Tabletop Games



The roleplaying and strategy games that one sees on computers and video game consoles are one permutation of a much older legacy. The originals were played with a book of rules, pencils, paper, dice, models and imagination - a form of low-tech virtual reality. These are still popular today, in many forms, the most widely known of which are tabletop RPGs and tabletop wargames.

The default format for a tabletop RPG is for one player to be selected as the Game Master while the others each create Player Characters who will collectively act as the heroes of the game's plot. Individual sessions or "episodes" of the game are commonly called "adventures", and the ongoing game story itself is usually called a "campaign," a holdover from these games' own heritage from tabletop wargames.

These tabletop RPGs get a lot of flak from society -- usually due to misinformation or simply misunderstanding. Common myths include: that roleplaying games lead to devil worship, that players (and not their fictional characters) carry out magical spells, and that players actually become their characters.

Another subset of the tabletop games category is the tabletop wargame, of which the most common format is an area set up as a battlefield (which may have a background map or miniatures to represent terrain) on which counters or miniatures are placed representing combat units. Players take the role of generals and attempt to defeat their opponents. The game may have a Game Master, or may rely solely on clearly defined rules. Historical and fantasy settings are most popular, the best known fantasy games probably being Games Workshop's internationally successful Warhammer and its sci-fi counterpart Warhammer 40000. Chess could be defined as a simple form of wargame. Tabletops games are Older Than Radio with Kriegsspiel ("wargame") being created in 1812 by Prussian Leutnant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz and used by Prussian officers for training. Reportedly the Kaiser and his Generals spent many long nights playing the game conducting exercises. HG Wells was also a fan, and wrote several books ("Little War" and "Floor Games") on the subject that have become iconic.

Yet another subset is the live-action role-playing game (or LARP). LARPs are similar to Tabletop RPGs in how they play, but instead of sitting around the table, players actually act out the story physically. Since these situations don't lend themselves very well to long stat sheets or rolling dice, most LARPs use greatly simplified game mechanics, ranging from the "paper-rock-scissors" system used under White Wolf's first-edition Mind's Eye Theatre rules to semi-contact boffer-weapon systems clearly influenced by the Society for Creative Anachronism and other recreationist groups. These games vary greatly in size, from intimate affairs similar to traditional RPGs, to massive events such as those run by the International Fantasy Gaming Society or Mythodea.

Another popular type of tabletop game is the card game. Played with cards, Card games come in two flavors, collectible/trading and dedicated deck, though the rules vary greatly from game to game. Trading card games are generally the ones most often associated with other types of tabletop games. Notable trading card games include Magic: The Gathering and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.

An unfortunate flaw of Tabletop games, as well as multiplayer games in general is how dependent they are on other players. You can have an indefinite playing time with multiplayer games (And these games are no exception to this rule) but unfortunately, these games are very dependent on other players. In the age of the internet, it's not uncommon to find a bunch of people who want to play a Tabletop Game but the local group(s) are either nonexistent, "Stop Having Fun!" Guys, crazy Scrubs, or so tight-knit they don't allow newcomers in. However; several games have benefited from the internet quite a lot because it allowed people from across the world to form a group. There exist programs, third-party or not, to play a tabletop game such as Dungeons and Dragons online; and sometimes there are direct adaptations of a tabletop game/online versions to play online. While these are not the perfect solution to the standard multiplayer game dilemma, this is one thing that shows that the internet was not just for porn!

Tropes commonly used by tabletop games are:
see also:
 * Game Tropes for Board Games etc.
 * Role Playing Game


