itch.io

Hi A Smouldering Lighthouse, thanks for the comment!

Yeah, thats a very cool complement, I'll think about it, thanks!

Hey Punk Labs, nice to know that u play ttRPG too! What game do you play?

Hey ArgondevilGuiderods, thank you for share!

If you've made it this far you might be starting to get interested in the tabletop RPG hobby. So today I'm going to bring you here the main information you need to start playing tabletop RPG today.

In this article you will understand everything you need to do in order to start playing tabletop RPG. To put you in context, I'm an RPG player for over 10 years, so I know a lot about this hobby.

In addition, I produce daily content on this topic (in Portuguese) and I will leave here today my main experiences, which is what you need to be able to start playing ttRPG.

Start with the group

The first thing you will need to be able to start playing is to find a group and with that group you will start building your own stories. It's extremely important to know this, because roleplaying is a social activity, so it's going to involve other people.

Having said that, the first thing you have to do is find a group, either in person or an online group, since in the situation that we are in a pandemic, online groups have become great alternatives.

If you want to find an online group, there are several ways, including going to Roll20, which is an online role-playing platform, finding Facebook groups, etc.

Set the scene and system

Once you have the group ready to play, it's time of you choosing a scenario and a system you are going to play.

Know that there are hundreds of scenarios you can play, both set in medieval, futuristic and contemporary worlds, as well as various themes such as horror, fantasy, which involve action, various models and you will need to choose one for your campaign to be set.

You can check some ttRPGs to play here:

https://itch.io/search?q=tabletop+rpg

Choose who will GM

With a set scenario and system and with a group it's time for you to decide who will be GM and I hope you will be the game master, because all my content is more geared towards RPG GM.

So you're going to take and you're going to set someone to be the GM and the others will be the campaign players. Once you've got that all set, it's time to organize the adventure and then set up the first game session.

Time to roll the dice!

In the first session it is ideal that you start small. Don't try to show the entire RPG world to your players (assuming you're going to be the GM) right away.

Choose a specific spot, which could be a tavern in a city, and then start developing the adventure from there, showing certain monsters and environments that will be important to the story as a whole.

So, you go on turning and progressing in the story, generating more and more immersion because of it.

An important detail: You'll need a place

There's this detail for you to start playing tabletop RPG: You'll need a place to play RPG. If it's in person, you'll need to meet at someone's house, in some store in your city, so you can meet people to play.

If it's virtual, you'll also need to gather people to be able to play and usually I use a combo that is very common in the RPG community, which is to use Roll20 + Discord which is a communication app.

That way, the video, images and maps are in Roll20 and the audio is in Discord, which is this other specific application for making calls. So, you get a very good communication, with a lot of stability for your internet, even if you don't have such a good internet and you can explore a lot more of this resource that way, using this combo.

Therefore, you will agree with staff the time for you to meet, so everyone can, and this can be done through a WhatsApp group, as it is good that there is always a group to maintain communication, this is extremely important within the RPG, because you will have to set a day to finally meet and start playing.

Keeping rolling the dice

Once you find yourselves at this date and time, it's time for the game to begin! Usually the game starts with the GM speaking and introducing the campaign. You will see that in the campaign you will introduce the world, you will talk a little about the setting, where the characters are at that moment and put a starting scene so that the game can progress from it.

A quick example of early roleplaying game:

Players are in a tavern and suddenly a person comes into that tavern and starts asking for help. She is dressed in rags and a little bruised and carrying an object wrapped in a cloth in her arms. Players don't really know what it is and from there you ask one of the most classic and iconic questions in tabletop RPG: "What do you do?" or if you are a player the GM is introducing this scene.

From then on, decisions are totally free and that's what the great beauty of ttRPG is, it's all open. So players can choose to chat with the person, see what they have, take that package out of their hand, or simply ignore it.

Before starting to play table RPG there is a session zero

Important to also have a highlight in this article about section zero, which would be a section prior to this first session that I commented now to arrive and present an opening scene, which is a moment where everyone they will get together and talk about topics that can be covered in the game, topics that should be avoided, levels of eg violence, levels of Gore, points that some people are uncomfortable with, etc.

With that, you'll have more chance to please everyone and you can also talk to players about expectations with the game, if they want more combat, exploration or social interaction and you can put together a campaign that will be much more interesting for all players and therefore much more immersive.

Look for it to have good RPG games

To conclude, it's important to start already bearing in mind that in RPG you'll want to look for two things, either as a player or as a GM, but speaking mainly to DMs: Immersion and, through it, comes the fun.

So actually the big goal of RPG is immersion. You're going to want to make the players very immersed in the story so they can have fun and what makes that connection is the emotions, so as you awaken the players' emotions you make them much more immersed in the story and with that the whole set generates much more fun and of course a very well-crafted story if you follow the steps that I'm showing you here according to what you're following the content of RPGTips.

