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”

• Choose my Adventure: Sorrowdusk Isle

  
  Massively — Authority: 692
  Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months is up, well do it all over ...
  15 hours ago

• Reconnoitering Cute Knight Kingdom

  
  Tales of the Rampant Coyote — Authority: 427
  I bought Cute Knight Kingdom the other night. Good thing Im all secure in my masculinity and stuff like that. Because - like the original Cute Knight - I gotta admit its good. I dont know if Ill ever get to the point where I can run through an entire game in 90 minutes or so like I did in the original. Maybe ...
  22 hours ago

• Massive Banning in Aion

  
  Multiplayergames.com — Authority: 137
  It seems NCsoft has taken it’s bot problem in  Aion seriously. An unscheduled server-wide reboot of Aion was performed on November 23rd. When the servers came back online, nearly 16,000 accounts found themselves banned from NCsofts latest MMORPG . For what reason exactly, does NCsoft wieild the ...
  23 hours ago

• King Arthur – the Role-playing Wargame Released

  
  2404 - PC Gaming — Authority: 132
  NeoCore announced the release of " King Arthur – the Role-playing Wargame ," which is available via Steam. "It has been undeniably one of the biggest achievements for the whole team so far, and King Arthur grew to be the game that we envisioned years ago. Our desire was to create an innovative wargame, and King ...
  1 day ago

• Blizzard celebrates five years of World of Warcraft

  
  GamingAngels — Authority: 576
  StealthySlyth wrote a great birthday tribute about World of Warcraft. Blizzard is also celebrating with a launch of a anniversary celebration site. On the site they’ll have interviews, video feature and a place to send your picture with your battlecrest. Just make sure you’re screaming “For the Horde” or ...
  1 day ago

• Buy Cheap World Of Warcraft Gold That You Can Trust

  
  Naked News — Authority: 175
  Are you stuck with trying to make World of Warcraft gold to get those items you want to purchase at the auction? Well, we all know that to make the gold, it takes up to a lifetime to get, however there is a solution for you thats easy. Buy World of Warcraft gold of course. Their are many websites where you can buy ...
  2 days ago

• Tripod In America! Tripod Versus The Dragon

  
  PodBlack Cat — Authority: 475
  As mentioned briefly when I wrote earlier about the show in Melbourne – they’re preparing to head overseas! The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are hosting them as ‘artists in residence’! www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjzI-3iDje4 Tripod versus The Dragon Saturday, January 30, 2010, 8:00 pm ...
  2 days ago

• Jeux Avec Frontieres

  
  It Is What It Is — Authority: 129
  Image via Wikipedia Things to waste time online! But fun! Ill get onto why I was reminded of this later, after I tell you about Kingdom Of Loathing . Its a charming, funny , wicked lo-fi browser game that wont tax your computer, however weedy it is. Its an RPG, a role-playing game , and youre only ...
  2 days ago

• Two True Freaks! Episode 86 – The World Of Indiana Jones

  
  The Comics Podcast Network — Authority: 145
  In this MASSIVE episode, the freaks are joined by Josh Baker and Michael Bailey as they talk about all things Indy! All four movies, video games, comics, music, toys, books it’s all crammed in here! This podcast simulates the Indiana Jones experience so well that you will swear you are being dragged on your belly ...
  2 days ago

• It is time once more to take up the dice

  
  Ask MetaFilter — Authority: 656
  Looking for a pen and paper RPG, science fiction, certain other specifications required. Some friends and I just got back into playing pen and paper RPGs recently as adults. Weve been playing D&D but I have to admit I dont really care for the system or for standard fantasy settings. Since Im the one who wants ...
  2 days ago

• Shippin’ Out – Week of November 22, 2009

  
  Endsights: Shedding Light on Video Games — Authority: 480
  Time to catch up on the games you might have missed lately, since this week’s list of new entries is pretty slim. Here’s what’s shippin’ out on all major platforms in North America: Xbox 360 Stoked: Big Air Edition – November 23 Tom Clancy: Platinum Hits Pack – November 23 Karaoke Revolution – ...
  2 days ago

• RPG Design: Experimenting With Initiative

  
  Tales of the Rampant Coyote — Authority: 427
  This weekend I concluded long-running D&D campaign. Weve been playing it for about three-and-a-half years. 3.5 edition of D&D, naturally. We normally alternate games so we only end up playing a little over twice a month, and then only for about three hours per session. Its tough having longer games when the ...
  3 days ago

• The RPG Course – A Session of Praedor

  
  Worlds in a Handful of Dice — Authority: 93
  This is, yet again, a post on the roleplaying studies course I took at the University. By the way, I received my grade a couple of days ago. On the scale of 1-5, it ranked a full five. I am currently very satisfied with myself, which probably has to change since my ego is currently so bloated I have to buy it a ...
  3 days ago

• Life Goes On

  
  Disgusted Beyond Belief — Authority: 100
  My life has not really changed much over the past few months - Ive just had less time and energy to post here and so have given my time over to other things. Our nanny is working out - which is great. My son is approaching two years old (in three months) and hes starting his "terrible twos" - he gets into everything ...
  3 days ago

• [Fantasy Craft] Class Act: The Alchemist (Expert) from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

  
  RPG Bloggers — Authority: 168
  Alchemy has always held a strange mystique to mankind.  The concept of applying repeatable procedures to create miraculous effects have led hundreds to seeking out rare and strange ingredients to achieve the impossible, whether for material or spiritual gain.  Transmutation was the goal, whether to... [...]
  3 days ago

• Stained Glass d20

  
  Neatorama — Authority: 783
  John F. Talarico of the podcast show Bloodthirsty Vegetarians created two 20-sided dice out of stained glass and black and copper patina. The orange one is called “Fire.” There are more detailed images in the flickr photostream. Image via d20 Blog | Flickr Stream | Official Website
  4 days ago

• Matt Chats Legacy of the Ancients

  
  Armchair Arcade - Chronicling the Complete History of Videogames and Computers — Authority: 465
  This, week, I cover Quest Softwares Legacy of the Ancients for the Commodore 64! read more
  5 days ago

• Star Wars Galaxies celebrates over 3 million player created quests

  
  Be The Gamer — Authority: 457
  Player created quests are the hot trend right now, and Star Wars Galaxies is right there with it. Since the creation of the Chronicle Master system, over 3 million quests have been created by the always active Star Wars Galaxies community. Way to go guys! Oh, and did we mention that the system has only ...
  5 days ago

• Star Wars Galaxies celebrates over 3 million player created quests

  
  Massively — Authority: 692
  Player created quests are the hot trend right now, and Star Wars Galaxies is right there with it. Since the creation of the Chronicle Master system, over 3 million quests have been created by the always active Star Wars Galaxies community. Way to go guys! Oh, and did we mention that the system has only ...
  5 days ago

• Retroist Podcast – Episode 034 – Dungeons & Dragons

  
  The Retroist — Authority: 536
  We talk about the creation of the game. How it moved from supplement to game. How it grew and the various iterations over the years. We bring up the TV shows and video games and so much more. Jonathan has a great interview with Ed Douglas of Midnight Syndicate , the musicians behind the official roleplaying ...
  5 days ago

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