Beginner's
Guide to Role Playing
This
is guide is intended for players who have little or no
role playing experience, yet also contains valuable information
and ideas for experienced players.
What
is a RPG (role playing game)?
Role
playing can be compared to a movie or a book. It's where
players come together and make up a story line, deciding
their character's fate.
The goal of a role playing game isn't winning or out playing
everyone else, but rather to make the story progress as
a team. RPGs are usually run by a Game Master (GM) who
makes sure the story is "realistic" and is kept
flowing.
There
are two kinds of RPGs:
1) Free RPG.
A Free RPG is run without a GM, where the players improvise
a story line without preparation. The players pick their
own roles.
2) GM RPG.
A GM RPG is when the GM has a skeleton story line, with
an idea where the story will end up. The GM would hand
out roles and basic player motivations and goals (for
example, in TESB, when Luke Skywalker is training with
Yoda, the GM would explain to him that he feels his friends
are in peril, and he must go save them. This motivates
Luke to leave Dagobah and confront Vader).
Asmodai's
RPG Installments
(originally posted on the Message Board)
[ The Plot
Twist ] [ Background Story
] [ The Romance ]
[ The Combat ] [ The
Empire ] [ The Jedi ] [ Interaction
]
The
Plot Twist
The
easiest to pull off, and the surefire way to change the
plot some. Usually this is something unexpected and completely
off the wall.
Quote:
Vader: Luke, I am your father.
See?
Simple, understandable twist. Gives you a good change
in the plot, which usually is unexpected.
But,
if overused, gives you a screwed up plot of death.
Quote:
So...
Vader is Luke's dad, and was his sister in a past life,
and was his mom's slave, his dad's love slave, and his
cousin's backdoor marriage? WTF??
If
you have played Metal Gear Solid 2, you have an interesting
idea of what plot twists can do if used good enough.
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Background
Story
Background story! You need to setup the plot, you need
to have a good backbone. There's nothing without it! Sure
Darth Vader is Luke's dad... But how did Anakin Skywalker
become Darth Vader? What motivated him to become what
he is today?
That's
why sometimes the RPG seems slow at first, because you
need to setup the story... Once that's done you can kick
it up a notch!
i.e.:
The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones
A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back...
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The
Romance
Alright, this is going to be interesting.
From
cheesy and sappy love (Star Wars Episode 2) to deep and
meaningful love (insert deep and meaningful love here),
romance is a powerful story element.
But,
that doesn't mean Jabba the Hutt can fall in love with
Leia, the love HAS to be believable.
Not
every Jedi falls in love. Not every bounty hunter has
a main squeeze. Granted, a bounty hunter might fall in
love easier than a Jedi, but that doesn't mean everyone
loves someone.
I
was in a game once where my Hunter fell for a Smuggler.
Our chemistry was so believable, and we acted in such
the same ways, the romance was completely believable and
a great addition to the story.
Of
course, I've been in games where a Sith has fallen for
the local girl, goes off to screw, then doesn't care when
the girl dies.
But,
as in life, romance is a big responsibility in a game.
The effect is quite large on the story, and can not be
tossed about like a child's plaything.
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The
Combat
This is a good one. This is about telling a story, about
living a tale, right?
Well,
that means combat isn't the end to the game.
A
saber duel, picture it.
Quote:
Jedi
Asmodai and Sith Jayna circle each other, staring at the
other. Then, in a flash, both lightsabers were drawn and
Jayna launched herself at Asmodai. The fight went on for
what seemed like hours. With parry after parry, attack
after attack, both fighters were visibly worn after such
a fight. Then, without a warning, Jayna hijacked the nearest
speeder and fled away from Asmodai, defeated.
Now,
we would do that in the RPG almost the same way. That
means when you fight someone, its not about killing the
other person, its about adding action to the story.
How
about...
Quote:
Asmodai
circled Jayna, staring her down. Suddenly, Jayna pulled
Asmodai to her feet, and lopped his arm off in one fell
swoop.
Not
good, huh?
Keep
the story flowing, even though you are trying to 'kill'
each other. Same goes with guns. You CAN miss.
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The
Empire
You know, Russia was an interesting place. After World
War two, they were taking over the neighboring countries
to protect themselves. They would take control of the
internal police force, and arrest anyone and everyone
who opposed them. Eventually, only one political party
existed and ruled the country with an iron fist. The people
feared for their lives under the dictatorship. It was
simple; support the country and think like how you are
told, or get arrested.
Why
can't that happen in RPG's?
