What is Roleplaying?

Last week I posed the question "are you a closet gamer?" and so far the associated Poll has had a good and quite interesting response. One of the reasons I brought the subject up was the fact that in the last couple of weeks I have twice had to explain to a non-gamer what roleplaying was.

My hobbies are more diverse than just roleplaying but even the supposedly ‘peculiar’ hobby of Wargaming is easily understood by lay-folk. With Wargaming there are opposing players, definable objectives and usually a winner. All within the realms of most ‘normal’ strategy games. In short Wargaming has a familiar format that anyone who has ever played chess or draughts will recognise. Roleplaying however is a different beast entirely and defining it in a simple way is hard, if not impossible.

A commonly referred to description is “co-operative storytelling” which perfectly sums up roleplaying to a roleplayer. But whenever I have used this phrase on non roleplayers I see their eye’s glaze over and just know they haven’t a clue what I’m talking about. I usually try to correct matters by expanding the explanation, drawing parallels to Improvisational Theatre or childhood games of make-believe. This just makes matters worse because it seems to the outsider that roleplayers are just sitting around talking and making stuff up. This isn’t clearly isn’t a grown up pursuit and hints at child like behaviour or worse still, mental illness.

Of course the reality is that roleplaying games do have more in common with childhood games of lets-pretend than they do with structured board games or computer games played by adults. Despite the proliferation of rulebooks that provide the internal structure of a game like DandD, at heart it’s still a game of make believe. And it’s this element of childlike behaviour juxtaposed with a grown up game that I think freaks people out and has often turned DandD into a taboo games that people can’t understand.

History teaches us that which cannot be understood is often feared. Its irrational and bigoted but its also an evolutionary throwback to our caveman days when the unknown usually came with 9 inch sabre teeth and a taste for human flesh. And its this combination of confusion, lingering suspicion and sometimes outright hostility that makes the need for a clear definition all the more important.

So here's my definition, for what its worth.

"Roleplaying is game of storytelling where the players imagine themselves as characters in a fictional adventure and work together to explore the location and events as described and guided by a referee."

 I'd be glad to hear what you say when asked, What is Roleplaying?

Big Picture : Dorkmaster

One of the things I love about attending conventions is the people you meet. In 2004 I was lucky enough to chat with one of my favourite webcomic artics, John Kovalic of Dorktower fame.

As well as being a very talented artist he was also a very funny guy to chat to... and he drew me a personalised cartoon in one of his books I'd bought. I'm proud to call myself a member of his Army of Dorkness. 

Poll: Are you a closet gamer?

It's time for another "getting to know you" poll. With the readership and Followers of this blog increasing I thought I'd pose another question that will not only help me understand who you are but is also a subject I have a keen interest in. The poll can be found on the Right of this column and comments or discussion can be left below.

For many years I kept my 'gamer' persona strictly private and out of the public domain. Back in those heady days when I thought I might have a glittering career before me I decided coming out about my hobby might prove damaging to my job opportunities. Now I'm older, tireder, considerably more cynical and don't give a huff what my colleges think of my hobbies. To steal (and mangle) a well used slogan "I'm a gamer, and I'm Proud". So my question to my readers is simply this: Do you keep your Roleplaying/Wargaming/Painting interests a secret from your work colleges?

If, like me, you have a blog or other social site about your hobby then the cat is well and truly out of the bag, but many gamers I know keep their hobby interests segregated from their work life. I guess if your a high ranking Civil Servant, a High Court Judge or CEO of a big multinational, letting on about your 'little metal men' probably won't do your image much good in the shallow culture we live today. But for the majority of average people do our hobby interests really have that much of an impact on career opportunities?

I took a conscious decision not to hide my hobbies from view when I started getting involved in online forums and game network sites. I knew that the Internet would 'blow my cover' and I took some time to really think about the impact this might have on my career. In the end I concluded the answer to that questions was "next to none" and decided to stop hiding my hobby like an embarrassingly illness. That's not to say I publicise my interests. I don't turn up to meetings and say "My name is Lee Hadley and I paint toy soldiers..." and I don't have an "I brake for Kobolds" bumper sticker on my car. But now and again the subject comes up and I no longer hide my interests. Has it damaged my reputation? I don't think so. I've had promotions and pay rises since I 'came out' and most people I talk to seem to be genuinely interested in my hobby. I've even discovered a few closet gamers in the company, although I'd never reveal this fact unless they felt comfortable about it.

The silly thing is our hobby isn't something to be embarrassed about. Thanks to my hobby I have a keen interest in History and Art and have developed skills in Photography, Computing, Painting and Writing. Put like that our hobby is a bona fide asset on any CV.

Tiger 131 on DVD

Back in June I went to the Bovington Tank Museum annual Tankfest show with my brother-in-law. We had a great time and I shot several hundred pictures and posted them on this Blog. But I also treated myself to a couple of DVDs  while we were at the show and have been meaning to review them ever since.

The first DVD is "Saving the Tiger : The Story of Tiger 131" and is exclusively about the only running Tiger I Tank in the world. The story of its capture in 1943, its assessment back in England and its renovation are dealt with in detail and some of the key people involved at each stage are interviewed. In particular Peter Gudgin who's Churchill tank was knocked out by Tiger 131 and who later found himself being assigned to assess and report on the Tiger's capabilities.

In addition to the main documentary there are some extra features including the full length version of the 1943 Tiger recognition film produced for the Allied forces. I found this quite a useful insight into the training techniques employed during the war as well as highlighting some interesting recognition features of the Tiger.

The second DVD also features Tiger 131 extensively and is called "The Tiger Files".  This is a very interesting documentary lasting 72 minutes and includes archive footage and veteran interviews throughout. Whereas the first DVD looked specifically at the life of Tiger 131 this documentary looks at the full story of the tiger from drawing board to battlefield.

One of the most interesting parts of the documentary is some film shot inside the Tiger during a driving run. It shows the both the technological and technical innovation of the Tiger and some of the difficulties faced by all tank drivers on both sides of the war.  There is also some interesting interviews with various veterans that faced the Tiger in combat including Joe Ekins who is attributed with killing the German tank ace Michael Wittmann.

Tiger 131 at Tankfest 2010

Both DVDs can be bought via the Tank Museum website or in the shop at the museum itself. I think they are an excellent insight into this iconic weapon of war and well worth buying if you have an interest in WWII Armour.