A role-playing game is a story-centric adventure game genre involving one or more players who take on the role of a character that the player can identify, and adapt their playing style to; in essence a role-playing game incorporates a layer of immersion that helps the player become their character. This can be achieved in a multitude of ways. Traditionally role-playing games define a set of character classes, each containing special abilities or limitations, or differences in a character's stats, which serve as a general method of implementing basic skills attributed to a player.

Some role-playing games have a levelling system, which serves as a method of tracking the progress of a player, while other games incorporate a luck-based system of which usually a player's base stats determine the chance of a successful action.

The role-playing genre has been introduced into video games, but has its roots as an interpretive adventure game where people physically gather around a table to experience custom narratives created by the game master, a person assigned with telling the story, and ensures that everyone is following the rules of the game. In this format, known as the tabletop format, players will often create their characters with written details on character sheets. Character stats typically need to be approved by the game master before starting the game. Progression is commonly handled using dice, or tokens, an aspect that is mostly absent from their videogame counterparts.

Related themes

• gameplay_mechanics
• tabletop_game

Traditional classes

• barbarian
• bard
• cleric
• mage_(final_fantasy)
• magic_user - Mage, sorcerer, wizard, etc.
• rogue
• warrior

Related props

• character_sheet_(rpg)
• dice
• d6
• d20