What Is a Tabletop RPG?: An RPG Elite Perspective (Part 1)

[@fenrir607]

This series seems like it was made for me! I've been interested in playing a ttrpg for a while, and I've been buying various books because I hate having money, but I've never gotten close to playing one. With this I'll be able to get started like ab Elite!

[@blankmike4613]

Greetings, good episode, not pushy or preachy to the newbies. I like it. For the Agenda.

[@ottawamonsterpocalypse7729]

QotV part 1: The inhabiting of a character not myself and the attempt to create a believable other person is the most appealing part for me. I like trying to get into someone else's shoes. QotV part 2: I would add "With: using a game board and miniatures to represent the characters' actions and create a diorama or visualization of the events unfolding in the story." And yes, I may get belittled over this but it's important. It's part of the "table-top" experience. Otherwise you're just playing an RPG. You may as well be gathered around a car, tree, rug, or even washing machine. The table in "Table-top" is there as a gaming surface. It is part of our inheritance from the miniature and strategy games that spawned the hobby and is important in that respect. Table-top role-playing is a visual hobby. Role-playing itself is a mental hobby and I have no beef with people who eschew miniatures for the theatre of the mind's eye approach (even though I find it dull, and prone to arguments from misunderstandings pertaining to who is where during combat) but that's not table-top. Without the miniatures and map of sorts, it's just role-playing.

[@dsx7517]

Thank you for all the info and the explanations. I truly appreciate it. 🙂

[@dsx7517]

And to answer the question of the video: For me personally, the most appealing thing would be the chance to become a fictional character, even if only for a short while.

[@Tygertyger8008]

QotV: Another easy one. The most appealing part of that definition is, "to create an unscripted story that has meaning and substance." I am all about the story in my rpgs. As a GM I always have one in mind (even if it isn't revealed explicitly right away), and as a player if the GM doesn't provide a story I will.

[@matthewesch8758]

QotV: I find nothing lacking in that definition of TTRPG. I like inhabiting another persona when I play and crafting the unscripted story when I run. It all boils down to escapism from the IRL grind and having an adventure.

[@derekburge5294]

Oddly enough, I find myself feeling a little jealous of folks who are only now getting started in the hobby. If you're new, you're in the right spot and on the road to a hobby that can enrich your life. QotV: the cooperative aspect cannot be understated! The GM is not your enemy, your fellow players are not (necessarily) your rivals!

[@MichaelFischer-pf7ft]

The part of the definition that appeals to me the most is the "make-believe persona" part. Every now and then, it's good to break out of my pudgy balding middle-aged self and bust some orcs' heads with something large, sharp, and medieval, then count the gold and identify the goodies that they were guarding. Or, better yet, to map out and populate the dungeon where those orcs live, and watch how the players make their way to the end.

[@TheAzPackrat]

Always remember that when the game begins your players will throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the mix. Semper Fi brother and stay on your toes.....

[@phillee427]

Question of the vid. My answer is inhabiting your character. Servant, you must have been picking my brain or something. Because few you people even use that term. But I use it all the time and no one seems to get it. But you do. Most people don't do it. Even in the professional podcast. People don't become their characters they become commentators of the characters. And you can tell this by the fact that they always use third person prospective when referencing their actions or speech. My character is going to do x were my characters going to say y. First person statements should only be used. I want to go on the journey with the characters and with the players. But I can't do that because every time a player breaks into a third person perspective I lose my immersion. I can't connect with the character if the player of themselves are not gonna connect with the character.. When a person inhabits their character, they lose all those inhibitions that make watching them or playing with them if you're not gonna be in a podcastle so irksome. Some will argue that players comfort level is why they perform as they do. Hang that. That was my comfort level as well thirty plus years ago. And adopting a first person prospective where I inhabit my character is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done at the table. I'm only gonna assume that people aren't even comfortable in their own skin, which is why they can't give themselves over to inhabiting the character instead of just being a commentator of the character.

[@TheMajorActual]

I am absolutely "rules-lite" -- rules are for helping the Story. They are not a Bible.

[@vikingbear6962]

QotV My favourite part is people congregating around a table.