Editing Role-playing game (section)

==Varieties==
Role-playing games are played in a wide variety of formats, ranging from discussing character interaction in tabletop form, physically acting out characters in [[Live action role-playing game|LARP]] to playing characters virtually in digital media.<ref name="Tychsen2007">{{Cite conference |last1=Tychsen |first1=Anders |last2=Newman, Ken |last3=Brolund, Thea |last4=Hitchens, Michael |year=2007 |title=Cross-format analysis of the gaming experience in multi-player role-playing games |url=http://www.digra.org:8080/Plone/dl/db/07311.39029.pdf |publisher=Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) |access-date=1 January 2010 |quote=The Role-Playing Game (RPG) is one of the major genres of games and has proven an extremely portable concept – from the physically embodied live action and tabletop formats to the various digital, mobile and even enhanced and augmented reality formats. |book-title=Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Conference: Situated Play |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625215526/http://www.digra.org:8080/Plone/dl/db/07311.39029.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is also a great variety of [[Role-playing game system|systems of rules]] and [[Campaign setting|game settings]]. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name [[storytelling 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 at [[gaming convention]]s, or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign.

===Tabletop===
[[File:RPG-2009-Berlin-2.jpg|thumb|A group playing a tabletop RPG. The GM is at left using a cardboard [[Gamemaster's screen|screen]] to hide dice rolls from the players.]]
{{Main|Tabletop role-playing game}}{{See also|History of role-playing games|Dungeons & Dragons|Indie role-playing game}}
Tabletop (TTRPG) and ''pen-and-paper'' (PnP) RPGs are conducted through discussion in a small social gathering. In traditional TTRPGs, a GM describes the game world and its inhabitants. The other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes.<ref>(Tychsen 2006:77) "In PnP RPGs, the general game process consists of information-feedback cycles between the players and the GM, or internally within the group."</ref> Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM.<ref>(Tychsen 2006:78–79) "The GM assumes a variety of responsibilities in PnP RPGs, depending on the playing style used, however, these normally include facilitation of game flow and game story, providing environmental content of the fictional reality, as well as administrating rules and arbitrating conflicts. ... In RPGs, the rules specify a great deal more than how pieces are moved on a game board. Because these games are focused on player characters, the rules are designed to govern the nature of these story protagonists and the fictional reality they act in. ... Note that the rules systems in PnP RPGs can be modified or ignored on the fly by the GM or players if so desired."</ref> This is the format in which role-playing games were first popularized. In contrast, many [[Indie role-playing game|indie role-playing games]] experiment with different structures of play, such as sharing the responsibility for creating setting details and NPCs among all players.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Rob |title=A Beginner's Guide To Powered By The Apocalypse Games |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2020/12/29/a-beginners-guide-to-powered-by-the-apocalypse-games/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

The first commercially available RPG, ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''D&D''), was inspired by fantasy literature and the [[wargaming]] hobby and was published in 1974.<ref>(Copier 2005:3) "...fantasy role-playing as a commercial product was developed in the 1970s as Dungeons and Dragons (D&D, 1974) by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was based on a combination of their interests in table-top wargaming and literary fantasy."</ref> The popularity of ''D&D'' led 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 decreased in the late 1990s due to competition from online MMO RPGs,<ref name="Barton">{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Matt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPPRBQAAQBAJ |title=Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |date=22 February 2008 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4398-6524-8 |language=en |access-date=29 December 2022}}</ref> [[Role-playing video game|role-playing video games]], and collectible card games. However, TTRPGs experienced a resurgence in popularity between the mid-2010s and early 2020s due to [[actual play]] web series<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Amanda |date=March 17, 2021 |title=How tabletop RPG actual play shows are inspiring a new generation of fans — and products |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/how-tabletop-rpg-actual-play-shows-are-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-fans-and-products/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118232717/https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/how-tabletop-rpg-actual-play-shows-are-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-fans-and-products/ |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=[[VentureBeat]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sowa |first=Alexander |date=June 14, 2020 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: How Actual-Play Shows Are Boosting LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629012953/https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1239982762 |title=Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4766-4201-7 |editor-last=Hedge |editor-first=Stephanie |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=3 |chapter=Introduction |oclc=1239982762 |editor-last2=Grouling |editor-first2=Jennifer}}</ref> and online play through [[Videoconference|videoconferencing]] during the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Allison |first=Peter Ray |date=2021-04-21 |title=Tabletop roleplaying has given players comfort, connection and control in a world that's taken them away |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/tabletop-roleplaying-comfort-connection-control-covid-19 |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=2020-05-08 |title=It's OK to not be OK with tabletop gaming done via Zoom |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/8/21252398/tabletop-role-playing-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-zoom-remote-coronavirus |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":34">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-26 |title=How COVID helped tabletop RPGs go mainstream |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/how-covid-helped-tabletop-rpgs-go-mainstream-6028/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.gameshub.com |language=en-AU}}</ref>

