The Role Playing Public Radio Forums

General Category => RPGs => : Mckma February 19, 2010, 03:22:38 PM

: How RPGs have helped you
: Mckma February 19, 2010, 03:22:38 PM
So I thought of this today when taking a quiz in my music class.  I found it very amusing that the Actual Play of Candlewick Manor resulted directly in me getting a question right.

Long story short there is a composer named Guiseppe Verdi which I had instantly associated with the cook from the AP.  I don't remember why it came up in my mind during the quiz, but in the end, I must admit, I would likely have gotten it wrong if it weren't for the AP.

This served as inspiration then to start the thread to essentially share stories (serious or humorous) on how in game stuff has aided you at some point in your "normal" life...
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Setherick February 19, 2010, 03:29:50 PM
I'm interested in pretty hardcore philosophical issues about morality and law, which I find RPGs allow me to explore in depth and using simulations.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe February 19, 2010, 03:55:15 PM
I learned what avatar meant from D&D - plus cantonment, dozens of ancient and medieval weapons, and a whole lot of other words I am sure.

: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama February 19, 2010, 04:05:52 PM
Addative damage calculation and point based character generation helped inspire alot of my interest in accounting.

And I know why more than I ever did about World War I thanks to Scott Glancy and friends.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Charlie72 February 19, 2010, 06:10:05 PM


And I know why more than I ever did about World War I thanks to Scott Glancy and friends.
I remember watching a WW1 thing on the Military. It was talking about tunneling and mustard gas evaporating undergound and I was like "Hey, I knew that from Dig to Victory."
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Kroack February 19, 2010, 06:49:54 PM
I think above all that rpgs have improved my writing and storytelling. My improvisation is also greatly influenced by rpgs.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama February 19, 2010, 06:52:10 PM
My storytelling ability has definitally increased, as has my personal devoltion and courage. Gaming is a tough sport if you play with the wrong people and even your friends and cut deep sometimes. Conflict resolution too.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: robotkarateman February 20, 2010, 03:04:00 PM
I learned that the more details the person speaking provides when describing something, the more important it'll be later on.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe February 20, 2010, 03:41:03 PM
Chess teaches us strategy
Cards teach us how to play the odds
Monopoly teaches us about cash flow and business
D&D teaches us to loot the bodies
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Charlie72 February 20, 2010, 06:55:43 PM
Chess teaches us strategy
Cards teach us how to play the odds
Monopoly teaches us about cash flow and business
D&D teaches us to loot the bodies

Catan teaches us that dice can be cheating whores!
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: LiamAtSea February 20, 2010, 10:43:11 PM
GMing has taught me a lot. As  aresult I've learned a lot about mapping and cratography. Also, it's helped me to explore a lot of good books for inspiration that I wouldn't have read otherwise. It's taught me about the way that people interact, though I suppose anything would have.

The most important thing gaming has taught me though is it's very important to maintain diverse interests. Playing D&D at the game store with some of those guys who live and breathe the stuff can be a scaring experience. But then gaming also taught me to get along with people like that, and how to enjoy their company.

word.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: TigerStorm February 21, 2010, 12:25:25 PM
Gaming has helped me keep my skill at mental calculations in relative practice (I don't write down any totals on my character sheet, so I have to add/subtract/multiply/etc every time)

Gaming has helped me think outside of the box for creative solutions to seemingly mundane problems

Gaming has taught me how to overcomplicate seemingly simple actions (which, surprisingly enough, actually has been helpful in certain situations)

Gaming has helped me learn to anticipate people's potential actions based on previous interactions with them
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama February 22, 2010, 12:47:40 PM
Chess teaches us strategy
Cards teach us how to play the odds
Monopoly teaches us about cash flow and business
D&D teaches us to loot the bodies

Catan teaches us that dice can be cheating whores!

Call of Cthulhu teaches us you don't want to fucking know.
Shadowrun teaches us to just shot your friends now and save time later.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: robotkarateman February 22, 2010, 01:22:54 PM
Shadowrun Paranoia teaches us to just shot your friends now and save time later.

FTFY.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama February 22, 2010, 01:35:50 PM
Shadowrun Paranoia teaches us to just shot your friends now and save time later.

FTFY.

Ha! Your right.

Okay, how about Shadowrun teachs us to take the money and run?
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Wooberman February 22, 2010, 02:36:09 PM
Shadowrun Paranoia teaches us to just shot your friends now and save time later.

FTFY.

Ha! Your right.

Okay, how about Shadowrun teachs us to take the money and run?

After the session We had last night of shadowrun, you're totally right on both counts!
The phrase that could sum up the whole session best would be - 'Stop Pissing off the fucking dragon! The DM isn't even looking at stats anymore!'

How we survived, Noone knows.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama February 22, 2010, 02:42:20 PM
The number of times the phrase "I burn Edge" has passed my lips during Shadowrun... god, I hate my friends sometimes.

Oh! Dark Heresy teaches us we're all gonna die horribly, likely in multiple pieces.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe February 22, 2010, 02:52:50 PM
how do i shot friend
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Mckma February 22, 2010, 03:07:49 PM
how do i shot friend

It's like shot put, you hold them in one hand, then do your little maneuver, extend your arm, let go, and they go flying.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe February 22, 2010, 03:43:00 PM
(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6833/646pxhowdoishotweb.jpg)
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Setherick February 22, 2010, 05:23:00 PM
how do i shot friend

It's like shot put, you hold them in one hand, then do your little maneuver, extend your arm, let go, and they go flying.

