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Lord Iames Osari
2008-01-27, 08:42 PM
How do you do it?

One way I've found that (I think) works pretty well is to use this analogy:


It's sort of like playing on the Xbox. You have one guy who's like a combination of the Xbox and the game disc - he creates the world, sets up the storyline, and controls the bad guys for the players to explore and fight against and talk to.

Then you have the rulebooks, which are also sort of like the game disc. They tell the players what sort of characters they can play - if they can be a ninja, a mecha pilot, or a sauve secret agent - and what sort of abilities those character types have.

And finally, you have the players themselves, who play the game with pencil, paper, and dice instead of a controller.

VanBuren
2008-01-27, 08:50 PM
I haven't used this one yet, it's still in beta.

"Well, there's a few parts.

First, there's the DM. He's an evil bastard who wants you to suffer and die, but he'll do it by the rules so your agony tastes better to him.

Next you have the rules. Now, these are set up to give the DM the power to crush you like the tiny little insect you are, but give you an exoskeleton so you can pretend to fight back.

Then you have the dice. Your dice pretend to work for you, but they're in league with the DM and love to give you a critical failure when you need a critical success the mot.

Lastly, there us. The players. Not only do we have to survive everything he throws at us, but we have to turn it back on him and destroy everything he holds dear: namely, the plot."

sikyon
2008-01-27, 08:51 PM
Hobby? This is my life!

No I just stress it's a group game so I get to chill with friends.

KindaChang
2008-01-27, 08:51 PM
I've never actually run into one that wanted it explained, however I think you have a good analogy going there. I, if I used that analogy, would describe the DM as the gamedisk, and the rule books as the XBox.

If pressed, I think I'd describe it more as storytelling.

Ascension
2008-01-27, 08:56 PM
That's a bit of a strange analogy.

Forum-based roleplaying is easy to explain, since it's basically communal fanfic.

With pen-and-paper roleplaying, it depends on whether you use miniatures or not.

If you use miniatures, you can also explain it quite simply: It's like miniature wargaming, but your focus is on a single character rather than an entire army, and it introduces non-combat elements.

If you don't use miniatures, then it starts getting a bit more abstract. I guess you could explain it as radio drama with dice. :smallwink: 'course then, your audience probably isn't familiar with radio drama...

mikeejimbo
2008-01-27, 09:09 PM
I have likened it to acting. They are the players (and all the world's a stage). I actually wrote quite a bit on a similar subject: In defense of pure-text online RPs. I think I made that at these fora, actually, in the PbP section.

Chronos
2008-01-27, 09:19 PM
Fundamentally, any role-playing game is no different than the games of Cops and Robbers or Cowboys and Indians you played as a child. The rulebooks and dice are just there to resolve the inevitable questions of "I shot you!" "No you didn't, I shot you first!" "No, you missed!".

RTGoodman
2008-01-27, 09:22 PM
D&D is "Cowboys and Indians" or "Cops and Robbers" for grown-ups. The players are one group, the DM and the world he controls are the other, and the rulebooks are there for the inevitable moment of "I shot you!" - "Nuh-uh, I shot you first!"

Or, for a more general idea of what roleplaying is, just tell them "Okay - you wake up in a dark room with no windows and a door that's slightly cracked. Who are you, and what do you do?"


EDIT: Gah! Ninja'd by Chronos, with the exact analogy! :smalleek:

Serpentine
2008-01-27, 09:23 PM
I would probably describe it thusly:

"It's like a fantasy book. The DM's the author, he (or she) creates the world, the plot, the situation, the rules, etc. The players each control a character and how they interact with the world. The dice keep it as a game: they determine how successful your characters are in whatever they try to do."

The quick version:
"It's like a fantasy book, except you decide what the characters do... Somewhat like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, yes, but multiplayer."

Prometheus
2008-01-27, 09:36 PM
"Its just like a video game or MMORPG, except that it is played with multiple people in person with people you know, so its a lot more fun and actually more sociable."

And similar to above "It's like writing a collaborative story or play. The DM is the main story writer, coming up with the plot and the world. Although it is realistic, because each of the other players is responsible for understanding and playing their one character like an actor and also no matter how much the forces of fate would demand it otherwise, chance ocassionally takes over."

It's like any other game, except that it never ends, can be as good as you want it to be, and is limitless in its creativity. Besides those things, just a regular game.

Ascension
2008-01-27, 09:46 PM
It seems we're getting several different basic approaches, and I think the reason for that is because we're targeting our explanations to different non-roleplayer groups.

