Valley of the Earth Mother	Realms of role-playing	All about the gully dwarf	Wild Canids	9 Wands of Wonder
Creating NPCs	-	-	-	-

 

Realms of role playing
Let’s start pushing the pendulum the other way
by Gary Gygax
©1985 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

There was a long period of time when
action, rather than role playing, was the
major focus of gaming, and this was espe-
cially true with respect to tournament sce-
narios at conventions. Thus, an AD&D®
game scenario would typically stress combat
with monsters to achieve the goal set before
the characters. Now, the pendulum has
swung the other way — much emphasis is
being placed on how well the player takes
on the role of his or her character. Personifi-
cation and acting are replacing action of the
more direct and forceful type — be it sword
swinging, spell casting, or anything else.
Before this trend goes too far, it is time to
consider what the typical role-playing game
is all about.

First, it is important to remember that
(‘role-playing”is a modifier of the noun
“game.” We are dealing with a game which
is based on role playing, but it is first and
foremost a game. Games are not plays,
although role-playing games should have
some of the theatre included in their play.
To put undue stress upon mere role-playing
places the cart before the horse. Role play-
ing is a necessary part of the game, but it is
by no means the whole of the matter.
Role playing is similar to, but not the
same as, role assumption. The latter term is
generally used to identify the individual’s
acceptance of a part which he or she could
actually perform. While a child might play
the role of a parent, an adult would assume
that role when dealing with his or her chil-
dren. This distinction is important in the
context of gaming because of the stress now
being placed upon role playing. Too much
emphasis in this direction tends to make
playing out an adventure more of a chil-
dren’s “let’s pretend” activity than an
action-packed game which involves all sorts
of fun, including the playing of a role but
other fun aspects as well.
A role-playing game should be such that
players begin the personification portion as
role play, and then as they progress the
activity should evolve into something akin
to role assumption. This does away with
stilted attempts to act the part of some
character. In place of this, players should
try to become that person they are imagin-
ing during the course of the game, and
conduct the actions of their characters ac-
cordingly. A spy, for example, speaks in one
way to his superiors, in another way when
he converses with his equals, and in yet an
entirely different way when he is attempting
to penetrate an enemy installation and is
impersonating a plumber, perhaps. Imple-

mented in this fashion, the concept becomes
one of roles within roles.
This applies to all role-playing games, of
course. Straining to play a role is certainly
contrary to the purpose of the game. The
actual reason for gaming is fun, not instruc-
tion in theatrics or training in the thespian
art. Role playing is certainly a necessary
and desirable part of the whole game, but it
is a part. Challenge, excitement, suspense,
and questing are other portions equally
necessary to a game of this nature.
Problem solving is the typical challenge
in a role-playing game. Whether it is dis-
covering a murderer, finding a magic
sword, or seeking to expose a gang of crimi-
nals, this element is an integral part of such
interactive gaming. And ‘note that problem
solving, in this context, has to do with a
problem to be solved by the character, not a
problem (such as“How do I role-play this
situation?”) to be solved by the player.
Combat, survival amidst threatening
conditions, or stalking an opponent are
typical means of adding excitement and
suspense into the whole. These are action-
oriented portions of the game activity which
call for little role playing but a fair amount
of role assumption. The magic-user charac-
ter (and thus, the player of that character)
must know his or her spells and how to
utilize them efficiently. The explorer must
know outdoor craft. Whatever the situation,
setting, or character being played, skill —
not theatrics —is what is called for here.
Having a goal, understanding it, and
remaining steadfast in its completion are
likewise necessary to role-playing games.
This questing, if you will, again has little or
nothing to do with role playing in the acting
sense. It is closer to role assumption and is a
measure of gaming ability and skill.
Role-playing games are different from
other games in that they allow participants
to create a game persona, develop this
character, and enhance his or her skills and
abilities. While some considerable amount
of acting is most beneficial to play, this is by
no means the sole objective or purpose. The
fun of such gaming includes all the other
elements mentioned, plus the interactive
relationships which develop between the
various characters of the players participat-
ing. In the well-balanced game, role playing
should quickly become role assumption,
which then again leads to character role
playing —roles within roles!
Not every game of this sort must be
completely balanced with regard to all of
these aspects. Such a decision is entirely in

