If I mentioned pen and paper role playing to you, what would your reaction be? Would you stare at me like a Budgerigar asked to write a Haiku? Would you find yourself grinning wistfully and recalling evenings spend uncovering conspiracy, slaying monsters and acting out wild extensions of your personality? Or would you quietly get up and head for the nearest exit, shaking your head? If your answered Budgerigar or Exit, stop, cease and desist- its you I particularly want to talk to. You others, take *Rolls*... five and I'll be back soon.
For those of you not cringing at that joke, here are the basics: A role playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting, for instance a derelict space station, 1930's New York or the front lines of an epic battle. Players act out these roles within a persistent storyline, through a process of structured decision-making or character development.
Actions taken within the game succeed or fail according to an agreed system of rules and guidelines. An arranger called a game master (GM) usually decides on the rules and setting to be used and acts as referee, while each of the other players plays the role of a single character.
With me so far? Right, well I used to (grrr!) play a few of these in my ancient college days (Vampire the Masquerade and Werewolf, with a tiny bit of Call of Cthulhu as well) and I thought it would be a nice starting point on my quest to reclaim my interests and broaden my horizons.
With this in mind I joined up with known lexical contrabandistor and semi-professional beard wearer Evis T and joined a game of Vampire: World of Darkness he was running.
So far, it's been a blast. I've accidentally eaten a hobo to death, had my face peeled off by sewer zombies and met the country's most powerful Rastafarian Cheshire cat. God alone knows what goes on in Evis' head when he's coming up with these plots, but I'm glad it does. I've also gotten to know some top people from my player group. Despite my earlier reservations, I'm glad I started this now.
Also his characters have potential beyond the game.
