| | The role-playing game genre has been with us since the days of slaying slimes in Dragon Warrior in all their 8-bit glory. The allure of epic stories, fantasy worlds, and custom characters has ensnared the imagination of millions of gamers around the world over the years. While the genre is as strong as ever, there always remain players who would like to play RPGs, but are intimidated by the complexity. This guide will help you get started in this epically entertaining genre. 
Massive, richly designed worlds await you. Take on a Role
Whether you are assigned a character or you create it yourself, the core purpose of a role-playing game is to take on the role of a character on an epic quest. For example, in the beginning of The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™, after the emperor frees you from prison you must track down his lost son and restore him to power before the demons from another dimension conquer your home-world. What's more, the character you play will evolve and grow more powerful with their experiences. You can learn new spells, attacks, abilities, and gain powerful new equipment to aid you on your quests. Expectation
More than learning how to succeed in an RPG, it is important to understand what to expect from the genre. Many a gamer has been frustrated simply because they don't understand what they are getting into. If you know what you to expect, you can enjoy the journey from the outset. Here are a few standards of the genre you will need to be aware of: - Epic Length: If you think games like Halo® 2 or even Kameo™: Elements of Power™ are long, you're in for a surprise. RPGs can span dozens and dozens of hours. They are to be enjoyed over the long haul, so don't start out expecting to wrap the game up in a weekend. Take your time and enjoy the game as it comes.
- Over your Head: Many games provide a strictly linear experience, where you must defeat an opponent to move forward. That is not the case in RPG titles. You may occasionally encounter an enemy that is beyond your current abilities. If you find yourself being destroyed, don't ever feel like you can't run away.
- Master of One: Typically, each of your characters will focus on a particular class or set of abilities. You may choose to be a spellcaster, but it will typically be at the cost of another strength, like melee combat. If you choose to focus on toe-to-toe combat, it will be at the expense of ranged or magical attacks. Even if the game allows you to do a bit of everything, it is always advisable to focus on one core ability.
- Side Quests: In talking with novice RPG players, I find they commonly dismiss side-quests. There are often quests that are not related to the main story, and they may seem time consuming. However, unless there is a time limit on moving forward in your main quest, feel free to explore at your own pace. The side-quests exist to help you find new equipment, level up, and offer a change of pace from the main storyline.
An adventuring party is a genre standard. Novice Tips
Role-playing games can offer drastically different experiences, so not every tip applies to every RPG, but these general suggestions should help you with most of them. - Experience System: Every RPG employs a system for raising the level of your character. As you do this, you will unlock new abilities and increase your current ones. Each game has a slightly different method of doing this, so make sure you fully understand the mechanics before you start making choices. Be sure to read the manual and pay close attention to the in-game text prompts in order to make sure you're making the right decisions.
- Party Balance: Many RPGs employ a party system, where you control not only the main character, but several others as well, such as Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™. When playing in a group, you must consider the skills and abilities of each character and how they balance. You want to make sure you have both ranged and melee attackers, as well as at least one support class if you can manage it, such as a healer or cleric.
- Rock Paper Scissors: Whether you're using magic or technology, you will often find that any given element is strong against one element, but weak against another. Fire can often destroy nature-based creatures, but will likely be weak against creatures that are water-based. You can give yourself an edge by making sure you don't limit your attacks to any one power.
- Pause and Think: Even in RPGs with real-time combat, you should always feel free to pause the game for a breather, to review your strategy, or to use items. Enemies and bosses in PRGs require more strategy than your typical action game, and taking the time out to analyze a battle will always sway the odds in your favor.
You can sell the loot you find in your quests in town. - Boss Patterns: Anytime you encounter a boss enemy, such as Darth Malak in Knights of the Old Republic, you can be sure that a head-on attack is not the wisest strategy. Bosses tend to follow a very set pattern, and once you find the weakness in that pattern, you can take advantage of it.
- Inventory Management: From health potions to that new scope for your gun, you can find all manner of odds and ends in an RPG. Unfortunately, you can only carry so much. To make things easier on yourself, always talk to merchants when you see them and get rid of what you don't need. Whenever possible, organize your inventory so that the most-used items are easily located.
- Quest Descriptors: Whether you forget the name of the character you're looking for, or simply find yourself lost in the wilderness, it's easy to get lost or confused during a quest. Luckily, almost every RPG includes a quest log. Consult it and related items such as journals to remind yourself where you were or what you're after.
Role-playing-games come in all shapes and sizes, but this article should set your expectations for the game and help you get started. Good luck and welcome to the exciting and rewarding world of RPGs. |
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