 * An Adventurer Is You
 * A God Is You
 * AKA-47
 * Bag of Holding
 * Bitz Box
 * Black Mage
 * Bolt of Divine Retribution
 * Character Alignment
 * Character Customization
 * Character Level
 * Character Tiers
 * Chunky Salsa Rule
 * Combat Medic
 * Convenient Questing
 * Critical Failure
 * Critical Hit
 * Cybernetics Eat Your Soul
 * Damage Reduction
 * Damage Typing
 * Demi Human
 * Dump Stat
 * Dungeon Crawling
 * Dungeon Maintenance
 * Dungeonmaster's Girlfriend
 * Experience Points
 * Failed a Spot Check
 * Fantasy Character Classes
 * Fighter, Mage, Thief
 * Five Races
 * Fantasy Axis of Evil
 * Game Master
 * Game System
 * GMPC
 * Grand Tabletop Rules List
 * Grappling with Grappling Rules
 * Honest Rolls Character
 * House Rules
 * House System
 * Hybrid Overkill Avoidance
 * In and Out of Character
 * Junk Rare
 * Killer Game Master
 * Lawful Stupid Chaotic Stupid
 * Chaotic Stupid
 * Lawful Stupid
 * Stupid Good
 * Stupid Evil
 * Stupid Neutral
 * Level Drain
 * Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards
 * Empty Levels
 * Live Action Role Play
 * Loads and Loads of Rules
 * Luck Manipulation Mechanic
 * Made of Phlebotinum
 * Magic Ampersand
 * Magic Knight
 * Magic Wand
 * Magocracy
 * Metaplot
 * Miniatures Conversions
 * The Minion Master
 * Minmaxers Delight
 * Min-Maxing
 * Monty Haul
 * Necrocracy
 * Nerf
 * No Cure for Evil
 * Non-Player Character
 * No Saving Throw
 * No Sneak Attacks
 * Off the Rails
 * One Nation Under Copyright
 * One Stat to Rule Them All
 * Open Roleplaying Decay
 * Overused Copycat Character
 * Path of Inspiration
 * Play-By-Post Games
 * Player Archetypes
 * The Real Man
 * The Roleplayer
 * The Loonie
 * The Munchkin
 * Player Character
 * Player Party
 * Point Build System
 * Prestige Class
 * PVP-Balanced
 * Quest Giver
 * Railroading
 * Random Number God
 * Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies
 * Role Playing Game Terms
 * Role Playing Game Verse
 * Rules Conversions
 * Rule Playing
 * Rules Lawyer
 * Rule Zero
 * Schrodinger's Gun
 * Schrodinger's Suggestion Box
 * Set a Mook to Kill a Mook
 * The Six Stats
 * Sliding Scale of Turn Realism
 * Sourcebook
 * Special Snowflake Syndrome
 * Splash Damage Abuse
 * Splat
 * Squishy Wizard
 * "Stop Having Fun!" Guys
 * That One Disadvantage
 * That One Rule
 * The GM Is a Cheating Bastard
 * To Be Lawful or Good
 * Total Party Kill
 * Treacherous Quest-Giver
 * Turn Undead
 * Universal System
 * Urban Fantasy
 * Vancian Magic
 * We Help the Helpless
 * Whatevermancy
 * White Mage
 * You All Meet in An Inn

