Friends
The main reason I play tabletop role playing games is for the friends I have at the table. I’ve been gaming with the members of my current group for between 7 and 25 years, depending on which member I’m accounting for. They’re great people. They’re great friends (during and between sessions). We’ve helped each other move between houses. We’ve helped each other with social/emotional support through ups and downs. They truly are friends, and if my phone rings with one of them on the other end, I’m very likely to drop everything I have in hand right now to help them with whatever they may need.
When I’m not gaming with my regular group, odds are I’m at a convention table amongst near or total strangers. While there with these folks, I do my best to be friendly toward them. I fully expect the same attitude to be reflected toward me as well. There’s no room for player antagonism at the table, regardless of setting or familiarity with the other people.
Escapism
I get enough of reality in heaping doses as it is. I suspect the vast majority of other gamers are in the same boat. During the hours I’m at the gaming table, very little of the real world matters to me. I’m not there anymore. I’m off in some magic-filled fantasy land, aboard a spaceship with FTL travel, hacking through some VR-styled networks, or ripping clips down range at very bad people.
Regardless of the genre, system, setting, or game that I’m playing, I’m immersed in it. I’m not stuck in the real world or my forty-hour-a-week job or trying to fix computers or building web sites or whatever. I’m elsewhere. I’m also someone else doing cool things that I normally couldn’t do myself.
Heroism
Which brings in the next point. A very small percentage of people in the real world are true heroes, but I get to be one while immersed in my imaginary worlds. I’m (as Ang puts it), a Big Damn Hero, and I get to act like one. The accomplishments and actions I go through are amazing, fulfilling, and heart-warming. I get to save children, put down bad people, defeat mythic monsters, and make amazing discoveries that might change the world (or galaxy or universe) around my character.
Entertainment
There’s a saying that goes, “If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right!” I completely agree. Games should be entertaining. Your character should be fun to play. The people you surround yourself with should be amazing to be around. The game mechanics you interact with should be engaging. The world, NPCs, monsters, bad folks, and other interactions within the game should be interesting. RPGs are, at their core, entertainment. Anything that detracts from this should be carefully examined and changed (or removed).
Sense of Accomplishment
Through my character in the game, I get to do incredible feats. I pull off stunts that no mere mortal should be able to do. I get to shoot a laser blaster. I get to swing intelligent swords. I get to perform magic. I get to heal faster than Wolverine. I get to survive wounds and events that would crush the real me like a rotten grape. I also get to take on quests, missions, heists, jobs, and adventures that produce thrilling stories that even the best authors in the world would envy as storylines.
Unexpected Storytelling
As with any group effort, it’s not just about me. It’s about us as a whole. This means there are many times at the table that someone else (GM or player) will come up with an idea that will absolutely amaze or surprise me to the core. These unexpected turns of events in the storytelling jazz me up. Sometimes, I’ll sit there in shocked silence with my mouth agape. Other times, I get a broad smile on my face at the sheer audacity of the concept that was just presented. These twists almost always amuse me, and I love seeing how they play out and conclude.
Math/Mechanics
Yeah. I’ll admit it. I’m a math geek. RPGs aren’t just about the storytelling and collaboration and events and friendships and amazing feats. It’s about the math as well. I’m not a min/maxer, but I would consider myself an optimizer. I like having effective characters, but I also enjoy flawed characters. No one (even an imaginary person) is perfect, and I like keeping this true. Regardless of the flaws my characters have, I love how their set of skills and abilities intersect with the game mechanics, world, bad folks, monsters, other characters, and the special parts of the setting. There’s just something fun about doing the math to determine if a random chance of success turns out good, bad, wonderful, or ugly.
Conclusion
There are lots of reasons people play RPGs. The above are mine. What are yours? Why do you play RPGs? What jazzes you about getting together with your group and rolling some dice while playing make believe? Drop me a note on my socials or as a comment here. (PS: You can find links to all of my socials at https://jtevans.net/ in the blue bar at the top of every page. All of my social posts related to Gnome Stew are public and open for comments.)
Back in the days we used to say “A day with a roleplaying session is better than a day without a roleplaying session”. And it’s true stil. Every time I think about quitting a session because the day has been tough, and then I don’t quit … it was the right decision. Every single session of the last years has been an amazin eveing, with lots of fun and laughter and amazing ideas and creativity. And I think what Pete Petrusha said on the Dicegeeks-Podcast is just true: “There is nothing bad about them [memories of past roleplaying session together]. They are innocent memories. There is no way of looking back on them and remembering bad parts. They only bring a smile to your face, they only give you incredible joy.”
That’s a great outlook on gaming, Ben. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!