What are Role Playing Players Coming To?

by M. Woods 

I often read the various rules and regulations written by people trying to classify role playing games in tight categories. I can only think that the people writing these documents have forgotten the true essence of role playing.

Having definite rules as to how much character building must be done, how much story must be included, and how battles must be fought ruins the atmosphere of creating an original role within a world. Placing responsibility of providing these elements upon the administrators, immortals, or masters degrades the game further. Separating the many parts that make up a role playing game finishes it off as playable.

My definition of a role playing game is simple. It is a world where a player can create a persona for themselves and interact with other players in an environment which is constantly changing, growing, and evolving.

The few online games that fall within this (I name the multi-user game, Avalon - www.avalon-rpg.com - as one) allow players the choice of many paths and possibilities. Such a game connects all it's parts in a mesh and makes each part indistinguishable from one another.

Disconnecting the so called "battle engine" from the game play is a worrying concept. All of a characters skills and abilities should have relevance in all parts of the "story". There should be no factoring in of chance. For example, only the best swordsman would win a duel; he would not be rolling dice to decide who won. Giving over control of the fight to the computer (in the case of an online game) lessens the value of the character to the player. This way they have no real control over their characters' "life".

These problems cannot be blamed on the creators of the games. The players do not test the games to their limits and do not try to help the game achieve as much as it can. Players have fallen into the rut of what does and does not constitute a role playing game and the exact rules by which one must be played. This must end if we want the sort of game that captures the imagination and takes you to another world.

I hope that the ideal of a completely interactive internet community is achieved. The best way to do this, I believe, is the role playing game, not a simple chat room. The players need to realize this and strive to create not just a simple, predictable game.