Roleplaying

Roleplaying refers to any of a broad range of activities in which participants assume roles other than themselves, usually for the purpose of entertainment, though sometimes as a literary, dramatic, or therapeutic exercise. Bloggers tend to use the term to refer to games.

Roleplaying games (or RPGs) became very popular in the 1970s with the first publication of Dungeons and Dragons. Other "pen and paper" based games include many based on original source material, as well as licensed properties like Star Wars and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. In these games players create characters appropriate to the setting and describe the actions of these characters within a scenario managed by a Gamemaster, producing what is essentially a collaborative story. Bloggers frequently write game reviews, as well as articles on game theory and development.

The roleplaying format was later successfully adapted to computer games. The dominant format for these games has come to be the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) in which thousands of players share the same game world through the internet. Leading examples of this sort of game include World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Eve Online, and RuneScape, as well as many others.

Story-based roleplaying is also very popular on the internet, with players using message boards, chat, and online forums to engage in collaborative storytelling with very little structure and few rules. For an example of forum-based roleplaying see Caeliria. Also popular is live-action roleplaying (LARP) where participants dress up in character and engage in mock combat. For an example of popular live action roleplaying see NERO or World of Darkness.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Roleplaying”

• [Mage: the Awakening 101] Arcana Basics – Death

  
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  Introduction: The Death arcana is by far one of the most esoteric, and misunderstood of the ten Arcana.  In order to fully comprehend its scope, it is necessary to understand Death as it is defined in Awakened metaphysics.  To mages, the function of Death is to be an anchor to one’s material existence, while at ...
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• CIOASIISAG Part 23 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness

  
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  Back in June, when I last touched this strand of the site, I hinted that I was going to cover RIFTS next. Well it turned out that I’d forgotten to cover what was actually my first encounter with Palladium Books – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness . Based on Eastman and Laird’s classic ...
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• Mass Effect 2 “Infiltrator” Trailer

  
  Game Stooge — Authority: 483
  The infiltrator was merely a tech/soldier combo in the first Mass Effect . In Mass Effect 2 , he really lives up to his name. Check out the developer video detailing the class from GameTrailers.
  1 day ago

• BioWare Speeks on The Decline of JRPGs

  
  GamerCenterOnline — Authority: 126
  Japanese role-playing games don’t command the respect that they once had. But, why is that? BioWare, a leader in Western RPG development, believes that Japanese role-playing games don’t innovate, meaning that “lack of evolution” is the reason for the JRPG decline, in both sales and quality. “The fall of the ...
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• I Guess I Can Finally Uninstall Diablo II Now...

  
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• Blade & Soul, Producer & Art Director Video Interview

  
  Multiplayergames.com — Authority: 135
  Breathtaking scenery in Blade & Soul This video interview with Blade & Soul producer James Bae and art director Hyung Tae Kim reveals some of the “behind the scenes” of the spectacular Martial-Arts massively multiplayer online RPG, showcasing the themes and concepts that went into the game, ...
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• Download: Divinity 2 Demo

  
  Big Download Blog — Authority: 605
  Filed under: Downloads , Demos , RPG This is the playable demo for Divinity 2: Ego Draconis , a fantasy action role-playing game. Continue after the jump for system requirements "Many years have passed since the darkness of Damians armies was repelled and Damian was banished into another realm by mans ...
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• REVIEW: Phantasy Star Zero (DS)

  
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• Five Great Free-to-Play PC MMO Games

  
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  Anyone who has dabbled a bit in MMORPGs, or just massively multiplayer online games in general, knows just how many games there are out there. MMOs are often categorized into two groups: the subscription-type games, (or “pay-to-play”), and the free-to-play games. While there is less risk involved in picking a ...
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• Q-Workshop’s Deadlands Dice

  
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  I’ve enjoyed polyhedral dice for as long as I’ve been playing RPGs, and tend to prefer systems that make good use of the full range of dice from the caltrop-like d4 to the skitter off the table and onto the floor d20s. The “Funny Dice” always made playing RPGs feel that little bit more special than other ...
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• Torchlight 50% Off Until Monday

  
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• Matt Chat 42: Dragon Age Origins

  
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• Win a Closed Beta Key for Star Trek Online

  
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• SOE’s Complimentary Premium Access to Station Players, and Bonus Station Cash

  
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• Star Wars Weather

  
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• Download: King Arthur Demo

  
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• Final Fantasy XIII Sells Over a Million First Day

  
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  It looks like Square Enix is swimming in dollars right now. Final Fantasy XIII just recently was released in Japan yesterday and within 24 hours its sales have “exceeded one million”, according to a statement released by Square Enix today. There was also a PS3 bundle made availabe that included the game also. So, ...
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• Seed 1 – Rise of Darkness – Koolikoop is Now FREE to Explore.

  
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  The latest RPG to emerge from the Chillingo publishing factory is Seed 1- Rise of Darkness [ App Store ], a port of an existing Japanese mobile game by CH Games and a title we had been eagerly anticipating thanks to an eye-catching trailer released earlier this year . Seeds App Store approval comes at the same ...
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• ‘Seed 1 – Rise of Darkness’ – Koolikoop is Now FREE to Explore.

  
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  The latest RPG to emerge from the Chillingo publishing factory is Seed 1- Rise of Darkness [ App Store ], a port of an existing Japanese mobile game by CH Games and a title we had been eagerly anticipating thanks to an eye-catching trailer released earlier this year . Seeds App Store approval comes at the same ...
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• Age of Conan: Roleplaying – Episode 0

  
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