For the bulk of today's youth, we have the video game analogy.

For the wargamer, we have the wargaming-but-with-non-combat-rules explanation.

For the thespian, we have the acting analogy.

For the bookworm, we have the novel analogy.

For the total non-geek, we have the cops and robbers analogy.

It depends on the audience.

And isn't it nice we have a hobby that brings together video-gamers, wargamers, thespians, bookworms, and even the occasional non-geek (who doesn't stay that way for long)? :smallbiggrin:

Rutee
2008-01-27, 09:49 PM
Actually, NEVER liken it to cops and robbers to outsiders. That's like, the best way to not be taken seriously =/

Use movies, and you get to be um, who's popular. Johnny Depp, Steven Seagal, Keira Knightly, etc.

Serpentine
2008-01-27, 09:51 PM
Actually, NEVER liken it to cops and robbers to outsiders. That's like, the best way to not be taken seriously =/Since when has D&D been something to take seriously? :smallconfused:

Lord Iames Osari
2008-01-27, 09:54 PM
Since when has D&D been something to take seriously? :smallconfused:

Since people figured out how to make money off it.

Tengu
2008-01-27, 09:58 PM
This comes to mind:
http://www.commissionedcomic.com/?p=136

mikeejimbo
2008-01-27, 09:59 PM
Since when has D&D been something to take seriously? :smallconfused:

There are many, many different playing styles, and I for one see that it could be taken seriously as an exercise in creativity, acting, and writing. Together, you can create an epic tale just as deep and thought-provoking as any novel. Each character can be deep, personal, with their own goals, motives and desires, with unique skills and outlooks. You can consider the studious wizard who seeks arcane power but doesn't understand social situation, or the lone wolf rogue who desires to make amends for his past, or the cunning warrior who cleaves into the enemy with wreckless abandon.

Cleavage... tee hee Roy has boobies.

Rutee
2008-01-27, 10:01 PM
There are many, many different playing styles, and I for one see that it could be taken seriously as an exercise in creativity, acting, and writing. Together, you can create an epic tale just as deep and thought-provoking as any novel. Each character can be deep, personal, with their own goals, motives and desires, with unique skills and outlooks. You can consider the studious wizard who seeks arcane power but doesn't understand social situation, or the lone wolf rogue who desires to make amends for his past, or the cunning warrior who cleaves into the enemy with wreckless abandon.

Cleavage... tee hee Roy has boobies.

.....Words fail me on the utter win the juxtaposition of those two bits of text :P

But yeah, that's pretty much what I'm going for.

Eighth_Seraph
2008-01-27, 10:02 PM
Yup. THAT's the way to get the game taken seriously.

I've been asked a few times, since I'm in some high-level classes with geeky people that hear alot about D&D, but have never played it. I find that the bookworm/fantasy novel approach makes it easiest to understand.

mikeejimbo
2008-01-27, 10:06 PM
.....Words fail me on the utter win the juxtaposition of those two bits of text :P

But yeah, that's pretty much what I'm going for.

I haven't had the fortune of playing in a serious game, except in free-form forum-based RPs. My group isn't inclined to it, especially because I make such good comic relief. :smalltongue:


I've been asked a few times, since I'm in some high-level classes with geeky people that hear alot about D&D, but have never played it. I find that the bookworm/fantasy novel approach makes it easiest to understand.

In my computer science classes, I think most of us have played D&D, though I'm not sure. 2/3 of my past roommates also played D&D.

Fizban
2008-01-27, 10:13 PM
Haven't had to use them, but I like the ultra-defensive;

It's like Yahtzee, but with more rules.

and

It's the same as any video game, except instead of a computer, you have a person, which can do a lot more.

Ascension
2008-01-27, 10:13 PM
I haven't had the fortune of playing in a serious game, except in free-form forum-based RPs. My group isn't inclined to it, especially because I make such good comic relief. :smalltongue:

It's funny, the least serious games I've been a part of have been free-form forum-based RPGs. Most people I've known equate the lack of combat mechanics with "Heck yes! I'm going to be freakin' awesome and do all sorts of awesome stuff and the only thing that can stop me is a flat-out ban from the site!"

It gets worse when your RPG is focused on PVP combat. I played one forum-based freeform PVP game in which almost no PC took a hit in three battles' time. :smalleek:

I've mostly stopped playing freeform games since then.

