Four Aspects to the Game

There are essentially four aspects to role-playing games. I will go over them briefly.

1) Wargaming. This is the act of creating a stimulated combat that obeys a specific set of rules. It is a tactical exercise and also involves mastering the rule set. In games it can range from rock-paper-scissors to chess to 3.5 edition D&D. For this purpose the ruleset is very important because you want this tactial game to be relatively fast paced, balanced, but at the same time to have a rich tactical depth. One thing I have noted about this aspect of the game is that it is important for the players to understand and be interested in the rules, otherwise this aspect of the game fails.

2) Interactive Storytelling. Most games have a central story behind them. While some are very free form with no structure, most center around a plot with the players playing the role of the main characters. Most players will try to fill the role of the main characters, but there are some who prefer to go their own way instead of the expected path and there are a few who delight in trying to disrupt any planned story. Games can range in terms of story structure. Some have a specific plot and the players have a fairly narrow course. Other games have less of a main plot and are more focussed on a series of character with their own motivations. It is important for the game master and the players to be on the same track when it comes to how free form their story will be.

3) Role Playing. By this I mean actual role playing, the act of pretending to be someone else. This can be as simple of having an idea of who your character is and having them act and see the world as you would think they would or it can be more intense with acting, speaking in character, and so on. This process is often fairly subtle and is largely controlled by the player. You can play most role-playing games without this element at all, but you can also play any with it.

4) Character Building. It may seem weird, but a major part of many games is making your character more powerful. Acquiring new powers and items in order to meet previously unbeatable challenges and to laugh in the face of old challenges is a part of the game. There are some games that don't do this very well. One of the successes of D&D has been that despite a poor rule set that it allowed for this character building quite well. This is also one of the key principles behind the compelling nature of many massively multiplayer games.