by Richard Winterton

Created on: November 22, 2009

The question of which is type of role-play is superior, online or tabletop, is somewhat inconclusive. While tabletop gameplay is a much more intimate experience and more robust in it's narrative potential, online role-play offers a readymade yet robust and expansive story world with a cast of thousands, as well as the luxury of graphical representation. Still, if we are judging each medium on the basis of its ability to allow players and GMs to assume a role, tabletop role-play clearly has the advantage.

In most MMORPGs, the player is allowed to choose his race, class, core abilities, and basic appearance. Other than that, his background is indistinguishable from the other thousands, if not millions, of avatars within the game's reality. Some players might choose to role-play heavily, chatting only in their character style of speech, but either way only PCs would appreciate it. The NPCs handing out the seventh "kill X gnolls" quest will not appreciate any little nuances the player puts into his character.

Meanwhile, tabletop gaming allows for a much broader spectrum of interaction between players and the world they inhabit. Since they see the world through the eyes of the GM, it is only as boring or exciting as the GM chooses to make it. Meanwhile, the players themselves are given much more free reign to write their own background, appearance, dialogue and personality. While this would be pointless in an MMO, it can be rewarded in a Tabletop game, as their words as well as their actions and history affect how NPCs and even other characters perceive them. It can even lead to sidequests, should the GM decide it.

It should also be noted that Tabletop RPGs are not shackled to the stone of canon as much as MMOs are. Most MMOs exist as either parts of an established franchise or with their own broader backstory. Hence, players are somewhat forced to play their roles within the readymade story arch decided by the game's developers. In Tabletop RPGs, however, the players are given slight free reign to do what they wish. Meanwhile, GMs are allowed to either stick with the game's established canon or use the game system to create their own unique world. The choice remains entirely up to the players and GMs.

Even with this in mind, the argument is not settled for good. For one, MMORPGs require very little prep work for one session of play, while good tabletop sessions require hours of preparations, not to mention arrangements between participants to decide on a good time to meet up. However, players have to remember that what they gain in quantity, they lose in quality.

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