The Extinguisher
2008-01-27, 10:14 PM
"Okay, first take a worm. Except it's giant. Alright, toss it in the air and wait for it to come back down. But surprise, it's now a doorway, and you just fell through it. So climb up the nearest steps, but you end up in some sort of Escher like room. Now spin around five times and proclaim your love for cake. Then hit yourself on the head and repeat."

What? That's what MY gaming sessions are like, anyway.

Talya
2008-01-27, 10:14 PM
Explaining the Hobby to Outsiders --How do you do it?


Don't bother. Just banish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/banishment.htm) them.

mikeejimbo
2008-01-27, 10:19 PM
It's funny, the least serious games I've been a part of have been free-form forum-based RPGs. Most people I've known equate the lack of combat mechanics with "Heck yes! I'm going to be freakin' awesome and do all sorts of awesome stuff and the only thing that can stop me is a flat-out ban from the site!"

It gets worse when your RPG is focused on PVP combat. I played one forum-based freeform PVP game in which almost no PC took a hit in three battles' time. :smalleek:

I've mostly stopped playing freeform games since then.

Both the most and least serious I've been in were free-form. And PVP with them doesn't really work too well.

I'm also in an ongoing freeform RP based off of Watership Down, and that is taken extremely seriously. It's like a sequel in itself. Come to think of it, I should check what my character is supposed to be doing.

I guess they're not entirely freeform - they have rules like "No playing someone else's character" and "No being really powerful."

seedjar
2008-01-27, 10:21 PM
The cops-and-robbers analogy is typically the one I reach for. I find I use it less to explain the concept of the game as I do it's appeal. A lot of people who ask me seem to have the impression that D&D is like DOOM on paper with a Lord-of-the-Rings flavor. They get the mechanics (roll dice, kill fantasy-type monsters, etc.) but don't understand why it would be compelling. The connection that people seem to miss is that the game isn't about any particular story or setting; to them, D&D is boring because they're not especially interested in the fantasy genre. You can tell them about things like races and classes and, if they're not into fishing treasure out of dank dungeons, it will still all sound like sitting around a table, pretending to be the Pac-Man family. When I tell someone, "Remember playing cowboys and indians, how it used to be a great game until you started arguing with the kid down the street about whether or not they can shoot you through the stack of imaginary barrels? D&D fixes the arguing part." they seem to understand instantly. I think we all know how fantasy can be fun; how could you appreciate anything fictional otherwise?
~Joe

Bag_of_Holding
2008-01-27, 10:22 PM
It's a better game of pretending! :smallwink:

Worira
2008-01-27, 10:26 PM
Don't bother. Just banish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/banishment.htm) them.

FINALLY! I've been waiting for someone to make an Outsider joke for ever!Well, one and a half hours, anyway.

mikeejimbo
2008-01-27, 10:27 PM
It's a better game of pretending! :smallwink:

I've actually also heard it argued that it's a worse game of pretending because of all the rules. I mean, if you could get kids to not have the "I shot you, no you didn't" arguments, then they'd be perfect.

I think the introduction to FUDGE says something to this effect.

AslanCross
2008-01-28, 12:29 AM
"It's a role-playing game, just that you do the math. It's meant to be played by a group of people working together. Each player can create a character that he or she can typically customize into what he/she wants. Another person, the Dungeon Master, controls the environment and acts as a referee."

Chronos
2008-01-28, 02:14 AM
Actually, NEVER liken it to cops and robbers to outsiders. That's like, the best way to not be taken seriously =/Well, a lot of outsiders have the problem that they take the game too seriously (http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp). Likening D&D to something which the non-gamer has surely played as a child might hopefully defuse some of that.


"Okay, first take a worm. Except it's giant. Alright, toss it in the air and wait for it to come back down. But surprise, it's now a doorway, and you just fell through it. So climb up the nearest steps, but you end up in some sort of Escher like room. Now spin around five times and proclaim your love for cake. Then hit yourself on the head and repeat."
That sounds more like the fantasy game in Ender's Game than D&D.

Cuddly
2008-01-28, 02:21 AM
"Oh, you know, we venerate our Lord and Master, Satan, practice our black magic. Sometimes we make blood sacrifices. We also play a lot of metal albums backwards."

Farmer42
2008-01-28, 02:25 AM
"Oh, you know, we venerate our Lord and Master, Satan, practice our black magic. Sometimes we make blood sacrifices. We also play a lot of metal albums backwards."

