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37-620: Magic Knight is ordered by the King to go to Spriteland and bring back a fitting birthday present for the Princess. Magic Knight is transported to the castle in Spriteland and can either amass as much treasure as possible or find a suitable present and return to the King. The wizard Gimbal accidentally mixes up a spell, which results in casting himself, Magic Knight and an array of other characters into an unknown castle. Magic Knight must find Gimbal and reverse

74-513: A game master (GM) decides on the game system and setting to be used, while acting as a facilitator or referee. Each of the other players takes on the role of a single character in the fiction. Several varieties of RPG also exist in electronic media, such as multiplayer text-based Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) and their graphics-based successors, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Role-playing games also include single-player role-playing video games in which players control

111-504: A story . Exquisite Corpse , a Surrealist parlour game , is an example of a collaborative writing game. The parlour game Consequences is similar. In storytelling card games, players use cards containing narrative prompts or plot details to tell a collaborative story. Examples include Once Upon a Time and For the Queen . Storytelling TTRPGs take various forms. Some require one participant (a gamemaster or narrator) to describe

148-459: A GM describes the game world and its inhabitants. The other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes. Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM. This is the format in which role-playing games were first popularized. In contrast, many indie role-playing games experiment with different structures of play, such as sharing

185-517: A GM role through a visual interface called a GM toolkit , albeit with abilities limited by the available technology. Another standard concept in RPGs is the player character, a character in the fictional world of the game whose actions the player controls. Typically each player controls a separate player character, sometimes more, each of whom acts as a protagonist in the story. In contrast to player characters, non-player characters (NPCs) are controlled by

222-453: A character, or team of characters, who undertake(s) quests. Role-playing video games may include player capabilities that advance over time using statistical mechanics. These electronic games sometimes share settings and rules with tabletop RPGs, but emphasize character advancement more than collaborative storytelling. Some RPG-related game forms, such as trading/collectible card games (CCGs) and wargames , may or may not be included under

259-469: A dice rolling contest. A conflict round can follow to resolve any inconsistencies or further detail new plot points. In 1999, game designer Ian Millington's Ergo offered a collaborative role-playing system. It was based on the rules of the Fudge universal role-playing system, but eliminated the need for a gamemaster, distributing the responsibility for the game and story equally among all players and undoing

296-411: A form of interactive and collaborative storytelling . Events, characters, and narrative structure give a sense of a narrative experience, and the game need not have a strongly-defined storyline. Interactivity is the crucial difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a television show is a passive observer, a player in a role-playing game makes choices that affect

333-429: A hard disk which contained source code and assets for many of his games. The data was preserved as part of the centre's ongoing video game preservation work. Role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game , or abbreviated as RPG ) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting . Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within

370-556: A loosely defined genre of computer and console games with origins in role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons , on which they base much of their terminology, settings, and game mechanics. This translation changes the experience of the game, providing a visual representation of the world but emphasizing statistical character development over collaborative, interactive storytelling. Online text-based role-playing games involve many players using some type of text-based interface and an Internet connection to play an RPG. Games played in

407-601: A narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines . There are several forms of role-playing games. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG or TTRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing (LARP), players physically perform their characters' actions. Both forms feature collaborative storytelling . In both TTRPGs and LARPs, often an arranger called

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444-411: A real-time way include MUDs , MUSHes , and other varieties of MU* . Games played in a turn-based fashion include play-by-mail games and play-by-post games . Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) combine the large-scale social interaction and persistent world of MUDs with graphic interfaces. Most MMORPGs do not actively promote in-character role-playing, however, players can use

481-745: A role-playing game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief . The level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story or credible challenge up to full-blown simulations of real-world processes. Tabletop role-playing games may also be used in therapy settings to help individuals develop behavioral, social, and even language skills. Beneficiaries commonly include young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder ( ADHD ), and dyslexia . Role-playing games are played in

