A brief history of (my) writing

To role-play or not to role-play

Are you a role-player?

I am.

And while I do appreciate a bit of punishing the naughty secretary or seducing the lady of the manor, that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about role-playing games and, more specifically, tabletop RPGs. You know, the ones where you sit down with friends around... literally... a table and pull out something like Dungeons & Dragons. Each player plays the role of a specific character. And there is a game/dungeon master to guide the flow of the story.

Computer RPGs are another matter entirely. For the most part, computer RPGs are tactical combat games with some customization options. Whatever roleplaying is in them is severely limited and heavily scripted. To the extent that actually playing a role is next to impossible. There might be a few choices you can make that mildly impact the story's ending, if that. Or some form of "alignment" system that scores your actions on a good vs evil axis or some such.

Don't get me wrong: I love me some computer RPGs. Be they old classics like Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape: Torment or more recent stuff like Witcher 3. It's great fun, but it barely qualifies as role-playing.

With that out of the way, on to the actual point of this post:

If you are a writer, are RPGs a good way to spend your precious time, or is it a waste of time?

Or, in other words, can playing RPGs teach you to be a better writer?

The short answer: I think that depends on you, the writer. 

The slightly longer answer: It can be very useful, but it depends a lot on you (and your group).

Are you playing for the laughs? Or are you deeply invested in crafting believable characters with real wants, needs, and character arcs? Are your adventures structured like real stories, with relatable antagonists, acts, tension building, and climaxes? Or are they just a string of rooms with monsters in them?

The much longer answer: When I play RPGs, it's all about the characters and their stories. 

Yes, there will be conflict and combat, and yes, there will be treasures to be had, but only when it fits into the story. And while there are experience points to be had from adventuring, the main driver is character growth, not power levels or whatever.

This is me talking from the perspective of the game master, a role I often assume and where I have more control over how the game develops. But even when I'm "just" a player, this is what I'm looking for in a game.

Anyway. 

Here are the main RPG takeaways for me as a writer:

* Improvisation: I need to improvise - a LOT. No matter how well-planned a story is, it will not survive contact with the players. NEVER. But if you know the setting, the characters, and the main story points, you can adapt on the fly, and everyone will think each scene flowed EXACTLY the way you had planned.

This is exactly how I write my stories. A strong foundation of characters, plot, and antagonist. An overall act structure, conflict, and tension building. A clear and satisfying climax, but with the potential for continuing the story. But I do NOT plan out each scene or chapter before I write them. Instead, I input something into a scene, and then, as I write it out, it naturally flows from start to finish based on those inputs.

Does that make me a planner or a pantser? That's a story for another day.

* Descriptions: You learn to describe the world and its inhabitants quickly and efficiently. You don't want to spend too long on too elaborate descriptions, but you equally don't want to be walking blind. Players need just enough sensory clues to get their imaginations going. The rest of the job they do themselves.

I find this ports directly over to my writing: I try not to overburden the reader with details. Just enough to get their imagination going. The rest of the space I use for plot and character development.

 * Characterizations: How do you make a never-ending stream of major and minor NPCs (non-player characters, i.e. the supporting cast) look, sound, and feel like unique, memorable individuals? That's too big a topic to get into here but believe me; you get a TON of practice if you play RPGs.

And this ports very well over to writing: having a strong, unique supporting cast in your novel can make the story a lot more interesting.

* Dialogue: By extension, my RPGs tend to have a LOT of dialogue between a great number of characters. We can have entire sessions where just talking - between player characters and/or supporting characters - is the main activity. For that to be interesting, dialogue needs to be in character, conflict-driven, and plot-related.

I feel my written dialogue has benefited a lot from my RPG experience. Maybe it's the sheer volume of spoken that's helped me grow as a writer. Oh, and I'm also comfortable writing dialogue between more than two characters. That's definitely something I learned from my role-playing.

* World-building: While many RPGs come with a pre-existing setting (world), they never detail everything. You always have holes to fill. That said, I just LOVE world-building. I have since the first time I read Lord of the Rings, including the appendixes... so thanks for that, Tolkien :-)

And since I'm heavily into sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal, world-building is pretty much where all my stories begin. So there is a direct link between RPGs and my writing.

* Perspectives: Last but not least... EACH PLAYER brings something unique to the table. They provide different perspectives on the world, on the plot, and on the characters. They create and play their characters in ways that surprise and intrigue me. Without the input of the players, the game would be boring and stale, like a computer RPG. It would proceed exactly as planned, no twists or surprises.

These players - and their characters - greatly inspire my writing. They show me ways of thinking and acting I would not otherwise have known. Indeed, some of my favorite written characters are inspired by RPG characters created by my players. And some dialogue and scenes are crafted based on things that happened in other worlds and storylines.

If that sounds strange, think about this: how many of your main characters and supporting cast feel, if you look closely at them, samey? Be honest. Look closely. Are you really able to consistently create compelling characters with unique voices? Or do they sort of blend together? If the latter, would it help to get some inspiration from others? Or did you already get inspiration from other books, movies, or TV shows? Because if you did, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I think I've gone on long enough. Time to wrap this up. Tabletop RPGs are great, and if you're not doing it, you're missing out. 

So, get a copy of DnD, gather your friends, and start playing. They'll never realize you're just using them to become a better writer...

Keep writing, 

Felix