TABLETOP SYSTEMS

or

“When I was your age, video games were called books!”

Tabletop RPG is:
 A game in which the participants assume the
roles of fictional characters.
 Participants determine the actions of their
characters based on their characterization,
 …and the actions succeed or fail according to
a 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.
It’s about the books…
For each tabletop role-playing game system, there
are one or more books.

*This is the exception to the

“If it isn’t interactive, write a book”
rule I’m always on about.
Nearly every one of them…
…has an introduction section explaining what
the purpose of a tabletop RPG is.
…contains the specific “core rules” and
mechanics of the game.
…provides an overview of the game world.
…provides instructions on character creation
and a “character sheet” template
…provides everything needed to play the game.
Three types of books:
 Core Books (“Core Rules”, “Rule Books”, etc.)
The main book with the rules. Sometimes this is
split into two books like “D&D” or “Burning Wheel”

 Source Books
Additional books that provide further elaboration on the
game world. This can be additional character
information, additional settings, advanced rules, or
scenario ideas.
 Scenario Books (“Adventure Books” & “Modules”)
One or more pre-designed adventures or storylines for a gamemaster
to play with his or her players.
Some Vocabulary:
 RPG: Role Playing Game
 LARP: Live Action RPG
 PC: Player Character
 NPC: Non-Player Character
 GM: Gamemaster
 DM: Dungeonmaster (D&D)
 D2, D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20, D100: Dice
where X equals the number of sides
It’s all about the System…
 D6 or D20? Other?
 Dice Pool or Single Roll?
 Simple or Complex Math involved?
 Simple or Complex Rules involved?
 Which Rules Version?
 Which Source Books?
 How Long will each session take?
 The Basics
 Most role-playing games are conducted like radio
drama: only the spoken component is acted.
 In most games, one specially designated player, the
game master (GM), creates a setting in which each
player plays the role of a single character.
 The GM describes the game world and its
inhabitants; the other players describe the intended
actions of their characters, and the GM describes the
outcomes.
 Some outcomes are determined by the game
system, and some are chosen by the GM.
 There is a variety of role-playing game in which
players do perform their characters' physical actions,
known as live action role-playing games (LARP).
Source: Wikipedia
 The Dice:
In most RPG systems, most non-trivial
actions require dice rolls. Most RPGs roll a
fixed number of dice, add a number to the die
roll based on the character's attributes and
skills, and compare the resulting number with
a difficulty rating. However, in some systems
the character's attributes and skills determine
the number of dice to be rolled.

Source: Wikipedia
 Dice Pool:
Dice pool systems generally use a single type of die,
the most common being six- or ten-sided dice (d6s or
d10s), though in some games a character's Attributes
or Skills may determine the size of the dice in the
pool, as well as their number (Deadlands is an
example).

While such games may require different sized dice

for different rolls, the dice in a given pool are usually
all of the same size (Serenity is an example of an
exception to this).

Source: Wikipedia
It’s all about the Campaign…
 Modules/Scenarios or Freeform it?
 Rail Campaign or Player-Led?
 “One-shot” or extended campaigns?
 Party size? “Lone wolf” it?
 Time and Place? (Setting)
 Pre-set or Original World?
 Starting Character Level?
 Character Generation Method?
 Will you Physrep?
It’s all about the character…
 Level •Feats •Initiative
 Traits •Talents •Ability
 Stats •Languages •Action Points
 Attributes •Beliefs •Movement
 Characteristics •Instincts •Senses
 Skills •Life Path •Race
 Hit points •Encumbrances •Alignment
 Condition •Advantages •Class
 Defense Rating •Disadvantages •Attacks
 Equipment •Quirks •Powers
Four Basics:
 Qualities

 Abilities

 Statistics

 “Personality”

(Yes, sadly this is optional)

Four Basics:
 Qualities

 Statistics

 Abilities

 Personality
Four Basics:
 Qualities

 Statistics

 Abilities

 Personality
Four Basics:
 Qualities

 Statistics

 Abilities

 Personality
Four Basics:
 Qualities

 Statistics

 Abilities

 Personality
The catch:
 Munchkin: Plays in an aggressively competitive manner within
the context of the game to amass the greatest power, score the
most "kills," and grab the most loot, no matter how deleterious
their actions are to role-playing, the storyline, fairness, logic, or
the other players' fun.
 Minmaxer: Lives by the decision rule used in decision theory,
game theory, statistics and philosophy for minimizing the
maximum possible loss by calculating possibilities
mathematically.
 Twink: Power levels a character, through the assistance of a
higher level character or the use of otherwise unattainable high
level equipment; or the process of keeping a video game
character at a low level while using in-game currency, earned by
a high level character, to provide it with superior equipment.
Tabletop RPG is:
 A game in which the participants assume the
roles of fictional characters.
 Participants determine the actions of their
characters based on their characterization,
 …and the actions succeed or fail according to
a 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.
HW:
 Begin looking for a tabletop RPG (not board-
game) you want to do an in-depth review of
(Deliverable 2). It can’t be one of the ones we
will do at length in class. (If you are poor, see
the blog for some free game downloads.)
 Look over the following two web comics and
comment about them on the blog:
DM of the Rings
Darths and Droids