Role-Playing Games (RPG) is a term that has become more commonly attached to video games, such as Final Fantasy, World Of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls.
However, this particular term corresponds to how people can become part of the game itself and actually experience the story through the eyes of one of the characters, and it doesn’t necessarily relate to video games alone.
One recent example of this is the tabletop RPG Mythic Revolutions created by Athens-based, Fotis Sagonas.
Fotis, apart from a successful writer and creator of his own trading-card game based on ancient Greece, has been an avid player of RPGs for the better part of the last three decades. This led him to create the Heroes and Mythos – d6 System, which is half-based on the dice used to play the game and half-based on the scenario itself, as a way to tell his stories through his games.
Following discussions with his wife, who works in childcare, Fotis decided to use this medium to bring younger generations closer to the events that occurred during that period.
Mythic Revolutions is a tabletop RPG based around the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, and the heroes in this game each have their own unique talents, strengths and original stories to tell, each one based on the time they’re living in.
Through the game, one can see the fantastic and real elements as they intertwine, creating a setting that can capture the minds of players as they set off on their adventures in these semi-fictional worlds. For example, as they engage the role of a warrior who fights in the Greek revolution, the players will encounter nymphs and witches, among other things, and will be able to cast enhancements on themselves through various means, like prayers. Also, considering their choices in the game, players might come across some well-known historical figures or they can create their own separate, fictional adventure, changing the course of history altogether.
In what is considered a norm for RPGs, there are a variety of classes that players will be able to choose for their hero before their quest begins.
The goal of Sagonas was to create a tabletop RPG targeted to the Greek diaspora, however most of his efforts weren’t met with the highest level of enthusiasm, since the press forms he sent out had no response and his kickstarter campaign wasn’t doing any better either.
That is until he reached out to the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), who embraced the idea behind the game after reading one of its early editions titled The 300 Of Dolmas.
After that, Sagonas began to collaborate with the GCM and in a few weeks they are preparing for the first showing of the game during which Fotis himself will participate via Skype, in order to get new players initiated.
Sagonas’ wish is to use this game to shed light on the Greek Revolution as an event that altered the course of history. He also wants players to really think about their in-game decisions and be troubled by them, increasing their level of immersion within the game’s world.
This isn’t just a casual form of entertainment to him; he is trying to make people understand what it was like living in that time by putting them ‘in the shoes’ of the character. He wants people, not only, to immerse themselves in the RPG experience but to become invested in it.
Sagonas’ experience tells him that this is the appropriate, but also most popular, vehicle to get people into his stories. All it takes is a roll of the dice.
If you’re interested in taking part in the first showing of ‘Mythic Revolutions’ at the Greek Centre (168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC) contact the GCM directly on (03) 9662 2722 to register and for further details. Participation is free. To find out more about ‘Mythic Revolutions’, visit https://mythicrevolutions.com/en/what-is-mythic-revolutions/