PnP RPGs, The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

     Playing a pen and paper (PnP) Role Playing Game (RPG) has been one of the most fun and rewarding things I have ever done. It lets you enter a world where you have complete control of your character everything from back-story and skills to appearance and family. These are things that Video games are just now delving into the basics of. Now don’t get me wrong I LOVE video games but nothing feels as real or as fulfilling as a PnP RPG.

     My RPG of Choice is the Old World of Darkness Games. Old World of Darkness (oWOD) takes place in a world similar to our just darker and more deranged. The world is home to many creatures’ vampires , werewolves ,mages , changelings , demons , and even wraiths (ghosts). Now I know what you may be thinking this sounds like a twilight fans wet dream. NO, Vampires don’t sparkle; they don’t frolic around during the day falling in and out of love. They are vicious and play mind games with all those around them. Werewolves are fighting a never-ending war to preserve the untamed forests they love. Mages are having a civil war between mages who want to preserve nature and those who want to advance technology. Demons will stop at nothing trying to rid the world of the “human disease” remake the earth as it was before man ruined it. Wraiths are undead sprits trying to affect the world they once roamed.

     It’s hard to explain how wonderful and fulfilling this game really is. Especially, when you try to explain to someone who has never played a PnP RPG you just sound like a crazy person. Now you don’t have to dress up or act out what the character is doing. (You can if that is your sort of thing.)

     So for those of you who read this and have never played a PnP RPG, I’ll explain how it works. First you need to get the core book for the game you’re going to play. (I will put a few in the store so you can look thorough and see what games are for you and your friends). Second you need to decide who is going to be the storyteller (or DM for you D&D fans). The Storyteller will be the controller of the story he/she guides your characters on an adventure. He/she will describe what you see, who you meet; he/she will even play all the NPCs (Non-Player Characters). Once you have the Core book and the story teller now you need to make a character. In oWOD you get to choose everything about your character back-story, talents, skills, appearance, even merits and flaws. For you first character it usually helps to make it as much like yourself as possible. Playing is easier in the beginning to learn the game and not having to think too much about what your character would do next. Last but not least you need dice to play for wod you need a minimum of 10 d10's (10 sided dice). You need a few more dice for D&D d4, d6, d8, d12, d20 and two d10, both of which are used together to represent a d100, d%, or percentile die. Well that’s how to start out playing PnP RPGs give it a try it’s a lot of fun when you play with people you like.

I think this says it best.

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