518-457: A story . Some games primarily feature spoken storytelling, while others primarily feature collaborative writing. In some storytelling games, such as many tabletop role-playing games , each player represents one or more characters in the developing story. Others involve more third-person narrative . Collaborative fiction is a form of storytelling which uses collaborative writing as the primary medium. A group of authors share creative control of

555-482: A wide variety of formats, ranging from discussing character interaction in tabletop form, physically acting out characters in LARP to playing characters virtually in digital media. There is also a great variety of systems of rules and game settings . Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game . These types of games tend to reduce or eliminate

592-409: Is the role of a gamemaster, a participant who has special duties to present the fictional setting, arbitrate the results of character actions, and maintain the narrative flow. In tabletop and live-action RPGs the GM performs these duties in person. In video RPGs, many of the functions of a GM are fulfilled by the game engine . However, some multi-player video RPGs also allow for a participant to take on

629-465: The retronyms tabletop role-playing game or pen and paper role-playing game are sometimes used, though neither a table nor pen and paper are strictly necessary. A LARP is played more like improvisational theatre . Participants act out their characters' actions instead of describing them, and the real environment is used to represent the imaginary setting of the game world. Players are often costumed as their characters and use appropriate props, and

666-425: The actions of their characters rather than acting them out, except during dialogue or, in some games, monologue . Matrix Game (c. 1988) by Chris Engle was an early collaborative storytelling game not based in simulation. In this system, a referee decides the likeliness of the facts proposed by the players, and events happen or not according to a dice roll. Players can propose counter-arguments that are resolved in

703-641: The castle. Further investigation shows the Off-White Knight to be the evil side of Magic Knight himself, and the task is to join the two together again. Descriptions are based on the ZX Spectrum versions, although all versions are broadly the same in gameplay. The game is a traditional flip-screen platform game, with a small Magic Knight having to negotiate screens filled with numerous monsters, which move in pre-defined paths. There are also two scrolling mazes that Magic Knight must traverse to enter new sections of

740-436: The definition of role-playing games. Although some amount of role-playing activity may be present in such games, it is not the primary focus. The term role-playing game is also sometimes used to describe other games involving roleplay simulation , such as exercises used in teaching, training, academic research, or therepeutic settings. Both authors and major publishers of tabletop role-playing games consider them to be

777-541: The equivalence between player and character. The coin system in Universalis (2002) relies less on randomness and more on collaboration between players. Starting in the mid-00s, storytelling TTRPGs based upon historical events began to emerge in indie role-playing game design communities. Examples include Grey Ranks (2007) by Jason Morningstar , which takes place during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising , and Montsegur 1244 (2008) by Frederik Jensen, in which players tell

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814-486: The first missions in the game is to find out what job is currently on at the castle and then finding a disguise to get in. The game was also released in 48k and 128k versions, with the latter featuring more locations and in-game music. In 2019, Jones donated the Tandy TRS-80 Model III computer that he used to create these games to The Centre for Computing History . Many floppy disks were also donated, along with

851-473: The floor. This game marked a significant departure from Finders Keepers . Magic Knight increased in size and the monsters were disposed of. This game also introduced the Windimation system, whereby the player could interact with other objects and characters (pick up/drop/throw/command/cast magic) via a system of menus. Magic Knight (and indeed the other characters in the game) all had RPG -like stats instead of

888-399: The galaxy. Magic Knight can beam down to some of these planets and explore on arrival, although he soon finds that not all of them are friendly. This game was released in 48k and 128k versions, with the latter having many more locations and in-game music. Similar again from a control point of view, but with a larger and more varied map, increased puzzle difficulty and more characters. One of

925-414: The gamemaster or game engine, or by people assisting the gamemaster. Non-player characters fill out the population of the fictional setting and can act as antagonists, bystanders, or allies of the player characters. [REDACTED] Media related to Role-playing games at Wikimedia Commons Collaborative storytelling A storytelling game is a game where multiple players collaborate on telling

962-520: The games' communication functions to role-play so long as other players cooperate. The majority of players in MMORPGs do not engage in role-playing in this sense. Computer-assisted gaming can be used to add elements of computer gaming to in-person tabletop role-playing, where computers are used for record-keeping and sometimes to resolve combat, while the participants generally make decisions concerning character interaction. One common feature of many RPGs