You forgot the part about the delicious chocolate chip cookies we bake.

Ominous
2008-01-28, 02:31 AM
I haven't used this one yet, it's still in beta.

"Well, there's a few parts.

First, there's the DM. He's an evil bastard who wants you to suffer and die, but he'll do it by the rules so your agony tastes better to him.

Next you have the rules. Now, these are set up to give the DM the power to crush you like the tiny little insect you are, but give you an exoskeleton so you can pretend to fight back.

Then you have the dice. Your dice pretend to work for you, but they're in league with the DM and love to give you a critical failure when you need a critical success the mot.

Lastly, there us. The players. Not only do we have to survive everything he throws at us, but we have to turn it back on him and destroy everything he holds dear: namely, the plot."

It sounds sort of like the Warhammer Fantasy setting. The Chaos Gods will win eventually, but we can still spit in their eyes and go down with a fight.

Don't forget that "You're character should always be a friendless orphan, as the Surgeon General warns that being a friend or family member of a PC is extremely hazardous to your health."

Yami
2008-01-28, 02:39 AM
I myself am a fan of stories, and this is but way to craft glorious, and often hilarious tales with my friends.

raygungothic
2008-01-28, 05:11 AM
I've had most success with something along the lines of

"have you ever played a computer game and wished you could do something the programmers hadn't accounted for? In a role-playing game, the players just describe what their characters are doing, so they can do anything they can think of*. One player - usually me - describes the environment and its challenges, and works out how it responds to the players' actions, responding flexibly** to whatever they come up with. We use a couple of dice to add a chance element, so not everything will succeed - there are "rules", but they're more like guidelines to help us keep the game consistent.*** Players work together as a team**** to solve problems and work their way through a story. These days we tend to focus quite a lot on story and characterisation, and try to make the characters interesting, so there's a certain amount of improv acting. So it's like a computer game, but much more social and flexible, and you don't need to buy anything expensive or mess with technical stuff to make it work*****.

*(wishful thinking)
**(wishful thinking)
***(wishful thinking)
****(wishful thinking)
*****(wishful thinking).

On the other hand, they can also be usefully compared to a soap opera :-(

Lolzords
2008-01-28, 05:35 AM
I just either tell the person to bugger off, as they're not being serious (A long line of tarty girls who come in, sit down, say the d20 has 100 sides and ask how to play while grinning to their mates), or just say you basically sit around with your mates and have a laugh.

Ashtar
2008-01-28, 05:46 AM
Tell them:
"You open your eyes, and see a large forest in front of you. A path leads into the forest quickly dissapearing between the trees into the shade. There is also a old abandoned road that follows the edge of the woods. Which way would you take?"

Once they've chosen, say: "Congratulations, you've just done role-playing."

That's all it is. =)

Artanis
2008-01-28, 12:30 PM
You could say, "It's like Monopoly, except instead of a slumlord, you're a hero trying to save the world" :smalltongue:

Burley
2008-01-28, 12:30 PM
I always find that explaining it as a video game helps people understand it a lot better. Most people play, or have played a video game, and, for the most part, video games are WIDELY accepted.
I do find it a lot of fun to make people feel silly about their hobbies in comparison to mine. You wouldn't believe how many times people who play Halo online will jump my case about playing D&D. I take so much pride in the look on their faces when I say: "At least I'm hanging out with my friends, and not staring at pretty, flashing lights."

NOTE: I've got nothing against Online-gamers. Please don't...frag me. (Frag, right? Is that the right word? I don't know. :smalltongue:)

Sleet
2008-01-28, 12:55 PM
I call it a "storytelling game," where we collaborate to tell a story about imaginary characters, and the results of actions the characters attempt are determined by dice.

Craig1f
2008-01-28, 01:08 PM
I usually describe it like "It's like gambling. You get to roll dice, and instead of money, you're gambling the time you invested making your character. Plus, unlike gambling, the house isn't fixed to always win."

That's pretty much why I liked it to begin with. I liked rolling dice, and not knowing what would come up. It's a thrill when you roll high, and it hurts when you roll low. But unlikes casinos, you can actually position yourself to have above a 48% chance of winning.

