Where do we go from here?

Let’s make this plain, I’m not refering to this blog, or plastic soldiers.Here I’m looking at the ways into role-playing, and possibly ways to branch out. I know this has been touched on, but I think it’s interesting.
I know some people got into RPGs from the paperback books ‘where you decide your own destiny’. That’s certainly how I started. Do you turn left or right? If you go left, and you keep guessing well, you’ll get the gold. If you go right, basically you’ll die. I was struck by the unfairness. How about if you went right for a bit, then changed your mind and came back?It was all too rigid. Role-playing basically is for anyone who’s ever said ‘what about if I did this instead?’
Then there’s all the collectable cards. They really took off, so there are (or were) CCGs relating to popular films, TV series, RPGs etc. I like the ones I’ve tried;there’s a lot of thought gone in, and some of them make for a very clever session. There must be people who’ve got into this hobby from playing the massively popular CCG. Admittedly I don’t know anyone who has, but that might be something people don’t admit to.
Board games? Loads of them, fashionable and not so. Some very clever, some not, and quite a lot related to fantasy and sci-fi.The advantage of board games is they’re easy to start with basically no prep, and are usually not that demanding.Also you have a reasonable idea of how long you’ll play for.
Books? These should be a way in, especially when clever marketing people invent new RPGs based on popular books (or TV series). There’s some great fiction out there – both fantasy and sci-fi are blessed with some brilliant authors. At the least it’s great source material.
Computer rpgs. I do play a few of these, but I wish they’d come up with a new name, because let’s face it, they’re not role-playing games, not as we understand. This should be a great route into real RPGs, because they’re so popular.And it can’t be just me who thinks ‘why the hell do I have to spend hours finding something so some little old guy will open a door for me, when I’ve got a dirty big axe?’ This is the delight of role-playing, coming up with some sensible(to you) argument that completely throws your GM. Or as a GM, waiting for your players to come up with a really daft idea, then dropping a balrog on them. Happy days…

3 thoughts on “Where do we go from here?”

Really good article Nick, looking forward to more thought provoking stuff..

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Got to agree with you about roleplaying videogames. Sometimes I just want to go off the edge of the map. Also, you can’t play more of your favourite finished game till they decide to make the next part.

For me, the greatest thing about rpg’s is that “you are only limited by your imagination”. I know it’s a cliché but it’s true. If you want to go somewhere the GM didn’t plan for, you wing it.

“Role-playing basically is for anyone who’s ever said ‘what about if I did this instead?” I couldn’t agree more with this. I think anyone who’s read a book or watched a film and wondered where else it could go or what happened after the good guys saved the day should give roleplaying a go.

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