Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with roleplaying

It is time once more to take up the dice

selfnoise — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:27:28 -0800

Looking for a pen and paper RPG, science fiction, certain other specifications required. Some friends and I just got back into playing pen and paper RPGs recently as adults. We've been playing D&D but I have to admit I don't really care for the system or for standard fantasy settings. Since I'm the one who wants to do something different I figure I should volunteer to GM it. So I'm looking for a science fiction themed game with the following:

-Easy to just buy a single book (or set of books for player/GM) and play.
-Fast-paced rules, easy to learn.
-More of a casual action-y game than something with "deep" role playing... I don't think the group is up for that.
-Not D20.
-If I could buy a PDF, that would be double fantastic.

I'm pretty open to themes/worlds; post-apocalyptic, space opera, cyberpunk, whatever. I tend to prefer something that has closer to real-world equipment (rather than Star Wars science fantasy stuff) but I'm flexible on that.

I haven't been interested in these games in a long time and I'm having trouble finding good resources online... and I don't really know that there are any local game shops that really sell anything beyond D&D. So suggestions for either specific games or pointers to resources are much appreciated. Thanks!

PS. Just to be totally clear, I am talking about pen-and-paper games, NOT computer games.

How do I introduce sexual role-playing to my wife?

feelinggood — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:33:42 -0800

How do I introduce sexual role-playing to my wife? She doesn't seem to get it and/or is very threatened by it. She is not against it, but seems very afraid. Feels she can’t do it, although she doesn’t say that. She feels very badly about herself for not being able to do it, I think. She definitely doesn’t want to talk about it.

Example (which I thought was fairly tactful/non-aggressive): She has just finished reading the novel Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant for her book club and was much taken with the herbalist Suora Zuana. I bought a (fairly tight) black T-shirt and had “Suora Zuana” printed across the front in white and gave it to her. When I asked her if Suora Zuana was going to try on her new T-shirt and show it to me, she said, “She can’t be in the same room with you. You’re a man. She’s cloistered.” When I protested, she said, “She’ll have to send me. It will be me who you see.”

From this, I conclude she doesn’t get role-playing. And this is why she hasn’t taken to it in the past when I have suggested it more explicitly.

I’d especially be interested in hearing from women who have been initially reluctant to take on role-playing but have subsequently grown to like it.

I have nothing extreme in mind, just the conventional secretary, schoolgirl, maid, virgin scenarios, or anything she would like to suggest. I understand that these could still be threatening to her (and obviously are), but I’d like some suggestions – either about how to introduce them directly, or about how to talk to her about them and explain what it’s all about and make them less threatening. I’d like something to spice up our sex life, which even she admits has become boring. We have been married 35 years.

I wanna be the coolest GM in the HISTORY OF THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD. Need rules.

jbickers — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:13:54 -0800

Help me put together a D&D game for an awesome bunch of 7-year-olds. I've got a bunch of awesome kids in my neighborhood (including one of my own), in the area of 7-8 years old. Three or four kids, depending on the weekend. They've expressed an interest in learning D&D, and I'd like to start a totally awesome Sunday afternoon session.

Now, given that age range, I realize it'll have to be (a) very simplified rules-wise, (b) visual in some sense, i.e. miniatures, and (c) shortened, probably no more than an hour tops.

So, I'm looking for recommendations on what kinds of gear to buy - map tiles, miniatures, etc. - that will be fun but will not break the bank. I'm not looking to get into painting miniatures or anything like that - just want them to be cool and functional for the game.

Perhaps more than anything else, I need help figuring out a rule set to use - something that will provide an ample amount of dice-rolling to be fun, sufficient tension so that it's still a challenge, but not too difficult for seven-year-olds. Maybe one or two d20 tables for combat, one d6 table for random encounters? I dunno. Is there a simplified miniatures dungeon crawl game that exists in off-the-shelf format, without being a "board game" (i.e. I don't just want us to "play Dungeonquest every Sunday," I want to be able to improvise a new story each week).

Thanks in advance!

