Role-Playing Teaching (Part 2: What are RPGs)

I already wrote about games and some reasons people play them (used a lot of sophisticated vocabulary and impressive names, yeah), and, as promised, I want to elaborate the topic of Role Playing Games – as RPG, followed by other alternative materials, is something I want to focus in TEFL area.

This article is supposed to explain the phenomenon of RPG in general, so that in my future posts I am able to show you my idea of blending games into traditional lessons, creating an approach to TEFL where storytelling and adventure compensate for tedious grammar activities.

The Game

The funny thing about RPGs is that it’s way simpler to write what RPGs aren’t, but let’s give it a go.

Jerzy Szeja explains that narrative Role Playing Game in its canonical form requires a person leading the game (GM: Game Master) and at least one player who impersonates a character (PC: Player’s Character). The world in which sequences of events take place and are described by a GM is described in a particular system of a narrative RPG consisting of a main handbook detailing the rules and mechanics of the system and, optionally, supplements with additional information regarding the system.

RPG may be compared to children’s games where participants play different roles (e.g. thieves and police officers), but a GM is the person who makes all the difference with outlining the proper plot and acting out as fully interactive characters (NPC: Non-Player Character).

Since it’s an outlined plot that is so vital, RPG may be compared to dramas (since they both include playing a role) – however, the difference remains not only in the presence of a GM, but also in discrepancies within approach. Drama is supposed to teach life using simulated situations that may happen on different occasions. RPGs, on the other hand, are a simulation of life with the characters having history and plans for the future, facing various situations of a cause-and-effect nature.

Another comparison presents RPG as similar to literature – where a player can choose a favourite character from a favourite book and impersonate them during adventures outlined by a GM. A GM is a narrator: he introduces the world of the game, describes actions undertaken by all individuals in the imaginary world, acts out the NPCs and – probably the most important difference between RPG and drama/children’s “make-believe” game – describes the consequences of actions taken by the players.

The character

I already mentioned GM, PC and NPC, but narrative RPG is more than declaring “OK, I want to play Frodo in the Middle-earth”. A character picked by a player must have its representations, physical and mental, usually given in a form of statistics that are placed on character sheets, specially designed for individual game-systems. Usually the basic subsections are attributes (in-born characteristics, e.g. strength, wisdom etc.), skills (learnt capabilities e.g. spoken language, horse-riding, computer hacking etc.) and powers (extraordinary abilities if present, e.g. telepathy, flight etc.). I will definitely write a separate post on character creation as it’s an important part of any RPG system.

The rules

Each RPG has its own set of rules, usually dice-based, called mechanics. I will need to elaborate the idea of mechanics in a separate note as, after all, that’s something that brings the word “game” to RPG, bringing the element of chance – so it deserves a proper explanation.

The story

A story is simple the adventure in which both GM and PCs take part. Ron Edwards explains that in each story

…characters will have goals they want to attain, and obstacles to overcome. The story that the narrator (GM) creates will provide the setting and the plot. In that plot the characters might stumble into adventure accidentally, or become embroiled in international espionage, or choose to seek out fame and fortune as tomb-robbers or pirates. The important point is that the players author the tale through the actions of their characters.

I will write more about stories and settings in the next part of my series.

Communication

Jerzy Szeja provides three semiotic models of communication in RPG, but in reality it looks rather simple:

1. GM describes the setting and NPCs actions.
2. PCs declare actions (sometimes after discussion to decide the way of behaviour).
3. GM describes the result of the actions (often based on mechanics).
4. GM describes the result.

And the whole cycle repeats itself.

Conclusion

That’s it – the basics of RPGs and pretty much all you need to know before you embark on the adventure. I understand, however, that for those of you who have never played a RPG session the whole article may be still confusing – I will try to clarify everything in my further articles, but if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer.

If you want to read more on the topic:

Edwards, Ron (2003): Narrativism: Story Now (you may find it here)

Szeja, Jerzy Zygmunt (2004): Gry fabularne – nowe zjawisko kultury współczesnej, Kraków: Rabid