2012-366 Day 10 – Role Playing Games

Excuse me while I go and firmly affix my nerd hat. You may use the intervening time to run screaming if you desire.

There, done.

So I’m very close to finishing my latest reading project, but it’s not necessarily one you might be expecting (well, if you read the title you might have an idea). The reading project is a game called Chrono Trigger (I found a re-released version for the DS during the break on sale, I never got to play it when it was originally released, as I didn’t have a Super Nintendo growing up), and I’m not kidding when talking about the reading aspect. This brings me to my larger point, that video game RPGs (Role Playing Games) can basically be viewed as interactive stories, and table top RPGs are interactive story generators.

Granted, just like regular books, there are good RPGs and bad RPGs, so you may or may not enjoy your reading experience. Chrono Trigger is widely regarded as one of the best RPGs made, and I will say that, in my experience, the game has so far lived up to the hype. This is not, however, strictly due to the game, it is the story aspects that truly make it great. While I won’t go into great depth here, you might surmise from the title that some time manipulation is involved, and you would be correct. The way that the layers of time interweave is impressive, but even more impressive is the character development that takes place within the game. Not only that, but due to branching paths, the character development you experience may be different from game to game (I only intend to play through once, I’ll read about the other ones :). For a more contemporary example (Chrono Trigger was originally released in 1995), from what I understand of the current RPG giant Skyrim, it is basically a giant story you can write yourself, with a plot line that you can move forward on when you desire. In either case, you can build yourself up to incredible power by being patient and completing a lot of quests, or you can move through the story and take your lumps, the choice is yours.

And that’s just video games, where despite the freedom you are given, your party is ultimately constrained within the vehicle of the story. Table top RPGs grant you all of the freedom with none of the limitations, and bring to bear all of the power that comes with the imagination. In high school, I was able to enjoy playing a game called Shadowrun with a regular role playing group. A lot of funny stories (that wouldn’t make sense to a lot of people outside that group) arose from the sessions, but I’ve always felt that the most important thing to arise out of those occasions was the exercising of creativity when faced with a situation with a myriad of possibilities and attempting to figure a way out. Yes, the stories and situations were definitely action oriented, but that just lent more excitement.

For instance, Shadowrun is a game set in the near future in which some magical abilities have become active, but science has also advanced to the point where basically cyborgs are feasible. So you have a group of three to four people of varying technological and magical abilities, and perhaps they have been assigned to get a briefcase out of a storage facility that is being well guarded. How do you approach the situation? Do you try to sneak in? Do you break down the front gate and assume you have enough firepower to overwhelm whatever is inside? Do you bribe one of the people inside for reconnaissance information ahead of time so you know what you’re dealing with? There is no guarantee of success, your plan succeeds or fails depending upon what you do, and an element of chance (dice) is introduced to make the results even more uncertain. It is the exercising of your mind in trying to deal with these situations that makes role playing such an interesting endeavor to me, and when you add in the randomness, you suddenly get into multiple contingency plans when things aren’t going your way.

Sadly, our group dispersed over the state of California after high school and role playing was confined back to video games for a long time. Happily, I just recently got invited to another group and got to play in my first session with them last Friday. This group plays Dungeons and Dragons, which I’ve only played once previously way back when I was a kid (I think, the entire experience is hazy, but it seems like I played in a class on a weekend at Pierce once). I had a blast, and while we did not achieve our main objective, we all survived and had plenty of amusing stories to tell. The details of how things are resolved may be different, but the possibilities are the same (just downgrade the technology available). I would recommend role playing games to anyone who wants to exercise their mind and problem solving abilities, and would even be willing to put together a light game for anyone that wants a low pressure introduction.

So there is my (not) shameful (not) secret, I enjoy role playing games. Whether as a story vehicle, a mental exercise, or even just a way to hang out with good friends, I sincerely recommend trying to find a good one, either in video game format or the table top variety. It will even translate to any regular games you might play, as the ability to formulate multiple, creative plans based on changing conditions can lead you to victory in anything from Poker to Monopoly to Settlers of Catan.

Weight: 240 Max: 240 Min: 240 (One day I’ll weigh myself again, we’re looking into getting a scale).
Yearly Mileage: 6.5 miles (+2.5)
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/12
Fitocracy Level: 6 (3425 points, 825/1250 to next level) – ID: disciplev1