My druid had a backstory

MrVisible — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:45:44 -0800

What's the best massively multiplayer role-playing game for actual role-playing? I almost succumbed and installed World of Warcraft again last night after a couple of years WoW-free, when I realized that if I'm going to descend into the depths of an MMO again, I might as well try something new.

Looking back on the things I enjoyed about WoW, it was all about creative player interactions; story circles on Thunder Bluff, clever banter with passing strangers, handing out gold to good role-players in newbie areas. I liked actually playing my characters as characters, and finding others who'd play along.

What's the best game for that sort of interaction? Are there games out there that have active communities that do role-playing, or is it all like in WoW, where even on role-playing servers finding someone who was RPing was rare?

(I realize that my best bet might still be WoW, in which case... how do you find good role-playing players?)

Where are all the good D&D websites?

kpmcguire — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:57:05 -0800

Give me your recommendations for good sites/articles about playing roleplaying games. After about 10 years away from roleplaying, I just started up a new D&D 4e campaign. I'm DMing, which is fun, but hard, so I want all the help I can get. I know there must be some good websites/blogs out there devoted to the topic.

So far I've come across dungeonmastering.com and roleplayingtips.com. These seem like a pretty good start.

It doesn't necessarily have to be about D&D. I'm not so much looking for rules reference, but ideas/advice on how to make the world realistic for my players, and how to make sure the game is fun, that sort of thing.

Grownup Clubhouse

MrVisible — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:37:54 -0800

How would I go about renting a room for recreational purposes? I can no longer host recreational events at my place, and I don't want to move. I play role-playing games at least once a week, and when I had a bigger place I used to love having friends over and hanging out all night being loud and obnoxious.

What I'd need is a largeish room, maybe 15x15 or so. I'm thinking conference-room sized. It would need electricity, heating, A/C, and bathroom access. I'd want to have it available during all non-business hours, and preferably weekend afternoons as well. We'd have to be able to make noise all night without disturbing anyone. I'd like to be able to leave stuff there; gaming supplies, a fridge, maybe even a TV set, so it'd have to be secure, and preferably not used for any other purpose. I'd be willing to pay up to a couple of hundred a month; I don't think that's too bad seeing as office space is going for around five hundred a month around here.

No alcohol or illegal substances will be involved. And, seeing as we're role-playing geeks, probably no sex either. Ever.

Any idea how I'd go about finding that sort of arrangement in Tucson? I'm thinking maybe a business which could use some help on rent, or a homeowner with an outbuilding they're not using, or some such thing. but I have no idea how to go about finding such an arrangement? Are there possibilities I'm overlooking? Or am I just totally out of my mind?

Thanks, Hivemind!

Donations and Dragons

Parasite Unseen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:23:29 -0800

How can I contact local high school roleplaying game clubs? I've been reflecting recently on my early experiences as a fan of roleplaying games, and how much of the enjoyment that I got out of them as a teenager wouldn't have been possible if one of my friends hadn't had an older brother who allowed us to use all of his gaming books that he was no longer using. I'm currently in possession of a considerable collection of Dungeons and Dragons 3rd (and 3.5) edition game books, and I'll likely never use them again. With that in mind, I'd like to pass them along to a group of worthy teens who'll put them to good use. There's only one problem... I don't really know any teenagers.

I'd like to figure out a way to donate the books in question to a local (Los Angeles) high school roleplaying game club. I know that such clubs exist; my old high school had one way back when. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to get in touch with any of them. Google hasn't provided me with any useful contact information, and I suspect that no school administration will give me contact information for a student group. Frankly, I'd like to keep my contact as minimal as possible, as I don't want to come across as being that creepy guy who's always hanging out with teenagers half his age. I tried doing something similar with Craigslist when I made the transition from 2nd edition to 3rd, but the guy who showed up to get my books was in his thirties, and I'm fairly sure he just turned around and sold them on eBay. I'd like to avoid something like that.

Help me out, hivemind. Is there any way for me to locate and contact a local Los Angeles high school roleplaying game group? If there isn't, is there some other worthy cause to which I can put my books? Shipping isn't exactly an option; at 40+ hardcover books, it would be too costly.

