About Role Playing

What is a Role Playing Game?

Role Playing games are about imaginary worlds and creating characters in those worlds. Those characters are able to interact, explore and have adventures in that world. They would be like reading a novel, but in these games players are able to control the actions of their characters, and by taking on adventures and adversaries see their characters grow in power and abilities, if they can be keep alive for long enough. For there are treasure to find, but dangers to overcome.

There are many genre of role playing game, but Ordinem is set in a Fantasy world, otherwise known as Swords and Sorcery. Such worlds are set in an imaginary past, perhaps based the medieval world of real history and legend. However, unlike the real world these imaginary worlds are the places of monsters and magic, as Norse legend and king Arthur were. These can have danger and adventure for characters to overcome, but can also be used to aid them.

Adventures can be free standing, or fit into a greater world, which is called a campaign world. If a group play a number of adventures set in a single world then this is called a campaign. This allows the story to become greater than a single adventure as the players become involved in the worlds peoples, geography and their history and legends.

Role Playing Game Rules

As well as a fictional world, all Role Playing games require some rules. Some games are more complicated and have multiple books of rules, such as the classic Dungeons and Dragons 5E, and others are more simple. Ordinem uses a simplified set of rules that are published using an Open Gaming License (Version 1.0a) that is freely available for campaign world creators. These rules are known as the System
Reference Document 5.1, and more can be found out about them at The Rules.

Most role playing games have two types of player. The adventure is created and run by a Games Master (GM), otherwise known as a Dungeon Master (DM). All the other participants are known as Players. Each player has a fictional character that they take into the world. The process and options for creating a character are described in the rules for the game. Normally the aim of the game is for the characters to work together as a group called the Party. By working together they take on challenges called Adventures. For the most party they should work together, though some characters may have differing agendas or personalities that can add to the role playing, but should not disrupt the adventure or the party to much, or that will upset the game.

Characters

People create all sorts of characters base upon the rules and their own imagination. Some people create characters that emulate things that they cannot do or be in real life, or heroes that they admire, but the best can be gained from role playing by creating entirely new and different characters. Each time a player creates a new character they can try different Classes and Race and even gender, in order to create new and original characters. Classes are the role playing game equivalent of professions, such as Fighters, Wizards or Rogues. Each role playing game, adventure or campaign world will have its own selection of character classes and races.

Playing Well Together

Role Playing games are about imagining worlds that don’t exist, and for the most part worlds that few people would want to exist. Because they are often bad and dangerous places.
By definition a fantasy role playing game will involve aggression and prejudice. This violence and prejudice would be part of the story, but it is really important to not allow such storylines or agendas into real life.
The most important thing about role playing games is that everyone involved has a good time. However, different participants will have different feelings about what is acceptable or not within a game, and so it is important to mutually understand what is okay. A GM can ask players about any particular concerns they may have before starting play, but players should be made comfortable to raise any concerns they have at any time.
So, please always endeavour to respect other people and keep the action in the game, not between the people that you are playing with, and not into the real world. Remember, it is all about everyone having fun, and the stories and the action are fiction, not reality.