Six warriors gather around a table, preparing for their next conquest, their next chance to change the world. Readying magic, blades, and cunning, these heroes will stand tall before the might of armies and conquer dragons. They have seen comrades fall, and been forced to kneel before god-like foes. Yet, through it all, they still return, drawing their greatest weapons: dice and pencils.
In the history of CRPGs (Computer/Console Role-Playing Games) and MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs), never has there been a game with the versatility and freedom that comes with tabletop gaming. In a single-player role-playing game, so long as you learn the patterns and save often, you can trick any NPC (Non-Player Character), defeat any boss, and eventually get through the very linear storyline. Most games do not allow the freedom to choose good or evil, or what your true back story is, or even what deity you might worship. Games like Fallout, Neverwinter Nights, and Fable attempt the illusion of choice, but in the end, you know that the story has been chosen for you.
Then, there are MMORPGs, which give you an entire world to explore and enjoy. Yet, in the end, it can leave you feeling insignificant. Take World of Warcraft, what good is it to defeat the leader of the Defias, if after he is defeated, his men continue to harass Westfall, and the next group of adventurers will march into the Deadmines and defeat him again? On a single character, I could kill a major quest character again and again, and my guild would still have members requesting to defeat that character. I am a mighty hero, but my name is not known throughout the world, because there are a million other heroes doing the exact same thing I am. I have no effect on the world. In the end, you have no real goal, no sense of accomplishment, because for every accomplishment you achieve, there is something more left to be done thanklessly.
Now, let me delve into the world of a tabletop RPG. You sit down at a table with a group of your friends, people you know and trust (usually), who wish to enjoy the same game you do. You know who the other players are, you know who the game designer (the DM/GM [Dungeon/Game Master]) is, and you can help create a world with anything you desire. The GM moderates the game so no one can cheat, and anyone that makes the game less enjoyable for everyone, can be told to leave. When you slay a dragon, that dragon is dead, and when you return to town with its head, the townspeople sing your praises. When a hero dies, that hero must be resurrected (which is not an easy process), or you must create a new character. There is not reloading the game or respawning at a safe point.
Some might say that the advantage is being able to truly see the world around you in an MMORPG, but truthfully, would you not rather create one in your mind? With a tabletop RPG, you know the world before you was made by you or for you, or both. If you don't like how dragons look, imagine your own, and nothing is forced upon you. If you wish for your character to have scars across his body, piercings, a gilded robe of a long lost civilization, you may, without the constraint of the graphics given by the game system. How often does one find a movie as impressive as the visual created in a book?
One place in which tabletops cannot be beaten is price, if you wish to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons, it is possible for many people to play with only a single $60-90 expenditure for the three core rulebooks. Any expenses after that are guaranteed to come with new material, and can easily be split amongst the group. MMORPGs generally cost at least $20-30 for a single player, and then $10-15 a month just to continue playing. For a group of friends to play together means each member of the group must also spend that much, as well as having a computer up-to-date enough to play the game in the first place.
So sure, with tabletops you can only play so often, but does that not make the game more enriching? If you could have a tiny meal each hour or a feast once a day, would you not rather have a feast? I would take the simple freedom and immersion of a great tabletop game over the costly repetition or constraint that comes with online gaming.