Granted,
there is a line between running away and taking out an
entire platoon with your right hand, but the Empire isn't
feared.
Fear;
(n) A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence
or imminence of danger.
Think
about it. One stormtrooper may seem easy to take down.
Maybe two. But if a stormie goes missing, someone has
to notice. In A New Hope, the officer notices that the
stormtrooper isn't at his post, and calls him on the radio.
If the trooper doesn't check in, it will be noticed.
So
think about it next time you are tempted to just kill
the trooper, rather than talk your way out of it.
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The
Jedi
I'm
sure we've all seen Episode 1 and 2 by now, and it might
be one of the worst things to happen to RPG's.
Don't
get me wrong, the story is nice and epic while being complicated
enough to make you think, but simple enough to make you
follow along. Even better, we get to see the Jedi in their
prime!
Now
everyone wants to be them and its rarely done right.
First
things first. The timeline is during the original trilogy,
when the Jedi were nearly extinct. That means that the
Jedi can NOT use any force powers unless necessary. Blah
blah blah, we've all got the speech, but people still
seem to mess up.
Rather
than waste space, perhaps we should hear about the types
of Jedi.
The
Jedi Badass - Mace Windu. The one that has the saber
with 'Bad Motherfucker' on it. The guy EVERYONE wants
to be. This is the most common Jedi, and why they don't
work so well.
The
Senile Obi-Wan - Also a common Jedi. This Jedi is
almost always a master, speaking to his Padawan in a 'oh
so mighty' tone. Guaranteed to die fighting some Sith
or Empire trooper.
The
Anakin Skywalker - Uncommon, but present. This is
the Jedi that is so close to the Dark Side, its scary.
But this Jedi never actually sways. I've seen this one
sway only once or twice out of dozens.
Now,
those are the attitudes that people have from the movies,
and they are almost guaranteed to be in every game with
a Jedi. The funny thing is, the model Jedi is actually
in the movies.
The
Young Obi-Wan - Both in Episodes 1 and 2, as Padawan
and Master, this is the Jedi we should try to be. He doesn't
place himself above others, and doesn't flaunt his powers.
Anakin was quick to tell Watto he was a Jedi, but Obi-Wan
hardly mentioned it on Kamino. Quick to dive out a window
to capture an assassin droid, but still acts like a human
(the fight with Jango - "This isn't good").
Doesn't rush the leader of the army, but rather cuts through
a few enemies to get to him.
So
next time you want to whip out the lightsaber, think about
it.
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Interaction
You
know, there can be every type of article telling you,
the player, how to role-play. The biggest problem isn't
in the way the roles are played, however. The biggest
problem is in the interaction between the players.
"The
need of the many outweighs the needs of the few"
The
main goal of any RPG is to tell a story. With the games,
hopefully we can tell a story while living through it
at the same time. What one person wants the story to be
is usually different from another person.
Lets
say that Jango Fett wants to capture Senator Karg. As
Jango Fett, most people would go to all ends of their
power to capture the Senator. What if the Senator was
important to the scenario, however? Would it be nice and
dandy if Jango sweeps in and blasts the Senator, hauling
him off for a bounty? No, it wouldn't.
How
about Sith Xion wants to kill Jedi Knight Zaz. The Sith
are known for their foolishness, which would make people
tend to rush the Jedi and strike him down right off the
bat. What if the Sith spread propaganda about the area
against the Jedi, in case the Sith fails? This creates
a new objective for the Jedi, while letting the people
interact more.
I'm
not saying take the long way around. If the moment is
right, feel free to capitalize on it, but just think about
how it would affect the story.
"The
needs of the one outweighs the needs of the many"
On
the other hand, you shouldn't feel so constrained in what
you do. The people are what make the story. It is important
that you have fun with what you do.
The
biggest example is the Stormtrooper. Branded as the role
given to the 'crappy' role-players, the roles are treated
with almost no respect. Each type of character has their
moment to shine. Jedi and Sith revolve around their big
fight, smugglers want that big job, and troopers get the
fire fight A lightsaber duel atop a launching pad is just
as climatic as escaping from a barrage of laser bolts.
What
must happen, however, is missing. If you are trying to
shoot/saber someone, would it be very helpful to the story
if you level the character in two hits/swings?
Either
way, interaction is important both to the group and to
the one. If you want to feel important to the story, try
to be the trooper that nearly got the escapees. Try to
be the bounty hunter that captures his prey in the most
creative way possible. Try to be the person that was captured
by the Empire, and escaped. Just try to interact with
everyone around you, and think about how what you do would
affect the story.
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