RPG.NET
Encyclopedia
RPGnet is a role-playing game
website
. It includes sections on wargame
s, tabletop game
s and video games, as well as columns on gaming topics.
RPGnet was founded in 1996 by Emma and Sandy Antunes, Shawn Althouse (etrigan) and Brian David Phillips, as a way to unify a number of transient game sites. In 2001 it was purchased by Skotos Tech
, but maintains creative and editorial autonomy. Currently it is being run by: Shannon Appelcline of Skotos (site oversight, columns editorial, programming); Allan Sugarbaker (editorial oversight, reviews editorial, operations); and a variety of forum moderators and administrators.
The forums have grown over time. Tangency, the off-topic
forum, has the most posts per day. There are also computer and board game
forums, an "other media" forum that covers television
, comic book
s, movies
and book
s. The site also hosts small forums for photography
, parenting
, and other specific interests.
Like most large forums, RPGnet has developed numerous in-joke
s, tagline
s, and recurring flame wars. Moderation
was at one time very loose, but now follows fairly strict guidelines (see link below). Many game writers, artists, and designers post.
A wide range of tastes are present on the forums. Smaller "fringe" or indie role-playing game
are particularly well-represented and the latest releases often generate a great deal of discussion. Threads on Dungeons & Dragons
, World of Darkness
, GURPS
and other popular systems are fairly common. Exalted
is known for generating a particularly large number of discussion threads. According to several posters, threads about Palladium
games tend to degenerate into flame wars.
Other websites will excerpt or reference forum posts that (much as with the Fark
PhotoShop contests) have lasting value, such as
ZenDesign excerpting WoW-erizing movie quotes and
From the Shop Floor borrowing from the Demotivators thread.
s have been an important part of RPGnet since its inception . Today, RPGnet has an active archive
of approximately 7,500 reviews. Most reviews are of roleplaying games or supplements. In the last few years, users have contributed numerous reviews of board and card game
s. RPGnet also publishes reviews of movies, books, music albums and comics, though less frequently.
The review system was overhauled in early 2003 and since then reviews have appeared with numerous cross-references in an effort to try and improve navigation of the large review archive.
Currently, reviews appear on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. RPG reviews are published on Mondays and Fridays, while reviews of other products are published on Wednesdays.
. Columns are posted on a four-week, Monday-Friday schedule (with 3 to 4 columns posted during a typical week, as per columnist cooperation), with any "extra weeks" in the schedule filled in with additional columns, as they become available. Most columns cover gamemaster
s offering advice on running roleplaying games to other gamemasters, but there is some variety. This site has become noted as a source for player theory on role-playing games, and these are often written by authors with an academic background.
Notable columns have included: 52 Pickup which promised to offer a new game every week for a year (it got to about a dozen before the initial author gave up, then another dozen before the second one did); Behind the Counter which continues to detail the runnings of a gaming retail store
; and Freelancing is Not Free which describes how to freelance
in the gaming industry. Noteworthy columnists have included game industry veterans such as Ross Winn, Chad Underkoffler and Matt Drake. Sandy Antunes' monthly column has run without interruption since inception.
The forums include threads describing actual play of role-playing games in concrete terms. These threads include descriptions of how players have overcome specific challenges, and they allow observers to view how a role-playing game is performed without having to actually participate.
The columns software was upgraded in 2006, and it now includes full RSS
feeds as well as a variety of database-oriented
lookups and full integration into the RPGnet forums.
Prior to 2008, Columns Editing was handled by C.W. Richeson (2008), Shannon Appelcline (2006–2007), Michael Fiegel (2001–2005) and Sandy Antunes (inception - 2001). As of January 2008, it is handled by Shannon Appelcline.
RPGnet columns have been referenced on Slashdot
(including
Gaming Girls of GenCon
and A History of Wizards of the Coast),
on Google Answers
(The $1K Company), and
many blogs and gaming sites.
The RPGnet Wiki is built on MediaWiki
, the same software used by Wikipedia
.
The Gaming Index is not searchable on RPG.net itself, as RPG.net does not maintain a working "search" function.
s, and online access to some Days of Wonder
games.
The Game Manufacturers Association
(GAMA) publishes a semi-annual journal called Games and Education. As of 1998, past issues of this journal are archived on the RPGnet site.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. It includes sections on wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
s, tabletop game
Tabletop game
Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...
s and video games, as well as columns on gaming topics.
RPGnet was founded in 1996 by Emma and Sandy Antunes, Shawn Althouse (etrigan) and Brian David Phillips, as a way to unify a number of transient game sites. In 2001 it was purchased by Skotos Tech
Skotos
Skotos, sometimes known as Skotos Tech, is an online game company that was founded in 1999 and released its first game, Castle Marrach, in September 2000. Its primary focus is prose online RPGs , though it currently offers a total of 15 different games...
, but maintains creative and editorial autonomy. Currently it is being run by: Shannon Appelcline of Skotos (site oversight, columns editorial, programming); Allan Sugarbaker (editorial oversight, reviews editorial, operations); and a variety of forum moderators and administrators.
Forums
The site's most popular feature is its message board.The forums have grown over time. Tangency, the off-topic
On-topic
In the context of mailing lists, discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards, newsgroups, and wikis a contribution is off-topic if it is not within the bounds of the current discussion, and on-topic if it is....
forum, has the most posts per day. There are also computer and board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
forums, an "other media" forum that covers television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s. The site also hosts small forums for photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
, and other specific interests.
Like most large forums, RPGnet has developed numerous in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
s, tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
s, and recurring flame wars. Moderation
Moderation system
On Internet websites which invite users to post comments, a moderation system is the method the webmaster chooses to sort contributions which are irrelevant, obscene, illegal, or insulting with regards to useful or informative contributions....
was at one time very loose, but now follows fairly strict guidelines (see link below). Many game writers, artists, and designers post.
