From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
A role-playing game (RPG; often roleplaying game) is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. 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 can improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the games.
There are many ways to practice role-playing; I prefer freeform style and play-by-post, as everyone in our gaming group has a penchant for creative writing and very little spare time to begin with.
Current projects
- RPG Design Patterns Wiki
- John Kirk's Design Patterns of Successful Roleplaying Games, now in wiki form.
My past games
- Starting Small
- An aptly named adventure set in a deliberately generic fantasy world
- The Treasure Hunters of Mega
- A three-player space opera adventure which ran between 2008-11-28 and 2009-05-13.
Reference material
Useful advice
- Twenty Sided Tale
- A rich blog on gaming and game design, with a tabletop RPG section
- RPGnet Columns
- Periodical articles on a variety of tabletop RPG-related topics
- Roleplaying Tips
- Newsletter and articles for both aspiring and experienced game masters
- The Harrow
- Advice for everyone from beginning players through game masters to worldbuilders
- John H. Kim's Role-Playing Game Page
- A long-time roleplayer's personal home page
Free gaming systems
- FUDGE
- A very complete, flexible and elegant RPG rule system
- Risus: The Anything RPG
- Simple and flexible narrativist RPG system
- GURPS Lite
- The famed simulationist gaming system in a nutshell
- The Window
- Less known, but well-appreciated by connoisseurs
- 1000 Monkeys, 1000 Typewriters
- Many independent RPGs and related works
