#RPGADAY 1-3

1. What do you love about RPGS

There are some many ways to answer this. It is social, a brilliant way to hang out with friends and have fun. It is that excuse to travel halfway up the country to see friends and game for a day.

We use our imaginations. We pretend to be someone else, transporting to other worlds like Middle-Earth, Mystara, the Forgotten Realms, alternate Earths, the other side of the galaxy etc, the only limit is us. How many times in a computer game does character stop just because they haven't coded it. No such restrictions with tabletop.

The artwork especially now. The standard now is so with roleplay books Standouts for me are the Call of Cthulhu 7th Ed books, Symbaroum by Järnringen, Trudvang Chronicles by Riotminds (I am pretty sure John Carter of Mars by Modiphius will be there when it is released).

2. What do you look for in a RPG

Atmosphere and by that I mean something in the setting that grips me. Game mechanics are a means to an end, it is the game world that appeals to me. Generally I like the darker, grittier games eg WFRP or horror Call of Cthulhu, Vampire Dark Ages but I have recently been running The One Ring set in Middle-Earth and enjoying the "Tolkien" vibe. Two games I backed on Kickstarter this year are Sigmata and Gears of Defiance both dealing with rebellion against tyrannical governments. All are ripe for strong stories.

Meaningful character advancement that fits in with the game world. Probably the best examples is the career system in WFRP or the skills improvement with BRP (Call of Cthulhu, Runequest). I like the way The One Ring you can advance skills, Wisdom and Valour but also your standing which is like your prestige within the cultures in the game world.

3. What gives a rpg staying power

Bottom line it has to fun to play and be teachable to new people. Now that can through the game mechanics i.e. a smooth system or a system that really fits the game world. Two examples: D&D 5th. Quite a smooth, streamlined system, it has done very well for Wizards/Hasbro. You can teach it to new players easily. Then you have The One Ring by Cubicle 7 where from the ground up it is designed to fit into Middle Earth. It really has the right vibe for Middle-Earth. It is a rules lite system so is definitely teachable to new players and of course has the draw of the world itself. Cubicle 7 also have produced Adventures In Middle-Earth which converts The One Ring to D&D 5th Ed.

I would also say the game needs depth and richness in the setting. Call of Cthulhu has this in spades as do the Warhammer 40k games. The Swedes have a talent for this with the like of Symbaroum, Trudvang Chronicles, Tales From The Loop and Coriolis for example.

Also on a more local level, a really good GM. It is their decision making, possibly house ruling that give the game energy and momentum. And the players, their enthusiasm. If they are enjoying it, they will attend regularly. A good gaming group is like a music concert, The band (the GM) give energy to the crowd (the players) and the band feed off that energy and give more energy.

I had hoped to do a lot more of these but time escaped me. I fully intend to remember RPGADAY next year and do it properly.