27]Because the number of players in a LARP is usually larger than in a tabletop role-playing game, and the players may be interacting in separate physical spaces, there is typically less of an emphasis on tightly maintaining a narrative or directly entertaining the players, and game sessions are often managed in a more distributed manner.[28]
An adventurer finds a teleportation portal while exploring a dungeon in the role-playing video gameFalcon's Eye.
Tabletop role-playing games have been translated into a variety of electronic formats.[29]As early as 1974, the same year as the release of Dungeons & Dragons, unlicensed versions of it were developed on mainframe university systems under titles such asdndandDungeon. These early computer RPGs influenced all of electronic gaming, as well as spawning the role-playing video game genre.[21]Some authors divide digital role-playing games into two intertwined groups: single-player games using RPG-style mechanics, and multiplayer games incorporating social interaction.[21][30][31]
Single-player role-playing video games form a loosely defined genre of computer and console games with origins in role-playing games such asDungeons & Dragons, on which they base much of their terminology, settings, and game mechanics.[21]This translation changes the experience of the game, providing a visual representation of the world but emphasizing statistical character development over collaborative, interactive storytelling.[7][8]
Online text-based role-playing games involve many players using some type of text-based interface and an Internet connection to play an RPG. Games played in a real-time way includeMUDs,MUSHes, and other varieties ofMU*. Games played in a turn-based fashion includeplay-by-mail gamesandplay-by-post games.
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) combine the large-scale social interaction andpersistent worldof MUDs with graphic interfaces. Most MMORPGs do not actively promote in-character role-playing, however, players can use the games' communication functions to role-play so long as other players cooperate.[32]The majority of players in MMORPGs do not engage in role-playing in this sense.[33]
Computer-assisted gamingcan be used to add elements of computer gaming to in-person tabletop role-playing, where computers are used for record-keeping and sometimes to resolve combat, while the participants generally make decisions concerning character interaction.
One common feature of many RPGs is the role of a gamemaster, a participant who has special duties to present the fictional setting, arbitrate the results of character actions, and maintain the narrative flow.[34]In tabletop and live-action RPGs the GM performs these duties in person. In video RPGs, many of the functions of a GM are fulfilled by thegame engine. However, some multi-player video RPGs also allow for a participant to take on a GM role through a visual interface called aGM toolkit, albeit with abilities limited by the available technology.[35][36]
Another standard concept in RPGs is the player character, a character in the fictional world of the game whose actions the player controls. Typically each player controls a separate player character, sometimes more, each of whom acts as a protagonist in the story.
In contrast to player characters, non-player characters (NPCs) are controlled by the gamemaster or game engine, or by people assisting the gamemaster. Non-player characters fill out the population of the fictional setting and can act as antagonists, bystanders, or allies of the player characters.[37]
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