This is a spin-off discussion from the Fantasy Literature Influences and D&D thread.

What if, instead of tactical wargaming, some other type of game had been the catalyst for the first big/modern Roleplaying game, so that instead of D&D that evolved from Chainmail, you had a game (called D&D or otherwise) that evolved from some other sort of game.  What might that game have been?  What modern games could you imagine evolving into an RPG if they didn't already exist?  What do you think this alternate game genesis would mean for the RPG -- both singularly and as a hobby?

Without evolving from war games I think the emphasis on tactical movement and combat would have much less influence on RPGs.

I can imagine that Clue (1946) could have been an alternate genesis for RPGs.  You're controlling a character, and moving around a mansion -- that's already very RPG like.  RPGs that evolved from Clue would have had much less combat, and much more emphasis on "investigation" and social interactions between the characters.

A D&D descended from bridge would be...uh...even more confusing.  You think Attacks of Opportunity are squirelly now...imagine what they'd be like if clubs wasn't trump for North!

Or...whatever bridge-speak is.

What if man didn't evolve from primates?

IMHO that's the problem. Would it be RPG if it would've went another way?

After Gary Gygax's and Dave Arneson's ideas hit the interwebs, Dance Dance Revolution would never be the same.

I don't think this is possible but it would have been an interesting concept:

With the big TV strike of 69 still going, charades had undergone a big revival.  The critical step came from Ed "thunderhands" Compapum.  He initially termed it meta-charades but switched to ongoing charades or OC.  The key is everyone acts out something, not just one person.  The leader or or clue giver (CG for short) would pantamime a scene or event.  As people picked up on the theme, they would create a personage consistent with it and begin acting out their reaction to or involvement in the scene.  

Freeform meta-charades still exist but most people have moved on to a more structured game.  The two big issues were handling chaos and resolving conflicts.  With everyone gesticulating at once, it was hard to pay attention.  This led to the leader pointing to who was to act next, sometimes according to complicated rules of order.  

To resolve incosistent actions, many groups started cutting cards, with the highest card winning.  The problem is that it made everyone equally good at everything.  The innovation came from Mary "pink hair" Sanderson, who started allowing players to write down on flashcards something they were good at, which gave them a +5 bonus on the card draw.  So, a strong character was more likely win in feats of strength and a detective was more likely to find a clue.  From there, groups started adding structure to how many and how big of bonuses you can have.  The most common rule is a total of +10, with no more than +5 in any one area.  Some groups have lists of strengths you can choose from so that things are on a more level and consistent footing.  Other groups have allowed players to pick one thing they're bad at to get more positive points.  Hats or chest bands designed to hold flashcards are now widely available.

The last big innovation that has proven surprisingly controversial is props.  Purists argue that props get in the way of pursuit of real charades.  But most have decided that it adds to the fun to have cheaply made plastic objects than are vague enough that they can be described as dozens of different items.  OC props shops can be found in almost every city.

If RPGs were based on Single Person Shooters, we'd soon run out of players...

-clash

I dunno. I was kind of liking the Clue direction. I mean... competitive RPGs might actually be fun. Wouldn't necessarily require a GM... which would be wierd.