Role Playing Games

I am an avid Role Player, and truly do believe that real role players use dice. While video game rpgs are a good break, there is only so much you can do. The act of grabbing your case of Dr. pepper, and a bag of Cheetos to go sit in a basement on my buddies old mattresses was always a blast.
It is rather sad that he passed away this year at the age of 31 due to heart failure. Now Jeff, he wasn't your average basement dweller. He was an air force man, and one of my best buds in high school, and we kept in touch and almost became a couple. He was always a great GM (Game Master) is a bit of a min max-er, also known as a munchkin.
So to keep this man's memories alive I don't want to tarnish it with his ego, though i'm sure he is reading this or looking over my shoulder and rolling his eyes at me. he was always that way, able to take my teasing and all in stride, and he could dish out as good as he could take.

Role Playing, for those of you that don't know, is not something satanic, nor is it something that causes you to loose touch with reality and either off yourself when you character dies, or turn to drugs. No, the mere act of role playing is to suspend reality and forget the real world, if just for a bit, and to unwind. I can't think of too many things that is as much of a stress reliever as picturing that orcish horde being felled by the group in various bloody ways.
Now there are many games out there and for the most part people cut their teeth on Dungeons and Dragons. As much as I love this game I do not suggest 4th edition as it is more of an mmo style than an actual rpg. The game is not about what tier you are and so on, as in computer rpgs.
REAL rpgs are about the interactions between characters and the adventure itself. For a really really good example of a group of D&D players check out the movies The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. It really does explain what we 'geeks' are like, or even the wav files of the Dead Alewives.
If you are on a college campus, or close to one, head there and find out about the local role playing groups. most of them do not mind people coming in an sitting around to listen what a game is like. In fact many people might find themselves realizing that they have been role playing alone for most of their lives. Anytime you read a book and ponder what you would have done if you were in that situation, or wonder what it would be like to be in that movie with those abilities and how things may have turned out different had you or your idea of a character could have been there, you are essentially role playing.
The main differences between that and being in a group are, well, more people to help or hinder, and someone else is controlling things. The main difference is the factor of the dice, and the chance to succeed or to fail. While failing isnt what you want, sometimes it makes the game more dramatic and the victory that much sweeter.
I think I might blog more about role playing. it is something I love and well perhaps some of you might find this not only helpful to bridge the gap between you and your geeky friends, it might also get some of you to turn off the consoles and head out to meet people that do what you do on the computer, just with more options for customization of characters. Without a computer we are only limited by our imaginations.