Gather feedback to improve your game

After you've done the entire first session, a game that usually lasts three to four hours, it's important to gather some feedback through questions like: "How was the game?", "What do you need?" improve?, "what did you like best?"

I guarantee that you will be able to get this kind of information to improve for the next one, always looking to increment and improve if you are the master. You should always try to improve your game because there is a maxim that I always say that if you play well, you can always play.

Start playing tabletop RPG!

That's it, now you have everything you need to start playing tabletop RPG today. I'll deal with other content, but I hope that with this you can start playing.

I hope I have also given an overview of what will be necessary for your journey and always count on me for any questions.

Follow me here to learn more about ttRPG: https://rpgtips.itch.io/

Leave your question about RPG in the comments of this post.

Thanks for reading!

play well, to play forever.

[This article was originally published in Portuguese on my website. Translated with the help of Google Translate].

One RPG System to rule them all

thanks!

Valeeu!

Since it emerged in the 70s, tabletop RPG has been gaining fans all over the world. Being considered a hobby, this type of game brings several advantages in your life. But you might be wondering: What is tabletop RPG?

In this article, you will check the definition of RPG, the types and seven points so you can have more clear in your mind the main benefits of the tabletop RPG and also for you to have some arguments when someone asks you: So, what is this tabletop RPG? How to play? Is it like a video game? Is it like a theater?

The content here is organized so you don't get stuck when explaining what RPG is.

If you still don't follow me here, my page is https://rpgtips.itch.io/

I hope by the end of this article I have shown you all the main benefits of this wonderful hobby, which I've been playing for about 10 years, to get you started on this journey more motivated.

This article starts with an introduction, where I will introduce you to RPG concepts and types. Later, you'll check out the 7 advantages of playing tabletop RPG, plus 3 bonus testimonials left by other RPG blogs here for this text.

Introduction

First of all, it is important to clarify the general definition of what is RPG. You've probably heard this acronym a lot, talked about it, or even played it, but haven't really stopped to think about what's commonly known as roleplaying.

Of course, there are several definitions and the one I've brought you here is the broadest definition of roleplaying and the one that encompasses most of the games we have.

What is tabletop

RPG, short for Role-Playing Game, is a game in which players assume character roles in a fictional setting and their actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.

It is a game where people who are playing roleplaying characters, often only in the world of imagination, along with the system of rules and guidelines that vary from game to game will define the whole character of the roleplaying game we know today.

In addition to this RPG that is known as tabletop RPG it is interesting that you know that there are two other types of games that are included in the acronym RPG. It's important for you to know this so that you don't get confused when researching or if you want to explore a little more about these other options.

Live action RPG

The second type of RPG that we find is called live action RPG (LARP). It is also a role-playing game like the tabletop RPG, but it goes a little further and people actually physically play the characters, beyond just playing in the realm of ideas or in the realm of storytelling, like in tabletop games.

So if you see people walking around dressed as warriors or wizards and carrying fake shields and swords, they are likely playing live action.

These people then have fun telling a story and gesturing together, making almost a theater of what is being done.

I personally have never had the opportunity to play a live action RPG and maybe today it's not much of my interest anymore, as I prefer to keep the game in the imaginative field. But here's the tip if you want to know a little more about this hobby. There are several events of this type that you can go to meet people who also like and develop in this area.

Electronic RPG

The third type of RPG you will find in your research is the electronic RPG. This game variation is also very famous and often competes with tabletop RPG fame.

This type of game is very strong today and, unlike the tabletop RPG that had a somewhat hidden phase, electronic rpgs have always been gaining strength over time, including the evolution of technology available consoles and computers.

The Games industry today is stronger than the music and film industries combined between them.

Board games are old games

Before we talk about the first advantage of roleplaying, another interesting thing to know is that board games in general are pretty old.

When you take RPG, it's subsumed in the larger group of table games where you'll also find board games and card games.

RPG has its own classification within table games and the big advantage of these types of games is that they are very analogue.

7 ADVANTAGES OF PLAYING ttRPG

There are numerous advantages to playing ttRPG and it would be impossible to list them all here in this article. Based on that, I put the seven that I think are most relevant.

I hope that after reading all these benefits you will start playing RPG as soon as possible to enjoy all the benefits!

 Generate really fun moments

Let's talk now about the first advantage that I think is the coolest, not to mention the most important one for you to take into account when playing your tabletop RPG: It has a great ability to generate really fun moments.

I'll put it here as a great title: Fun. This for me is the main advantage of the tabletop RPG and it has this ability to generate fun that comes from moments with other people, in other words, a very analogue fun.

When I talk about fun, it's important that you understand that it's not just laughter or comedy fun, but fun in the sense of entertainment.

RPG has the ability to generate moments with strong emotions, which can be laughter, fear, affliction, expectation, among many others.

When you're introducing a person to the hobby, it's important to point out that RPG is very unpredictable. You'll want to make this clear, because the fun of RPG comes precisely from the development of those conflicts that come up in the middle of the story and generate every opportunity for fun.