How do I turn Space: 1889 into Space: 1914?

Kattullus — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:27:59 -0800

I came across my old Space: 1889 books in my parents' basement over the holidays and took them back with me to the US. I'm considering starting a campaign in that universe, but set during the War of 1914-18. Considering the different history and technology how do progress the setting into a Great War like scenario that's both true to the Space: 1889 universe as well as the real First World War? What especially concerns me is to construct a plausible history that leads to a Great War without altering the Space: 1889 setting while still incorporating these real world facts:

the spread of communism and other important ideologies (nationalist movements, first wave feminism etc.)
real world technological progress (wireless, airplanes, x-rays, etc.)
trench warfare

& every other important historical factor which I'm forgetting.

Facets of the Space: 1889 which might be hard to plausibly incorporate into a Great War type scenario:

liftwood
ether flyers
more land to colonize (European powers (and the US and Japan) not limited to Earth, but can colonize the inner planets)

The history and new setting don't have to be minutely detailed (that's what GMs are for, after all) but I want it to be plausible enough so that the players don't fall into disbelief too readily.

RPG Recommendations

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:01:47 -0800

Looking for some decent PC RPGs that a) don't involve playing with other people online and b) don't resemble Dungeons & Dragons, WoW, and so forth. I have plenty of disc space and RAM, and my graphics card is great, so the size of the game isn't particularly a concern. I'd like to branch out beyond shooters and into a PC (read: not console) roleplaying game that I can play offline (or at least doesn't involve playing with others online) and does anything besides resemble WoW. Especially if the game involves critical thinking, logic puzzles, and a fair amount of exploration.

I thank you ahead of time.

help track down an old Fantasy Book?

Scramblejam — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:51:17 -0800

A long time ago I read a fantasy book which featured several American college students entering a fantasy realm whilst playing Dungeons and Dragons (or some role playing game of similar ilk). I remember one of the main characters was a wheelchair bound guy whose fantasy character is a dwarf warrior... Can anyone help me track down the title or series of this book?

Best of public domain games

JaySunSee — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:02:13 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations on gpl'd or public domain card games and role playing games. Which ones are easiest to learn and the most fun?

ID this Play-By-Mail game? Trolls in Holes

Leon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:48:14 -0800

ID this Play-By-Mail game? Trolls, Holes and Vultures, UK-based Prompted by the Gary Gygax memorial thread:

At least 17 years ago, I briefly played a PBM game about trolls, who lived in holes (which they could excavate) and had pet vultures (who could spy for them). The company that ran it may have been based in Brighton.

It appears that it's left no trace on the net at all... does anyone have any information about such a beast?

How does one write a game, anyway?

ysabet — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:11:59 -0800

I have played a lot of D&D over the years, but I've never been the DM. My turn in the current group is coming up, so I'd like to write a campaign for them. The current one is a bit hack-and-slashy, I have in mind something more like a multi-arc murder mystery. My google skills fail me: I'm looking for resources on how to structure a campaign and story arc. Something a little more detailed than 'Intro->encounter [...] encounter-> BIG BAD DUDE -> happily ever after'. Pointers especially for non-dungeon-crawl style campaigns especially welcome.

I'm familiar with the rules, I know the generic stuff like have maps, decide on encounters ahead of time, etc. I also have a general story sequence in mind ... I just need help getting it from an idea to something playable.

How does the math work that drives an RPG?

SpacemanStix — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:28:54 -0800

I'm trying to program a role playing game, but I'm not sure how to do the math. I'm working on a game where one progresses as a character (individual traits, such as intelligence, dexterity, etc.) and will have encounters with other characters that require battles that pit traits against each other. Your typical RPG.

However, I'm not sure how to work all this out. I'm not entirely sure of the theory behind it, such that it takes into account character progression, interesting encounters, game balancing, etc., while maximizing the fun value.

Anyone have any advice about how to think about the internal algorithms that drive an RPG game? I'd love to have some resources to do the research on this, but I haven't been able to find much online, or in print. Plenty of talk about RPG's, but nothing that discusses this particular point in detail.

