Free role play
The term free role play , like the more general “ free game ”, has two meanings. On the one hand, it can refer to the degree of regulation of a role-playing game , and on the other hand, to its license status .
Rule-free role play
A role-playing game that works completely or largely without rules is called a free role-playing game. Most of the popular pen and paper role-playing games use extensive and more or less complex sets of rules called role-playing systems. In it, values are assigned to the player characters , opponents etc. and the outcome of fights or other actions is decided by these values and usually dice rolls . However, the supporters of free role-playing games often see the real meaning of role-playing games, the acceptance and representation of a role , being pushed into the background by these systems . Therefore, in free role-play, you concentrate on the interaction of the individual characters, conflicts are resolved narrative and the game master only acts as the main narrator, not as a rule interpreter. The term “narrative role play” is therefore often used synonymously, but does not exclude rules as explicitly. Examples are the low-rule US narrative role play Sorcerer and the German Daidalos system by Jochen Eid.
Role playing games under free licenses
Role-playing games that are not subject to an end-user license agreement are also referred to as free role-playing games . The exact categorization is controversial as there are a large number of different licenses that more or less correspond to the concept of free licensing. Mostly it is considered crucial that the set of rules is available free of charge, but the term can also be used closely based on the concept of free software . Sometimes it is also possible to work freely in the game. In some cases, sets of rules are freely available from publishers, but there are also a large number of individually developed role-playing games and a free role-playing movement organized via the Internet that has some influence on role-playing theory . Examples are the universal system Demiurgon , which is under the Creative Commons license , the Ein Würfel System published under the GPL and the commercial end-time sci-fi game Degenesis , the rules of which are freely available on the Internet.
Web links
- Freie-rollenspiele.de - Overview of systems from the German RPG Index
- Xiang's Free Role Playing Games - private homepage that introduces a range of systems