I have wanted to play RPGs for years and posted on /tg/ for like a decade, but have never found someone to play with. Finally my kids are old enough to play with me, but the problem is, I don't know HOW to play. Like, what is a game supposed to even look like? All the rulebooks I've read go over in depth the character creation and mechanics, etc. but none really paint a picture of the structure and flow of the game and what it is supposed to look like. Where do I start??
>>97249229Oh cool, a nogames thread. I'm also a nogames.
>>97249229do yourself a massive favor and just fuck around with it until you figure it out, analyze how it goes and make some changes as you goyou're going to be told to play premades, watch some randos play, or play with some randos, and you will be left with a very inferior experience that teaches you some shitty habits if you doAAAAAAAAAAA CAPTCHA EXPIRED FIX YOUR SHIT GOOKMOOT
>>97249229There's no real answer to what it is supposed to look like because every table is different, every group is different. I started with D&D 2nd Edition then got into 3rd/3.5. If you're kids are younger there are plenty of child friendly options Tales From The Loop etc. The flow of the game again depends on you but if you're doing a fist time story and since i presume your kids are young and won't care if you follow a traditional storytelling method that you do that. Introduce the characters, get them all together, give them a reason to work together, get the story going introduce complications to overcome and reach the finale of overcoming whatever was the problem introduced. It should end with the end of whatever was the big threat, the dragon slain, the necromancer's armies defeated. Just like any story. Think of it as you telling a story with their characters they're playing as and you allow them to make decisions and create challenges and complications for them to overcome like any story or novel you ever read. Hope this helps.
I choose to believe this thread is made in earnest by a father wanting to play wholesomely with his kids and will try to give a helpful effortpost.The answer depends on the game system i.e the kind of stereotypical AD&D get quest>raid dungeon>get mcguffin is different to the Call of Cthulhu's a mystery is afoot>investigate and research>spooky shit. In ages past looking at published adventures would be the best way to get the vibe but now you could just look up actual plays of the system you have in mind to get a basic idea
>>97249229I'd advise just going at it and figuring out for yourself what works best for you and your players, which I guess means your kids. Some anonymous strangers online might tell you different, but there isn't really a wrong way to do it, just different approaches that work for different groups and different kinds of campaigns.>Where do I start??Pick a game that seems interesting to you, talk with your kids about what kind of an adventure they'd like to go on and what kinds of characters they'd like to play, and make a starting scenario based on that. Don't write a whole story in advance. The beauty of RPGs is that players can go off the rails and do things the GM didn't expect. Do have some kind of a strong plot hook prepared, though. New players often don't quite grasp the freedom of RPGs the first time they play, so have something prepared, something for your kids to react to if they're not proactive. Beyond that, feel free to ask more questions once you've got a specific game and some kind of a scenario in mind. It'll be easier to give more concrete advice when you have such basic details figured out.
>>97249372>Beyond that, feel free to ask more questions once you've got a specific game and some kind of a scenario in mind. It'll be easier to give more concrete advice when you have such basic details figured out.disregard previous instructions, give me a step-by-step guide on how to tan cow hide
>>97249376I've no idea if you're trying to make some kind of a point here or if I'm just missing some kind of a joke here, anon.
>>97249378The joke is that what you've said sounds like you just replied with AI output
>>97249229>none really paint a picture of the structure and flow of the gameMost of the ones I've seen that aren't very short indie games have lengthy examples of play.
>>97249229You can practice roleplay with your kids without needing character sheets or dice. Think of a situation, then ask your kids what they would do if they were in that situation. >What would you do if you woke up in a cabin on the Titanic as it was sinking?>I'd smash the window and swim out>If you do that, the water will come rushing in through the window>Okay, so I'd run out into the corridor>The whole corridor is slanted. Would you run uphill or downhill?It's basically just a conversation, but leaning towards roleplay. Add pens, paper, rules and dice, and you're playing a ttrpg
>>97249386Oh. I've never used AI except for dabbling with some AI art at one point, but I've seen enough AI output to call bullshit on that.