the hands of the game master and the play-
ers. If a particular group desires to stress
acting, or combat, or problem solving, or
any other singular feature of the whole, that
is strictly up to the individuals concerned.
How they enjoy gaming, and what consti-
tutes fun, is theirs alone to decide.
This last point extends not only to players
but to products as well. A particular game
might be designed to stress one aspect over
others. Role playing can be the major
thrust, or action and combat, or any of the
other elements. Similarly, the underlying
game might offer one or another while its
accessories and scenarios develop some
different aspects. Most games and support
material are general and offer a reasonably
well-balanced mix.
But is this true for competition situations
as well? In contrast to a long period when
such tournaments tended to feature hack-
and-slash, shoot-‘em-up, and blast-‘em-out
situations, there is now a trend toward
downplaying everything
cal side of gaming. This
except the theatri-
tendency has evi-
denced itself to a lesser extent in some
support materials, it must be noted. The
reaction is not altogether unwarranted, for
many particpants seem to have been ignor-
ing role playing completely, or nearly so,
their games. Instead, it is usual for such
in
games to stress direct, usually violent,
action. This is a true detriment to fully
appreciating the scope of role-playing
games; as with most things, one extreme is
just as undesirable as the other.
The current vogue of placing seemingly
undue importance on the role-playing por-
tion of the game is simply meant to inform
and educate participants about a very im-
portant segment of what differentiates these
games from other types of games. It is to be
hoped that the needed training thus af-
forded will enable game participants to go
beyond role playing of their characters and
enter into role assumption instead. Once it
is understood that role playing is a vital
ingredient of the game, and players under-
stand how to actually accomplish it, the
undue attention can be discarded.
Balanced games are certainly the most
enjoyable sort for the great majority of
players. A meal does not consist of but one
thing —if it is to be an enjoyable one. By
the same token, a role-playing game must
have all the ingredients which allow it to be
varied and enjoyable. Playing and assump-
tion of roles, interpersonal dealings, action,
problem solving, excitement, suspense, and
questing are all important to make the

whole. The portions can be mixed in differ-
ent amounts, but each should have a degree
of existence within the scope of the whole.
It is common for scenarios to identify the
level of experience and skill recommended
for those utilizing the material they provide.
Perhaps it would be worthwhile to also
identify any particular stress the scenario
places upon a certain aspect of the game
activity — role-playing, action, problem
solving, or any other.
Tournament scenarios and competitions
might also benefit by such identification.
Prospective entrants would then be able to
determine which aspect they favor, or possi-
bly need to learn more of, before they en-
tered the event. Participants who find their
enjoyment lies in one area or another would
thus be able to select events optimal for
their tastes and avoid those which they
might find less fun — making the competi-
tion experience more enjoyable for everyone
who does take part. Is the player who has
difficulty personifying a well-understood
character any different from an excellent
thespian who misplays the game otherwise?
By being able to identify the focus of a
scenario, not only would players be in-
formed, but they would also be given the
opportunity to round out their abilities in
weak areas if they chose to do so.
Play of the game is the thing. Play in-
cludes development of the character and
personification thereof, role assumption and
role playing, and the rest. After all, fantasy

in whatever form is integral. Whether fight-
ing a dragon, piloting a starship, or shoot-
ing it out with evil enemy agents, the action
imagined during the game is what really
makes it fun. The pendulum did need to
move a bit to balance things, but it must
not go too far, or the realms of role playing
will become small and constricted instead of
being — as they should be — as broad and
varied as the imagination.
Gord: More to come!
Gord of Greyhawk has adventures in
other places besides these Splendid Pages.
What’s this, you ask? I shall explain . . . .
As those of you who read “At Moonset
Blackcat Comes” in issue #100 are aware,
there are books on the way which are all
about this young thief. Well, Gentle Read-
ers, in addition to Saga of Old City (sched-
uled for release in November) and its
sequel, Artifact of Evil (January 1986),
there is more! DRAGON® Magazine is,
after all, a gaming journal, and this Indefa-
tigable Key-pounder can’t take up its space
with stories of Gord and Associates as they
go about their affairs in that strange city
and its environs in probability and time.
There are more adventures to be told than
those chronicled in the two abovementioned
books, and these tales will be appearing in
AMAZING® Stories Magazine.
In case you can’t find AMAZING Stories
at your local newsstand, don’t despair. The
TSR subscription department is ready and

able to take your order well in time for you
to receive the May 1986 issue, which will
contain The Strange Occurrence on Odd
Alley, a story of about 15,000 words. Gord
and his companion Chert stumble into
something unexpected, and when the tale is
concluded, the duo is off on yet another
rollick. What’s this, you say? Some devious
device to snare us? But of course! There is a
sequel to “Odd Alley” in the typewriter
even now, and if the Beneficent Editor of
AMAZING Stories will but smile upon it,
you will be reading that bit of action and
adventure in a subsequent issue as well.
So don’t forget to get your copy of the
May issue. Subscription orders should be
sent to TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 72089, Chi-
cago IL 60690. Be sure to provide us with
your complete name and mailing address,
tell us what you want, and include a check
or money order in the amount of $9.00 (or
$11.00 if you are paying in Canadian funds)
for a one-year subscription. Be forewarned
that the May issue is mailed out well in
advance of that particular month, but if you
get your money to us by the end of 1985,
that issue will certainly be among the six bi-
monthly magazines you will receive.

