Role Playing!

Muah ha ha ha- Oh, wait. It’s no longer Halloween. Let’s get back to being geeky! That’s what the Fabulous Frog Blog is all about. Well, it’s me talking about being geeky and indulging myself in sharing my geek side with you. Now, make no mistake, I am a geek and I love it. It lets me be free to be myself.

For those of you who know me know I’m a pretty avid gamer. Now I’m not talking about video games, although I do enjoy playing those as well. I love the Lego video games! I’m an occasional Minecraft player as well. And I’ve really been enjoying Guild Wars 2. In fact, if you play, send me a message and we’ll see about gaming together as I usually run solo anyway. But my game of choice are tabletop role playing games. That’s right, I’m one of those guys!

Now before you get the idea that I’m living in my parents’ basement and wearing robes and donning cardboard swords when I play, I can honestly tell you that I do not. Now, there’s nothing wrong with it if you happen to do that. As long as you’re having fun, right? But I gather around the table with friends to sling dice and kill monsters.

So why am I bringing this hobby of mine up? I believe there are many benefits to role playing.

Believe it or not, I’m a pretty shy person. Definitely introverted. I don’t like being stuck in crowds. But role playing games require you to work on being social. Yes, I do realize you’re talking to your own friends. However, while playing, you and your character are put into positions where you are supposed to interact with all manner of characters. Talking is required! So when you see me at a convention, I do feel comfortable talking to new people and fans. It’s actually pretty awesome getting to know all of you out there!

Role playing also encourages teamwork and inspires problem solving. Sometimes when a group faces a big foe, they have to work together to get the most bang for their buck, so to speak. Or the group is up against some mystery and they need to solve the murder. Sure, I’m never going to face a giant ogre or murder who-done-it in real life, but when it comes to creating and running a comic book studio, it takes teamwork and problem solving almost every day! It’s not an easy job!

Finally, role playing builds and develops imagination and creativity. Most role playing games don’t have visuals. Everyone has to picture the action in their heads. Your mind’s eye must see the action. If that’s not enough, did you know that you’re telling a story? That’s right, there’s a game master who gives the setting and scenarios, but the players are characters in the story. Everyone in the group has the job of telling a good story! That translates into writing! I want to tell good stories that everyone will enjoy. I picture the action in my head and have to figure out how to tell it on paper. Let me tell you, it’s incredibly fun! That’s right! Writing stories is fun!

Well, that’s about it for me this week. I hope you all get a chance to get out there and do some gaming. I highly recommend it. There are so many out there to choose from and genres to fill any interest. Until next week, be good to each other!