Always remember to follow through with your back hip or you might end up pulling a muscle.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Order66 February 23, 2010, 10:28:50 PM
Chess teaches us strategy
Cards teach us how to play the odds
Monopoly teaches us about cash flow and business
D&D teaches us to loot the bodies

dead man tell no lies
dead man tells stories'
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Kelkesh123 March 08, 2010, 10:49:36 PM
History for the most part. For example, the World War 1 games from Gencon taught me a good deal. Even though I really wanted to put down on the test 'Reasons for the starting of the war : Cthulhu.'
Not only did it make me interested in the subject, it made me think about someone stabbing someones chest with a bayonet, then blowing their heart out, which is always a good thing to think about while at school.

Also, I ended up getting extra credit for doing a report on the soldiers who dug their way under No Man's Land. That was cool.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe March 08, 2010, 11:16:43 PM
Not only did it make me interested in the subject, it made me think about someone stabbing someones chest with a bayonet, then blowing their heart out, which is always a good thing to think about while at school.

NO IT'S NOT A GOOD THING

WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT

THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF A GOOD THING TO THINK ABOUT AT SCHOOL

OR ANYWHERE

: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama March 09, 2010, 12:46:54 AM
Not only did it make me interested in the subject, it made me think about someone stabbing someones chest with a bayonet, then blowing their heart out, which is always a good thing to think about while at school.

NO IT'S NOT A GOOD THING

WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT

THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF A GOOD THING TO THINK ABOUT AT SCHOOL

OR ANYWHERE

"Ladies and gentleman I'm standing infront of the home of a Mr. Ross Payton whom, insiders say, is the owner and operator of the podcast which the School Yard Bayonet Killer listened to and, supposedly, drew his instructions from."
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: robotkarateman March 09, 2010, 12:50:51 AM
Another D&D inspired killer (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1233150)!
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: clockworkjoe March 09, 2010, 01:23:21 AM
damnit you guys

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Boyos March 09, 2010, 05:00:14 AM
I agree, let's just be normal and join the cult of lobster worshiping inspired by cost like all good red blooded Americans. And if you don't your a mutant commy lover!
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Setherick March 09, 2010, 08:18:33 AM
GAWD! These types of news articles piss me off. What about the thousands of normal crazy people that shoot other people every day?
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: malyss March 09, 2010, 10:05:41 AM
The one thing that all people who shoot people have in common is an appreciation for and a history of using, is guns.

So, by the math...

D&D  = 16 killers in the entire history of the world, and we are only saying that they had or currently do, play the game.
Gun aficionados = 6 billion and counting...

By their logic, what they should be banning isn't D&D.

Don't take this as a "guns are evil" blah blah blah statement. I'm not trying to take your guns away... I'm just pointing out the continued use of incredible logic by the press and the general public at large.

Another thought though... if D&D organized into a religion, you couldn't ban it in prisons or anywhere else... freedom of religion and all that. I mean, look at Scientology. It's a very modern religion, founded in the last 50 years, and it is based on books. The Christian religion is based on books, and it is really old. All they did was crusade... not a big deal, right?

I think anyone claiming to be a journalist should have to take a logic course. And pass it.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: sarendt March 09, 2010, 10:06:20 AM
I was once asked in the middle of class to explain where I learned 'obfuscate' from, which was a White Wolf Vampire game, specificly a LARP.  Not the easiest thing to explain to a group of people in a sentence or two. 

I think RP games in general taught me there is always options in life.  If you don't like the ones your given make your own options and run with them.

Also it helped me realize that fitting in, or being 'normal' was over rated.

-Scott
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Tadanori Oyama March 09, 2010, 11:26:27 AM
I like to carry around my RPG books because I read the things for entertainment. It also gives me the chance to see what people think of the games I play. Since most RPG books have fairly impressive and eye catching cover art I sometimes get people in line with me for coffee or passing by my table at restaurants who ask about them.

They ask in that way you'll find people asking questions of small children most of the time though. Most of the people who are most interested are the ones with an artist bend who seem to think I'm carrying around art collections and seem disappointed when I show them the books are, in fact, mostly rules.

I've never had anybody react negatively to the books which kind of surprises me.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Setherick March 09, 2010, 12:09:53 PM
That's because the whole Jack Chick spin on D&D, while popular in the media who has to have something to sell a story, never caught on with the public at large.
: Re: How RPGs have helped you
: Kelkesh123 March 09, 2010, 04:30:45 PM
I was once asked in the middle of class to explain where I learned 'obfuscate' from, which was a White Wolf Vampire game, specificly a LARP.  Not the easiest thing to explain to a group of people in a sentence or two. 

I loved explaining why I knew what salubrious means, rather than try and explain it logically, I ended up making my self sound stupid.
Though I did meet another White Wolf player, which was a nice plus.

Oh, and when a professor overhears you talking about the Screaming Pelican, don't try to explain it.
DON'T. TRY. TO. EXPLAIN. IT.

On another note, I find people who believe that D&D leads to homicidal actions is ridiculous.
Even with Orphansbane running around.
As Malyss said, the amount of killers who have been players is very low, and these people likely ( read : have ) had other mental issues.

Of course, trying to explain mental issues doesn't mean much when my nickname is the School Yard Bayonet Killer.