Author Topic: Old fashioned role playing games.  (Read 1851 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Kobuk

  • The "Malamute Dewd"
  • Hero Member
  • Species: Anthro Alaskan Malamute (Husky)
  • #1 Dew drinker.
  • *****
  • Male
  • Posts: 28546
Old fashioned role playing games.
« on: January 14, 2016, 11:09:40 pm »
Anybody here into the "old fashioned" role-playing games (RPG's) ?  Things like D&D, RIFTS, or other RPG's that required books, paper and pencils, dice, etc.

I'm a fan of those sorts of RPG's. These "old fashioned" RPG's are the precursor to today's computer and electronic fantasy RP's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop_role-playing_game

I prefer these tabletop RPG's because of the social interaction of the people. To me, I'd rather see, meet, and talk to somebody face to face rather than trying to RP over a computer screen. I want to "get to know" the people I'm playing with. Know what I mean? You can't do that looking at a computer screen. Social interaction through a computer just seems so "fake" to me. It's like I don't even know who I'm playing with. I don't get to know the person IRL. I can't see their emotions or body language.  :P In short, you don't really know who it is that is on the "other side" of the computer screen you're RP'ing with.

A group of people around a table having a good time, laughing, telling stories and jokes, playing the RP, snacks and drinks at the ready, etc. :) is just plain more enjoyable to me. I used to RP long, long ago, but not anymore. Nobody around to RP with. I even used to go to the Gen Con Game Fair for almost 10 years when it used to be in Milwaukee, WI. Had some great times there walking around watching people at table playing hundreds of RPG's, and going to the exhibitor hall and browsing thousands of books and miniatures devoted to RPG's. Awesome times. :)   

But now? Too much "electronic stuff".  :P   LONG LIVE BOOKS, PAPER & PENCIL, AND DICE!




« Last Edit: January 14, 2016, 11:39:07 pm by Kobuk »

Offline HazardJackal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5168
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2016, 01:50:58 am »
I've walked both paths.  Both have pros, and both have cons, and i really wouldn't call one format truly superior to the other. 

In person RPs are good for bringing people together and having some good old fashioned fun.  Also, nothing quite comes close to feeling you get while rolling real dice.  Speaking of dice, here's my newest set of dice.

Online RPs are better for crafting intricate narratives in which each player is not only proud of what they are a part of, but also feel that they had a real hand in crafting the story.  Additionally, since online RPs happen at a slower pace than in person ones, you have much more valuable time to refine exactly what it is you want to say.

Quote
You can't do that looking at a computer screen.

Not true in the slightest Kobuk.  RPing here on furtopia is how i got know Blades, Wise and plenty of others online.  Since we live so far apart from eachother, it's pretty much the only we CAN get to know eachother.  And while i would consider my friends online different from my in person friends, that doesn't mean we haven't all grown close over the years.

Quote
It's like I don't even know who I'm playing with.

Which leads to some interesting situations.  Players online may end up becoming MORE attached to other people's characters BECAUSE there's little else to hold on to.  The sense of anonymity is also useful for playing a character that is more out of your comfort zone.  When doing in person RPs with my friends, i often struggle to create a character i like to PLAY, because i'm such a perfectionist about acting them out as realistically as i'm capable of.

I have plenty more to say, but my internet is going to be turned off for the night within the hour, so that will have to wait until later.

EDIT: I would like to mention that me and my friends have built our own paper/pencil RPG from the ground up.  We've been continuously updating it for the last four and a half years, and if we were smart enough to write everything down, we'd have quite a bit to show for all our work.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2016, 01:57:59 am by HazardJackal »

Offline R.A.Blackpaws

  • Sr. Member
  • Species: Fox, primarily. Bits of wolf, lioness and red panda in the brain too.
  • ****
  • Male
  • Posts: 340
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2016, 10:20:53 am »
I played Dungeons and Dragons for a lot of years (1984-2004)...and, for the most part, I did enjoy my time gaming.  It was a good creative outlet and a decent social outlet.

The major issue I have with pen and paper RPG's now: THE COST.

Prices have gone up to where just the player's guide costs almost $50. If you're both a player AND a DM/GM (as I was), that means an initial investment of $100 just to begin. Add in monster sourcebooks, spellbooks and such...and it quickly becomes a paycheck a month just to keep up.

