While all children roleplay (Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians), the first formalised roleplay game was released over thirty years ago under the name of Dungeons & Dragons, which has flourished to the extent that there are now many different breeds of roleplay game commercially available.

At its core, roleplay is the practice of pretending to be some one else for a while. Each player creates a character, which they guide through events and (mis)adventures, which are thrown in their path. The players try to put themselves in the position of the character.

This often sounds very odd to people unfamiliar with the hobby, but isn't really so unusual. Everybody tries to put themselves in someone else's position from time to time. Ever watched a movie and in your head come up with what the lead male *should* have said at the crucial moment? In a way, that's roleplay. Ever noticed how supporters of a football team will say how 'we' are doing well in a particular season? Any pastime is more enjoyable if you can feel somehow personally involved and at heart the aim of a roleplay game is to allow you to become personally involved with a story.

The players all sit around a table (or sitting room, or field' it doesn't really matter). One player, commonly referred to as Games Master (although variously referred to as Storyteller, Keeper and Judge to name but a few), relates the current surroundings and events. Each other player then reacts to those events as their character would, except that they convey their actions through words and expression.

There are a number of different genres of roleplay game and endless different types of story to be interacted with. In Dungeons & Dragons, players typically guide heroic characters as they combat monsters and earn renown. Other games may focus on relatively unimportant people who through mishap or misadventure stumble upon some significant events or even on anti-heroes plotting dubious schemes. Anything you can imagine being written as a book or film can be the subject of a roleplay game.