What is an RPG: the meaning, the types of game (tabletop and online) and how to start
RPG stands for role-playing game: each player creates a character and decides what that character does in an adventure story. It can be played around a table, with dice and paper character sheets, or as a video game, including online with other people in the same world.
What does RPG stand for?
RPG is short for role-playing game. Instead of moving a piece on a board, you take on a role: a mage, a warrior, a thief, a cleric. What that character says, risks and chooses is up to you.
What sets an RPG apart from other games is character progression. Your hero earns experience, levels up, learns skills and collects gear. The same adventure never ends the same way, because every group makes different choices.
How a tabletop RPG works
In a tabletop RPG, a group of friends gets together (around a table or on a video call) and one person acts as the game master: they narrate the world, play the monsters and townsfolk, and apply the rules. Everyone else is a player, each with their own character.
- The character sheet holds everything about your character: name, race, class, attributes such as strength and intelligence, hit points, spells and items.
- RPG dice settle anything uncertain. The best known is the 20-sided die (d20), but d4, d6, d8, d10 and d12 are used too. Roll high, and the attack lands or the locked door gives way.
- The map and tokens show where everyone stands in a fight. They can be miniatures, cardboard tokens or a digital map.
- A session lasts a few hours, and a campaign is the story told across many sessions.
Classes and races: the most common choices
Almost every RPG starts with two choices. Your class is what your character is good at: the warrior soaks up hits on the front line, the mage deals damage from afar with magic, the cleric heals and protects, the rogue is quick and sneaky. Your race is the people they come from: humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins and many more, each with a small talent of its own.
A tip for beginners: pick the class that fits how you like to play, not the one that looks strongest. In a good RPG, every class gets its moment.
The types of RPG games
- Tabletop RPG: run by a game master, with dice, character sheets and plenty of imagination.
- RPG video game: the computer or console plays the game master. The game tells the story and the rules run by themselves.
- Online RPG: a video game RPG you play with other people over the internet.
- MMORPG: the "massively multiplayer" online RPG, an open, persistent world shared by many players at once that keeps going after you log off.
Tabletop RPG or online RPG: which should you choose?
A tabletop RPG is unbeatable for freedom: the game master can react to any wild idea the group comes up with. On the other hand, it means getting several people together at the same time and someone willing to prepare every session.
An online RPG game solves that: you play whenever you want, alone or with friends, and there are always other people in the world. The dice are still there, just hidden in the game’s math, and the character sheet becomes your character screen. Plenty of people play both: tabletop with friends on the weekend and an online RPG the rest of the week.
What playing an online RPG is like in Echoes of Aora
Echoes of Aora is a free fantasy online RPG that opens in your browser, on PC or phone, with nothing to download. Everything above is in it:
- Race and class: your character is a mage. You pick a race (humans, elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, fairies and more) and a school of magic, such as Fire, Frost, Nature or Shadow, which works as your class.
- Character sheet: level, attributes, gear and a talent tree to specialize your magic.
- Dice: chance still decides things, now in real-time combat right on the map.
- A real party: other mages in the same world, bosses everyone nearby fights together, clans and a player market.
And there are things only an online world can offer: capturing creatures that then fight at your side, building an army out of them and, later on, raising your own kingdom in the Free Lands.
How to start playing an RPG today
- Open echoesofaora.com on your computer or phone (on a phone, turn it sideways).
- Create your free account.
- Build your character: race, looks and school of magic.
- Learn the basics on the Isle of First Steps, up to level 5, with weak creatures and PvP open at any level.
- Set sail for the mainland and follow your own story.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RPG?
RPG stands for role-playing game. Each player creates a character and decides what they do in an adventure, played either at a table with dice and character sheets or as a video game.
What is the difference between a tabletop RPG and an online RPG?
In a tabletop RPG, a game master narrates the story and dice decide what is left to chance. In an online RPG, the game itself plays the game master and you play with other people over the internet, whenever you like.
What are dice used for in an RPG?
Dice decide actions with an uncertain outcome, such as landing an attack or persuading a guard. The most used is the 20-sided die, the d20, but there are also d4, d6, d8, d10 and d12.
Which RPG class is best for beginners?
The one that fits how you play. If you like attacking from a distance, mage is a good start; if you would rather take the hits, go warrior. In Echoes of Aora everyone plays a mage and picks a school of magic.
Where can I play an online RPG for free?
Echoes of Aora is a free online RPG that opens in your browser, on PC or phone, with no download. Just create an account to start.