Explaining TTRPGs to someone with NO cultural frame of reference

[BreaktheStatue]

As simply and concisely as possible, how would you explain the idea of tabletop role playing games to someone who:

1. Has no experience with gaming, beyond simple board games.
2. Has no experience with the Western fantasy. No knowledge of Arthurian legends, Tolkien, Western fairy tales etc. - the basic fantasy "tropes" that even non-gamers in the US or Europe would know.

[Hunter Noventa]

Ask them if they ever played games like 'cops and robbers' when they were a kid. If they ever had play arguments like 'bang i got you!'/'no you didn't!' or anything like that.

Then tell them how TTRPGs are like that, only there are rules to say if you actually got them. and that you're usually working with friends to defeat a bad guy.

Is this purely a thought exercise, or are you trying to explain it to an actual person you know?

[BreaktheStatue]

Is this purely a thought exercise, or are you trying to explain it to an actual person you know?

Both, actually. I'm in Asia, and although my partner and I share a common language, TTRPGs are almost totally unheard of (outside of the expat community) where we are. I was searching for a simple way to explain them (primarily, DnD, but really the whole concept) without having to unpack too much.

I really like your example.

[TheStranger]

Well, it's not like there are no Asian medieval fantasy tropes. I don't pretend to know much about them, but I know wuxia is a thing. So you could meet them halfway and start with a TTRPG that's built on those tropes, rather than Western fantasy. Depending on which country you're in, wuxia may not be the exact right genre, but I imagine there's a local equivalent. Basically, don't explain it in terms of pretending to be knights and hobbits fighting orcs, explain it in terms of pretending to be a youxia and traveling from village to village righting wrongs.

Alternately, convince them to watch LotR with you, and work from there.

[BWR]

"Have you ever read a book or watched a movie/TV show and thought 'I would do this in their situation'? With RPGs you can."

[DMThac0]

A collaborative game where people pretend to be the heroes of myth and legend. Every culture has stories about their own evil spirits or guardian spirits, so use them as a basic reference of something they could face. There are again, in every culture, beings of lore that did great deeds to change the shape of the world and history, you could use those as examples of game ideas.

One person (DM) is in charge of maintaining the balance of the game, making sure the basic rules of the game are followed. This DM is also in charge of acting out the world that the players are in, from the creatures to the people you talk to in a local shop. They are the person who helps, and decides, how the players' actions affect the world around them. Whether it be from a book or their own creation, the DM is also in charge of making sure the setting you're in stays consistent.

The players are the ones acting out the stories, the heroes, and the ones to make the decisions. They have the ability to do anything they want in the game, within the guidelines of the books and DM. The paper and dice are simply there to help put solid numbers and information down to work from. Their actions can drastically change the game, they can win, lose, or completely change the way a story plays out. The limits to their game play are contained in the imagination of the DM and the players both.

All of this happens in your imagination, with the dice, paper, and players being the only thing that ties it all together.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well, it's not like there are no Asian medieval fantasy tropes. I don't pretend to know much about them, but I know wuxia is a thing. So you could meet them halfway and start with a TTRPG that's built on those tropes, rather than Western fantasy. Depending on which country you're in, wuxia may not be the exact right genre, but I imagine there's a local equivalent. Basically, don't explain it in terms of pretending to be knights and hobbits fighting orcs, explain it in terms of pretending to be a youxia and traveling from village to village righting wrongs.

This essentially, learn the tropes of the culture and work out the rough equivalents.

I could give some basic advice on Wuxia -> Heroic Fantasy, but from my experience things like Game of Thrones have penetrated China to enough of a degree that at least those in their twenties have a basic idea of western fantasy. So depending on exactly where you are the amount of explanation required would differ.

Plus there are different genres of RPG out there. OP, if there's a genre that's pretty popular over there, such as Horror, Science Fiction, or whatever, it might be better trying to use an RPG based on one of those. In some ways #2 is the more annoying one, so sidestepping it might be the right response, at least until your players are used to the basic idea.

On what an RPG is? It's a game based around the creation and simulation of a story, with one player controlling the world and the rest of the players (normally) controlling a single being in that world. It uses random elements in order to decrease the predictibility of outcomes, and nummerical elements in order to represent the differences between characters. Rules can range from very basic to incredibly complex, and can focus more on simulating the world or story.

That's at least a very basic description, you might want to highlight it's links to board games, group storytelling, or acting depending on exactly who you're interacting with.

One of my friends once got a class he was teaching to enjoy roleplaying games by just never mentioning the name (and using some card based mechanic, it was a very informal 'for fun' activity). Then when they saw a picture of people playing 'traditionally' (table, screen, dice) there was a bit of 'ha ha what nerds' before they were told that they'd essentially participated in a stripped down version.

