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I guess I should point out here that originally, roleplaying games were based on the "Conan"-like fantasy, where the macho hero beat up the minions of evil. In many cases, playing the role of the hero and actual roleplaying took a back seat to acquiring treasure after defeating all kinds of evil minions, creatures, and the like. The rules were of prime importance and the loads of dice that came with the games were used to create a random element. (One could even go so far as to say, "Okay, so you want to screw in the light bulb? Fine... roll three six-sided dice, and I'll look up the result on the Task Table.") Not bright, but still a start in the right direction.

The emphasis on rules and dice gradually changed, as sophistication began to infiltrate the roleplaying game hobby. There are currently RPGs that do not use dice at all... Some use playing cards, instead. In other games, the GamesMaster just decides on whether you succeed at a task or not. Other RPGs keep dice-rolling to a minimum, and concentrate on the roleplaying element. Many times in the current crop of RPGs, we hear that roleplaying is an "art form" - this has led to accusations of pretentiousness on the part of many roleplayers. Too many people seem to believe that RPGs are or must be either hack-and-slash oriented bloodbaths or fine expressions of the inner torment of the soul. Whatever the case may be, a lot of times the perceptions of how the roleplaying game should be tends to be influenced by the person who is running the game - the GamesMaster or Referee. It is this person who literally creates the illusion of what the game should be simply by the way he or she designs the adventures, by the way he or she encourages players in hack-and-slash or spiritual actions, and a myriad of other ways.

One of the key elements for players, and their GamesMasters, to remember is that you should never play in a group where the others don't have the same basic moral fibre and sense of ethics that you have, and you should never play in a group that differs totally in the "rpg outlook" that you might have. Most GamesMasters are quite flexible, and take the needs of their players into account. Most GamesMasters, and players for that matter, want their games to be enjoyable for everyone, not just the players, and that means the GamesMaster should be having fun as well. It isn't easy for players and GamesMasters to balance out all these different emotions, sense of fair play, ethical behaviour and the like, and that is where the social element of the game comes into play. Social intercourse is the central element to any roleplaying game and to any group of gamers.

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