Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
In tabletop games, the adventures, usually characterized as quests to achieve some
goal, are devised and staged by one player acting in a special role as the
game master
or
dungeon master
(this topic uses the term
game master
or
GM
). The tabletop games'
rules are complex by comparison to other noncomputerized games. Almost all the
game activity takes place in the players' imaginations; only a few props or visual
materials depict the game world. Consequently, the players may propose to take
almost any action that they can think of, and the GM must decide whether the
action is permitted within the rules and determine its consequences. In general,
tabletop RPGs are permissive rather than restrictive, and any reasonable action is
allowed—with the definition of
reasonable
being the privilege of the GM. The pro-
cess involves a certain amount of ad-hoc rule making.
In CRPGs, the computer implements the rules, performs the activities of the game
master, and presents the game world on the screen. Because the computer can offer
the players only a fixed set of actions to take and can't invent new rules on the fly,
CRPGs aren't as flexible as the tabletop games. However, because the players do not
have to implement the rules and the graphics are often stunningly beautiful, CRPGs
are somewhat more accessible and attractive to the novice player than tabletop RPGs.
Multiplayer online RPGs also sometimes include human GMs who work within the
confines of the computer-controlled rules. The GM acts similarly to a GM for a
board game, modifying situations and keeping the game fresh. Chapter 21 covers
multiplayer online RPGs.
A key aspect of tabletop RPGs is, as the name suggests, role-playing—that is, impro-
visational drama in which each player plays the role of his avatar character and the
GM plays the roles of any NPCs. Emotional relationships can arise and change
among the characters as the players play their respective roles. A good role-playing
experience depends on the imaginations and acting skills of the players. For the
most part, however, CRPGs have only borrowed the general themes and core
mechanics from the tabletop games and not the role-playing activity itself. Single-
player CRPGs don't yet have the power to simulate NPCs with the acting skill of a
human GM. Role-playing in single-player RPGs is therefore limited to holding con-
versations with NPCs by means of a
dialog tree
, a technique that Chapter 7,
“Storytelling and Narrative,” discussed in detail.
In contrast, multiplayer online RPGs do allow real role-playing between characters
because the players can type messages to each other on the computer's keyboard
and sometimes even talk to each other via a microphone and speakers.
The essential parts of a computer role-playing game, then, are the quest or story of
the game and character growth. The quests usually require combat, and the rules of
the game are designed to support it. The rules also define how character growth
occurs. Creating a successful CRPG depends on providing a captivating story and a
rewarding character growth path.