That's actually why I am starting to dislike my barbarian. I'm doing 1d12 + 15 damage. I only get to roll one damage dice! Give me some d6's man! Let me roll 3d12 + 2 instead! (The average roll of 1d12+15 and 3d12+2 is both 21.5)

TempusCCK
2008-01-28, 01:16 PM
I usually just tell them it's a way to play a big fantasy game with your friends. You all sit around and situations are presented for you to react to and have as much fun as possible with. Which is really the important part.

valadil
2008-01-28, 01:47 PM
I think that 'Cops and Robbers but with rules for judging who shot who first' is the most accurate example, but I don't use it all the time because it makes what I do sound immature.

I know a lot of theater people. I tell them it's like an improv game that goes on over several months and has some math thrown in.

Most of the time though I go with characters in a fantasy story. I *may* have actually gotten my girlfriend interested by comparing it to Harry Potter. Up until then she tried to ignore the fact that I play D&D, but since she made that connection she's been more and more curious, to the point of debating with me whether wizards or sorcerers are better. I like explaining the game as a story and when people ask for specifics, only then relating it to Cops 'n Robbers.

Telonius
2008-01-28, 01:50 PM
Promises of beer and pizza can occasionally help.

Grey Paladin
2008-01-28, 02:10 PM
A complex game of pretend combined with Yu-gi-ho, and if your character dies you get MINDCRUSH'D!http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp

Name_Here
2008-01-28, 03:12 PM
Promises of beer and pizza can occasionally will always help.
FTFY

I usually try to get the concept of them playing Lord of the Rings and I (as the DM) play as everything in the world while they control the fellowship trying to accomplish their goals while I put challenging but difficult problems in their path.

Works about 50% of the time. THe other 50% of the time the fact that I'm a big guy who looks like he's angry when he gets turned down works wonders.

Artanis
2008-01-28, 03:40 PM
A complex game of pretend combined with Yu-gi-ho, and if your character dies you get MINDCRUSH'D!http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp
"So uh...why do you play DnD? I don't really see the point."
"It pisses off Jack Chick."
"Awesome! Can I play too?"

:smallbiggrin:

TheThan
2008-01-28, 03:48 PM
Fundamentally, any role-playing game is no different than the games of Cops and Robbers or Cowboys and Indians you played as a child. The rulebooks and dice are just there to resolve the inevitable questions of "I shot you!" "No you didn't, I shot you first!" "No, you missed!".


D&D is "Cowboys and Indians" or "Cops and Robbers" for grown-ups. The players are one group, the DM and the world he controls are the other, and the rulebooks are there for the inevitable moment of "I shot you!" - "Nuh-uh, I shot you first!"

Or, for a more general idea of what roleplaying is, just tell them "Okay - you wake up in a dark room with no windows and a door that's slightly cracked. Who are you, and what do you do?"


EDIT: Gah! Ninja'd by Chronos, with the exact analogy! :smalleek:

Both of you beat me to it. though I think using an MMO would be a more relevant analogy.

AKA_Bait
2008-01-28, 03:55 PM
I call it a "storytelling game," where we collaborate to tell a story about imaginary characters, and the results of actions the characters attempt are determined by dice.

This is actually pretty close to the way I explain it to outsiders. I describe it as collaborative story telling where the DM is the narriator and the other players are all characters in the story. The dice are there to tell the DM/narrator how to describe what happens in scene.


Promises of beer and pizza can occasionally help.

More than occasionally.


"Oh, you know, we venerate our Lord and Master, Satan, practice our black magic. Sometimes we make blood sacrifices. We also play a lot of metal albums backwards."

Ssssh. That information is only for after they start playing.


You forgot the part about the delicious chocolate chip cookies we bake.

Oh no, we never talk about the cookies... then we would have to share.

Indon
2008-01-28, 04:05 PM
"It's like Monopoly, only instead of a thimble and a dog, you're characters like out of a fantasy book, and instead of a banker, you have a dungeon master, who creates the world your characters are in, and instead of playing against each other, you play against whatever antagonists your DM thinks up."

Ecalsneerg
2008-01-28, 04:16 PM
"It's like Monopoly, only instead of a thimble
Polymorph any object

and a dog
Polymorph

:P

Tengu
2008-01-28, 04:41 PM
A complex game of pretend combined with Yu-gi-ho, and if your character dies you get MINDCRUSH'D!http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp

"The thief, Bleackleaf, did not find the trap, and I declare her dead." - that line never ceases to amuse me.

Indon
2008-01-28, 04:47 PM
"The thief, Bleackleaf, did not find the trap, and I declare her dead." - that line never ceases to amuse me.

You see, that's precisely why Wizards is changing how traps work in 4E.

Because of poor Blackleaf.

