[quote=Shadowcatcher]
i've been interested and wondering what tabletop roleplaying is? like, i'm wondering if its self-explanatory but i'm drawing up blanks.

can someone give me a detailed description of what exactly it is?

Thanks,
Shadowy
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[/quote]

Hmm... Tabletop RPing on a forum is a bit of a misnomer, as it's still trapped to PbPRP architecture, but...

[b]A.[/b] A literal tabletop is where a group of people, usually between 3-8, sit around a literal table or use an online equivalent like RollD20. They use a rule set like Rolemaster, Pathfinder, and Dungeons & Dragons (3.5 or 4.0 are the standards). The main differences between the two is the live play and dice-based mechanics. Even talking to people is usually divided into four categories: Bluffing, bartering, intimidation, and diplomacy. The fun is in role playing what the dice results give you, and weighing risk-reward. Such as having to role play your character fumbling an easy shot one turn, only to turn right around and pull off a masterful deflection shot that one-hit kills next post.

[b]B.[/b] On a forum such as this one, attempts are made to replicate the rule set, but often only the dice-based mechanics manage to translate directly to PbPRP. The live play does not, and it's an integral part of the tabletop environment, so... (PbPRP = Play-By-Post Role Play.)