Role Playing is a type of gaming where you take on the persona of another. Rather than push a character around the screen you become them. It got is start back with Dungeon & Dragons but since then the idea has been spun off into more forms than I can count.
Some of these are online of course.
Here on CBM we have a new Chat room and an old Forum. Both could be used to play a little as they stand right now. However new improvements will make them more useful. I have suggested replacing the current Forum with something like VBulletin or another fully featured Forum. Things like private sub-Forums and messages are very useful when playing a game.
In a Forum you can play a few different types of RPGs. One is called Play by Post and is popular because it can be played by people with vastly different schedules. The game itself moves generally at the rate of one Turn per Player. So as long as you can make it online at some point you can join in. These sorts of games can be very good and involving but they are rather slow.
The form of PbP I prefer is one where the group meets at a specific time. Together they post multiple Turns and get a fair amount done over the course of a couple of 2-4 hours. For those who have never seen anything like this I will give you a small example.
3:22 am
High above downtown Chicago
Pulsar flies across the city. His large black cape spread into giant bat-like wings without the need for conscious thought on his part. The sky is dotted with clouds and his vision reaches the horizon in all directions.
'I need more times like this. When I can forget that I am now responsible for all the lives below me. I am no longer human and with each day I seem to understand my former kind less and less. They fear us and turn us into deadly weapons all at the same time.' he thinks to himself blackly.
(He flies for 45 minutes and then lands at the penthouse)
...End Example
Games in a Forum are somewhat like Cooperative Fiction but it really depends on the game. Some games play more like Chats with single lines from each Player rather than the descriptive text above.
The Chat room
With the planned expansions I think we could make a little Stage upon which to play. Chat-based games are closer to the original D&D concepts and usually a lot of fun. There is something about playing a game with a group of actual people. Like with Forums there are a lot of different sorts of games that we could try. Depending on who is interested these could even reach the level of more of a performance rather than a game.
I have ideas for very simple silly things all the way up to complex SuperHero Drama. Let me explain a little bit more about Role Playing before I go into those.
What is so special about Role Playing?
Well I am glad you asked. When you RP you leave yourself behind. The idea is to become the Character for a little while and just enjoy the adventure. Much like you do on a Vacation you can leave your troubles at the door and just let yourself enjoy the ride. You decide what the Character does and says based on who they are not who you are. For most people playing an RPG is a unique kind of fun and one that is worth repeating.
For anyone who ever wished to be Iron Man, Ms. Marvel or anybody else this is a taste of that. Sorry I cannot provide Armor but when you get caught up in something I can promise you will feel something.
Generally there is a Game Master who creates the outline of an adventure. He/She then narrates/directs the Players who attempt to accomplish some task. Perhaps some form of rescue, defending the kingdom, stopping the Sith, any sort of adventure you can think of really. In our case it would probably be more like stopping Galactus from eating Earth!
Different RPGs have different types of Rules. In a full on game like modern D&D you need at least a couple of large books to be able to play. Anybody can do it but there is some work involved. The game has evolved and added Rules that cover quite a bit. But online people generally go the other route and use the least amount of Rules possible. I personally favor that approach.
What this means is a small set of Stats and some electronic dice to roll occasionally. The Stats define things like how Strong your Character is. This matters if you go to punch someone for example. Believe it or not a very small set of numbers and a list of Powers covers the game basics. Who the Character is as a person, what they look like, and their history also play a part. As with everything about an RPG how much of a part depends on the game.
Role Playing is Acting Lite. Not quite as much work but the basics are the same. In a game you get to make up your own lines rather than ones set down in a Script which is a significant difference.
What sorts of games?
Lets start with something silly. The Justice League's thanksgiving dinner. Each player picks a member of the JLA to play. The GM narrates the set-up and everybody arrives. At first this game would just be the JLA in a social setting. Everyone would have a chance to mingle and enjoy being a superperson without a monster to fight for a bit.
But of course something would happen.
Could be all sorts of things but the JLA would just have to deal. Lets say it is the appearance of a harmless but annoying alien. This creature (played by the GM) plays little tricks on the JLA and tries to start some trouble. But eventually the JLA figure out they are being messed with and stop the little bugger.
That could be played out in 2 hours in a Chat room It would be fun to watch and fun to do.
Fighting will require some means to roll dice. There are places online that can be used and many Forums have addons for that purpose. But with some means to generate random numbers any sort of combat game would be possible. In the same Chat setting we could stage some interesting battles.
One reason to avoid too many game mechanics is that those slow down play and are dull to watch. People can enjoy the banter and events of a game if things move along smoothly.
How serious, how deep, how complex of a game is up to those who create and play them. Would you like to live out an alternative ending to some classic Story? Or maybe chart a new course for that rag-tag band of mutants called the X-Men? Someone has to be willing to create and run the game but there are few other limiting factors.
So you can play out anything. That has always been a big plus for me. Comics, Books, Movies, they all tell their stories and we can live out ours.
How would this begin?
First everyone who is interested posts here. After some length of time, at least a week, we will know how many people are thinking about getting involved. We will then proceed to the Forum for a little teaching and getting everybody ready to play. How much time we spend getting ready will depend on how many people are involved and how many people need to learn the basics.
I want to stress that this is an Interest Check. Replying does not commit you to anything. If you might like to be involved a comment will just let me know.
I should mention that I emailed Galactus and Nate about my little project. They had no objections.
Questions are invited. So much depends on how many people are interested. If 6 people want to play we will go off to the Forum and play. However if more than that are at least curious then a larger group might come into existence.
Are you game?