Forum RPG
A forum role-playing game (also a forum RPG or play-by-post ) is a variation of the role-playing game that takes place in writing, similar to play-by-mail or play by e-mail (Pbem). It is played over the Internet with the help of forum software .
Differences to the pen & paper role-playing game
In contrast to pen & paper role-playing games, it is not necessary for the participants to meet for a joint appointment. The interactions of the players therefore often take place with a time delay.
The forum structure makes it possible to pursue different storylines in several threads at the same time. By assigning read and write permissions, the division of a role play group is easier to implement than in a pen & paper role play group. The functions of the forum software can also be used to design the text (color, text decoration), and images and file attachments can be integrated. Due to the predominant written form, players are forced to describe their action in detail; the creativity of the language is given particular weight.
Some games are based on pen & paper rules such as Das Schwarze Auge , Dungeons & Dragons or similar. The rolling of the dice, which is typical for these systems, is done by either the game master or software , similar to the role-playing chat game . In addition, there are free role-playing games without traditional rules. Here the descriptions by the players determine the outcome of actions.
Fields of application
For groups with few regular attendance appointments, for example in the area of live role-playing , forum role -playing can be used, for example, to bridge the time gap until the next meeting. In this way, the plot can be further developed and gaps in the plot can be closed. The forum software offers opportunities to better build relationships between players and characters. The exchange of a lot of information that would be lost in a live situation is easier, the physical presence is pushed into the background.
Representative
In 2000, Gratogel was the first pure forum role-playing game in German and was based on the computer game Albion . A Celtic-oriented fantasy world was played, whereby the characters shaped life in a Celtic village. After 10 years the operation was stopped.
The Oddworld RPG is a text-based and ongoing forum role-playing game operated by fans of the Oddworld series of games. It is based on the basic concept of the games developed by Oddworld Inhabitants , but extends it and offers players the opportunity to put themselves into the world.
The virtual nations can now also be counted among the forum role-playing games , since there one often slips into the role of a citizen of another state or a fantasy state and does not generally represent an image of one's own life and one's own views. These virtual states can also depict historical nations and give the other players the opportunity to role-play in a historical context. Real existing political systems are also represented virtually (for example dol2day ).
Meanwhile, there are also other representatives of forum role-playing games such as Asamura, which is one of the most active and largest high fantasy forums in Germany. Asamura is going a new way and has made it its task not only to provide the players with a world, but also to actively involve the players in what is happening in the world. It's not just about creating a world, exploring and inventing new things, but also specifically influencing the world with the character. In addition to the familiar roles for players, it is also possible for players to play military leaders and kings in order to actively change the world and the map in the text game and thus create and destroy entire empires.
Web links
- Catalog of links on the topic of forum role play at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
- Catalog of links on the topic of forum role play at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Gero Pappe: P&P role play: The collective access to utopian world designs and individual fantasy constructs . Logos Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-8325-2777-8 , pp. 29 ( online view ).
- ^ A b Sarah Lynne Bowman: The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity . McFarland, Jefferson, North Carolina 2010, ISBN 978-0-7864-4710-7 , pp. 32 ( online view ).
- ^ Gareth Schott: Agency in and around Play . In: Diane Carr (Ed.): Videogames and Art (= Computer Games: Text, Narrative And Play ). Polity, Malden, Massachusetts 2006, ISBN 978-0-7456-3400-5 , pp. 138 ( online view ).