As an example, you are needing to pass the test to prevent your character from falling into a pit. In this moment of expectation, you roll the die and roll 17 on a 20-sided dice and pass the test.

So the main advantage, which I think is the top 1 advantage of roleplaying, is the fun.

 Develop your creativity

The second main advantage I think of playing RPG today or convincing someone is that they develop creativity a lot.

RPG is a storytelling game and all storytelling has a big influence on how creative you are at that moment or in general.

Of course there are techniques and more techniques for creating a narrative story, which you can check out a lot of them here on the RPGTips blog, but a big part of the story comes from the creativity itself.

As a GM, you'll be creating things all the time and adapting them according to how the game goes in the RPG. So, you have to be always alert, with your mind on, when a player does something you already create something to complement it, something to make the story more organic, more real.

During the breaks between sessions you will have to stop to think and create things, create NPC, cities, expand the world that you have already created or that you have studied about and all of this will accumulate and you will develop more criatively.

This is very interesting because it is not only stuck in the RPG field, but extends to your whole life and you can use this skill in many different ways in your personal or professional scope.

Creativity is always good and I particularly like to develop this skill in myself, because I think it makes you see life in a different way when you are always willing to create new things and have new ideas. This is good to keep us with an active mind and always creating.

This is the second one that I think is one of the main advantages of playing RPG, as it develops your creativity.

Enjoying a social activity

The third big advantage I see in playing RPG is that it allows you to enjoy a social activity. Since its inception, RPG has come with this idea of bringing people together to tell a story and this differs a lot from other types of games, especially electronic ones.

I think it's really cool that you have this opportunity to talk to other people and nowadays we have a lot of access to technology to help too, so we can create tables on the most diverse servers and we can play online with people from all over Brazil and even around the world.

In the role of master, you will also develop your skills as an interlocutor or storyteller, as you will need to be always active in the conversation, managing the group and often making long descriptions alone, almost like a monologue and having to keep all the attention of the group.

That way, you will definitely develop these social skills of yours as well. If you are a little shy person, a person who has a little difficulty talking to other people, you can be sure that in RPG you will have the opportunity and a very healthy environment to be able to develop these skills that otherwise you would have to develop in more difficult environments such as presenting a paper in college or another that is more aggressive, let's say.

In RPG you can develop while having fun, create things and talk to people who are wanting to exchange an idea and have fun times.

So, it will be much more interesting to develop your social skill through roleplaying, so the third advantage I think of tabletop roleplaying is that you can enjoy a social activity and still develop your skills to talk to people.

 Working in a team (the main thing about table)

RPGThe table RPG almost forces you to work in a team. One of the skills most valued by human beings, working as a team is related to our evolution as a species and if it wasn't for that, we would have already been extinct at a time like this.

You'll have to work as a team when you're playing RPG, whether in-game or even outside of it. As a social activity, you will have to get used to working with other people while developing your hobby.

And when you set yourself apart from being a master to play roleplaying as a player, you will see that this skill is extremely important for fun, because most rpgs are designed to tell stories in co-op mode.

Of course there are stories and stories and you can create one however you want, including stories where the famous PvP is played, which is Player vs Player, but in general you will seek to work as a team with the group in search of the infamous fun.

Learn to tell good stories

When playing tabletop RPG, especially as a GM, you will learn to tell good stories. This will generally influence all areas of your life, because whoever knows how to tell a good story knows how to keep people's attention.

So when you start telling a story in RPG sometimes at the beginning it's kind of difficult if you're starting GMing today, but you have to understand that even if you have a lot of difficulty it's good, because you keep training and By learning to tell good stories as you study about and get your hands dirty you will see your skill develop with each session.

Learning another language

The number six advantage I put in this article is that you can learn English by playing RPG. Yes, I put that here as an advantage, because I think it's very relevant since games were one of the main ways I captured this language and also through RPG readings.

A lot of good RPG content is published in English and by following this type of content, you can while learning RPG, also develop in the ability to understand English.

Problem Solving Skill

The number seven advantage I see in roleplaying is that you develop problem solving skills. You as GM will have a lot of problems at hand to solve, not only within the game, but also outside of it.

Fights between players, people who don't show up in the session, don't file, don't know the rules, I could make a huge list here of these problems outside and inside the game that you might have.

The problem solving skill is one that you will have a lot of opportunity to develop in roleplaying, because you end up becoming a certain party judge.

Conclusion

Playing tabletop RPG can bring you several advantages, as demonstrated in this article. Being a RPG master is often mastering skills that will help you throughout your life, so you will have fun and at the same time become a better person.

Thanks for reading this RPGTips article. For more content, follow me here https://rpgtips.itch.io/

What are the main advantages you notice in tabletop RPG? Tell me in the replies.

Play well, to play forever.

Thanks for the comment, tibbiusgames!

Lets see if people give a chance to this idea! thanks

Its works very well in your idea

This is amazing!

I can see a big potential to this system, nice work!

Thank you!

Thanks, Michael!