999-498: The late 1990s due to competition from online MMO RPGs, role-playing video games , and collectible card games. However, TTRPGs experienced a resurgence in popularity between the mid-2010s and early 2020s due to actual play web series and online play through videoconferencing during the COVID-19 lockdowns . The tabletop format is often referred to simply as a role-playing game . To distinguish this form of RPG from other formats,

1036-502: The map. Variation is added to the gameplay by the addition of objects, which can be picked up and utilised, or traded with the Traders that are scattered throughout various points in the castle (and coincidentally look exactly like Magic Knight). Certain objects, when carried at the same time will react to create new objects. Magic Knight has four lives, each with its own energy bar that is depleted by collisions with monsters, or certain parts of

1073-438: The number of players in a LARP is usually larger than in a tabletop role-playing game, and the players may be interacting in separate physical spaces, there is typically less of an emphasis on tightly maintaining a narrative or directly entertaining the players, and game sessions are often managed in a more distributed manner. Tabletop role-playing games have been translated into a variety of electronic formats. As early as 1974,

1110-485: The previous simple energy bar. This game operates in virtually the same way as Spellbound . It introduced the "advert" item, which appeared to have no purpose, but was essential as it could be stood on, allowing Magic Knight to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. The first mission is to get the crew of the USS Pisces to obey Magic Knight and to repair the ship. Once this is done they gain the ability to travel to anywhere in

1147-460: The responsibility for creating setting details and NPCs among all players. The first commercially available RPG, Dungeons & Dragons ( D&D ), was inspired by fantasy literature and the wargaming hobby and was published in 1974. The popularity of D&D led to the birth of the tabletop role-playing game industry, which publishes games with many different themes, rules, and styles of play. The popularity of tabletop games decreased in

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1184-517: The same year as the release of Dungeons & Dragons, unlicensed versions of it were developed on mainframe university systems under titles such as dnd and Dungeon . These early computer RPGs influenced all of electronic gaming, as well as spawning the role-playing video game genre. Some authors divide digital role-playing games into two intertwined groups: single-player games using RPG-style mechanics, and multiplayer games incorporating social interaction. Single-player role-playing video games form

1221-655: The setting and take supporting character roles, while others distribute this function among multiple players. White Wolf Game Studio 's Storyteller System , which is used in World of Darkness role-playing games such as Vampire: The Masquerade , is a well-known TTRPG described as a "storytelling game." These use a narrator. Other storytelling TTRPGs distribute narrative authority equally among all players. Examples include The Quiet Year , Fall of Magic , and Companions' Tale . In contrast to improvisational theatre and live action role-playing games , TTRPG players describe

1258-544: The spell to return everyone home. After freeing Gimbal, the spell to send Magic Knight home goes wrong, and instead of being sent back to the Middle Ages, he awakens on the USS Pisces in the 25th century. Magic Knight must then find a way to reach the Tyme Guardians and return home.   On returning from the 25th century, Magic Knight finds his local village terrorised by the "Off-White Knight", who has taken residence in

1295-408: The story. Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a small party of friends collaborate to create a story. While simple forms of role-playing exist in traditional children's games of make believe , role-playing games add a level of sophistication and persistence to this basic idea with additions such as game facilitators and rules of interaction. Participants in

1332-420: The use of dice and other randomizing elements. Some games are played with characters created before the game by the GM, rather than those created by the players. This type of game is typically played at gaming conventions , or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign. Tabletop (TTRPG) and pen-and-paper (PnP) RPGs are conducted through discussion in a small social gathering. In traditional TTRPGs,

1369-423: The venue may be decorated to resemble the fictional setting. Some live-action role-playing games use rock paper scissors or comparison of attributes to resolve conflicts symbolically, while other LARPs use physical combat with simulated arms such as airsoft guns or foam weapons . LARPs vary in size from a handful of players to several thousand, and in duration from a couple of hours to several days. Because

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