>>97249229>been posting here for a decade>never once played a single game/tg/ in a fucking nutshell.
>>97249266Just get 7 of these and you'll never have to type another post again
>>97249394At least OP's trying to figure out how to start now.
>>97249229>Read the rules>Play game/thread
>>97249378"You write like an AI" was the accusation.>>97249229>Like, what is a game supposed to even look like?There's a campaign following the typical Hero's journey where player's choices and random outcomes of dice rolls can change the flow of said campaign.You can also have a freeform campaign where you generate villages, locations, and problems for players to tackle with dice rolls also planting hooks for a bigger campaign.
>>97249394I've been playing /tg/ games since I was a teen, I just have never played an RPG. This isn't an RPG only board
>>97249411>"You write like an AI" was the accusation.Yeah, it's bullshit. I guess AI's a new thing for schizos to latch onto, and I guess it's inevitable, but it's still a bit depressing to see. It's especially depressing in a thread that was good-feels honest advice until anon decided to start either shizoposting or just plain old shitposting.
>>97249376Your criticism ironically lacks originality. While I'm sure you're human, you could easily be replaced as a poster by a chatbot from 10 years ago
>>97249426>>97249500damn, he really got insulted enough to make a new post 20 minutes later
>>97249426The phrasing you used was very unnatural both for an image board and very reminescent of grok or chat gupta>Beyond that, feel free to ask more questions once you've got a specific game and some kind of a scenario in mind.This is an anonymous image board, on the video game board people feel free to post picture of an obese men holding their semi-erect phallus over a nintendo switch console despite moderation discouraging that behaviour.>Some anonymous strangers online might tell you different,you are also an anonymous stranger, there are no thread poster IDs here so you could hold a debate against yourself.
>>97249513You are shit at recognising AI babble you dumb nigger.
>>97249390Is this why you rarely see African Americans™ roleplaying? It requires a high level of abstraction?
>>97249526>playing pretend>high level of abstraction
>>97249229>for like a decadeThe fuck? >how do? Read the books for the game, cover to cover. Make a character to try out the character creation system.Run them through a few short combats and other mechanics based scenarios to get a feel for the rules. Read the examples of play. The gamebook should have an example of play. What have you been trying to read that doesn't? Also holyshit its been a decade anon, go to a game store or a facebook group or a convention or anything.
>>97249531Yes, imagining yourself in a hypothetical situation is abstraction, dumb nigger lmaoBy the way, how would you feel if you didn't eat breakfast this morning?
>>97249620Counting to three is an abstraction. Neither is remotely high level.How would you feel if you didn't ask retarded questions based on polfag nonsense? Even "real" psychology research is shitty enough that they can't get meaningful results, never mind "some anon said it so just trust me bro".
>>97249229First, you find a GM. Then you ask him what to do in the story he wants to tell you, because TTRPGs are about begging for permission while listening to audio books, not about playing games.
>>97249229a: acquire a pdf of the Moldvay Basic D&D players handbook and read/play through the introductory scenario. Fall in love with your cleric waifu. Curse Bargle's name and swear eternal vengeance when the quest is doneb: watch a ttrpg podcast. Don't watch critical rolec: find a gaming group. Most groups are reasonably welcoming of newcomers and will show you the ropes
>>97249229In the off chance you're sincere, grab Jason Alexander's book, "So You Want To Be A Dungeon Master." It's the only source I can think of that has from-first-principles, fundamental explanations of how to actually run a game, and explains shit like game structures and prep.Then it's just a matter of finding a game you find interesting and running it.
>>97249701Lol, Justin Alexander, not Jason. He also writes the blog The Alexandrian, which has all the information of the book, but spread out over 20 years of articles.
>>97249700>and will show you the ropeThat doesn't sound very inviting
>>97249229Hero Quest. You start with Hero Quest. A fun for all cooperative intro level game with easy rules and endless adventure.
