  Noticing Newbies
This week: What is an RPG? Edited by: Brooke  
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The Noticing Newbies Newsletter's goal is to make the newer members feel welcome and encourage them with useful information and/or links to make navigating Writing.com easier. Writing.com members of all ages and even veteran members can find useful information here. If you have specific questions, try visiting "Writing.Com 101" and/or "Noticing Newbies" .
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“The best way of successfully acting a part is to be it.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective
Role-playing games or RPG's are games where the player controls the actions of a character (and/or several party members) immersed in some well-defined world. They began as wargames back in 19th century Prussia. The game was called Kriegspiel ("War Game") and was played by arranging markers on a table using a dice to determine elements of battle. This wasn't really that much different from what could be called the most well-known RPG of all time, developed back in 1974, the tabletop game, Dungeons & Dragons. While D&D has a lot of details, such as character classes and abilities, races, experience and hit points (EXP and HP), and turn-based combat. they also had to be able to convincingly conjure up a fantastical land of sorcery.
Many notable games tried to experience the same success as D&D, but didn't have the same staying power. Boot Hill (1975) and Gamma World (1978) were TSR's attempts to branch out to different genres. Other notable games of the period include Tunnels & Trolls (1977), Traveller (1977), Melee (1977), RuneQuest (1978), and Villains & Vigilantes (1979)
Role-playing games are frequently chided as being empty of meaningful content because of the amateurish plots, characters, and themes. However, I think that they really underestimated the power of the interactive, creative, and personal nature of the gaming process. What would role-playing games be without their plot? The best RPG's allow for maximum player creativity in my opinion. The more choices a player has, the more fun the game is.
It was only a matter of time before the RPG discovered the strength of developing the story. The first literary trend began with Chaosium, the publishers of RuneQuest. While this was founded in 1975 to publish as a board game, it didn't reach popularity until the 80's when it was licensed through Avalon Hill. Their company has been linked to their literary beginnings and even began publishing non-game books (primarily fiction) in 1993. Dipping even deeper into its literary connection, the 1980's saw several spin-off fiction book series (novels actually based on RPGs. One of the most successful was 1984's Dragonlance series.
The third popular trend was cinematic role-playing. The first and most influential licensed film adaptation was the James Bond 007 RPG (1983) Two other successful games that decade were the Star Wars roleplaying game and Shadowrun which was a science fantasy tabletop RPG set in a future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic, and fantasy creatures all co-exist. During this same time, simpler role-playing games were created aimed at younger audiences. This began with The Adventures of Indiana Jones along with The Marvel Superheroes Role-Playing Game, and the successful cartoon role-playing game Toon.
Some of you might recall other noteworthy developments that occurred in the early 1980s like interactive fiction (IF), play-by-mail RPGs and a little card game called Magic: The Gathering. 
As a writer, I highly recommend trying your hand at participating in an RPG. That doesn't mean you have to take a deep dive into the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It can simply be taking part in a Campfire or Interactive here at Wdc. It can really help you develop character skills and discover a creative side you never knew existed. After all, writing in itself is a type of role-playing game. Isn't it?
Write and Review on! ~ Brooke
"Ramp up your role-playing game and make your character your own with this fun, interactive workbook—an essential addition to any RPG player’s gaming kit.".
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[Related Links] 
This month's links are events or writing opportunities where you have complete control over your character.
 "Wdc 18th Birthday Masquerade Party" by Brooke
You're invited ... to a murder. This year we're going to be boarding a huge luxury cruise ship. You'll be surrounded with wealthy socialites, ghostly spirits, and salty sea air. Rumor has it the trip may turn dangerous. Are you up for it? A role-playing party where you can be whoever you want and win prizes! Open for sign-ups!
 "Game of Thrones" by Gaby 
Some may say it's an awesome game full of different challenges where you can meet many other Writing.com members while working alongside them, while others may say it's a difficult game where endurance, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears are all part of it. I'll let you be the judge.
 "Become Your Character" by Voxxylady 
We all know that building characters is of the utmost importance in fiction. The way they interact with each other tells the reader much about them and helps them to develop. This is an interactive game for anyone interested in working on developing a character, either one already in development or just a thought you want to explore.
 "Central International Airport" by Leger~ 
An airport with destinations and new beginnings. Take a trip. This is an interactive story about an airport where people can take a trip to fictional or real destinations, meet old friends or new, or escape on a new adventure.
 "Punctuation Inc. Winter 2018 Campfire" by CanImagine 
A campfire story written by the students of Punctuation Inc. and academy staff.
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I haven't been getting any feedback lately but to my surprise to my last newsletter [#9018] "The Color of Sound" brought in quite a bit! I'm proud to share it with you.
From Jeff 
Great NL this week, Brooke! As I've been getting back into writing, I'm trying to find some kind of background noise that helps me drown out the distractions around me. Music with lyrics is too easy to get distracted by... instrumental music like movie scores, classical, or even jazz make me want to fall asleep... I might have to give ambient noise a try! 
Thanks! I was hoping it would be helpful. I have the same issues. :)
From Warped Sanity 
I suppose that I'm one of those odd writer's who needs background noise while writing, rather than quiet. I suspect that it comes from all those years of being a mother and learning to concentrate on writing despite a noisy house. Now that my kids are grown, I still find myself blasting the television in the background while I am writing. I love your suggestions about the ambient noise! Great newsletter, whether one is a newbie or veteran member!
You're lucky! I used to be that way but now I find some noise (like my dogs or the TV) distracting while writing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
From Dawsongirl
Loved Brooke's newsletter "The Color of Sound." However, when I clicked on the link to "jazz and rain", Norton blocked it as a dangerous site! Thought you might want to know. I saved several others to try, and thanks!
I'm not sure why it would do that. My virus protection didn't have any issues. Odd. I've always found Norton to be a little too restrictive though. Thanks for sharing your experience though!
From 🎼 RRodgersWrites 🎶 
Thank you for your letter above. I found it quite interesting!
Due to my tinnitus, I can't stand silence. In my classroom, I would often have on music from whatever historical era we were studying during students' work time, quizzes, or any other time that might have been silent. I found that many movie sound tracks worked well (for example: Harry Potter, The American President, Man from Snowy River, Nat Geo's Lewis & Clark, Fantasia, classical music, nature sounds of all sorts with classical music, Dr. Zhivago, Pirates of the Caribbean, Glory, and others . . . not whale sounds . . . I love parts of "Dances with Wolves" but other parts are way too intense, stressful, and chaotic for this use/situation).
To sleep, a fan does a lot of good, but it doesn't come close to setting my mind in my writing space and drowning out the tinnitus.
Thanks again for a thought-provoking read!
I know exactly what you're talking about. I need something to drown out my tinnitus also. I sometimes will play actual TV shows in the background that I've seen many times. I hope you find something helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience!
From Joy 
Excellent newsletter,  Brooke.
I learned a few things from you on color and sound. Great links, too. Next time, I need an onomatopoeia word, I'm going to refer to them. 
So happy you found it interesting! Thanks for letting me know. :)
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Noticing Newbies: August 22, 2018 Issue [#9064]
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