Pros of TRPG

Benefits/advantages TRPGs compared to the other RPG formats? These are the “pros”.

    1. * Very social

    2. * Cooperative game-play (rather than competitiveness of CRPG and LARP).

    3. * Most accessible to widest range of populations. - allows going beyond their own natural abilities through their PC.

    4. * Inexpensive initial investment – and now with BFRPG can be free.

    5. * long-term reusability

    6. * Encourages creativity.

    7. * Unlimited flexibility of options.

    8. * Easy to find players/groups in small cities (or larger).

    9. * Easy to find locations to play – just need somewhere to sit and gather, optional table.

    10. * Very little equipment needed, typically just paper, pencil, dice, rules, & place to gather.

    11. * Can encourage many other interests (history, literature, geography, sculpting, metallurgy, physics, philosophy, etc.). Ancillary activities like miniature painting, terrain building, cartography, etc.

    12. * Very portable

    13. * genre & setting flexible

    14. Measurable Statistical Information

    15. Team-work emphasis

    16. helps develop clearer definitions of roles in a team

    17. self-esteem building

    18. quality of life improvement

    19. develops empathy

    20. practical skill practice: 

    • math

    • speaking

    • reading

    • writing

    • & many other skills

Cons of TRPG

The DIS-advantages TRPGs have compared to the other RPG formats. These are the “cons”.

   •     1. * Sedentary - Not physically active (no current research on obesity rates as there is for computer-based). Hawke wants to perform formal study some on this assumption.

    •     2. * Difficult to find players/groups/GMs in smaller cities & towns

    •     3. * Dependent on having others to play, such as a GM to play, and/or other players.

    •     4. * Ongoing societal stigma, and outright hostility in many locations.

    •     5. * Need minimum sufficient sufficient social & communication abilities. Requires some minimum ability in social, communication, and cooperative problem-solving skills at a sufficient level, otherwise highly disruptive one on one training before can be in group. Without strongly skilled GM or TRS supervision, if participants lacking in social skills, can break down and lead to group dissolution

    •     6. * Some systems can be complex and difficult to learn with a high barrier to entry for players and especially GMs, depending on the game system and the GM teaching style.

    •     7. * Requires lengthy time investment

    •     8. * Coordinating time for the group scheduling is challenging

    •     9. * Need sufficient minimum matching communication level (reading/writing & speaking) abilities that match closely enough the other players & GM (spanish, ASL, etc.)

    •     10. * Necessary to travel to gathering location (unless using adaptations like tech, remote, etc.)

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