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Why I Love Role-Playing Games
Aug. 2nd, 2012 02:06 pmI feel the need to write something positive today. I don't know who'll read this, but it's worth a shot.
I play table-top role-playing games. It's probably one of my few central hobbies that I've carried over since high school. So, in homage to Film Critic Hulk (whose site can be found here) I'm going to write a short list of reasons about why I like role-playing games.
WHY I LIKE TABLE-TOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
Because you don't die until -10 hit points.
Because you can wield a sword bigger than you are one-handed.
Because of 18/00 strength.
Because in a fight between a fighter and a wizard, the wizard always wins in the end.
Because you can be a fighter, a mage, and a theif all at the same time.
Because the dice gods hate you.
Because "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies" is now part of my vocabulary.
Because of THAC0.
Because of Critical Hits.
Because of Critical Fumbles.
Because of Botches.
Because of Lawrence the Fail Ninja.
Because of Lawrence the Fail Ninja's suspiciously identical twin brother.
Because yes, you can play a girl.
Because one time, we killed a demon god in a single turn.
Because of that one time everything went off the rails. Hard.
Because of the stories.
Because of a blue jack-o-lantern full of dice.
Because of edition wars.
Because mIRC role-playing helped me learn how to write better characters.
Because I learned about statistics and optimization from D&D.
Because of Gary Gygax.
Because of Monte Cook.
Because of Steve Jackson.
Because of Chris, the guy who runs Palladium games every year at A-Kon.
Because of TSR, White Wolf Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Green Ronin Publishing, Palladium Games, Cracked Monocle, Guardians of Order and FASA.
Because six people sitting around a table playing pretend is cheaper than a movie.
Because four people in an apartment playing pretend is more fun than anything else.
Because one person can save the world.
Because one person can accidentally destroy the world. (Oops.)
Because one of my few friends in high school showed me a copy of Werewolf the Apocalypse during lunch.
Because of the Third Edition Dungeon Master's Guide I bought at a mall during a band trip to Tennessee, that I read all the way there.
Because of what felt like months of searching, I finally got my hands on a copy of Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition.
Because right now I have an 8.35 GB folder full of PDFs that I will never, ever delete.
Because of First Edition, Second Edition, Advanced, Third Edition, 3.5 Edition, Fourth Edition, Essentials, Pathfinder and Fifth Edition.
Because of the Masquerade, the Apocalypse, the Ascension, the Dreaming, the Oblivion, the Reckoning, the Fallen, the Requiem, the Forsaken, the Awakening, the Sin-Eaters, the Created, the Lost and the Vigil.
Because of the World of Darkness
Because of Eberron
Because of Greyhawk.
Because of Creation.
Because of Tephra.
Because of Freedom City.
Because of the far left corner of the entry hall at Mt. Vernon High School.
Because of the first-floor communal room in Smith Hall, from 6 PM till we stop.
Because of my dinky efficiency apartment.
Because of the fifth-floor study room of the college library.
Because of #TheFreedomStone.
Because no matter how small, sad, or brutal the world got, I could always create a better one in my head.
Because you can always play pretend.
I play table-top role-playing games. It's probably one of my few central hobbies that I've carried over since high school. So, in homage to Film Critic Hulk (whose site can be found here) I'm going to write a short list of reasons about why I like role-playing games.
WHY I LIKE TABLE-TOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
Because you don't die until -10 hit points.
Because you can wield a sword bigger than you are one-handed.
Because of 18/00 strength.
Because in a fight between a fighter and a wizard, the wizard always wins in the end.
Because you can be a fighter, a mage, and a theif all at the same time.
Because the dice gods hate you.
Because "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies" is now part of my vocabulary.
Because of THAC0.
Because of Critical Hits.
Because of Critical Fumbles.
Because of Botches.
Because of Lawrence the Fail Ninja.
Because of Lawrence the Fail Ninja's suspiciously identical twin brother.
Because yes, you can play a girl.
Because one time, we killed a demon god in a single turn.
Because of that one time everything went off the rails. Hard.
Because of the stories.
Because of a blue jack-o-lantern full of dice.
Because of edition wars.
Because mIRC role-playing helped me learn how to write better characters.
Because I learned about statistics and optimization from D&D.
Because of Gary Gygax.
Because of Monte Cook.
Because of Steve Jackson.
Because of Chris, the guy who runs Palladium games every year at A-Kon.
Because of TSR, White Wolf Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Green Ronin Publishing, Palladium Games, Cracked Monocle, Guardians of Order and FASA.
Because six people sitting around a table playing pretend is cheaper than a movie.
Because four people in an apartment playing pretend is more fun than anything else.
Because one person can save the world.
Because one person can accidentally destroy the world. (Oops.)
Because one of my few friends in high school showed me a copy of Werewolf the Apocalypse during lunch.
Because of the Third Edition Dungeon Master's Guide I bought at a mall during a band trip to Tennessee, that I read all the way there.
Because of what felt like months of searching, I finally got my hands on a copy of Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition.
Because right now I have an 8.35 GB folder full of PDFs that I will never, ever delete.
Because of First Edition, Second Edition, Advanced, Third Edition, 3.5 Edition, Fourth Edition, Essentials, Pathfinder and Fifth Edition.
Because of the Masquerade, the Apocalypse, the Ascension, the Dreaming, the Oblivion, the Reckoning, the Fallen, the Requiem, the Forsaken, the Awakening, the Sin-Eaters, the Created, the Lost and the Vigil.
Because of the World of Darkness
Because of Eberron
Because of Greyhawk.
Because of Creation.
Because of Tephra.
Because of Freedom City.
Because of the far left corner of the entry hall at Mt. Vernon High School.
Because of the first-floor communal room in Smith Hall, from 6 PM till we stop.
Because of my dinky efficiency apartment.
Because of the fifth-floor study room of the college library.
Because of #TheFreedomStone.
Because no matter how small, sad, or brutal the world got, I could always create a better one in my head.
Because you can always play pretend.
