Editing Role-playing game (section)

===Tabletop===
[[File:RPG-2009-Berlin-2.jpg|thumb|A group playing a tabletop RPG. The GM is at left using a cardboard [[Gamemaster's screen|screen]] to hide dice rolls from the players.]]
{{Main|Tabletop role-playing game}}{{See also|History of role-playing games|Dungeons & Dragons|Indie role-playing game}}
Tabletop (TTRPG) and ''pen-and-paper'' (PnP) RPGs are conducted through discussion in a small social gathering. In traditional TTRPGs, a GM describes the game world and its inhabitants. The other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes.<ref>(Tychsen 2006:77) "In PnP RPGs, the general game process consists of information-feedback cycles between the players and the GM, or internally within the group."</ref> Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM.<ref>(Tychsen 2006:78–79) "The GM assumes a variety of responsibilities in PnP RPGs, depending on the playing style used, however, these normally include facilitation of game flow and game story, providing environmental content of the fictional reality, as well as administrating rules and arbitrating conflicts. ... In RPGs, the rules specify a great deal more than how pieces are moved on a game board. Because these games are focused on player characters, the rules are designed to govern the nature of these story protagonists and the fictional reality they act in. ... Note that the rules systems in PnP RPGs can be modified or ignored on the fly by the GM or players if so desired."</ref> This is the format in which role-playing games were first popularized. In contrast, many [[Indie role-playing game|indie role-playing games]] experiment with different structures of play, such as sharing the responsibility for creating setting details and NPCs among all players.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Rob |title=A Beginner's Guide To Powered By The Apocalypse Games |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2020/12/29/a-beginners-guide-to-powered-by-the-apocalypse-games/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

The first commercially available RPG, ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''D&D''), was inspired by fantasy literature and the [[wargaming]] hobby and was published in 1974.<ref>(Copier 2005:3) "...fantasy role-playing as a commercial product was developed in the 1970s as Dungeons and Dragons (D&D, 1974) by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was based on a combination of their interests in table-top wargaming and literary fantasy."</ref> The popularity of ''D&D'' led to the birth of the tabletop role-playing game industry, which publishes games with many different themes, rules, and styles of play. 

The popularity of tabletop games decreased in the late 1990s due to competition from online MMO RPGs,<ref name="Barton">{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Matt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPPRBQAAQBAJ |title=Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |date=22 February 2008 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4398-6524-8 |language=en |access-date=29 December 2022}}</ref> [[Role-playing video game|role-playing video games]], and collectible card games. However, TTRPGs experienced a resurgence in popularity between the mid-2010s and early 2020s due to [[actual play]] web series<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Amanda |date=March 17, 2021 |title=How tabletop RPG actual play shows are inspiring a new generation of fans — and products |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/how-tabletop-rpg-actual-play-shows-are-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-fans-and-products/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118232717/https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/how-tabletop-rpg-actual-play-shows-are-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-fans-and-products/ |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=[[VentureBeat]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sowa |first=Alexander |date=June 14, 2020 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: How Actual-Play Shows Are Boosting LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629012953/https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1239982762 |title=Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4766-4201-7 |editor-last=Hedge |editor-first=Stephanie |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=3 |chapter=Introduction |oclc=1239982762 |editor-last2=Grouling |editor-first2=Jennifer}}</ref> and online play through [[Videoconference|videoconferencing]] during the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Allison |first=Peter Ray |date=2021-04-21 |title=Tabletop roleplaying has given players comfort, connection and control in a world that's taken them away |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/tabletop-roleplaying-comfort-connection-control-covid-19 |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=2020-05-08 |title=It's OK to not be OK with tabletop gaming done via Zoom |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/8/21252398/tabletop-role-playing-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-zoom-remote-coronavirus |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":34">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-26 |title=How COVID helped tabletop RPGs go mainstream |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/how-covid-helped-tabletop-rpgs-go-mainstream-6028/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.gameshub.com |language=en-AU}}</ref>

The tabletop format is often referred to simply as a ''role-playing game''. To distinguish this form of RPG from other formats, the [[retronym]]s ''tabletop role-playing game'' or ''pen and paper role-playing game'' are sometimes used, though neither a table nor pen and paper are strictly necessary.<ref name="whatisnarrative" />