Comments on: You Got Your Roll Stuck In My Role Playing Game

By: dnaphil

dnaphil — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:41:40 +0000

Joshua– I agree with your point. I think that the point, I was trying to make was that in all RPG’s you have both roll and role and that no rule book can take one away from the other.

The very nature of an RPG is that you play a role. I have never played an RPG that has not been a mix of role and roll. Over the years, I have played on both extremes, with games like Amber:Diceless which is predominantly role, and games like Iron Heroes where there is an abundance of roll. But in every game, there is mix of the two.

The on the ‘Net about 4e destroying role playing got under my skin, and prompted this post. But I am with you, when I pick up a new RPG, I really don’t think about it in terms of Role and Roll, its just an RPG, meant to be played.

Tommi– I agree, you really can’t have roleplay without both players and a GM. Its a push-pull situation. The GM needs to create in the story places for the players to step in and roleplay. If you have players that don’t step in, then you wont have any effective roleplay at the game. Likewise, a GM who does not create a story that allows players to step in, can quash roleplaying just as much.

In many ways roleplaying is a lot like Jazz music. Each player has to play the main song with the other players, as well as break out and solo.

By: Joshua Crowe

Joshua Crowe — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:51:08 +0000

Over the years people have become obsessed with this idea of “role and roll.” Big Bill said it best, “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

“Role-playing” is the name given to the hobby by its originators. That’s it.

By: Tommi

Tommi — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:41:54 +0000

Ignoring the dirty hippie indie games, I partially agree.

A huge bloat of rules doesn’t stop people from roleplaying (or help them at it). Some specific rules may do either, but most do neither.

I think that the only thing that can create roleplay is the participants. The players, at the very least, need to be in on the idea. Otherwise there will simply be no roleplay. GM encouragement is not quite as necessary, I think: Players can roleplay amongst themselves just fine (and few GMs are dumb enough to stop them when it happens).