Why Tabletop RPGs Will Never Die

You probably knew at least one person like me in high school: read fantasy novels continually, talked with friends about esoteric things like hit points and character sheets, generally acknowledged to be a total geek. Today, most of the people like me are playing online games like World of Warcraft and Everquest - but there are still traditionalists of all ages who simply won't give up the dice-and-paper excitement of good old-fashioned role playing games.

I've played role playing games (RPGs) almost since the very beginning. Dungeons and Dragons, the first real tabletop RPG (they were all tabletop back then), was released in 1976, and I convinced my mother to buy the boxed set for me for my thirteenth birthday, four years later. (For those in the know, yes, that was the blue book set.) I was immediately hooked. I played for years, and if I could find a good group here in Hawaii, I'd still be playing. For a creative person who loves fantasy, tabletop RPGs are addictive.

What Tabletop RPGs Really Are

Throughout my childhood, tabletop RPGs got a terrible name. A movie, Mazes and Monsters, gave many the impression that players would be susceptible to madness. There were rumors - probably related to the same ones about heavy metal music - that RPG players were devil-worshipers.

It was all nonsense. RPGs, in essence, are a form of acting blended with a game of chance. You create a character, with his strength, intelligence, skills, etc. based on numerical formulas. Then, given certain parameters, you create the personality, the style, the appearance of that characters. Just like a writer, you work to bring the character to life. Then, under the guidance of a gamemaster, you and other players with their own characters act out a storyline, using the numerical stats of the character, usually but not always in conjunction with dice, to do battle or carry out activities. The interplay between players is very much like improv, with you sinking into your character to move through the story.

In contrast, the popular computer-based RPGs today don't allow for this level of character play; instead, they are very much focused on your character's numerical stats. A few games do allow for very limited characterization in the form of moral choices and similar issues, but none of them offer the full experience of being your character.

Other Differences between Computer and Tabletop RPGs

Computer RPGs are not generally time-limited, and the player can do what he wants while delaying the accomplishment of a mission. Tabletop RPGs, on the other hand, are run by gamemasters who usually want a feeling of tension and suspense; players are not encouraged to linger, but rather to move briskly forward toward the resolution of the plot.

In a tabletop RPG, the nonplayer characters that are necessary to move the plot forward - or just to provide comic relief - are brought to life by the gamemaster. In a computer game, they are flat characters designed for one thing, and often vanish shortly afterward.

Possibly the most important difference: in a tabletop RPG, the plot is flexible, and if characters do something totally unexpected, the gamemaster can usually accommodate it. A computer RPG can't allow for much deviation from the main plot. With a really good group of gamers, this makes tabletop RPGs infinitely superior to computer RPGs because of the immense freedom it gives the players. Looking for alternate ways to kill the dragon? They're there. Looking for ways to get your archrival tossed in jail? No problem.

Until we have true artificial intelligence, computer RPGs will not be able to compete with the tabletop. Sure, you can play computer RPGs at any time, by yourself or with others - but the desktop RPG can offer unique freedoms and game play a computer is simply not capable of.