THE FORUM
This letter is on the issue of role-playing.
Throughout the issues of DRAGON Magazine
(starting with #72), there have been several
articles on how to successfully and realistically
role-play certain characters. Role-playing alignments
and clerics have made up the majority of
such articles, but there was also a section on
character background by Katherine Kerr that has
most likely helped develop characters? personalities.
So, role-playing is usually based upon an
individual being that moves and works on its
own.

Lately, TSR, Inc., has come out with the
BATTLESYSTEM? and War Machine rules for
the AD&D and D&D® games respectively, but
this takes away from the essence of role-playing.
Which takes more personality: playing a character
going into a dungeon, fighting it out individually
and making individual decisions such as
?which door?? or how to avoid a monster; or,
making mass-combat battlefield decisions? The
latter takes away the flavor of role-playing, and
changes the D&D and AD&D games into war
games. Saying the BATTLESYSTEM supplement
is part of a role-playing game is like saying
games such as Blitzkrieg are actually role-playing
games. (Aren?t the players role-playing generals?)

Now, some may say that miniatures take away
the flavor of role-playing characters. Miniatures,
representing a 1:1 scale, are helpful in keeping
arguments over enemy placement and player
placement from occurring. True, one could then
ask if Squad Leader isn?t a role-playing game.
That could be the basis for an interesting article
or forum item.

Why not try something simple when battles are
fought, in which players play minor roles (unless
they happen to be high-level PCs commanding
squads). Roll d6: 1-3, they lose; 4-6, the other
side loses, with applicable modifiers. Meanwhile,
the players have fun and inflict casualties in a
wonderful hack-and-slash routine.

There has been only one circumstance in which
I have used massive war game rules, and that was
when a 12th-level fighter was the highest and
most respected character in a village, though
somewhat of a recluse. He was voted to lead the
village into battle against the invading orcs (150
orcs against 70 0-level, able-bodied villagers).
Otherwise, unless PCs are of highly noticeable
levels or influence, PCs should have fun and roleplay,
not roll-play. Even then, they should roleplay
instead of move markers and roll dice. (Even
in the Conan books by Howard, the Cimmerian
fought beside his troops in almost all battles.)
    Brian Hook
    Pinellas Park, Fla.
    (Dragon #103)
 

I'd like to comment on two statements in
DRAGON® issue #102.

First, I applaud Mr. Gygax on his choice of
words in "Realms of role playing." For a long
time I?ve tried to convince people that ?role
playing? is not saying archaic words in a funny
voice or mouthing stereotypical attitudes to let
everyone know from your first breath what class
and alignment you are, but is rather using actions
and words to play the character in an internally
consistent manner. The phrase ?role assumption
? says it all. The rest of the process ? varying
language and actions to fit the situation, etc.
-- falls into line once the role is assumed.

Second, I'd like to comment on Mr. Sheldon?s
comment in the Forum. Yes, it is difficult to role
play with one character and a GM. But it can
also be rewarding. The joy of gaming is that
game systems are flexible -- you don?t always
have to be part of a large group going to a specific
place to find a specific object and fight
masses of creature just to have fun. A good GM
can tailor an adventure to fit the number and
level of the available characters. Playing a 1stlevel
character lost in the woods and encountering
minor beasts can be as enjoyable (and dangerous)
as running a party of mid-levels through a jungle
full of lions, tigers, and bears.

The adventures available to the single character
are many. A robbery attempt by a single thief,
wandering through the city, and going to an inn
to meet a potential employer all offer the chance
for role playing and role assumption that can be
challenging and enjoyable. Single-character
adventures also offer the GM who likes role
playing the chance to run multiple NPCs. This
type of adventure can be difficult, but this is
balanced by increased player involvement.

In fact, some games seem to be made for oneon-
one playing. The TOP SECRET® game is a
good example, with a subject suited more to lone
agents than to groups of the same. The superpowered
hero games also provide single-character
quests as close as your favorite comic book.

Admittedly, my gaming group (which has been
together for eight years now) tends to go on
group adventures more often than not, with 4-6
players being the norm. But it is very common
for one or two of us to get together with our GM
for adventures between or instead of the group?s
meetings. After all, if one assumes the character
properly, there will be things that the character
wants and needs to do that don?t involve the
other characters. Thus, single-player adventures
can grow logically out of character assumption.
    Bob Kindel
    Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
    (Dragon #106)
 

Gary Gygax's article in issue #102 really bothered
me. I guess that it would be really silly to
contend that Mr. Gygax misses the point of
adventure role-playing, as he is in large part
responsible for creating the point, but perhaps I
can say that fantasy role-playing games have
evolved a long way from the D&D® game?s early
days, that maybe Mr. Gygax is missing the full
potential of the point.

