h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Roleplaying: A Disambiguation - A10159067
Author: Mekryd - U3160647

Formerly a part of: A10047278

Now seeks to replace the current article for "Role-Playing" (A134795).

I'm not really sure this would work as an update. The existing entry already covers the same ground and seems to be pretty much solid.

Can I ask, which bits have you actually added to the entry? It might be possible to just add those bits to the existing entry if they're explained properly.

Please bear with this, as it will seem to be unnecessarily long. All in general, I've placed everything under more recognisable definitions:

Dice and Wargaming have been placed under a term used both by players and casual observers everywhere: "Table Top RPG", since they more or less all revolve around dice and minatures, notably Dungeons and Dragons for "Dice" and Warhammer for "War Gaming".

The "Dice" section talked more about the actual physical dice used, than how they affect the style of Roleplaying mentioned, and why it would matter to a person trying to figure out what the heck roleplaying was. It is also a bit dated in stating that TSR owns "Dungeons & Dragons" or "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", since Wizards of the Coast has bought them out and brought the game up to "Version 3.5".

Cards have been removed, since they really don't involve playing a role of a character. Card games are about as much of a Role-Play as a platform shooter. In fact, a platform shooter is closer to that, since you "take the role" of the main character. "Computer" roleplaying has been placed as the main topic under a more well-known term, "RPG". I've taken out those anal retative redundancies that I hate so much (RPG Game= Role Playing Game Game).

A completely new (to the article, but certainly not to the world) concept, Storyline Roleplaying, has been added.

Links to other helpful, more in depth articles have been added for some sections.

I didn't really like the definition of a LARP given in the current article. Anyone who didn't know what a LARP was already wouldn't grasp the concept quite as easily.

More modern, well known examples (in the case of RPGs, primarily) are added in order to make things more understandeable.

All in all, I didn't think it would be clear and helpful enough for someone who wasn't already a roleplayer in several aspects.

I'm not sure that the entry should be updated - your version has removed a lot of important information from the original. The introduction on the other article is very good, and a separate section about the dice is needed. You've removed all the explanations of the dice, that it's more than just a six-sided dice, and you've taken all the game names out.

I think that you could leave the entry as it is, and just add your content to what's already there, including the section on story-lining (something I never quite got the hang off). I don't think that we should lose the content that is already in the entry because it's actually a bit clearer in that version than in yours. Your contributions are very valuable though, so I don't think we should lose those either.

I think your entry is more subjective than the first one, and it based on your own experiences, rather than giving a general over-view of RPGs.

Table-top RPGs aren't always played with a board - I've had loads of fun with just a character sheet, some dice and some good friends. Not even a rule-book in sight for some games, although those didn't tend to last very long ...

Mekryd stared dumbly at the posts and the update forums for a few hours before noticing what he should do. Among those things was to stop narrating his life.

Anyways... Ah, yes... I just realized something. Yeah, erm... I'm going to go actually build off of the other article as well. Silly of me. >_>;

*goes off to the edit page and sets to work.*

Let us know when you've got something you want us to check over again.

Nice update, you may want to work this little fact-ette in!

The fancy 100 sided dice you are referring to is called a Zocchihedron, they were patented by a man called Louis Zocchi who was the very first distributer of TSR's Dungeons and Dragons RPG. He now runs a company called Gamescience to manufacture high quality RPG dice.


A ten sided dice is a decahedron (the usual configuration of a ten sided dice is a pentagonal trapezohedron decahedron! this is referring to the kite shape of the individual faces.)

Thanks! I'll work that in, then. Meanwhile, I must wait for some of my other articles to become entries, that I may have them as references in this one. >_> <_<;;

Well, I had planned on waiting out until I got some related entries into the Editted guide, but it looks like it's going to take a long time, so I decided to see if I could get this through. My placeholder references to unedited entries have been taken out, and I'd like to see how this entry flies.

Yes, yes, I think everything is in order this time.

Looking good!

"In its most real form, roleplaying is about getting together with a bunch of your friends and kicking serious monster-butt," - um, in what way is this "real"?

In the RPG section, you need to make it clear that you are talking about computer game RPGs.

"with a boss at the end." A footnote to explain what a boss is would be a good idea. Non- computer gamers probably wouldn't know.


"The player(s) go about their business, limited by the rules, limitations," You use "limited" twice.

"in responce" -> "in response"

"DnD" If you are going to use this abbreviation, you need to put something like "(often abbriviated to 'DnD')" when you first mention Dungeons and Dragons.

"try to decimate the enemy, and then take out the 90 percent left after decimation." This reads like you're just trying to show off that you know the actual meaning of the word decimation. It doesn't read very well.

"standar" -> "standard"

"like in most roleplays," -> "as in most roleplays"

"Dicerolls" should this really be capitalised?

"and what-have-you" not sure about using this phrase.

"To learn more about Warhammer, an established War Game, click here. Information on Dungeons and Dragons can be found here"

Usual EG practice is to include the links in the sentence, any way you can reword this? Or just link to the sites when you first mention Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons. Not sure how important this is, or whether how it is now will be ok.

"and/or Crew 5" what is a crew 5?

"For more information on this topic, go to: this article." See point on links above.

"and stuff happens." how about "and events occur."?

"CCGs" again, you use an abbreviation without having referred to it beforehand.

"To learn more about Magic: The Gathering, an established CCG, click here." Linking again.

Great entry, I really like it!

Alrighty, most of these I'll work in. =3 Looks like I should've done more meddling in parts of the article that I kept in, too. >_>;

'Real' is used to contrast from the idealistic way. The... uh... most common? I can't seem to find another way to say it. Like... there's the way it is 'meant to be' ideally, but there's the 'real world' kind, the way people really use it as.

The 5 in crew 5 was a footnote, but a crew is like the crew of a play. I'll add that into the footnote.

The linking method was more along the idea that these were more introductions than full blown articles put into one. Each section was supposed to have a link to a more complete article, but most of those I planned to link to were mine, and still haven't gotten through the Peer Review.

But it's good to have extra eyes in! I'll go get to work and stuff.

Question: you refer to the leader of any table-top RPG as a Dungeon Master, but I thought that was a term specific to DnD. Is that the case, or can a DM be the 'manager' of any RPG? If it is specific to DnD, you shouldn't use the term throughout.

It is a DnD-originated term, but it's often used in other medieval-type games informally. Ish. But yes, that's probably the best thing to do. Thank you!

Just posting to say I'm still keeping an eye out for this. With a topic like this you might find yourself coming back to it with new ideas, but it'd be good to have an idea of when this might be considered 'finished' for now

Well, unless anyone has anything they'd like to see changed in this article, or another form of roleplaying that I have yet to hear about, then it should be done for the moment. =3

Oh yeah, I was also hoping to put some links from my other articles-in-the-works, but those can come later, since it seems it'll be a while.

I'm still here, if anyone has any more suggestions to add.

If no-one comes back by the end of this week, we'll consider this done, eh?

Coolness. =3