Online RP sessions may be slower...but I also think they allow everyone to contribute. In tabletop, you always had that one person who essentially grunted their way through...or the person who committed wanton slaughter because they had a bad week.  Not everyone would contribute equally, leaving the GM/DM feeling both frustrated and annoyed. And players could easily turn on a GM/DM as well. Those are the risks one takes when playing/DMing.

*sighs nostalgically* Ahhh....so many stories I could share...*chuckles sagely*

"Be true to what you are.  Never hide your true self from anyone.  The moment you do, you stop living and start...existing.  From experience, life loses a lot when you simply...exist"

Archon Snowfur (my wolf side), from the story "Graduation Day, 2190".

"Have an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out."

Offline Kobuk

  • The "Malamute Dewd"
  • Hero Member
  • Species: Anthro Alaskan Malamute (Husky)
  • #1 Dew drinker.
  • *****
  • Male
  • Posts: 28546
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2016, 11:03:56 am »
Quote
Online RPs are better for crafting intricate narratives in which each player is not only proud of what they are a part of, but also feel that they had a real hand in crafting the story.

And tabletop rpg's aren't? You can still get intricate narratives with tabletop rpg's. All it takes is creativeity and imagination from the players. In other words, use your BRAIN. ;)

 Additionally, since online RPs happen at a slower pace than in person ones, you have much more valuable time to refine exactly what it is you want to say.

Actually, I've seen the opposite of this. I've seen multiple times on Furtopia where RP's moved a little too fast and some members weren't given enough time to post and/or for their characters to do appropriate actions.



Quote
Not true in the slightest Kobuk.  RPing here on furtopia is how i got know Blades, Wise and plenty of others online.  Since we live so far apart from eachother, it's pretty much the only we CAN get to know eachother.  And while i would consider my friends online different from my in person friends, that doesn't mean we haven't all grown close over the years.

All I'm saying is this:  Social intereation.......REAL interaction........is about getting out and actually meeting people. As I said, getting to know somebody through a computer screen just seems so fake to me. I'm not talking to a person. Instead, I'm talking to a computer with silicon chips, circuit boards, plastic and metal, etc. It's not the same. How do I know who you are? What do you really do? What do you look like? How do I know you mean what you say? This is why a lot of people are afraid/worried about kids, teens, etc. socialising through the Net. There's been too many horror stories of things going wrong on so many levels. But I kinda get what you are saying. You and the other RP'ers live too far apart, so being on the computer is the only way to get to know each other. Have you or others ever thought of going to a furry convention and meeting up?

Offline Loc

  • Tea-obsessed transhumanist and Buddhist.
  • Species: Cyborg snow leopard
  • The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
  • *
  • Posts: 4758
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2016, 12:11:30 pm »
Meeting someone face to face is no indication that they are who they say they are either, Kobuk :p All it gives you at best is their height, rough age, and gender. And even then, you can't be sure about those last two. And it does not at all give you any idea of if they are "safe". Someone could lie to your face as easily as they could lie over text. It still comes down to trust - You are trusting that person not to lie to you. Which is exactly the same as trusting someone to not lie to you over the net.

Going to cons is a very expensive way to try and get around things :P It's not really practical for a lot of people.

I have played DnD both online and tabletop. Tabletop has several drawbacks for me. I can't read facial expressions. I can't see social cues. I might as well be blind to them. I do better when people describe how they are feeling or how their characters are feeling in words, because that at least I stand a chance of understanding. I also get anxious around other people, and can make people feel uncomfortable - Not understanding the subtle points of social interaction means I throw out the wrong signals left, right and centre. I'm also quiet, and get talked over a lot. In an average pen and paper game, I have so little chance to speak, my character might as well be mute. A good DM online will make sure that the game is paced in a way that everyone can take in and respond. A good DM IRL should too, but a lot do not. It is easier to pace things over text, I find.

Avatar by Shibara, sig by Miser

0.1.0 Alaskan Malamute, Kimba
0.0.1 amel stripe corn snake, Vivec
RIP Dany, Gelbstoff

FFSc3ar A+ C D- H- M P+ R++ T++ W Z- Sf# RLS* a cn+ d+ e++ f h+++ i++ j+ p+++ sf#

Offline HazardJackal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5168
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2016, 06:35:54 pm »
Quote
Online RPs are better for crafting intricate narratives in which each player is not only proud of what they are a part of, but also feel that they had a real hand in crafting the story.

