My History with Roleplaying Games

Before we start examining this issue in depth, let's make sure we know what we're talking about.

A roleplaying game is one in which players play a role. Most people are familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, but that's only one of many. In D&D, players take on the role of an adventurer. A warrior, a wizard, an assassin, a sneaky rogue, a priest of some fantasy religion endowed with mystical gifts of their god... these are just a few of the roles that can be played in D&D. These 'characters' encounter monsters or other enemies, whom they must defeat in combat, and are often rewarded with whatever treasure the monster was guarding. There are other types of adventures, and other types of encounters, but the trope of 'kick in the door, kill the monster, take their stuff' exists for a reason.

Many roleplaying games (or RPGs for short) follow a similar format: a GM (game master) or DM (dungeon master) describes what the other players see, the players describe what their characters do, usually rolling dice to determine the success of failure of their actions, and the GM describes the outcome of those attempted actions. Some games stick with the traditional fantasy setting (elves and dwarves in a sword-and-sorcery world against goblins, dragons, and other monsters). Other games use different settings. Some are set in space, with the players playing different alien races fighting against other aliens. Still others go with a superhero setting, with players taking on the roles of superheroes fighting against supervillains. Some even use a more mundane setting, like modern soldiers fighting against enemy soldiers.

But there are some roleplaying games that change up the format entirely. Where many RPGs treat successful missions as a 'win,' and view failure as having their characters defeated in combat, some games look at the hobby as more of a collaborative storytelling activity. For example, the game Bluebeard's Bride has, in essence, no way to 'win.' The characters created in this game have no good outcomes available to them. But the players consider themselves to have 'won' if they tell a good story together. Some of the best stories, after all, don't end with the heroes winning. Similarly, the game Fiasco is designed to let players tell stories reminiscent of the Cohen brothers' films; the main characters have a lot of ambition, but poor impulse control and usually poor planning skills, but the enjoyment comes from watching those characters fail spectacularly. 

These, of course, are 'tabletop' roleplaying games. They are played around a table, with paper and pencil and (usually) dice (or sometimes cards). This is different from video game RPGs, which are much more heavily modelled on the original D&D. There is a story involved, but most of the action is based around the characters completing missions, frequently involving combat.

Not everyone who plays tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGS) play them for the same reason. Some people play because they enjoy the thrill of simulated combat. Others, because they see it as an exercise in strategy and tactics. Some people play because they enjoy 'becoming' a different person for a while, and TTRPGs are like acting for them.

When I was a teenager, my father brought home a bunch of Marvel comics from work one day (he worked for a burger chain that was considering doing a marketing campaign involving Marvel superheroes). I read all the ones he had, and found myself enjoying the stories being told. I was drawn to the characters, intrigued by the conflicts in which they found themselves, and interested in how they resolved those conflicts.

I started collecting some Wolverine comics. I was drawn to the anti-hero nature of the character. His stories were so compelling because of the complex and dynamic nature of the characters.

So when I saw an advertisement in one issue for a game in which you got to take on the role of Wolverine, I was intrigued. I went to the local comic shop and bought a copy of the game. I brought it home and read it, and realised that I needed some friends to play it with me. So as soon as I was able, I found some willing companions and we played a session.

This is how my obsession with TTRPGs began.

I loved having the opportunity to help shape a story with my friends. I thrilled at the prospect of being involved in the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of an epic tale of heroes saving the day. I enjoyed dreaming up new characters, full of personality and capability, and sending them into a shared world where they could act on those traits.

For a long time, I found myself frustrated with other gamers, because from my perspective, they were 'doing it wrong.' They weren't creating interesting characters or participating in the crafting of a tale. All they seemed to want to do was to kill monsters.

Until I finally read a book which helped me to understand that not everyone viewed the hobby the same way. They enjoyed gaming for different reasons. Whereas I drew enjoyment from creating a story with my friends, other people were more interested in some fictional vicarious violence. Still others were looking for a power trip, watching their characters grow ever more capable as their statistics increased and their powers multiplied.

Now, I'm careful about who I play with. I try to seek out others who have similar goals to me. If we're all invested in the characters, we won't be frustrated by the 'murder hobo' who has no interest in exploring the character's feelings or motivations because all he wants to do is slay the dragon.

This also means that I am more careful about which games I play. I avoid Dungeons and Dragons and similar games like Pathfinder or the D20 version of Star Wars. The rules for those games emphasise combat over everything else. It's possible to tell stories in those systems, but in my experience, such  feats occur despite the rules rather than because of them.

Instead, I am drawn to games that have rules enhancing storytelling and character development, like Changeling: the Dreaming or the aforementioned Fiasco and Bluebeard's Bride. There are many games that are 'rules light' which focus entirely on the story being told, with no real options for combat. One example is Alice is Missing, in which three to five friends and family members of a missing teen girl try to find out what happened to her. Another is Ten Candles, a game that explores the hopelessness of characters trying to survive the depredations of monsters in the dark, knowing that your characters will die at the end of the story.

These are the games that I love. Games which, after playing, make me think, 'I would love to see that story turned into a book or movie.' Especially thought-provoking stories, like the dark desperation of Ten Candles.

Not everyone likes games for this reason. And that's fine. But this is what I like.