What are all these Role Playing threads?

[gideonkain]

I keep seeing all these detailed threads about Role Playing, and I just don't get it?
What are they? what do you do with them? Do you guys get together and "play" or what's the deal?
I seem to notice more and more of them every week.

Can someone please enlighten me?

Examples:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.387832-The-Vampire-Earth-Post-Apoc-Sci-fi-Interest-Thread
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.387923-Vigil-a-character-driven-sci-fi-RP

 

[shrekfan246]

It's... a place to role-play? Think Dungeons & Dragons, except without an omniscient Dungeon Master.

I don't actually know how else to explain it. Basically it's a way to essentially create stories with other people actually taking part as the other characters.

 

[Kae]

They've been here for longer than you, longer than me even, since I'm pretty sure they already had the Forum Games/Role playing subforum [small](Which was later divided into 2 diferent subforums.[/small] when I joined, it's just a thing people do, I personally have never done it nor have any idea of how it's done but I'm quite curious, I'm not a terribly social person though, so I don't really dare to butt in and see what it's all about, not to mention my schedule is incredibly inconsistent.

 

[Dusty Donuts]

I seem to notice more and more of them every week.

If you go to a subforum devoted to that very topic, I can guarantee you might find more of them eventually,

 

[DoPo]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

 

[gideonkain]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I kind of see it as writing a book with a bunch of other people. One person is in charge generally and has the direction of the story set but the players fill the pages with their characters and their own ideas on the world they're weaving together.

If the GM[footnote]Game Master[/footnote] isn't determined the thread will fall into oblivion before resolving itself but good players keep on till the end.

So yeah, basically a place where you can put a fictional character of your own creation into someone else's world. Or, if you're ambitious, create your own world and invite others to reside in it.

I myself love it although I've only started RPing on this site in earnest in the last year or so.

I hope that helps.

 

[NLS]

He's just asking why all the role playing threads are bumped up to the front page's top 5 topics. A lot of them are already started, and have some insane title that is too long and cut off. So you click on them only to find out this wasn't the discussion topic you were looking for.

 

[Kae]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

Oh!
In that case you may want to report it to the Tech Team [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Tech-Team] as I think that's not supposed to happen.

 

[DoPo]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

I assure you, I meant no part of this as an insult. I was just expressing my confusion, since the threads you linked to were from the RP forum, and since no other forum has similar ones, it was natural to assume you've gone to RP to see them.

 

[squidface]

I'm assuming it's like any other roleplay forum/thread - you get together with people, make up a character or choose an existing fictional character from a certain setting, and write from their point of view in relation to what other people wrote before you. Then everyone else reacts to the next posts etc etc. from the third person viewpoint of their chosen character. If you know what a round robin is, it's like that, only you don't all write the same characters.

 

[templar1138a]

just nerdy shit, nerds like to do in their spare nerd time....

Dude, you're posting in the Escapist forums. You have no right to mock anyone for being a nerd.

 

[TilMorrow]

"Simply put, these threads that you speak of house many adventures crafted and experienced by the few or many who frequent them. They create their roles and play them to a standard that they find befitting whilst greatly amusing themselves for some time."

Or alternatively what Redlin5 said.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

Oh!
In that case you may want to report it to the Tech Team [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Tech-Team] as I think that's not supposed to happen.

It happens sometimes when there is loads of activity in the new RP threads. The box is called 'Popular Forum Posts'. Nothing wrong there.

-snip-

-snip-

Okay you two, you should be fully aware that no-one who frequents the Escapist and it's forums are called nerds. They are people who like their own things be it games, novels, anime, politics, etc and enjoy coming to the Escapist to talk on the forums or read/watch the content on the main site. Don't start going around calling people names or you're both likely to get in trouble.

 

[templar1138a]

Don't start going around calling people names or you're both likely to get in trouble.

Excuse me, but I also post on the Escapist. I was not saying I'm not a nerd. Everyone who visits this site and posts in the forums - including me - is some sort of geek or nerd. We fall into the Geek/Nerd Culture. There is no denying that.

All I did was call that guy out on his attempt to feel superior to everyone else by typing up an insulting comment with no capital letters. Don't lump me with him.

 

[TilMorrow]

Excuse me, but I also post on the Escapist. I was not saying I'm not a nerd. Everyone who visits this site and posts in the forums - including me - is some sort of geek or nerd. We fall into the Geek/Nerd Culture. There is no denying that.

All I did was call that guy out on his attempt to feel superior to everyone else by typing up an insulting comment with no capital letters. Don't lump me with him.

I know that you regularly post on the forums, your post count is testimony to that, and I know you weren't saying that you're not a nerd however some people on the forums may take offense at being labeled with that sort of title and may think differently to your opinion.

I understand that you were confronting him over his point however in your attempt to do so you insinuated that everyone who uses the Escapist's forums are nerds which as I said may be taken as insulting or demeaning. As I said before, don't readily start calling people names or you may end up in trouble.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

It's collaborative storytelling as far as I know.

Think of it as 'writing a book with friends'.

 

[geK0]

I used to do these a lot on other forums; more recently, I've been doing DnD with some friends in person or using a progam called TTOPRPG for online roleplaying. it's definitely not for everyone, but it's definitely worth getting into if you like storytelling, character making, acting, or if you just like the video-gamey components of more number-oriented games (typically forum RPGs are more free-form text than numbers and rules)

 

[Dectomax]

I keep seeing all these detailed threads about Role Playing, and I just don't get it?

Examples:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.387832-The-Vampire-Earth-Post-Apoc-Sci-fi-Interest-Thread

Well would you look at that. I wonder who could create such an awesome RP idea...

On a different note; It's pretty much just like telling a story, only the 'readers' get the opportunity to influence the world and interact with it. It's pretty much just another form of Creative writing.

 

[gideonkain]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

I assure you, I meant no part of this as an insult. I was just expressing my confusion, since the threads you linked to were from the RP forum, and since no other forum has similar ones, it was natural to assume you've gone to RP to see them.

My mistake, I was under the impression that you were mocking me, but other posters have said that the RP threads shouldn't show up outside of the RP subforum.

So basically, someone makes up a setting (reaches into hat) like Werewolves vs Zepplelins, and people write up a character that lives in that world for fun?

Does the OP control the content or have final say like a DM?

 

[DoPo]

So you go to the RP forum and are confused what all these RP threads are doing there?

But anyway...yeah, it's what it says - roleplay online. I haven't looked into the RP forum much, but I believe it's more of a freeform RP (so, more like creative writing) that's here, however, you can easily have a game that's as mechanically deep as you want. Well, "mechanically" as in more traditional PnP mechanics, rather than graphics and stuff.

I see them on the frontpage and don't know what they are, so I'm asking. But thanks for the insult, it keeps me grounded.

I assure you, I meant no part of this as an insult. I was just expressing my confusion, since the threads you linked to were from the RP forum, and since no other forum has similar ones, it was natural to assume you've gone to RP to see them.

My mistake, I was under the impression that you were mocking me, but other posters have said that the RP threads shouldn't show up outside of the RP subforum.

So basically, someone makes up a setting (reaches into hat) like Werewolves vs Zepplelins, and people write up a character that lives in that world for fun?

Does the OP control the content or have final say like a DM?

Well, the OP is usually a GM. But then, they don't have to be. Depends on how the game is arranged. You can even go without a GM of any kind, just a group that does stuff together, or it could be strictly regulated. There are all kinds of games. But as I said, most likely the OP is the one who is running the game - they think of a game/plot, make a proposal, take people in and then make the game.

And Werewolves vs Zeppelins sounds awesome.