And tabletop rpg's aren't? You can still get intricate narratives with tabletop rpg's. All it takes is creativeity and imagination from the players. In other words, use your BRAIN. ;)

Actually, from my experience, you end up with the DM being the main storyteller, and individual player choice is more like a vote in a poll, as opposed to an outright action.  When you're online, it's MUCH easier to have a party split up or have characters drop in and out.  It also usually gives each player quite a bit more freedom with what they can have their characters do.  It's not impossible to do that in an in person RP, but it can be needlessly complicated to work out the details, particularity if the DM has a specific idea for how they want the story to go.

Quote
Additionally, since online RPs happen at a slower pace than in person ones, you have much more valuable time to refine exactly what it is you want to say.

Actually, I've seen the opposite of this. I've seen multiple times on Furtopia where RP's moved a little too fast and some members weren't given enough time to post and/or for their characters to do appropriate actions.

If that's the case, i'd say you've just been looking in the wrong places.  In my opinion, a GOOD player wouldn't let that happen, and would pace their posts as to not overwhelm the other players.  Besides, i believe in quality over quantity, and quality takes TIME and EFFORT... something that i feel many RPers i've seen here could use a bit more of.

Quote
Not true in the slightest Kobuk.  RPing here on furtopia is how i got know Blades, Wise and plenty of others online.  Since we live so far apart from eachother, it's pretty much the only we CAN get to know eachother.  And while i would consider my friends online different from my in person friends, that doesn't mean we haven't all grown close over the years.

All I'm saying is this:  Social intereation.......REAL interaction........is about getting out and actually meeting people. As I said, getting to know somebody through a computer screen just seems so fake to me. I'm not talking to a person. Instead, I'm talking to a computer with silicon chips, circuit boards, plastic and metal, etc. It's not the same. How do I know who you are? What do you really do? What do you look like? How do I know you mean what you say? This is why a lot of people are afraid/worried about kids, teens, etc. socialising through the Net. There's been too many horror stories of things going wrong on so many levels. But I kinda get what you are saying. You and the other RP'ers live too far apart, so being on the computer is the only way to get to know each other. Have you or others ever thought of going to a furry convention and meeting up?

Hardly any different than talking on the phone if you ask me.  That being said, i'd always prefer text over phone because it means i can read messages more than once.  Helps me remember details.

As for the convention thing...

None of my in person friends are furries, and honestly, i wouldn't want to drag them into something they wouldn't enjoy.  Additionally i loathe traveling.  It's hard enough for me to walk to the store if i don't have a friend with me, so going across the country alone is wholly ruled out until i at least get used to stepping foot outside my town.

____________________________________

I want to make it clear that i thoroughly enjoy RPGs both on and off the internet, and that i do both frequently.  Hell, i'm having all my friends over tomorrow specifically so we can work on refining our homemade RPG, and the wholly original world in which it takes place.  In the meantime, i need to finish my post for Kings & Queens II, been holding that one up for far too long now.

Offline GrayWolf448

  • Hero Member
  • Species: Gray Folf
  • *****
  • Male
  • Posts: 2085
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2016, 02:14:45 am »
while i have never played a table top/paper and pencil type of RPG game i'd have to say i enjoy computer RPGs more (mostly referring to video game RPGs not text based, like ones on furtopia)

the reason i say that is because to me its for more immersive (if done correctly) than the other RPs because instead of just reading there is the addition of sound, images, and reading.

as for the social interaction while some things are missing, there are many methods of communication trough online (text, skype, video chat) they are pretty much the same as talking in person.

Offline Kosill

  • Full Member
  • Species: Black Dragon mix
  • ***
  • Male
  • Posts: 176
Re: Old fashioned role playing games.
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2016, 02:18:09 am »
I love tabletop RPGs I just bought a setting for the Savage Worlds systems and one based off of Elric of Melnibone.
"Do not panic, I am a fire marshal!"- Fire Marshal Bill

Ready my knights for battle. They will ride with their king once more. I have lived through others for far too long. Lancelot carried my honor, and Guenevere, my guilt. Mordred bears my sins. My knights have fought my causes. Now, my brother, I shall be... king.-Arthur Pendragon.