The tabletop format is often referred to simply as a ''role-playing game''. To distinguish this form of RPG from other formats, the [[retronym]]s ''tabletop role-playing game'' or ''pen and paper role-playing game'' are sometimes used, though neither a table nor pen and paper are strictly necessary.<ref name="whatisnarrative" />

===Live action===
{{Main|Live action role-playing game}}
[[File:Hardenstein 2014 - Adventurers.jpg|thumb|right|A fantasy LARP group]]
A LARP is played more like [[improvisational theatre]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kilgallon |first1=John |title=Rules to Live by: A Live Action Roleplaying Conflict Resolution System |last2=Sandy Antunes |last3=Mike Young |publisher=Interactivities Ink |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-9708356-0-4 |page=1 |quote=A live action roleplaying game is a cross between a traditional 'tabletop' roleplaying game and improvisational theatre.}}</ref> 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.<ref name="TychsenEtAl2006DefiningLARP" /> Players are often costumed as their characters and use appropriate props, and the venue may be decorated to resemble the fictional setting.<ref name="FalkDevonport2004Costume">{{Cite book |last1=Falk |first1=Jennica |title=Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2004 |last2=Davenport, Glorianna |publisher=Springer Berlin / Heidelberg |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-540-22947-6 |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |volume=3166 |pages=131 |chapter=Live Role-Playing Games: Implications for Pervasive Gaming |quote=The LRP player, like a stage actor, is a person who undergoes a transformation into a character. The character's costume and accessories, or kit, aids this transformation ... Physical structures may be used as game locations, and sometimes even purposely constructed to enhance the game world ... Players frequently use physical artifacts as props and tools in their role-play, primarily to back up their character roles. |author-link2=Glorianna Davenport |access-date=28 October 2008 |chapter-url=http://springerlink.com/content/up8k3p2xywdf49ag/?p=c2914626bfa243b299327f78722deb90&pi=1 |chapter-format=PDF |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202212705/http://springerlink.com/content/up8k3p2xywdf49ag/?p=c2914626bfa243b299327f78722deb90&pi=1 |archive-date=2 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>(Heliö 2004) "Naturally, an off-game object does not actually transform into the object it is imagined as being in-game: for instance, if an airplane in the sky becomes a dragon in some larpers' imaginations, it does not actually turn into a dragon – and even the players do not actually think so. The group of players has a common contract stating how to behave in the situation because they willingly share the game's make-believe world. In order to sustain the agreed immersion, the 'dragon's' airplaneness' should not, in any case, be directly voiced aloud."</ref> Some live-action role-playing games use [[rock paper scissors]] or comparison of attributes to resolve conflicts symbolically, while other LARPs use physical combat with simulated arms such as [[airsoft gun]]s or [[foam weapon]]s.<ref name="Young2003Resolution">{{Cite book |title=The Book of LARP |publisher=Interactivities Ink |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-9708356-8-0 |editor-last=Young |editor-first=Mike |pages=7–8 |quote="Live combat... requires the players' abilities to perform an action. You want to hit someone with a sword? You have to actually hit the player with a prop representing a sword, usually a padded weapon. ... Simulated combat is more abstract. It uses an external method that does not rely on player ability. For example, if you want to hit the other person with a sword, you may have to make a rock-paper-scissors challenge. |author-link=Mike Young (game designer)}}</ref>

