Over the years I have seen many different opinions on the "what is a Role Playing Game" section of games.  It seems to vary from year to year.  How do you feel about having this section in a Player's Guide, and, what should it tell?

If you have it, it should be in a "if you are new to RPGs" section or a short summary of your game that gives readers an overview of the terminology for your system. Just tell what sort of RPG it is and how you expect it to be played. Use it to introduce new terms. Avoid comparisons to other games or buzzwords.

Better question: "What kind of RPG is this?"

Speaking as a vehement proponent of TradRPGs (read: RPGs), even those have enough variation between them, that vaxing philosophical over their commonalities is not pragmatic and probably will alienate the person asking.

I would edit out that section if I could
  I would replace it with a brief compare and contrast between my game and other RPGs.

I think even in the dark ages of the early 80s I understood from the friends that played RPGs what RPGs were before I opened my first RPG.

Pro tip: if you are writing an RPG or even a 5th grade theme paper,; don't ever use sentence like the last one you read above.

Quote from: rway218;1074734Over the years I have seen many different opinions on the "what is a Role Playing Game" section of games.  It seems to vary from year to year.  How do you feel about having this section in a Player's Guide, and, what should it tell?

If the game is being sold to RPG players, there isn't much point having it. However, if the game is aimed at new people then it is worth including.

For me, Role-Playing Games allow me to explore a setting as a character. It is the ultimate expression of "That scene in that film is rubbish, I wouldn't have done that" or "Who would win in a fight, a lion with steel claws or a tiger with a breath weapon". In essence, it is "Let's Pretend for Grownups". I can take part in the Crusades, be one of the Merry Men, fly a Starship in the Asteroid Belt or fight a legion of zombies.

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1074779Better question: "What kind of RPG is this?"

Agreed, though I'd be even more specific/narrow:  "How do you play this RPG?"  Written well, that section is going to handle new players and interested experienced folks alike.  Because it will give a few examples of play that show how the game is distinct from other RPGs while also showing how the designers envision it being played.  That, and a good character sheet design, will do more to introduce the game efficiently, than anything else you could do.  

By osmosis, from that section, a complete novice player will gain some idea of what an RPG is.

Here's the definition I came up with some years ago:

QuoteOral activity focused on interacting with imagined spaces, characters and situations, according to set upon rules.

Note that I don't count Live Action, improv theatre, non-interactive storytelling and such, as I find the dialogue component crucial, and any physical action non-mandatory. I don't count text-based online games either, I see those as a different related hobby due to strongly varying flow and play techniques. Same for massive multiplayer games, RPG-like board games and such, I count those as different beasts and my definition excludes them. As long as we're talking about classic tabletop RPGs, there must be an oral component, an imagination component, and some rules structure.

Otherwise, it's a broad definition, and I do count most so called Story Games, unless very avant-garde.

As for including "what is Role Playing" sections in games, I think it's a waste of space. People tend to know what they have in their hands, new players rarely start from reading game manuals, and it's more useful to explain the specifics of the game in question as opposed to generalising broader hobby.

Quote from: belabor;1075022I don't count text-based online games either, I see those as a different related hobby due to strongly varying flow and play techniques.

Live text-chat games are definitely RPGs. It's just typing instead of talking. Asynchronous formats - PBP, PBEM - I guess you can argue it.

Border case and I'm not really sure about that, based on my experience with IRC gaming. I lost something in translation though. Perhaps

QuoteActivity focused on interacting with imagined spaces, characters and situations through dialogue, according to set upon rules.

would be closer to the original wording in my native language. But then it would be possible to argue it covers asynchronous games, as asynchronous dialogue is still dialogue, while the format is far too removed from tabletop gaming and tends to fall closer to collaborative writing.

I do consider voice-based online gaming largely identical to gaming face to face anyway.

EDIT: Duh.

QuoteSocial activity focused on interacting with imagined spaces, characters and situations through spoken dialogue between participants, according to set upon rules.

And voila, here's my definition as it should sound. Sorry, IRC. (Maybe "text-based emulation" will be a satisfying enough term.)

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1074779Better question: "What kind of RPG is this?"

Agreed. THIS is a better focus these days. Nobody is picking up a RPG without knowing the basics of WTF a RPG might be.

I actually did pick up my first RPG (the Swedish "Drakar & Demoner") without the slightest clue, and a light bulb went off in my brain when I read the "what is an RPG" section. I think it is useful in games that cater to beginners (and others), but perhaps not in every game.

Quote from: soltakss;1074965For me, Role-Playing Games allow me to explore a setting as a character.... I can take part in the Crusades, be one of the Merry Men, fly a Starship in the Asteroid Belt or fight a legion of zombies.

I like this very much. Yoink!