The ale is cold, the fire is warm, and we have many tales to tell.

For as long as humanity has been communicating, we have spent our spare time telling stories. Whether they take the form of prehistoric cave paintings, epics like Homer's Odyssey, or children telling ghost stories at a slumber party, something inside of us longs to pass on legends, histories, and fairy tales.

Songs. Movies. Books. Theatrical productions, whether simple or grand. Each one of these tells a story, though they all may tell them differently. And we are content with such creative mediums. Many of us enjoy sitting down in a movie theater with a bucket of popcorn to enjoy the latest Star Wars movie, or indulge in a fluffy romantic comedy.  Plenty of us have favorite books or graphic novels, and stacks of unread treasures waiting at home to be cracked open. All of these are familiar, and comfortable.

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So, what makes Tabletop Roleplay so different?​

​As a storytelling tool, there is a unique sort of magic in roleplay, and a chance for players of any level to create wondrous tales of their own. You may never star in a major motion picture, and you may never want to. You might not possess the talent or inclination to write the next great classic, and Broadway may never call your name. But at the table, you step into a world of living adventure.  A world where your choices immediately impact the story, and your ideals influence how good, or bad, everything turns out in the end. Whereas a movie theater separates you from the action, at the table you are a part of it. A key part. No matter how many fellow adventurers journey with you, and no matter how much or how little you are comfortable contributing, you matter. Your ideas and visions matter. Your story matters.

The art of roleplay (and it is, in fact, an art) takes those recognizable elements we understand about storytelling -- characters, plot, action -- and puts them directly into the hands of its players and dungeon masters. Not only that, but it brings a necessary teamwork and collaboration to the table. Even in a party where everyone is fighting among themselves, they still move the story along together. The variables of dice rolls and random encounters are experienced as a team, giving you the chance to transcend above ordinary entertainment. Roleplay is, and should be, a combination of so many different art forms. We improvise, thinking fast on our feet and putting ourselves in the mindset of our characters, as many professional actors do every day. We write our backstories, some long and some short, and our bards craft poetry and song.  We often draw our own art and maps, trying to bring visuals to the worlds we've created. It doesn't have to be perfect, it simply has to be. That's where all stories begin.

So, let's stop putting roleplay aside as if it were a lesser art. Let us not be ashamed of this hobby we've come to know and love, nor pass judgement on the way others play it. That's the glorious thing about art: making it your own. Break the rules, if it suits your table! Make up your own homebrews! Stick exactly to the script, and never deviate. No matter if you play with three people in your garage, login and play-by-post online, or stream from a lit studio with a cast of twenty. All are valid, and ALL are the "right way" to play. Who knows? Maybe you will come up with the next biggest thing in RPGs, at your very own table.

From Athens to Eberron, storytelling as a concept has constantly shifted and grown. The art of the tale is magnificent in its simplicity, and its ability to stretch our imaginations, and make us the gods of our own tiny worlds. Here, we celebrate that art, and the grand traditions that come with it. Every story, from the most innocent nursery rhymes to the heroic epics, deserves to be appreciated. Join us as we dive into every realm, and explore every corner of roleplaying craft, in our brand new blog. Welcome, friends, to Once Upon a Tabletop.

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