As an added note, I'm not an uber programmer, so looking at other peoples' code for games like nethack, etc., are sometimes helpful, but often more complex than I can work with. I'm looking more for the theory that doesn't require a math major to interpret. Examples of basic equations and how variables are used would be most helpful. Resources to read up on would be great as well.

Wolrd-building rpg

Snyder — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:35:09 -0800

My friend mentioned a free table-top RPG that was available as a pdf on the web. All the players were gods, and with a point system, would create a fantasy world together. There would be a series of turns, symbolizing epochs or ages of the world. I don't know the name or the authors. Anyone hear of it?

Do they make turn-based role-playing computer games any more?

happyturtle — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:23:23 -0800

I'm trying to find turn-based role-playing computer games that don't have any real time combat. My favorite set of games is the old Dungeons and Dragons Krynn series: Champions of Krynn, Deathknights of Krynn, and Dark Queen of Krynn. Please recommend any games like this. The Krynn games I've been playing on a Dos emulator on my PC. I remember that I enjoyed a few Super Nintendo games of my brother's way back in the day... I'm thinking they were The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and something with the word Dragon in the title. I'd love to find these original games for the PC, or anything similar.

Criteria:

1. NO real time combat requiring quick reflexes and pushing buttons in the right order to do tricks. I want to choose 'Attack X enemy with Y weapon' from a menu and let the computer make it happen.

2. Low computer processing/graphics requirements, although the first criteria probably guarantees this.

3. Has to be for the PC. I'm not going to buy a console. (Oh okay, I *might* get an old Super Nintendo off ebay if that's the only way to get this type of game, but I'd really prefer not to add any more clutter to the tv cabinet.)

4. Cheap is good, free is better, but price doesn't matter as much as playability.

5. It's okay if the graphics and music suck. I just want to have fun killing monsters, learning spells, and fighting evil.

6. I really really really hate real time combat. Have I stressed that enough?

Help me find tools to organize and run an online pnp RPG game.

absalom — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:09:42 -0800

I am interested in setting up a D&D game with old friends using the magic of the internet, what tools do I need? I have the players, but they are all over the place. What are some good tools to play a pen-and-paper RPG online? All of the players have computers, headsets, and mics. Interested especially in things where, perhaps, the GM can input info (maps, encounters, etc) and the players get output. Hell, maybe they can even interact. Software, advice, etc. - all welcome.

Most unspeakable Call of Cthulhu RPG scenarios.

Anything — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:56:03 -0800

Most unspeakable Call of Cthulhu RPG scenarios. This summer I intend to get some old friends together to play some Call of Cthulhu. I'd like you to suggest some really good scenarios and tell me why you've liked them; describe the premise, perhaps give some creepy anecdotes from your own play, etc.

Scenarios with lots of readily usable detail are particularly welcome, as are ones that are freely downloadable, from fan sites and such, as long as they are well written.

MUD client for Windows Mobile? Converting Windows software to Windows mobile.

jruckman — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:52:26 -0800

A MUD client (used for text-based role playing games) for Windows Mobile. Is there one? How easy would it be to make one or convert an open source version? A MUD client is essentially a terminal so it should be pretty easy to implement on a Windows Mobile device. I haven't seen any in the wild, so I'm wondering if I've missed it -- and if not, how easy it would be to write one, or to convert an existing open source client into something usable on Windows Mobile.

Are there any tools for converting regular Windows software to Windows Mobile? Any emulators?

Any other insight?

What are the best online resources for new World of Darkness players?

raddevon — Mon, 07 May 2007 06:31:48 -0800

What are the best online resources for new World of Darkness players? I'm looking for information and resources for both storytellers and players. "New" has a dual meaning in my question as we have never really played a pen and paper RPG before and we are playing the new World of Darkness. There are lots of pages listed at White Wolf's links page, but not many seem to have much content.

Software for role playing online?

tperrigo — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:18:10 -0800

software for (pen and paper) role playing online? I'm looking for software for playing pen-and-paper role playing games online for a group of geographically distributed gamers. It will have to work on both Macs and PCS; Gametable so far looks like the best bet; OpenRPG sounded promising but I've found the Mac version to be rather buggy. Are there any other alternatives? Open source would be great, but I'm also willing to purchase something. Any help would be appreciated!

