Role-Playing 101

Introduction

Greetings travelers!

(As you entered the tavern, your group of travelers noticed a strange looking old lady waving her hand at you.)

You look rather tired. Take a rest and warm yourself by the fire. Can I get you some food? Drinks? Or maybe something stronger?

Even though you don't know what got you here, I know what it is. It is destiny. Your need of going on a mission and gaining fame and treasures greater than all you can imagine. But it won't be easy. To do this, you must defeat the great necromancer Oblivius, the ruler of the undead. He lives in a distant and frosty land, three days and three nights from here. If you leave in the morning, you should get there before this great and scary wizard becomes mighty of ancient power and resurrects his army. If he does, it will be over for all of us. If you succeed and kill him, I will shower you with gold and jewels.

Or, if you are bold enough, you can always try your chances with me. Guess what is more dangerous?

(After a long and awkward silence, the mysterious old lady smiled at you.)

Just as I thought.

Now, if you want to start your journey and bring me the head of this necromancer. And go below, to read a little bit.

 

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

Have you felt the atmosphere of a mysterious and fantastic adventure? If so, we can continue. If not, go back to the beginner or try listening to music from Lord of the Rings. Maybe it will help you get into the mood.

Role-Playing.

As the name suggests, it is playing a role or an imaginary character, in the story presented by the host. This can be developed by adding maps, pieces and sometimes even costumes. All this to feel the fantastic atmosphere and going on an adventure like our old pal Bilbo Baggins.

If that interested you, please gp to the next page to see what you're up against (Yes, it will most likely be a necromancer. And zombies. They must always be zombies.).

Task

Now, prepare for your adventure!

Your task is simple. Think of your characters, who they are, what they do, how they fight, what they are good and bad at, and what their (preferably mysterious) past is like. Use all the creativity you have. Or some magic. As you like.

And then, after creating it, go fight with the members of the undead and the evil necromance.

Down below you can find usefull information and ancient texts, with which you can start planning. Or just go to the next page and see, where the destiny takes you.

 

(Almost) Ancient Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing
http://doctorfrikistein.com/en/basics-of-roleplaying-a-basic-guide-to-role-players/
https://hobbylark.com/tabletop-gaming/Creating-Characters-for-Role-Playing-Games
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Roleplay-Character
Process

Create you character

Character planning is important in any RPG or role-playing. Since this is your first encounter with something like this, I give you freedom as to who it will be and what its limits will be. Just don't overdo it. Too strong characters complete missions too easily, which is unfortunately quite boring. And predictable.

Plan your journey

Plan, together or by yourself, the way you will go to the frosty north. What will you travel with? What things will you need and where will you get them along the way? Will you encounter enemies? Think about it, and then write it down or discuss it. Remember that the journey is always the most important thing, not reaching the destination.

Discuss battle strategies and your mastermind plan to defeat the enemy

How will your characters be useful in the fight against the main opponent? What do they specialize in and how do they fight? To defeat your opponent, you need to trust yourself and know how to come up with the perfect plan to defeat him, using your strengths.

Write or imagine this battle and how it will end

Finally, write or tell about this fight, imagine how your opponent would react to your arrival. Will you all survive and kill him? Or maybe quite the opposite? It all depends on you.

And remember – be creative!

 

Evaluation

Have you made it? Do you have a necromancer's head? Or perhaps you are bringing news of an army coming to destroy us?

No matter which of these things is true, congratulations! You have completed this simple course. Now you can try at real roleplays and RPGs, parties or meetings with friends, opening up more and more to new possibilities and showing off your creativity.

The group that brought the head will get A+, the rest will get A-, or B and some flowers in case your dead.

Conclusion

Now you know what role-playing is, how to get started and prepare for it, and how to do it exactly. When in doubt, you'll find the rest of the information you need in the links and ancient scrolls to make sure you get what it takes. And the most important thing is not to stress about it, but only to have fun and to be creative.

Credits