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Comments on What's a tabletop roleplaying game?

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What's a tabletop roleplaying game?

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This is meant to be a faq kind of question for newcomers of this site.

What are tabletop roleplaying games? There's RPGs but what is "tabletop" supposed to implement?

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Source: Wikipedia

A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a set formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

Unlike other types of role-playing games, tabletop RPGs are often conducted like radio drama: only the spoken component of a role is acted. This acting is not always literal, and players do not always speak exclusively in-character. Instead, players act out their role by deciding and describing what actions their characters will take within the rules of the game.

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As opposed to what? (2 comments)
As opposed to what?
Olin Lathrop‭ wrote over 2 years ago

What would be a non-tabletop roleplaying game? Do such things exist? It would help to define tabletop roleplaying game by showing examples that are not.

Tortliena‭ wrote over 2 years ago · edited over 2 years ago

Olin Lathrop‭ Yes, they exist, sort of. The one opposing the most are roleplaying video games. There are also roleplaying books, A.K.A. the books "which you are the hero". Both are much more limited in what your player character can do, as it is dictated by the written scenario of the game and not what you can imagine.

Tabletop roleplaying also opposes itself to tabletop wargames, historically. Wargames are a lot more focused on the strategic component, especially now as Pen & Paper games are more and more focused on story. Compare a game like Fate vs Warhammer, for instance, and you'll quickly see the difference :).