What Mr. Gygax seemed to be saying is that
role- playing (i.e., assuming a character different
from yourself and then playing it accurately) has
become too much of a priority in role-playing
games, that it bogs down the action of the game
and blurs a distinct line between role-playing and
acting, which is for some reason bad. Instead of
playing a role different from oneself, one should
play oneself, assuming the role of a fighter, wizard,
or whatever.

Mr. Gygax is wrong, and here?s why.

To begin with, how can a character who has
grown up in a fantasy society (and is perhaps not
even human) have the same personality as a
person who has lived his life in the twentieth
century on Earth? Human nature is a constant,
but the environment has a significant effect on a
person?s character. Besides, what if your character
is a nonhuman? Is it possible to play a nonhuman
character with your own personality? It
seems to me that one cannot take a personality
out of the Eighties and assign it to a person in a
totally different environment.

Secondly, role playing is not acting. In many
respects it is similar, but in the most important
one, it is not. The main difference is that an actor
plays the role of a pre-invented character. The
script writer is responsible for the creation and
development of the character; the actor?s job is to
convincingly change the character from a written
format to a visual format. The closest thing to
that in role playing would be to have a player use
an NPC created by the DM, but that would still
have nothing to do with actually getting up and
acting. No, if you must compare role playing to
any other art form, it should be with writing, in
which the author creates his character, then
guides it through a series of events, having it
behave as befits its personality.

This, however, is trivial when placed next to
Mr. Gygax?s assertion that role-playing is difficult
and is done at the expense of action. This is not
necessarily true; in fact, if it is, then someone is
doing something wrong. Role playing is very
simple, once you define your character. It has
been my experience that if you really enjoy your
character, playing it will become almost second
nature. Furthermore, role playing actually enhances
the action in a game, in that the characters
tend to take new approaches in handling
situations. If I were playing myself as a fighter in
a fantasy world, as Mr. Gygax suggests, then I
can hardly help but to draw on my years of
experience in fantasy RPGs to help me in a
difficult situation. However, if I play a character
different from myself, I find the character takes
novel approaches to various situations, almost as
if it had a mind of its own. Granted, sometimes
the character makes mistakes that get it into
trouble, but then, what fun would the game be if
everything went right all the time?

Furthermore, a campaign can be tailored
around certain characters. I have run several fun
games in which the adventures were specifically
designed around the personalities of the characters
involved. These games had more mystique
and atmosphere than any others I?ve ever seen,
as well as action that rivaled the best. Also, the
relationships between the characters in the party
may be different than those between the players,
if the characters are different from their players.
Generally, a group of players are friends who
have known each other for some time. Their
relationships, good or bad, are usually straightforward
and known. Why should this be so for
the characters? In the campaign I just mentioned,
two of the characters were for all appearances the
best of friends, yet they were plotting against each
other behind each other?s back. There were
distrustful relationships, as well as amorous ones,
that did not exist in real life. This threw a lot of
spice into the game and made it a lot more fun.

Sometimes playing a character who is not only
different from the player but different from the
adventuring type in general can be fun. Ever play
a character who was totally averse to adventures
but was drawn into one by circumstance? That
can lead to a very interesting and entertaining
campaign, as I'm sure Bilbo Baggins would
agree. Maybe Mr. Gygax prefers to play adventuring
machines, Herculean characters who know
all the tricks, even at 1st level. To my way of
thinking, that is not a character; that is an automated
chesspiece. But to each his own ? that?s
what this game is all about. Still, characters who
are a little different from the player are generally
more realistic and have so much more ?fun
potential? that I don?t feel that Mr. Gygax should
attempt to sway other people?s opinions away
from them.
    Charles Ryan
    Blacksburg, Va.
    (Dragon #106)
 
 
 
 
 

Re: Re: Re: More questions

Quote:
Originally posted by BOZ
 

hmm, i've heard "roll-playing" plenty of times, but i think this is the first time i've heard this one.   i think it needs to be said a lot more often...
 

Heh, Boz 

Many people knock "roll-playing," but it is a necessary part of the PRG game form where chance is a major factor in the game--as it is in real life. The real bad rap against dice rolling is if combat is the predominate feature of play, that negating the other elements that make up the game...such as role-playing.

Rules are necessary for a structured game, doubly so when it is based on fantasy where no real facts are available to the participants. then the structure becomes the major feature of play, though, then it is at least as onerous as roll-playing, so both terms are equally daming. If a game is nothing but role-playing, then it is not really a RPG, but some form of improvisational theater, for the game form includes far more than acting out assumed roles.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally posted by BOZ
 

right, we need a good balance between all three for it to work well as a whole. over-emphasizing one or diminishing one takes away from the feel of the game. 
 

That's the way I feel, Boz.
There are those who really love to emphasize one or another feature though.
What the heck, if they are having fun it can't be bad...just sort of wring in terms of what the RPG is meant to be 

Cheers,
Gary