History Main / TabletopRPG

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the [[TurnBasedStrategy tabletop]] {{wargam|ing}}e, of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a GameMaster, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being Creator/GamesWorkshop's internationally successful ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its SciFiCounterpart ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract entities with [[AllThereInTheManual well-constrained abilities]]) came about in the mid-1960s with David Wesley's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German university town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign; this, in turn, eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons & Dragons''.

Yet another subset is the live-action role-playing game (or LARP). {{LARP}}s are similar to tabletop [=RPGs=] in how they play, but instead of sitting around the table, players actually act out the story physically. Since these situations don't lend themselves very well to long stat sheets or rolling dice, most [=LARPs=] use greatly simplified game mechanics, ranging from the "rock-paper-scissors" system used under White Wolf's first-edition ''Mind's Eye Theatre'' rules to semi-contact boffer-weapon systems clearly influenced by the Society for Creative Anachronism and other recreationist groups. These games vary greatly in size, from intimate affairs similar to traditional [=RPGs=], to massive events such as those run by the [[http://www.ifgs.org/ International Fantasy Gaming Society]] or [[http://www.live-adventure.de/ConQuest_english/start.php Mythodea]].

See TabletopGames for the broader category of games these fall into.

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract entities with [[AllThereInTheManual well-constrained abilities]]) came about in the late 1960s with David Wesley's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign; this, in turn, eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons & Dragons''.

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract concepts with well-constrained abilities) came about in the late 1960s with David Wesley's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign (and which in turn was eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons & Dragons'').

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract concepts with well-constrained abilities) came about in the late 1960s with David Wesley's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign (and which in turn was eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons and Dragons'').

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''Dungeons and Dragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract concepts with well-constrained abilities) came about in the late 1960s with David Wesley's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign (and which in turn was eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons and Dragons'').

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic. [[WordOfGod According to Dave Arneson]] (one of the co-creators of ''Dungeons and Dragons''), the modern concept of an [=RPG=] (with players being represented in the game by actual characters with unlimited potential to act, as opposed to countries, pawns, or other abstract concepts with well-constrained abilities) came about in the late 1960s with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wesely#The_Braunstein_Game "The Braunstein Game"]], a NapoleonicWars-era scenario where players took roles as city officials, soldiers, citizens, and students in the fictional German town of Braunstein. Arneson adapted the concept to his own scenarios which eventually became known as the ''Blackmoor'' campaign (and which in turn was eventually merged with the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' campaign of Creator/GaryGygax to become ''Dungeons and Dragons'').

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly, the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. Creator/HGWells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic.

* HouseRules

* LuckManipulationMechanic

* TurnBasedCombat

These tabletop [=RPGs=] [[MoralGuardians get a lot of flak from society]] -- usually due to misinformation or simply misunderstanding. Common myths include that roleplaying games lead to devil worship, that players (and not their fictional personae) carry out magical spells, and that players actually ''become'' their characters[[note]]which isn't so farfetched; roleplaying games and mental instabilities do not mix well, and some unstable players ''have'' 'lost themselves' in the game, though the stories that are commonly spread are largely apocryphal[[/note]]. Inexplicably, the stigma remains even after WorldOfWarcraft and its ilk have made it seem almost normal for the guy at the water cooler to ''insist'' on telling you about his elf.

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the [[TurnBasedStrategy tabletop]] [[{{Wargaming}} wargame]], of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a GameMaster, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being GamesWorkshop's internationally successful ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its [[RecycledInSpace sci-fi counterpart]] ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the g-- er, conducting exercises. H.G. Wells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic.

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the [[TurnBasedStrategy tabletop]] {{wargame}}, of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a GameMaster, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being GamesWorkshop's internationally successful ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its [[RecycledInSpace sci-fi counterpart]] ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the [[TurnBasedStrategy tabletop wargame]], of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a GameMaster, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being GamesWorkshop's internationally successful ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its [[RecycledInSpace sci-fi counterpart]] ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

'''Players: Question ''everything''.''\\\

->''GMs: Never let players question your [=GMing=] decisions.''\\\

* RolePlayingGameTerms

The {{role playing| game}} and [[RealTimeStrategy strategy]] games that one sees on computers and video game consoles are one permutation of a much older legacy. The originals were played with a book of rules, pencils, paper, dice, models and imagination - a form of low-tech virtual reality. [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120587-New-York-Museum-Boasts-2-000-Year-Old-Ancient-Egyptian-d20 D20 dice are apparently]] OlderThanFeudalism, though no one knows what they were used to play. These are still popular today, in many forms, the most widely known of which are tabletop {{RPG}}s and tabletop wargames.

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the [[TurnBasedStrategy tabletop wargame]], of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a GameMaster, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being GamesWorkshop's internationally successful ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its sci-fi counterpart ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

These tabletop [=RPGs=] [[MoralGuardians get a lot of flak from society]] -- usually due to misinformation or simply misunderstanding. Common myths include: that roleplaying games lead to devil worship, that players (and not their fictional characters) carry out magical spells, and that players actually ''become'' their characters[[note]]which isn't so farfetched; roleplaying games and mental instabilities do not mix well, and some unstable players ''have'' 'lost themselves' in the game, though the stories that are commonly spread are largely apocryphal[[/note]]. Inexplicably, the stigma remains even after WorldOfWarcraft and its ilk have made it seem almost normal for the guy at the water cooler to ''insist'' on telling you about his elf.

These tabletop [=RPGs=] [[MoralGuardians get a lot of flak from society]] -- usually due to misinformation or simply misunderstanding. Common myths include: that roleplaying games lead to devil worship, that players (and not their fictional characters) carry out magical spells, and that players actually ''become'' their characters[[note]]which isn't so farfetched; roleplaying games and mental instabilities do not mix well, and some unstable players ''have'' 'lost themselves' in the game, though the stories that are commonly spread are largely apocryphal[[/note]].

The {{role playing| game}} and [[RealTimeStrategy strategy]] games that one sees on computers and video game consoles are one permutation of a much older legacy. The originals were played with a book of rules, pencils, paper, dice, models and imagination - a form of low-tech virtual reality. [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120587-New-York-Museum-Boasts-2-000-Year-Old-Ancient-Egyptian-d20 D20 dice are apparently]] OlderThanFeudalism, though no one knows what they were played for. These are still popular today, in many forms, the most widely known of which are tabletop {{RPG}}s and tabletop wargames.

Tabletop wargames are OlderThanRadio with ''Kriegsspiel'' ("War Game") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights [[strike:playing the game]] conducting exercises. H.G. Wells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic.

[[redirect:TabletopGames]]