Yarr! I be needin' the plans fer pirate ships!

Rubber Soul — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:55:11 -0800

Where can I get deck plans for pirate ships? Websites are welcome, a good book or two of many different ship plans would be ideal. I'm planning to run a roleplaying game which will be all about PIRATES! And what good is a pirate game without lots of pirate ships? And for these ships, I need -maps-; layouts of all the decks, what rooms are used for, and so forth.

I've Googled and turned up a ship or two here and there, but most of them are for modern-refitted ships which have big cozy passenger cabins and places for engines; Bah!

And some of the sites have the top deck plan view, but that's not enough; I need the underdecks as well, so we can fight, 5-foot-step by 5-foot-step, up and down gangways and in and out of holds.

The RPG supplements I have seen usually only have the top deck, or are hopelessly weird (magic ships with big wings?!) or too ancient in design (triremes, etc).

I just want plain ol' PIRATE SHIPS, and I want all the decks of them, from the crow's nest to the bilges. Yaaar! Any links to such plans are welcome, but if someone knows of a good single book or two with lots of different ships and their layouts, that would be great!

Thanks in advance!

Calling all board game geeks.

Telf — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 13:44:19 -0800

I have a hankering for some old school dorky fun, but neither me nore my nerd circle of friends really have the time to spend on a D&D or Warhammer binge. I've been eyeballing a few games over at http://www.boardgamegeek.com. I wanted to see if anyone could steer me in the right direction. My friends and I used to do RPG/Table Top gaming back in the day. Since we all have more or less real lives now, we can't devote the same amount of time to gaming as we used to.

I was hoping to find a self contained, relatively quick fantasy/sci-fi interactive gaming experience. By quick I mean something that can be finished in one night, as opposed to a D&D campaign that could take weeks to prepare and complete.

I don't even want to think about any MMORPGs, we want real face to face casual interaction, where we can drink and chat as we play.

I've found a few games that look interesting. Most specifically I was looking at Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Heroscape, and Twighlight Imperium. I know that they're different games, but they look pretty easy to set up and would definitely interest my friends. I really want to to stick with a fantasy or sci-fi setting with lots of action.

I tried to get my friends to play Settlers of Cattan, but the resource trading and colonial settlement theme really turned them off.

What do you guys recommend? I want a fun game with good atmosphere. Presentation is kind of important, nice packaging/figurines would help me promote some interest amongst my friends.

I don't have a problem with complexity, but there might be some girlfriends involved. While they're open to giving games a shot, too much number crunching might turn them off. At the same time, something a few notches beyond Risk would be welcome.

I want to avoid the obligation of buying mutiple sets, expansions, boosters, supplements or figurines. I don't mind throwing down a good chunk of money initially, but I want to avoid a full on hobby.

Thanks.

Ever heard of a podcast of a Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying session?

squink — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:17:10 -0800

It's been a long time since I did any role playing games (pen and paper). But I liked the "examples of play" that were included in the rulebooks, like on page 8 of the Dugeonmaster's Guide (v.3.5). Granted these are idealized sessions, but I am curious if there are any podcasts where folks record their role-playing events. Ok, this might be a pretty lame notion. But I was thinking that a podcast of a roleplaying session might be interesting if the players hammed it up a little bit, but the actual course of events was determined byt the die role. Would require some improvisation skills. Could an "audiobook" version of a DnD module work? And has anyone tried producing such a beast? I expect it would require a lot of post-production.

D&D for a 10 year old boy

jazon — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 08:06:00 -0800

What is a good Dungeons and Dragons set to get to help a 10 year old boy get into desktop roleplaying games? My son has been playing online roleplaying games (runescape, puzzlepirates) lately and I mentioned he would enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons. That sparked his interest and he asked if I could get something set up.

Now, I haven't played D&D for over 25 years and I didn't do much dungeonmastering then. I know D&D has expanded and mutated and such; what would be a good starter set that he would enjoy and would make it easy for me to set up a campaign?