The World of Lia

Frequently Asked Questions about Role-Playing Games

These are some of the questions we've heard over & over, and the answers we usually give. If your question isn't answered in this FAQ, send it to the GM/webmaster.

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What is a "Role-Playing Game," anyway?

"Role-Playing Games" (or "RPGs") come in different forms. Of course, there are video games where you take on the role of a "shooter" or some other interactive character and you untertake challenging scenarios. There are also "live role-playing experiences" where you actually act out the scenario and solve a mystery, for instance. This site is NOT about either of those. The World of Lia is a "tabletop" RPG setting.

At its core, a tabletop RPG is a shared storytelling experience. One person - called the "Game Master" or "Dungeon Master" ("GM" or "DM") - sets up a challenging scenario for the players through narration, visual aids, etc. In this context, "role-playing" means making decisions for the character, rolling dice to determine the success or failure of the character's actions, and speaking for the character in situations involving interaction with antagonists or incidental characters. All the participants add their own personal touch & flavor to the narrative and contribute substantially to the plot.

In a tabletop RPG, the game mechanics usually involve a tabletop surface with a grid of squares or hexagons. Each player's character is represented on this grid by a lead figure, and the grid provides a way to simulate a battle sequence or "melee." The GM presents the scenario to the players and serves as the referee of the game. The players decide what their characters will do, given the situation presented to them by the GM, and they make the appropriate checks (dice rolls, for instance) to determine whether or not their characters succeed at whatever they attempt to do. Often, this will involve assuming their character's persona & interacting with "Non-Player Characters" (or "NPCs," roles usually played by the GM) to play out an encounter & either gain information or advance the plot in some other way. Most of the time, players don't play against each other, but rather work together toward a common goal. Success usually means survival & completion of the mission.

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What does a “Game Master” do, exactly?

The Game Master (or "GM") presents the game scenario to the players in a wide variety of ways, including storytelling, showing them maps & other visual aids, and taking on the roles of interesting characters with whom the players (as their characters) can interact. The GM must do his/her homework because s/he has to be prepared for any choice the players make. The GM has to know the scenario and the locations well enough to quickly & accurately convey the results of whatever the players decide to do. S/he must also know all the characters involved & understand their motivations. The GM must be fair & firm on the rules and must be a good role-player, too, because s/he has to take on the personas of all the villains & other incidental characters.

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What are the dice used for?

Dice are used in most tabletop RPGs to determine a character's success or failure with any skill or ability s/he tries to use, and to generate other random results. Some RPGs, such as DragonQuest™, use 10-sided dice to generate percentiles; some, like GURPS™, use the regular 6-sided variety. Dice with 4, 8, or 12 sides can be used to generate random results, such as the direction of a spell backfire or the month of the year. Dungeons & Dragons™, the original fantasy RPG, uses 20-sided dice for success rolls and other types of dice for various other things, like damage or spell results, etc.

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Why do you use lead figures & hexes/squares?

Whether it’s clubs & spears or high-energy weapons, melee is an integral part of most tabletop RPGs. In a combat situation (as well as any other time the GM so decides) it’s necessary to know exactly where the characters are in relation to each other, to the villains, and to any structures or other items. Each game has its own rules for simulating combat, but most require a grid & moveable markers to represent the “battlefield” & “combatants.” It’s the best way to calculate movement rates, weapon ranges, lines of sight, etc. Some RPGs use a square grid, some require a hexagonal grid. Most RPG players use small painted lead figures to represent their characters. The player may move the figure a given number of hexes (or squares) on the grid during each turn, much as chess pieces are moved on a chessboard.

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Are RPG players evil - do they worship the devil?

The short answer is, “Of course not!” There are people who try to equate playing tabletop RPGs with studying the occult or witchcraft, but this is just silly. The idea of good & evil is clearly spelled out in an RPG and, invariably, the players’ characters are tasked with vanquishing the evil and saving the good citizens from sure disaster. If an RPG addresses such issues as witchcraft or other occult themes, it is for use in defining the villains or as an “evil force” to be opposed at every opportunity by the players’ heroic characters. No one plays an RPG to learn black magic. There is no more reason to fear tabletop RPGs or RPG players than there is to fear those ubiquitous Harry Potter novels.

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