The same type of game can also be based on well-known backgrounds from Science Fiction (e.g. Star Wars, Startrek) or other scenarios (Victorian Age Stories, Horror Stories). In the following paragraphs I will concentrate on the Fantasy setting, though.
Each person plays a figure (called his 'character') in an imaginary world. The characters of the players form a group that will go through a number of adventures together. The player represents his figure in this world, he will make decisions for it, his figure will talk through his mouth. Still, the figure itself, as most of the game, only exists in the imagination of game master and players. Mostly a so-called character sheet is used to keep track of a figure's attributes, capabilities, and belongings. The character can be male or female, the player will choose a name and a race for his figure. In most fantasy worlds a multitude of races coexist in a more or less friendly manner, e.g. man, dwarfs, elfs, halflings, orcs, goblins, to mention the most frequent.
The character is furthermore often assigned a profession (e.g. warrior, bard, thief, priest or mage) which has a certain influence on his further development. In most rules 'human' attributes and skills are, for playing purposes, translated into numbers, the higher the number, the better a character's capabilities. Characters can and usually will develop through a series of adventures, thus becoming 'better' (in skill, not necessarily 'better' in a moral sense...). Devine influence and magic is part of most games and can be learned and practiced by certain professions, most frequently of course by priests and magicians.
As a final step before the actual game starts, the player will design his character's background, his or her history, parents, youth, and the reason why this particular character has become an adventurer.
So much for the preparations. Let the story begin.
Our gaming world is called Middle Earth, the same which is known from J.R.R. Tolkien's novels 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' (see also the map on my homepage). Many details remind the readers of the middle ages, magic is present but its use is rare.
The game master has prepared a scenario, a task which for him is similar to writing a story. Only, the players' characters interact with its author. They tell the game master what they are going to do next, he tells them what they see and hear and what the consequences of their actions are. All this takes place in form of discussions among the players.
At the start of the game the characters typically find themselves in places like a tavern, a forest or a ship, drinking, looking for a job, or travelling. Adventure comes upon them in form of an unexpected incident (e.g. an attack of orcs, the eternal 'cannon fodder' of evil), an encounter (e.g. with a mysterious eremite), or a job offer by some wealthey merchant, lord, or just the local major.
Let's follow Darin, the dwarfen warrior, Arag, the hobbit thief, and Raigam, the human mage who are enjoying a pleasent ride through a sunny countryside:
Game Master: As you are riding you see five persons on horseback
approaching. They are still a mile distant.
Darin: Do they seem to be a threat?
Game Master: You can't see yet, they're still too far.
Darin: In this case, I'll loosen my axe, just in case!
Arag: Oh, they are probably just travellers.
Raigam: Still, I'll prepare a sleep spell, to defend myself in case
they are hostile.
Game Master: As they come closer, you can see that the
persons are obviously a merchant with four of his
men and two additional packing ponies.
Arag: Cool, maybe we can buy some healing herbs or some
new clothes off him.
The encounter will be played out, the Game Master playing the merchant, the players trying to bargain. A lot of roleplaying, i.e. identification with one's role, is required from everyone. Had the encounter been an attack, Darin might have wielded his axe, Arag fought with his knife and Raigam thrown his spell. In this case, the attack results had largely depended on the characters' fighting abilities and luck in the dice rolls.
Like a good story, a well-prepared adventure will fascinate and suspend the players, complex plots like crime-stories and conspiracies will keep the characters busy and asure a lot of fun for every participant.
Unlike most games, Fantasy Role Playing rarely has explicit 'winners' and 'loosers'. If every character has survived the adventure, solved the tasks, gained experience and the players had fun, the aim of the gaim has been reached.
Fantasy Role Playing does have some rules for the handling of such complicated matters as the structure of a world, fighting, and the use of magic. But since most actions are played out in dialogue the players will only have to know some basic rules, and even the Game Master will often refer to his rule books only when a situation arises that requires this special knowledge, e.g. a fight, or a difficult manoeuver. Rule sets have been published by a number of companies. Our game is based on the rules of MERP and the very detailed RoleMaster System by Iron Crown Enterprises.
Against believe common among both players and people who hear about this genre for the first time, Fantasy Role Playing (FRP) is still a game. It is not to be mistaken for the Role Playing used in psychological therapy, neither is it to be taken too serious by the players and mixed up with reality...
