quote: Original post by Rian
How can you catagorize a game based on story, length, or art style?!? That''s not what an RPG is, or what they''re all about. A Role Playing Game is just that: a game in which you take the role of a person or party of people. It''s not about anime or great intro music. It''s not about unicorns or Japanese programmers.

Thats what I said: I said that RPGs shouldn''t be though of this way (story length and art.) I''m just saying that if you dont inherit enough from the first RPG, then its not one. All the ''Japanese RPGs'' seemed to have inherited from D&D is the experience-type system where you build up your character.

quote: Original post by Sandman

No it shouldn't. RPG should mean 'ROLE PLAY GAME' because that's what the letters stand for. The battle system is completely irrelevant, you don't even NEED combat in an RPG.

This is true. You don't need combat (but it would be boring!)

Proof: imagine Musashi w/o badguys. You would still gain "Wisdom" from walking around, and so you would in a way still be improving, and thus improving your role (peacefully! amazing...).

For those of you who don't know Musashi (which is probably most of you) it's a stupid RPG by Square which attempts to combine Zelda-like gameplay with Final Fantasy-like stats.



[edited by - Rian on September 13, 2002 11:15:46 AM]

quote: Original post by pwd
I am sure that you are not familiar with LARP

No I''m not.

quote: Original post by pwd
The definition is in "playing a role", not in the mechanics.

Thats what I''m argueing; Its about the mechanics. RPG can mean almost anything and is too general a genre.

quote: Original post by Shambles
RPG can mean almost anything and is too general a genre.

Unless it invovles improving yourself, or your "role," its not an RPG. Not every game does that. Most don''t. Like I said before, Mario is not an RPG because Mario is still the same stupid plumber the whole game through. He doesn''t get any better. Sure, there''s a story line and a role, but he doesn''t improve through it!

quote: Original post by Shambles
If you take the acronym too seriously, then EVERY game becomes an RPG.

Not really, unless you take a very casual definition of the term 'roleplay'.

When you play mario, are you really 'roleplaying' him? Are you thinking "Now, if I was an italian plumber, and I was faced with an evil spiky tortoise thing, what would I do?"

Of course you aren't. You aren't putting yourself in the character's role at all, you are just bouncing around on platforms and stomping on bad guys.



[edited by - Sandman on September 13, 2002 11:24:27 AM]

quote: Original post by Rian
There are two main types of RPGs, and neither of them have to do with where they are from or their storyline:

Classic RPG: character gets stronger through experience, e.g. Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, D&D

Adventure RPG: character gets stronger through items/events, e.g. Zelda, Dark Cloud

There are other types which are basicly mixes of these main catagories.

Let me redevide those for you:
''Japanese Epic'': game with captivating storyline and a strategic battle system, e.g. Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior

RPG: Game that inherits a certain amount from D&D, e.g. D&D Dungeon Siege, Balder''s Gate

quote: Original post by Shambles
All the ''Japanese RPGs'' seemed to have inherited from D&D is the experience-type system where you build up your character.

YES! That''s my point! That IS what makes an RPG. Improving your role! Now do you see what links all RPG''s together?

quote: Original post by Rian
Unless it invovles improving yourself, or your "role," its not an RPG. Not every game does that. Most don''t. Like I said before, Mario is not an RPG because Mario is still the same stupid plumber the whole game through. He doesn''t get any better. Sure, there''s a story line and a role, but he doesn''t improve through it!

Does RPG contain any words that mean character building? Nope. When you play Super Mario Bros., you assume the role of the beloved (not stupid) plumber.

quote: Original post by Rian
YES! That''s my point! That IS what makes an RPG. Improving your role! Now do you see what links all RPG''s together?

No!! Its only a part of what the original RPG was, you have to inherit more than that to become and RPG.

quote:
Original post by Sandman, on a different thread here

What DOES make a good RPG is enabling the player to develop a complete character. You could have the best story in the world, it still isn't a 'true' RPG unless the characters personality has some influence on the way things pan out.

This pretty much covers it, as far as I'm concerned.

[edited by - Miserable on September 13, 2002 11:30:58 AM]