This post is all about roleplaying in a tabletop rpg

 

 

What is roleplaying?

Well, honestly it depends on the context. Obviously, one interpretation is various games you can play with your partner during bedroom frolicking. 

Another example is something you do at work where one person pretends to be the customer and another person pretends to be an employee, and they practice making a sale. I always hated those.

Finally, the last way to roleplay is through a tabletop roleplaying game, such as Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons, or Call of Cthulhu.

Although all of these roleplaying methods may seem different, they all have one thing in common. In each case, someone pretending to be someone else, which is the core of what roleplaying is all about.

Some of you may be disappointed to learn that I will not be discussing bedroom roleplaying in this post, but I am sure there are other websites for that.

Instead I am going to focus on roleplaying in a tabletop rpg, and how it affects all aspects of the game.

PCs VS NPCs

Before we get too much into detail about how roleplaying works in a tabletop game, it is important to go over the two types of characters. Player characters and non-player characters. 

A Player Character or PC, as its name would suggest, are characters run by the players of the game.

Each player creates a custom character to act as their avatar in the game. 

They make decisions for this character, and try to accomplish their goals and aspirations.

This is roleplaying. 

While you are playing the game players pretend to be someone else, and their main goal is to react to every situation as their character would. 

Once the player characters are in place, next we need a beautiful fantasy world to play in, and this world wouldn’t be realistic if there weren't people living in it. 

Any other character in this world that is not a player character is called a Non-player character or NPC.

While the player characters are controlled by the players, the Game Master controls everyone else.

The Game Master will describe each of these NPCs to the player when they encounter them and roleplay as that character, bringing them to life. 

Exploration

With the players, the world, and the NPCs all in place, now it's time to explore!

Exploration is an essential part of a tabletop rpg, but it is also another type of roleplaying.

A tabletop game is not like a movie or a video game where you can visually see what's happening, instead, it's more like an audiobook. 

When you listen to a book you can’t see what is happening with your eyes but you can imagine it in your mind while you listen.

It's basically the same concept with a tabletop rpg. You can’t see the world with your eyes, instead you have to imagine it.

How exploration works is that the Game Master describes the environment or a situation, the player decides what to do, and then the game master describes what happens.

The roleplay part comes in when the players decide what their characters are going to do in a given situation.

For example: 

Imagine players walk into a cave that's so dark they can't see their hands in front of their faces. 

Since the players can’t see, the GM might focus on their other senses. Perhaps the cave smells like minerals, earth, or maybe it smells rotten for some unknown reason.

When the players listen maybe there is nothing but silence, or maybe they hear a far-off skittering sound if they listen hard enough. 

Perhaps it feels unnaturally cold, like death itself, or maybe the opposite is true and it's really hot and the players don’t know why.

It all depends on what the Game Master has prepared for the players

Keeping all this information in mind, next the players need to decide what to do. They may choose to light a torch, cast a light spell, or continue on in the darkness without light to lead the way.

Regardless of what the players decide, it's up to the GM to decide what happens next based on the player’s choices. 

If the players continue in darkness they may fall into a pit trap due to the lack of light, leading to a lava cavern or spikes far below.

If they light a torch, maybe an enemy in the darkness is now alerted to their presence, or maybe nothing happens at all. 

No matter what happens the player will continue to make decisions for their character through roleplay based on the Game Master’s descriptions, and the Game master will continue to provide consequences for their decisions. 

Social Encounters

One of the most common aspects of roleplaying is social encounters, and which is probably what most people think of when it comes to tabletop rpgs

This is when the players and the Game Master gather around the table and talk to each other.

As a player, there are two types of social encounters that you can have in the game. 

 

 

Player Character to Player Character

Most of the time when playing a tabletop game, you are not playing alone, but most likely with family and friends.

While playing there will be times when you need to talk with the other members of your group like when you need to make a decision, or strategize. This is where roleplaying comes in.

In addition, players also need to keep in mind the two types of realities in the game, what the player knows and what the character knows, because the two aren’t always the same.

For instance, a player can know the other members of the group for years or even their entire lives, but their character might not have met the other player's characters yet.

A lot of times not all player characters know each other. They are strangers in a strange world that fate has brought together, and now they must work together in order to survive. 

This means that players need to literally pretend not to know each other.

From an outsider's perspective this can seem ridiculous. Put simply, your pretend character has to get to know your friend’s pretend character so that you can go on epic adventures and save the world. 

Trust me, it's a lot of fun.

Player Character to NPC

The other kind of social interaction is between the players and NPCs. 

As I said before, the Game Master is responsible for playing all the other inhabitants of the world that are not the players. This includes merchants, nobles, monsters, and villains

Whenever your character needs to go shopping, make an alliance, or go to the tavern for a drink, expect to talk with a NPC. 

Or in other words, expect to talk with your Game Master who is pretending to be someone else.

The amazing part about this process is how real it all feels. When your Game Master really gets into a particular character you can grow attached to them.

Some NPCs you will love, and do anything in the world to help and protect them.

Other NPCS, like villains, you will absolutely hate and will want nothing more than to take them down. 

This is the magic of roleplaying. Despite how ridiculous all this may seem, and sometimes look, you can pretend it's real and have an amazing time. 

Combat 

Combat is an essential part of tabletop rpg, but at first glance, it doesn't contain a lot of roleplay opportunities. 

However, even if you are rolling dice and moving a miniature on a board you are still roleplaying. 

Your character has many unique abilities that you must learn, master, and use tactically on the battlefield. 

This is technically still roleplaying. You need to put yourself in your character's shoes and make the tactical decisions that will ensure victory over their enemies. 

In addition, there are other ways you can roleplay in combat.

Rather than simply stating how much damage a monster takes until it drops dead, many GMs like to describe a fight in detail 

They spend time talking about the types of attacks used in the battle, the effect they have on the environment, and even make noises to represent wounded monsters.

Players can do this too by describing the way they attack the monster or cast a spell. 

You can get a lot of detail out of a simple fight, making it a lot more realistic and immersive for everyone involved.

The level of detail is of course an optional. Some players and GMs just like to stab things until they're dead, with no descriptions at all. Which is fine too. 

Roleplaying is at the heart of any tabletop RPG. It’s what transforms a simple game into a deeply immersive experience where you and your friends can create epic stories together. Whether you’re strategizing in combat, navigating social interactions, or exploring uncharted lands, roleplaying brings the game to life. By stepping into your character’s shoes and making decisions as they would, you not only help shape the adventure but also experience the magic of storytelling in a unique and personal way. So embrace the role, let your imagination run wild, and enjoy the journey!

 

This post is all about roleplaying in a tabletop rpg game.