[Psyren]

I highly doubt anyone would have NO frame of reference. It's the oldest game in the world (make-believe); the only real addition is a pseudo-randomized resolution mechanic (i.e. dice, cards, RPS etc) in place of the cops-and-robbers approach of simply declaring success or failure independently..

As far as what play looks like, it's easier than ever these days. Most modern core rulebooks (particularly for the major properties like D&D, Pathfinder/Starfinder, Werewolf etc.) include "Example of Play" segments that give details of how players describe their actions in character and when the GM should call for dice rolls. But more than that, the advent of streaming has made "watch people who understand this tabletop game play through it" perhaps the easiest way to learn of all, even for groups who don't have a pro to teach everyone else.

[Slipperychicken]

Do people play pretend in Asia?

[Frozen_Feet]

Hypotheticals. "You are in a forest. Suddenly, you hear a twig breaking behind you. It could be a bear. What do you do? How? Why?"

Then, to get across the concept of a character, acting: "so now imagine you have a role other than yourself, like an actor in a play/TV series/whatever. Your role is, say, that of ten-year-old girl. Again, you are in the woods. Again, you hear a twig breaking. What do you do? How? Why?"

The rest is explaining particulars of the ruleset. "So in the game, we have these rules, like a board game, which define your role and the situation you're in. When you try something specific, the rules may call for a die roll..." So on and so forth.

Explaining what fantasy is, is a tertiary concern, if that. You can just tell them to loan a local translation of the Hobbit, or watch Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movies, and that's it.

[Gnoman]

Describe it as "live improvisational theatre, where most of the players each have one character to write and control, while one player acts as the director and scene-setter."

[zlefin]

As simply and concisely as possible, how would you explain the idea of tabletop role playing games to someone who:

1. Has no experience with gaming, beyond simple board games.
2. Has no experience with the Western fantasy. No knowledge of Arthurian legends, Tolkien, Western fairy tales etc. - the basic fantasy "tropes" that even non-gamers in the US or Europe would know.

wow, they don't even play video games? I didn't know there were people like that anymore. hmm, without videogames as a reference point it gets trickier.
What about some of the numerous tv shows based off of video games or that run on a video game premise? there's a bunch of anime/manga like that these days, as well as some manhwa.

[Knaight]

As simply and concisely as possible, how would you explain the idea of tabletop role playing games to someone who:

1. Has no experience with gaming, beyond simple board games.
2. Has no experience with the Western fantasy. No knowledge of Arthurian legends, Tolkien, Western fairy tales etc. - the basic fantasy "tropes" that even non-gamers in the US or Europe would know.

The second of these is a total non-issue for TTRPGs in general. It makes D&D harder, but there's plenty of other settings. At the very least you could safely pick a generic system and match it up to something historical or modern.

As for the first, my high level explanation is usually "a mix of board games and improvisational theater", which should work even with just the simple board games (particularly if chess, any of the numerous regional chess variants, or go is a point of familiarity).

[BreaktheStatue]

These are all great suggestions, and I'll adopt bits and pieces of each.

As far as whether or not they have imaginations in Asia...

To clarify, yes, the concept exists in the country I am in - there's a word for it, and I suspect it is an innate feature of all humans, across cultures.

However, imaginative speculation and problem solving is very, very much discouraged in the country I am in, from a very early age: (it's getting somewhat better, but still pretty rare). What your teacher tells you is right, without question, memorize your book, max the SAT, get into a good college, work 15 hours a day, and your entertainment is getting blackout drunk. That's the template.

This isn't meant to be a dig at the country I am in - it works for them - but just the idea of teenagers or adults sitting around and imagining an entire setting into existence is difficult to convey. Although in retrospect, my guess is that they probably understand WHAT it means, even if they don't get the appeal.

[Segev]

Do they have anime and manga or manwha or the like, and are they familiar with it? Reference an adventuresome one and describe the game as pretending to be characters in similar stories.

It's even something one can do while drinking around the table.

If they have "corporate team-building exercises," those can be a useful reference, too, only this is a sedentary exercise in team problem solving.

[Knaight]

If they have "corporate team-building exercises," those can be a useful reference, too, only this is a sedentary exercise in team problem solving.

I'd hesitate to use that reference - "corporate team-building exercise" is the sort of comparison you'd make when deliberately trying to instill a deeply negative connotation.

[Tanarii]

I'd hesitate to use that reference - "corporate team-building exercise" is the sort of comparison you'd make when deliberately trying to instill a deeply negative connotation.
Oh god yes. It's not as bad as saying "Employee of the Month", which is invariable a sneer when not spoken by a manager. But it's far more likely to give an impression of "stupid & pointless things management organizes" than communicate anythig with a purpose.