Works:
By Genre:
 * Fantasy Tabletop Games
 * Horror Tabletop Games
 * Science Fiction Tabletop Games
 * Twenty Three Hundred AD
 * Seventh Sea
 * Active Exploits
 * Admirality Trilogy
 * Harpoon
 * Age of Aquarius
 * All Flesh Must Be Eaten
 * Alternity
 * Ammo
 * Anima: Beyond Fantasy
 * Arianrhod
 * Arduin
 * Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth
 * Arkham Horror
 * Ars Magica
 * AT-43
 * Atmosfear
 * Back to The Future
 * Battle Machines
 * BattleTech
 * Betrayal at House on the Hill
 * Big Eyes Small Mouth
 * Bliss Stage
 * Blood Bowl
 * Blue Rose
 * Brikwars
 * Bunnies and Burrows
 * Burning Wheel
 * Cadwallon
 * Call of Cthulhu
 * Cartoon Action Hour
 * Car Wars
 * Castle Falkenstein
 * Champions / Hero System
 * Chrononauts
 * Console
 * and its sequel, Super Console
 * Continuum
 * Crimson Skies
 * Chthonian Stars
 * Cthulhu Tech
 * Cyberpunk (R. Talsorian Games)
 * Dangerous Journeys
 * The Dark Eye
 * Dark Future
 * Dark Matter (The Alternity version, desperately needs a page)
 * DC Heroes (aka Blood of Heroes)
 * Deadlands
 * Delta Green
 * Descent Journeys In The Dark
 * Dogs in the Vineyard
 * Dominion
 * Domhain Sceal (TV Tropes original setting, no specific system)
 * Don't Rest Your Head
 * Dragonlance Fifth Age Dramatic Adventure Game
 * Dragon Quest (Not related to the video game of the same name)
 * Dragon Raid
 * The Dresden Files
 * Dune Chronicles Of The Imperium
 * Dungeons and Dragons
 * Birthright
 * Blackmoor
 * Dark Sun
 * Dragonlance (Tie-in book series)
 * Dungeons and Dragons Encounters
 * Eberron
 * Forgotten Realms
 * Arcane Age
 * Al Qadim
 * Kara Tur
 * Maztica
 * Greyhawk
 * Temple of Elemental Evil
 * Tomb of Horrors
 * Savage Tide
 * Hourglass of Zihaja
 * Kingdoms Of Kalamar
 * Mystara
 * Red Steel
 * Planescape
 * Points of Light
 * Ravenloft
 * Masque of the Red Death
 * Scarred Lands
 * Spelljammer
 * Dungeons the Dragoning
 * D 20 Modern
 * D 20 Rebirth
 * Dying Earth RPG
 * Dystopian Wars
 * Earthdawn
 * Eclipse Phase
 * Edgewalkers
 * Empire of the Petal Throne (Tékumel)
 * Engine Heart
 * Eon
 * Everway
 * Exalted
 * The Fabled Lands
 * Fading Suns
 * The Fantasy Trip
 * FATAL
 * Feng Shui
 * Fight
 * Fighting Fantasy
 * Fire Born
 * Flipit Paper Combat
 * Frag
 * FUDGE
 * Full Thrust
 * Gamma World
 * Gear Krieg
 * Godlike
 * Grave Robbers From Outer Space
 * GURPS
 * GURPS Settings
 * Banestorm
 * GURPS Alternate Earths
 * Infinite Worlds
 * GURPS Reign of Steel
 * GURPS Supers
 * Transhuman Space
 * Hackmaster
 * Harnmaster
 * Heavy Gear
 * Hero Clix
 * Heroscape
 * Hollow Earth Expedition
 * Hong Kong Action Theatre
 * Houses of the Blooded
 * Icons Superpowed Roleplaying
 * Infernum
 * Infinity
 * In Nomine
 * In Nomine Satanis Magna Veritas
 * Ironclaw
 * Iron Heroes
 * Iron Kingdoms
 * Isole Del Cielo
 * JAGS Wonderland
 * Jovian Chronicles
 * Kult
 * Last Night on Earth
 * Legend Game System
 * Legend of the Five Rings
 * Legend Quest
 * Lejendary Adventures 
 * Little Fears
 * Macho Women with Guns
 * Mage Knight
 * Magic the Gathering
 * Maid RPG
 * Malifaux
 * Mazes and Minotaurs
 * Meddling Kids
 * Mekton
 * Microlite 20
 * Middle Earth Role Playing
 * Mist Robed Gate
 * Monsterpocalypse
 * Monsters and Other Childish Things
 * The Morrow Project
 * Mortasheen
 * Mutant Chronicles
 * Mutants and Masterminds
 * Freedom City
 * The Extraordinaries (an online RPG spin-off)
 * Freedom City Play By Post (an online RPG spin-off)
 * Halt Evil Doer!
 * Mutant UA
 * My Life with Master
 * Nephilim
 * Net Runner
 * New Horizon
 * Nobilis
 * Normality
 * Northern Crown
 * Over the Edge
 * Palladium Fantasy Role Playing Game
 * Pandemonium
 * Paranoia
 * Pathfinder
 * Pluesch Power Und Plunder
 * Pokethulhu
 * Princess the Hopeful
 * Prose Descriptive Qualities
 * Republic of Rome
 * Returners Final Fantasy Roleplaying Game
 * The Riddle of Steel
 * Rifts
 * Risk
 * Risus
 * Robo Rally
 * Rolemaster
 * Rune Quest
 * Savage Worlds
 * Fifty Fathoms
 * Low Life
 * Totems of the Dead
 * Winterweir
 * Scion
 * Scotland Yard
 * Secrets of the Third Reich
 * Senshi the Merchandising
 * Sen Zar
 * Settlers of Catan
 * Shadowrun
 * Silver Age Sentinels
 * Skyrealms of Jorune
 * SLA Industries
 * Small World
 * Space 1889
 * Spawn of Fashan
 * Spirit of the Century
 * The Splinter
 * Star*Drive
 * Starfire
 * Star Fleet Battles
 * Star Frontiers
 * Star Grunt II
 * Star Wars Customizable Card Game
 * Star Wars Miniatures
 * Stick Guy
 * Strike Legion
 * Summoner Wars
 * Super Awesome Action Heroes
 * Swordbearer
 * Talislanta
 * Talisman
 * Teenagers From Outer Space
 * Thieves' World
 * Toon
 * Traveller
 * Tribe 8
 * Trinites
 * Trinity Universe
 * Aberrant
 * Tunnels and Trolls
 * Twilight 2000
 * Twilight Imperium
 * Unhallowed Metropolis
 * Unknown Armies
 * Victoriana RPG
 * Villains and Vigilantes
 * VOR the Maelstrom
 * Warhammer
 * Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
 * Warhammer 40000
 * Battlefleet Gothic
 * Black Crusade
 * Dark Heresy
 * Adeptus Evangelion
 * Deathwatch
 * Inquisitor
 * Necromunda
 * Rogue Trader
 * Only War
 * The Whispering Vault
 * Wild Talents
 * Witch Craft
 * Witch Girls Adventures
 * The World of Darkness
 * Old World of Darkness gamelines:
 * Vampire: The Masquerade
 * Werewolf: The Apocalypse
 * Mage: The Ascension
 * Wraith: The Oblivion
 * Changeling: The Dreaming
 * Hunter: The Reckoning
 * Demon: The Fallen
 * Kindred of the East
 * Mummy the Resurrection
 * Orpheus
 * Tech Infantry, a fan-made expansion
 * Zombie the Coil, a fan-made Gameline
 * New World of Darkness gamelines:
 * Vampire: The Requiem
 * Werewolf: The Forsaken
 * Mage: The Awakening
 * Promethean: The Created
 * Changeling: The Lost
 * Hunter: The Vigil
 * Geist: The Sin Eaters
 * Genius: The Transgression, a fan-made Gameline
 * Monte Cooks World of Darkness
 * World Tree RPG
 * Yomi
 * Yu-Gi-Oh!
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! (Carddas Version)