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Difference between RP and RPG


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Eh.... I started talk with one guy about difference between RP and RPG, but he doesn't understand that there are difference between RP and RPG, he tell me /it's the same/ and I want hear from us about it

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TLDR:

RP is creating a character and playing as them in a collaborative story.

 

Rpg is following a prewritten story and has other objectives like collecting money, rewards, etc. 

 

GTAW isn't a true rp, it's a mix of both due to how its set up. Imo it's a life simulator. 

 

 

The difference is very subtle and completely subjective. RP Imo opinion is about creating a character and acting as they would to create a story based on reacting to an immersive collaborative setting that we are creating as a community. 

 

RPGame is usually considered to be a prewritten story with gaming elements. 

 

I can see where this person would be confused though because rp on a gaming platform isn't 100% true rp Imo either. Things like scripts, economy and game mechanics do take away some of the creative freedoms of traditional roleplay. They also tend to force the intention towards grinding game mechanics or guiding rp towards business/jobs in order to make money to facilitate rp. They also have rpg elements like collecting vehicles and making money. 

 

I would classify GTAW as more of a life simulator due to certain restrictions on roleplay themes, emphasis on realism versus "TV realism" and scripts. 

Edited by TakeTwo
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There is very little difference between a tabletop RPG and an online RP server. The real difference is the scale. In both games, you roleplay characters, and the goal of the game is to advance your characters in ways that make sense with the story being created. Admins are kind of like DMs on tabletops.

 

Much of the terminology we use like powergaming, metagaming etc, is directly borrowed from tabletop.
 

But if you play GTAW like Skyrim or Fallout, that's not good.

Edited by arrdef
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I believe there's an inherent similarity between how someone plays a TTRPG and how playing in a roleplay server like GTA is, one that I've noticed since the very first week I ever played on the server. There are major differences, but the most poignant is about how the game is played and how the server is treated in the eyes of the player. The problem with treating things like GTAW like D&D or something similar is that a TTRPG at it's core is still inherently a game of players vs. dungeon master.

 

Now, obviously the conflict on this server is not player vs. admins (at least, not intentionally), so what should it be? Typically, it falls to player vs. player in the most ubiquitous of categories, material wealth and social standing. Who has the nicest car? Who has the nicest home? Who has the most attractive significant other? Who gets the most likes on their Facebrowser posts? Everyone is a clout chaser. Why? Because it feels good to "win". People focus too much on how to "win" with their character as opposed to how their character would regard the world and their surroundings as a legitimate human being with wants and desires more simple and relatable than being either socially or monetarily wealthy. It's why the players labeled mallrats, as much as I hate that generalizing term, are so lambasted and despised outside of that specific category of roleplayer, because their inherent goals are gamey. They are min-maxers. Video gamers. Minimizing loss while maximizing profits so that they can live their idealistic life as a suburban socialite with a name that's recognizable.

 

Kinda went on a tangent there, but whatever. Basically, both of you are more or less right, in my opinion, but there are things that codify that statement and it all boils down to how the player behind a character plays their character. It's a spectrum. On one end, you can go full method and play a full on life simulator while never actively or intentionally engaging in any of the gamey behaviours of your fellow roleplayers, or you can live exuberantly as your idealistic human being while milking the server for all the script-based money it has to offer. These are, of course, extremes, but they're still valid ways to play the server. There's nothing really wrong with playing the server either way, so long as you're kind to your fellow roleplayer, regardless of how heavily one might want to ostracize another for how they play.

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Roleplaying or otherwise playing a certain role, is being the screenplay writer and the actor or actress in one package. A roleplaying game follows a certain character or group of characters in already existing narrative, where player usually gets to decide race, origins, sometimes even behaviour and all that, much like they would in actual roleplay. But roleplay we are talking about here is collaborative story and set of stories, which includes your story as well as stories of other people. But make no mistake, there is a difference between roleplaying and playing a roleplaying game. In roleplaying game a character acts and reacts according to whim of their controller, which happens also on GTAW and it's not really rare occurence. Roleplaying in it's core means to adopt a skin of someone else. You design a character from the scratch. Act and think like they would. A policeman with strong sense of justice and +10 paragon points would never kick a suspect in interrogation room or a driver pulled over, having a joint in his car wouldn't just speed away if second squadcar shows up, no they just wouldn't. However, players playing such character could and also would sometimes. That's the difference.

Edited by Engelbert
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lol everyone is reading so much into the difference which is pretty simple

rpg -> stat driven roleplay

rp -> lore driven roleplay

 

rpgs revolve around stats while rp lacks the definitive framework of stats where players are placed upon a clear ladder which makes (imo) rp more difficult

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11 minutes ago, maramizo said:

lol everyone is reading so much into the difference which is pretty simple

rpg -> stat driven roleplay

rp -> lore driven roleplay

 

rpgs revolve around stats while rp lacks the definitive framework of stats where players are placed upon a clear ladder which makes (imo) rp more difficult

Maramizo pretty much hits the dot w/ the difference

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