Miles Invictus
2008-01-28, 05:20 PM
You could say, "It's like Monopoly, except instead of a slumlord, you're a hero trying to save the world" :smalltongue:


"It's like Monopoly, only instead of a thimble and a dog, you're characters like out of a fantasy book, and instead of a banker, you have a dungeon master, who creates the world your characters are in, and instead of playing against each other, you play against whatever antagonists your DM thinks up."

It's like Monopoly, except instead of renting hotels, you stab things in the face.

Collin152
2008-01-28, 05:59 PM
Please don't link to Jack Chick; It feeds his otherworldly power.

Woot Spitum
2008-01-28, 06:12 PM
It's like discussing a controversial topic(insert splatbook here) with someone who totally disagrees with your views on said topic (the DM). You know in advance that you can't ever truly win, but as long as you enjoy the process (insulting the DM) you can have a lot of fun with it.:smallbiggrin:

Tengu
2008-01-28, 07:33 PM
You see, that's precisely why Wizards is changing how traps work in 4E.

Because of poor Blackleaf.

Finally! It slowly starts to get tiring that the party rogues die each time they don't manage to find a trap (via DM fiat), even if they don't activate them. Or would get tiring, if I played DND.

Rutee
2008-01-28, 08:21 PM
"Oh, you know, we venerate our Lord and Master, Satan, practice our black magic. Sometimes we make blood sacrifices. We also play a lot of metal albums backwards."

....I /knew/ I was doing something wrong...

Leon
2008-01-28, 08:56 PM
One of my DMs likens it to group writing a novel - he provides the meta plot and we take it from there with some guidance

SurlySeraph
2008-01-29, 12:36 AM
Finally! It slowly starts to get tiring that the party rogues die each time they don't manage to find a trap (via DM fiat), even if they don't activate them. Or would get tiring, if I played DND.

No, it's easy. The rogue checks for traps, then makes the barbarian walk over the area where he checked, then checks the next area. Simple!

In fact, if the barbarian takes Improved Toughness, you don't even need a rogue!

Miles Invictus
2008-01-29, 02:41 AM
It's sorta like gambling, but you lose all of your money up front.

North
2008-01-29, 02:47 AM
To a WoW friend:

Its like the ultimate open ended video game. You can create and do anything you want. And the realms are never crashing.

leperkhaun
2008-01-29, 05:24 AM
its like bieng in a movie, only there is no script.

random11
2008-01-29, 05:33 AM
Reminds me of the time I tried to explain to someone what Warhammer is all about.
More than 10 minutes of explanations about strategy, rules, tactics and fantasy ended up in a single sentence: "So, basically you're playing with dolls".


For conclusion, if you can't manage to explain to an outsider what RPG is in one short sentence, don't bother...

:smallsmile:

Rutee
2008-01-29, 05:54 AM
To a WoW friend:

Its like the ultimate open ended video game. You can create and do anything you want. And the realms are never crashing.

Now that's just a plain old lie. The realms crash whenever someone's late :P

Kami2awa
2008-01-29, 06:03 AM
I've given up, unless I'm dealing with people who I know can understand it. (usually other nerds) or who might have heard of it a little bit beforehand. One or two people have thought I meant a different type of roleplay game :smallwink:

On a serious note, the term 'randomized interactive storytelling' sounds good if you HAVE to explain it.

Tengu
2008-01-29, 09:35 AM
No, it's easy. The rogue checks for traps, then makes the barbarian walk over the area where he checked, then checks the next area. Simple!

In fact, if the barbarian takes Improved Toughness, you don't even need a rogue!

But it doesn't work that way - if a rogue does not manage to find a trap, then even if someone else enters it, or nobody at all, the rogue is declared dead by the DM anyway - the character probably dies from embarrassment.

Miles Invictus
2008-01-29, 11:24 AM
More than 10 minutes of explanations about strategy, rules, tactics and fantasy ended up in a single sentence: "So, basically you're playing with dolls".

"No, we're playing a serious game. Those are miniatures." (http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/darthsanddroids/episodes/0026.html)

If I felt like explaining it in a completely serious fashion (and I don't, but for the sake of argument...) I would describe it as an "improvisational board game". Like most board games, you have rules, game pieces, and dice. However, the "board" is different every game.

SerroMaroo
2008-01-29, 11:52 AM
I have always told people that playing D&D is basically an excuse to get a group of friends together and spend the evening together without playing video games or watching TV. You know actually speaking to one another...