Thanks to Andy's ruminations about ruminations over on his blog, I've been thinking about the same topic: why are table-top roleplaying games played? I've heard a few theories so far. These theories are most popularly stated when we're trying to convince someone to play with us who have never played before. The following three are the most popular ones I've heard.
- It's like making up a story with all your friends! (Close... so close...)
- Y'know World of Warcraft or Skyrim? It's like that, but with dice (My least personal favorite. World of Warcraft and Skyrim have about as much to do with table-top RPGs as masturbation has to do with marriage.)
- It's like inviting your buddies over for football, but you make the game while you watch it! (Huh? A lot of the trappings are similar, but the content is so different that I stop to pause, and laugh. Maybe it's the elitist in me. It probably is)
- You get to make something new. (SO close!)
Point is, all of those reasons (with the exception of the second) are pretty close to why we play, but I don't think any of those reasons truly hit why us nerds (and those who lovingly put up with us) sit down, roll dice, and talk for hours when we could be outside playing in the sunshine. I mean, a lot of my best RP moments have nothing to do with the story and, in fact, were detrimental to the story. And while, yes, a group was involved, we weren't necessarily rooting for our team, because if we were we'd be angry if we lost that night (but I just GMed a session where the players were thoroughly humiliated and they
loved it), and getting to make something new is not even close enough to a good reason to adequately reply to. I mean, we make new stuf fall the time, doesn't mean we enjoy it!
No, there's something more to this.
What's that?
I have no idea. I'll get back to you on that.
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