A wide range of tastes are present on the forums. Smaller "fringe" or indie role-playing game
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...
are particularly well-represented and the latest releases often generate a great deal of discussion. Threads on Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, World of Darkness
World of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
, GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
and other popular systems are fairly common. Exalted
Exalted
Exalted is a role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing. The game is classified as high fantasy, but may be more accurately described as "mythic fantasy", as the developer specifically avoided drawing on J. R. R. Tolkien, but rather turned to a mixture of world mythologies for inspiration...
is known for generating a particularly large number of discussion threads. According to several posters, threads about Palladium
Palladium Books
Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games perhaps best known for its popular, expansive Rifts series . Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin Siembieda, and is presently based in Westland, Michigan...
games tend to degenerate into flame wars.
Other websites will excerpt or reference forum posts that (much as with the Fark
Fark
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
PhotoShop contests) have lasting value, such as
ZenDesign excerpting WoW-erizing movie quotes and
From the Shop Floor borrowing from the Demotivators thread.
Reviews
ReviewReview
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s have been an important part of RPGnet since its inception . Today, RPGnet has an active archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
of approximately 7,500 reviews. Most reviews are of roleplaying games or supplements. In the last few years, users have contributed numerous reviews of board and card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s. RPGnet also publishes reviews of movies, books, music albums and comics, though less frequently.
The review system was overhauled in early 2003 and since then reviews have appeared with numerous cross-references in an effort to try and improve navigation of the large review archive.
Currently, reviews appear on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. RPG reviews are published on Mondays and Fridays, while reviews of other products are published on Wednesdays.
Columns and articles
RPGnet currently has approximately 20 regular columnsColumnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
. Columns are posted on a four-week, Monday-Friday schedule (with 3 to 4 columns posted during a typical week, as per columnist cooperation), with any "extra weeks" in the schedule filled in with additional columns, as they become available. Most columns cover gamemaster
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
s offering advice on running roleplaying games to other gamemasters, but there is some variety. This site has become noted as a source for player theory on role-playing games, and these are often written by authors with an academic background.
Notable columns have included: 52 Pickup which promised to offer a new game every week for a year (it got to about a dozen before the initial author gave up, then another dozen before the second one did); Behind the Counter which continues to detail the runnings of a gaming retail store
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
; and Freelancing is Not Free which describes how to freelance
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
in the gaming industry. Noteworthy columnists have included game industry veterans such as Ross Winn, Chad Underkoffler and Matt Drake. Sandy Antunes' monthly column has run without interruption since inception.
The forums include threads describing actual play of role-playing games in concrete terms. These threads include descriptions of how players have overcome specific challenges, and they allow observers to view how a role-playing game is performed without having to actually participate.
The columns software was upgraded in 2006, and it now includes full RSS
RSS (file format)
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
feeds as well as a variety of database-oriented
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
lookups and full integration into the RPGnet forums.
Prior to 2008, Columns Editing was handled by C.W. Richeson (2008), Shannon Appelcline (2006–2007), Michael Fiegel (2001–2005) and Sandy Antunes (inception - 2001). As of January 2008, it is handled by Shannon Appelcline.
RPGnet columns have been referenced on Slashdot
Slashdot
Slashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
(including
Gaming Girls of GenCon
and A History of Wizards of the Coast),
on Google Answers
Google Answers
Google Answers was an online knowledge market offered by Google that allowed users to post bounties for well researched answers to their queries. Asker-accepted answers cost $2 to $200. Google retained 25% of the researcher's reward and a 50 cent fee per question. In addition to the researcher's...
(The $1K Company), and
many blogs and gaming sites.
Wiki
The RPGnet wiki was added in early 2005. Its original purpose was to offer a place for people to jointly design roleplaying supplements and game systems; there has been some work on this, but others have begun to use it as a place to assemble an encyclopedia of roleplaying terms.The RPGnet Wiki is built on MediaWiki
MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a popular free web-based wiki software application. Developed by the Wikimedia Foundation, it is used to run all of its projects, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikinews. Numerous other wikis around the world also use it to power their websites...
, the same software used by Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
.
News
2005 also saw a facelift of the News & Press section of RPGnet. RPGnet now aggregates RSS feeds, with over two dozen feeds in six different gaming categories available.Gaming Index
In 2006, RPGnet added a Gaming Index, a catalog of RPGs added by users. This new system is intended to hold every English RPG product, and is searchable through a variety of means, notable hyperlinks to other products by the publisher, authors or game line and links to RPGnet's reviews of the product. Users can also rank the products and comment on them. As of March 14, 2011 the site has 15786 games, 2473 additional editions, and 2014 magazines, accounting for 1049 unique game systems.).The Gaming Index is not searchable on RPG.net itself, as RPG.net does not maintain a working "search" function.
Other features
RPGnet features a RPG store, which is a RPGnet-branded version of RPGShop. The site also offers a membership program which gives subscribers early access to reviews, a few forum privilegePrivilege
A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth...
s, and online access to some Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder is a board game publisher based in the United States and France. Founded in 2002, Days of Wonder distributes its games to 25 countries. It specialises in German-style board games and have branched out to include some online games. Days of Wonder has published games in English,...
games.
The Game Manufacturers Association
Game Manufacturers Association
The Game Manufacturers Association is a non-profit trade association based in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to the advancement of the non-electronic social games industry - Board/Tabletop Games, Miniatures Games, Card Games, Collectable/Tradeable Card Games, Role-Playing Games, and Live-Action Role...
(GAMA) publishes a semi-annual journal called Games and Education. As of 1998, past issues of this journal are archived on the RPGnet site.