Paper and Dice Role Playing Games

When you hear the words role playing game, do you picture hundreds of gamers hacking and slashing their way through a virtual landscape? Not long ago those words would have brought to mind multi-sided dice (D20s), stacks of books, maps, hex paper and pencils. Of the masses of available games, AD&D is probably the most recognizable. For a long time this was the face of role-playing games. With the advent of MMORPGs (massively multi player online role playing games) advertisers and the media's attention has shifted to these graphically intense computer games. Thousands of people play these games on a daily basis, and it seems new game titles make headlines almost every week.

So, do these popular games spell the end of the paper and dice variety? I would say not. While there are tons of people playing the online sort, there are thousands more rolling dice and creating character sheets. With award winning games like The Burning Wheel, and Ars Magica, the scene is set to explode with the new generation of gamers coming into their own. I have seen several forums dedicated to the quest for different games, and spoken with countless others who are burned out on MMORPGs and looking for something different.

What can a paper and dice game offer players that those visually stunning, interactive online games can't? Plenty. While the online RPGs are beautifully rendered, have tons of people interacting with you, endless quests to occupy your time, paper and dice games can offer much more than this.

The world or setting of an online RPG is limited to what is programmed into the game. In a paper and dice game, the only limit is the imagination of the GM (some games call this a DM, Storyteller, etc. Basically this is the narrator and the individual who controls all characters the players interact with).

In online games, character individuality is also limited by the programming of the game. Anything you can imagine is possible in paper games, from character appearance, armor and clothing color, to distinguishing factors. The depths of the player's imagination are the only limits.

Quests are limited to what the game designers put in, for online games. With paper games, there is an abundance of pre-made material produced by the game designers, but you are also free to modify anything and everything to suit the needs of the gamers or GM.

For players still in school, paper and dice gaming has the benefit of teaching and reinforcing math and reading skills.

The paper and dice game has the advantage of being a much more creative outlet; you can literally do anything, depending on how you and your GM set up the game. These games also tend to be much more story and character driven; many online games are simply an exercise in hack and slash. The purpose behind the traditional RPG is to create characters, and have fun with them, while creating the story of their adventures through whatever world they inhabit.

Whether you play fantasy, sci-fi, western, or even more exotic games, chances are you'll find a paper and dice game to suit your and your players' needs. There are many more games in the indie gaming industry. Some of the highest award winning games are found here. An added benefit to the indie games is that the vast majority are creator owned. IPR is a great place to start looking for some great games; check out the Indie RPG Awards also, for some great up and coming games.