Written by Charlie Johnson
Fans of the retro should rejoice! What was once considered old hat and only for nerds, is now the new cool. Comic books are in. Fantasy and science fiction stories are in. SNES style games that are impossible to beat (I’m looking at you Cuphead) are in. Finally, Tabletop Roleplaying games are in. While it’s still a niche interest at this point, TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things are reminding us about these gems from the past. These days more and more people are stocking game manuals and boxes of dice in stores. On top of that, the internet is driving a huge revival. People are scouring their old books for content and updating them for modern rule sets. Not to mention heaps of people who played these games are now old enough to be writing their own game systems and providing us with so many options. Yes, the roleplaying fraternity is alive and well. However, if you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how to get into a game or start one yourself. This is where I come in.
I’ve been involved in Tabletop RPG’s for the last seven years. One of my friends sent me a YouTube video of some guys playing a game online. They were playing Dungeons and Dragons with each other and recording the whole thing via Skype. I was immediately struck by the imagination of the whole thing. Here were these five people playing make-believe on camera—there were no effects, no controllers, no graphics at all. They were just on camera, talking to each other, pretending to be these amazing characters, and occasionally they would roll a dice. I was blown away. Three hours later I was still watching this series and had to stop myself. I wrote back to Josh and said, “We need to do this.” Fast forward the next seven years and here we are, having graduated from running a game session in a friend’s living room, we now run games once a week for 20-25 people under the banner of Diehard Games.
Here you can check out the video that got me started:
Now to answer the question you all came here for: How do I start my own game? Your first step is research. Before you can start inviting people over and ordering pizzas, you need to figure what kind of game you want to play. There is a heap out there to choose from. Don’t feel overwhelmed by this though. It’s like shopping for a new car. The only reason there are so many is because people like different things. Some people like a car that they can get inside and tinker around with. They play Pathfinder because it is full of rules but provides a great amount of customisation. Some people like a car that’s quick and uncomplicated to take to the shops and back. They play Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition because it’s easy to pick up and great to take around and show new friends how to play. Some people like cars chock full of technology and gadgets. They tend to play the Star Wars RPG because of its futuristic setting, spaceships, and robots. Finally, some people like to play the gothic-horror game, Call of Cthulhu. These people don’t drive cars because The Great Old One doesn’t believe in them. But you get the idea. There are so many different kinds game out there, that your first and most difficult job to decide what fits you and your style of imagination.
I’m not going to lie. If you’re the one doing the research and telling your friends that you want to play, you’ll most likely end up being the one to run the game as the GM or Game Master. Working on this assumption, it’ll be up to you to source the reading material. There are a few ways you can go about sourcing the game manuals. The most obvious one is to hit up the internet but that’s boring. What I recommend is first asking the people at your local hobby or book store. While the most recent edition of D&D is easy to find, you might require the help of the store attendant to find any other games you’re seeking out. The best part about this is the conversation you get at the hobby store. The people who work there, live and breathe this stuff so they’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction and help find the game to suit you and your needs. The hobby store is also a great place to stock up on dice, graph paper, and any other odds and ends you might need.
It’s also worth noting here that there are two main types of game you can play. One is campaign style. This is where you act in accordance with a strict story and work towards its end goal. The other is what I term “Sandbox”. This is where you create a world for your players to run around in and make all the quests from your own imagination. Each has its own merits and flaws. Once again, talking to someone about these different game styles can be really helpful. If you are looking for some of the older materials, going to your local Sunday market or second-hand book shop can also provide a great challenge.
The next step on your Tabletop journey to get familiar with the rules. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have the patience to read the manuals from cover to cover. The best part is that you don’t have to! I read most of the basics for each new system I encounter. The first chapter or two and then flick the pages until something awesome catches my eye. The best part about these books is their index. If ever you need to know how much a rope can hold before breaking, or what size category an ogre fits into, you can normally look it up mid game with minimal stress. Personally, I find the best way to learn a new game is by playing it. So, after you’ve had a quick read of the rules and have either a world, or a campaign, the next step is to invite your players around to start messing around. It may be awkward in places. Sometimes your players will ask questions you don’t know how to answer. Sometimes your players will do things you never thought possible because this is a game that deals with dice and probability, seemingly impossible things happen. The key is to be flexible enough to work with it. Always be willing to compromise and rethink something. And sometimes, if a dice doesn’t quite have the result you wanted, you can change it. You’re the Game Master. You can do what you want so long as the players can’t see it *wink*.
In all seriousness though, these are the reasons I love to play these games. It’s those times that you rolled an impossible dice; the times that you all cheer because you beat the boss of the dungeon by one hit point; the times that you nearly die of laughter after that one friend gets arrested in town for flirting with a female guard too much. These kinds of Roleplaying Games are great for the community. They bring people together. For a few hours a time you’re all stretching your creative muscles and having a great time together. What more could you want?
