What Are Tabletop Roleplaying Games?
Hi Everyone, how's it going.
You might have heard of a game called Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D. This is one of the most pivotal, vital, pieces to being a nerd. But it's not just for nerds. In this post we discuss what Dungeons & Dragons is, how to get started playing it, and other tabletop role-playing games.
The essence of TRPG's(Tabletop Role-Playing Games) is collaborative storytelling. The Game Master is guiding the players as they tell a fantasy story together, the players can win, lose, or do anything else. For Example,
Game Master : You encounter an abandoned inn, it looks like it could be a good place to set in for the night.
Player 1 : I venture inside the inn before my crew.
Game Master : You see an old hermit, he seems to want to bargain if you and your crew are to stay here. Roll for initiative.
Player 1: (Rolls the 20-sided die) Huzzah! I got a 16! The hermit retreats to a corner having taken a drink that you were saving for later. Your crew sets in for the night.
This is an example dialogue between the Game Master and player 1. As you can see, TRPG's incorporate storytelling and fantasy, with dice in order to add a luck element, and they also factor in strategy with potions, spells, and magical items.
TRPG's are usually seen as a nerdy thing to do, as they usually involve some math in calculating statistics, probability, and results of a roll, along with effects of potions, spells, or magical items. But anyone can have a great time playing a TRPG, for proof here is a video of Vin Diesel playing the most popular TRPG, Dungeons & Dragons.
So, you've seen me present the facts, you're ready to give this TRPG thing a try, what do you do? Well, you need to decide what TRPG you're going to play. If you're going to play Dungeons & Dragons, it's a little confusing at first, just remember, there is no wrong way to play Dungeons & Dragons. I recommend visiting the official D&D website in order to get started. If you want an immediate, no fuss way to play D&D, check out D&DLight. It's a system of basic core rules that I made for D&D, everything in normal D&D can be decided using these rules instead of the huge, normal rules. You can pay what you want for it on DM's Guild.
http://www.dmsguild.com/product/208754/DDLight-Core-Rules?src=newest_in_dmg
Please submit feedback if you have bought, used, and have some thoughts on my system.
Another cool TRPG is Blades In The Dark. Shoutout to Bit's And Mortar for sending out a copy of Blades In The Dark for me to check out. Let me start out by listing some major differences between this and other TRPG's.
> A 6-Sided Die
Most TRPG's use 20-Sided Dice, these are great because they offer a wide range of outcomes. But they can be a little expensive and you have to order them since almost no other game besides TRPG's use 20-Sided Dice. Blades In The Dark uses common, 6-Sided Dice found in common games such as Monopoly and Clue.
> A Unique System
Whilst normal TRPG's leave a lot of things up to the Game Master, Blades In The Dark has a unique, sort of turn-based system of playing. This helps make the game feel less foreign to new TRPG players.
> A Totally Different Setting
Most of the TRPG scene as of now is dominated by fantasy TRPG's revolving around wizards, witches, warlocks, elves, dwarves, and such. Enter Blades In The Dark, revolving around a crew of scoundrels in a haunted Eastern-European city, that uses 6 sided dice and a completely unique game system.
I said earlier that "the game feels less foreign to new TRPG players". That is true, but it's pretty complex. Definitely not as complex as D&D, but it's still pretty complex. The crew system, and setting up your character was a bit unclear to me when I first read it, and the rules feel overwhelming for beginner's. But, it's a really cool step away from the classic fantasy, witches and warlocks style that most experienced TRPG players are used to. It's also a bit limited in terms of adventures and campaigns as of now. Which forces aspiring Game Masters of this game to create their own adventures and campaigns.
The next thing you need is a Game Master in order to run the game. The game master is the one who decides everything, they choose the the adventure you're on, they have final say in everything, they prepare notes, they immerse you in the game.
Once you find a suitable Game Master, they need the following:
> A Game Master Screen
These are little trifold type things that the Game Master will have all of their notes, preferred rules, dice, and other important things in order to run the game. There are pre-made game screens for whatever campaign you're playing(specifically D&D, nothing else). Or you can choose a customizable game screen such as The TWGS from Hammerdog Games.
> A 20 Sided Die
This is good to have, but not essential, for Game Master's to make their own decisions in the middle of game and such. These are available at great prices and in awesome designs and colors over at "dnddice.com" .
> Rulebooks/Printed PDF's
These are up to the Game Master, but no one person can memorize all the rules. The Game Master can choose which rules they need by printing out the pages in the PDF copies of the rulebooks where those rules are stored. They Game Master can also store some dice, miniatures, and game notes behind their game screen.
And that's pretty much it. That's everything you need to know and get started with TRPG's. They may seem nerdy or wierd, but just remember :
> There is no wrong way to play
> Just have fun
Thanks for reading everyone, see you next time!
