A History Of Pen & Paper RPGs

Thanks to Skotos.net for their column discussing a brief history of tabletop role-playing games, as the author, aided by resources such as the Pen & Paper RPG database, charts the evolution of the RPG from 'character modelling' in the earliest titles ("...the purpose was to create statistics, abilities, and rules which could be used to depict a character"), through 'character development' in the original 1974 Dungeons & Dragons ("Instead of having static characters, players were offered ways for their characters to evolve and change"), right up to the 'story telling' emphasis in the '80s and beyond ("player investment in individual characters was dramatically reduced in exchange for telling better stories.")

Comments

Rifts

[zarthrag]

Rifts is the supreme pizza with extra anchovies of the RPG world, period. *anything* can happen in Rifts. And how can you not love the magic versus technology theme???

Re:Rifts

[shadowcabbit]

Rifts is good-- but the massive amounts of arcane and complex rules turned me off after a while. d20 Modern's Urban Arcana is a pretty good take on the magic/technology thing as an alternative.

Make your own paper and pen RPG

[MMaestro]

I don't know if history will ever note or realize it, but people have been forming their own paper and pen RPGs privately and secretly for years now. A friend of mine has a DM who modified the rules of D&D to have new skills, spells and races complete with stats, rules and background information. Now if someone is willing to spend the time to do that, theres bound to be someone who wrote up an entire paper and pen game if paper and pen RPGs have been around that long.

Don't forget Flying Buffalo

[TerryAtWork]

They were running PBM games back when computers were for the very few.

When the net came along I thought well there goes Flying Bufflo, but no - they're still around - and on the net.

Re:Don't forget Flying Buffalo

[secolactico]

You know... years ago, when I was young and careless, I took a look at PBeM and tought "what a bore... play a turn and wait forever for the next one". But now that I have to deal with REAL LIFE (read work) it looks like they just might fit the bill! I can't afford to play for hours in one sitting any more.

Flying Buffalo. I'll definitely will be checking them. Anyone has more PBM or non-realtime games recommendations? Heck, I'll probably take a look at that fantasy football again.

Those interested in seeing what PBEM is about, you can lurk here.

Re:Oh, yeah, that's why

[Golias]

Quality of entertainment is much, much more important than length of entertainment

I agree wholeheartedly.

That's why I'd rather own any one version of D&D than every "Baldur's Gate" computer game ever made. No computer game can compare to the infinite variety of pencil-and-paper gaming.

Oh yea, and you can get more length of entertainment, as well as more quality of entertainment, out of any RPG than you can out of any existing computer game. Unless you are one of those people that think re-playing the same 10 hours of Diablo II over and over again to be the most fun thing ever.