The "Role" Player vs. The "Roll" Player

One of the dichotomies floating around the internet is the "role"player vs. "roll"player mentality. A "role"player is often described as someone who is in gaming for the role they get to take on or play, while the "roll" player is interested in dice and mechanics. Is this really a binary we want in our community though? Is there a middle?

Okay, I'll admit it, I like playing roles in games. This is probably because I come at tabletop RPG from the world of theatre, where I'm used to playing roles. I also write, so I'm used to thinking about character motivations. I've been called a "role"player more than once. I also love to GM and work with players, telling a great story with them.

However, there are systems where I just love the mechanics. It makes the world work better, makes everything feel more real. There are systems where, if I'm GMing, I just want to run a system that touches on new or interesting mechanics. There are systems I'm itching to try as a player, because reading the books fascinate me and make me excited to play.

One good point I recently read on the internet on this is that tabletop RPGers play/run games because they like games. If we didn't, we'd be doing something else, like improv theatre. We all like systems. That's why we play in them.

What do you think? Let us know by either commenting below or emailing us at support@blackhatwriting.com.

Interested in trying some new mechanics? (Among the ones I love) Consider GMing in Theatre Noir.