Vocabulum Graeculus: Role-Playing and Roll-Playing

The nature of pen-and-paper type role playing games is typically a relief from current day society; showing up as a need to break free from reality and feel that you are something you usually aren’t. Powerful, beautiful, rich, sneaky, cunning, wise, or even normal- people tend to find their escape through the endless combinations of class or character job, race or the species of the character, and personality that lies therein. However this Role Playing has a counter culture known simply as Roll Playing.

My intention is to define both terms and explain my personal experience with both. While some may not agree, I will be providing my own experience and metaknowledge on this, and certainly am not the be all, end all of the terminology.

Role Playing is oftentimes seen as a good thing. To become the character in the moment; to laugh, to cry, to feel as the character has felt is something that any Role Playing aficionado will tell you is a high that you can get hooked on. There is such a thing as too much role playing, but this is rarely an issue for the friends groups that get together to play these games. Rolling with what the dice does for a story is the point of the game - though sometimes it can be frustrating. Usually these are the typical players seen at most tables in games at home or even on acclaimed series like Critical Role or Dimension 20.

Roll Playing on the other hand is negatively associated with people who enjoy the games for the maximum efficiency of a character they can make. That isn’t to say this is necessarily a bad thing when done for the sake of the group or to insure inexperienced players don’t get flattened by bad decisions (i.e. “WE CAN TOTALLY TAKE THAT DRAGON GUYS!”).

However, when done as a self-aggrandizing or self-congratulatory practice in manipulating the rules and the dice, it’s seen as being unfun or even bad. This isn’t the case- the player doing this is just having fun differently; though they might not be a good fit at your table.

With over 8,000 hours logged on the gaming website Role20, and countless hours of play with real life friends, I can confidently say that most groups consist of at least a three quarters role player to one quarters roll player ratio. This is quite healthy and allows for someone who has mastered the system to help new or less savvy players along. It’s a learning experience for everyone involved.

However, there are groups that are solely made of Roll Players, that are… interesting. I personally do not find them worth my while as the lack of interaction between people is unsettling in what is ultimately a multi-player run story. Is this a bad thing? No. They’re having fun and if their way of doing that is not having a complex story and just throwing dice, who am I to stop them? It just isn’t how I personally have fun.

On the flipside however are groups of just Role Players, these are often akin to a theater group testing themselves and making their art known. It’s quite fun for the players. I have usually noticed the Game Master (or GM) being frustrated while the party dithers and dodders around for entire sessions in character. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but it can be frustrating for collaborative storytelling if no one leaves the tavern. However, the group having fun often trumps what the plan for the night originally was. After all, that Evil King or Dragon is going to be there next session. Right?

Having learned these terms and their pros and cons, what sort of player are you? Do you like the sound of rolling dice in large numbers and winning the day? Or would you rather hear the story that the other people are telling? Perhaps you’re in between. Perhaps you’re neither and you are your own unique brand! Whatever way you play, everyone’s welcome at the table.