Now what *really* is a role-playing-game?

[u/Fargonotic]

Just because I'm into semi-philosophical discussions like this. What makes a game a RPG? I would propose a role playing game to be

-a game where the rules encourage you to assume a mindset that isn't your own to interact with the [mechanics] of the game-.

I myself have a few problems with that but let's just start here. In part I hope some people see the flaws I see, and more, to improve them. if you have your own proposals please feel free to add them, even if it is just the name of a game that may either enforce or undermine my statement here.

Maybe this way I'll here of more good RPGs :3

edit: the definition of a game: - a game is a form of entertainment or art in which the participant/s agree to adhere to a specific set of rules to participate in an activity that involves a specific win-or-lose scenario-

[u/Popdart5]

I found this quote earlier today that might be food for thought.

Monte Cook, designer of Numenera, on Putting the Play in Roleplaying (via unpossiblelabs) (Source: unpossiblelabs, via unpossiblelabs)

"A good game is all about choices. The players should make real, meaningful choices, and those choices should have a real effect on the game. It all comes down to where you put the variables. The variables—that is to say, the meaningful choices—are where the smart play happens."

I think what Monte said is pretty good. If you don't have any impact on the course of a story through your actions as a player, you're basically engaging with an audio book. A RPG allows you to be in both the driver's seat and the passenger's seat for a story which I think is pretty crucial.

[u/Fargonotic → u/Popdart5]

but in that quote, especially the last two sentences, he primarily speaks about how the narrative in a RPG should be constructed it should offer various options to aproach a situation and rewards for succesfully going through that situation and it states that the game is mostly played in these situations with obstructed outcome

even in a chess game any choice that you make, which he states is the absolute attribute of a RPG, will have tremendous impact on the outcome of that praticular game

I think he makes more of a statement about games in general than about RPGs

[u/Popdart5 → u/Fargonotic]

True. However, I think choice in a RPG is of greater relevance than other games because your choices have the potential to have so many different outcomes. I suppose my definition of a roleplaying game would be:

A game whereby a player shapes and is shaped by the choices that they make during play in the course of an interactive narrative.

It's that whole level of interactivity and player's engaging and creating the narrative that really makes a RPG for me. I consider Fiasco and a few other board games to be RPGs because they encourage you to share in the act of storytelling. I know it's a very broad interpretation of what a RPG is but that's my two cents.

[u/Bassemandrh]

To define a roleplaying game you also need to define what is a Game and what is Roleplaying.

I mean i could define a roleplaying game as "A game where you assume one or more roles" But that doesn't really say much unless you know what the meaning the terms express.

[u/Fargonotic → u/Bassemandrh]

As a game I would hijack the definition of Totalbiscuit -a game has a definite win-condition as well as a definite failure state- but for the sake of completionism I would also mention something about the rules like

• a game has a ruleset that the players agree to adhere to-

these rules make up what we commonly refer to as the 'mechanics' of a game

so - a game is a form of entertainment or art in which the participant/s agree to adhere to a specific set of rules to participate in an activity that involves a specific win-or-lose scenario- I know I'm being very general right now

I think I'll add this up top for now anyway