LARPs vary in size from a handful of players to several thousand, and in duration from a couple of hours to several days.<ref name="Widing2008">{{Cite book |last=Widing |first=Gabriel |title=Playground Worlds |publisher=Ropecon ry |year=2008 |isbn=978-952-92-3579-7 |editor-last=Markus |editor-first=Montola |chapter=We Lost Our World and Made New Ones: Live Role-Playing in Modern Times |quote=...the participants sustain these temporary worlds for a few hours or several days |editor-last2=Jaakko |editor-first2=Stenros}}</ref><ref>(Tychsen et al. 2006:258) "Games range in size from a handful to more than 4,000 players"</ref> 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.<ref>(Tychsen et al. 2005:218) "[The LARP GM is] forced to let go of the game and let it take on a life of its own outside his or her control. While based on similar principles, the requirements [are] therefore very different in practice from GMs in PnP RPGs... The GM is generally, unless the LARP is small in terms of the number of participants, ''not'' responsible for keeping the narrative flow. The GM can however oversee the progress of the game and help or influence where needed... Establishing a hierarchy of GMs and NPCs to monitor the game and ensure everyone is entertained and activated within the shared game space is a typical way of controlling large fantasy LARPS. This structure is usually established before the game commences."</ref>

===Electronic media===
{{main|Role-playing video game}}
[[File:Screenshot-Falcons-Eye.png|thumb|An adventurer finds a teleportation portal while exploring a dungeon in the role-playing video game ''[[Falcon's Eye]]''.]]
Tabletop role-playing games have been translated into a variety of electronic formats.<ref>(Tychsen 2006:75) "A major source of inspiration of computer games of all genres is role-playing games. Being of a somewhat similar age as computer games, Pen and Paper Role Playing Games (PnP RPGs), a specialized form of table-top games (TTGs) involving multiple participants interacting in a fictional world, have influenced not only the Computer Role Playing Game (CRPG) genre [6], but virtually all types of computer games..."</ref> 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 as ''dnd'' and ''Dungeon''. These early computer RPGs influenced all of electronic gaming, as well as spawning the role-playing video game genre.<ref name="Barton" /> Some authors divide digital role-playing games into two intertwined groups: single-player games using RPG-style mechanics, and multiplayer games incorporating social interaction.<ref name="Barton" /><ref name="Yee">Yee, N. (2006). The Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively-Multiuser Online Graphical Environments. PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15, 309-329.</ref><ref>(Tychsen 2005:218) "CRPGs can be separated into single- and multiplayer categories..."</ref>

====Single-player====
Single-player role-playing video games form a loosely defined genre of computer and console games with origins in role-playing games such as ''Dungeons & Dragons'', on which they base much of their terminology, settings, and game mechanics.<ref name="Barton" /> This translation changes the experience of the game, providing a visual representation of the world but emphasizing statistical character development over collaborative, interactive storytelling.<ref name="Tychsen2006CollaborativeNarrative" /><ref name="Crawford" />

====Multiplayer====
{{main|Online text-based role-playing game|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game}}
[[File:FurcShot2007.png|thumb|upright=1.3|MUD interface for ''[[Furcadia]]'']]
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 include [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s, [[MUSH]]es, and other varieties of [[MU*]]. Games played in a turn-based fashion include [[play-by-mail game]]s and [[play-by-post game]]s.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) combine the large-scale social interaction and [[persistent world]] of 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.<ref>(Heliö 2004) "Even if a game does not support active role-playing, as most of the massively multiplayer online role-playing games fail to do (Dark Age of Camelot and others), experienced role-players may adopt the mindset and take advantage of the game's communication functionalities, and start to role-play. This, however, requires the willing support or at least acceptance of the other players – any one of us can act like a prince, but if the others won't play along, it does not constitute role-playing."</ref> The majority of players in MMORPGs do not engage in role-playing in this sense.<ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Eladhari |first1=Mirjam P |last2=Mateas |first2=Michael |year=2009 |title=Rules for role play in Virtual Game Worlds Case study: The Pataphysic Institute |url=http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/3x99c2zt |conference=Proceedings of the Digital Arts and Culture Conference |pages=1 |access-date=12 December 2009 |quote=However, the majority of players in MMORPGs do not role-play at all, but self-play, that is, play as being themselves without adopting a fictional role.}}</ref>

[[Computer-assisted gaming]] can 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.