Basics
What Does TRPG Mean? Tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs) Explained
TRPG stands for tabletop role-playing game, also written TTRPG. Learn what a TTRPG is, who the game master and players are, how a session works, what you need, the best-known systems, and how to start playing, even on your own.
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What does TRPG mean?
TRPG stands for tabletop role-playing game. It is the same thing English-speaking players usually call a TTRPG or simply a tabletop RPG. The shorter "TRPG" is the common name in Japan and Korea, which is where this site's name, AI TRPG, comes from.
In a TTRPG, a group tells a story together through conversation and dice. One person, the game master (GM), describes the world and plays everyone the heroes meet. Each of the other players plays one character in the story. The GM sets a scene, the players say what their characters do, dice decide anything uncertain, and the story that comes out belongs only to that table.
How is a TTRPG different from a video game RPG?
| Video game RPG | TTRPG | |
|---|---|---|
| What runs the story | A program | The GM and the players, talking |
| What you can do | Pick from the options on screen | Try anything you can put into words |
| Endings | The few the developers wrote | Different every time you play |
| Players | Often one | Usually one GM and 2 to 5 players |
The big difference is freedom. Facing a locked door, a video game lets you open it or turn back. In a TTRPG you can climb through the window, break the lock, or talk the guard into opening it, and the GM decides on the spot what happens.
Who and what you need
- Game master (GM): the narrator and referee. Describes scenes, plays the non-player characters (NPCs) and applies the rules. In Call of Cthulhu the GM is called the Keeper
- Players: each plays a player character (PC)
- Rulebook (system): the rules and setting of a particular game. Players call a ruleset a "system"
- Scenario (adventure, module): the plot of one adventure: what is really going on, who is involved, and the scenes that may happen
- Dice: decide whether an action succeeds. "2d6" means roll two six-sided dice; "1d20" means roll one twenty-sided die
- Character sheet: where a character's abilities, skills and gear are written down
How to play: one session, step by step
A single game of a TTRPG is called a session.
1. Make your characters
Choose a name, look, personality, abilities and skills. Some systems have you roll dice for the numbers.
2. The GM sets the scene
GM: "You stand at the edge of an ancient forest.
An eerie sound drifts out from between the trees..."
3. Players declare what they do
Player: "I creep toward the sound, keeping behind the trees."
4. Roll the dice
When the outcome is uncertain, you roll. The system's rules compare the roll with your character's abilities to decide success or failure.
5. The GM narrates the result
The GM describes what happens, and you are back at step 3. The loop repeats until the mystery is solved or the quest is done.
A short session takes one to two hours; longer adventures run over several sessions, called a campaign.
Well-known TTRPG systems
- Dungeons & Dragons (D&D): created in the United States in 1974, the game that started it all. Swords-and-sorcery fantasy, resolved with a twenty-sided die
- Call of Cthulhu: investigative horror based on H. P. Lovecraft's stories. Investigators dig into strange events and lose their sanity on the way to the truth. It is hugely popular in Japan
- Sword World: a long-running Japanese fantasy system that rolls two six-sided dice
There are systems for almost every genre: science fiction, modern day, school life, mystery and more.
Why people love TTRPGs
Your words move the story
You are not choosing from a menu. Your own ideas change what happens, and an unexpected plan that works is a feeling only TTRPGs give you.
No two games are the same
The same scenario ends differently with different players and choices.
You get to be someone else
You build a character with a personality and a past, and play them by asking "what would they do?"
How to start playing
With friends at a table
Get a rulebook, dice and character sheets, and pick a GM. The easiest start is to ask someone who has played before to run the game.
Online
Voice chat plus a virtual tabletop (a browser tool for sharing maps and dice) lets you play with people anywhere. Communities and social media are good places to find a group.
On your own
If you cannot find a group or a GM, there are solo adventures, and you can also let an AI be your GM. No scheduling, and you can start without knowing the rules.
Playing a TTRPG with an AI game master
On AI TRPG, an AI runs the game as your GM, right in your browser, whenever you like.
| A TTRPG with people | A TTRPG with an AI GM |
|---|---|
| Someone has to be the GM | The AI is the GM |
| Everyone's schedules must match | Play alone, any time |
| You need to learn the rules | The AI handles the checks |
| A high bar for first-timers | Just write what you want to do |
- Choose from five AI GMs with different voices and personalities
- Scene images are drawn as the story unfolds
- Save and come back to your adventure later
- Free once you sign up (no credit card; everyone shares the same usage limits)
FAQ
Is TRPG the same as TTRPG?
Yes. Both mean tabletop role-playing game. TRPG is the usual abbreviation in Japan and Korea, TTRPG in English-speaking countries.
Are TTRPGs hard to learn?
You do not need to know every rule. At first, just tell the GM what you want to do. With an AI GM, the AI walks you through the checks.
How many people do you need?
With people, one GM and two to five players is typical. With solo adventures or an AI GM, you can play alone.
How long does a game take?
A short scenario takes one to two hours; longer ones are split across sessions. On AI TRPG you can save and stop at any point.
Does it cost money?
To play with people, a rulebook and dice are enough, and many games offer free starter rules and adventures. AI TRPG is free once you sign up.
Next steps
- About AI GM - what an AI game master does
- Getting Started with TTRPGs - what to prepare
- Character Creation Guide - making a character worth playing
- Dice System - how checks work
- TTRPG Glossary - common terms explained
Ready? Pick a scenario and start your first adventure.