The Age of Role-Playing Games

Before we dive directly into FANGARIUS and The Doctor Who RPG-Club, I thought I'd first educate you with some background info upon the Role-Playing Game itself.

Now before you start clicking away, thinking Oh, God, Fanger's become the freakin' History Channel, I'm going to give you a more subtle, condensed version, which will help serve as a reference point for later posts focusing upon the series in relation to the club itself.

The Ancient Days of Role-Playing (RPG)

In the days long before World of Warcraft, Age of Conan and even, Final Fantasy, there was simply the Role-Playing Game.  Though many have argued its exact origins, the RPG's popularity emerged from the late-Seventies/early-Eighties, right out from the ashes of 8-tracks, disco and incredibly-bad movies.

Basically many know the concept of role-playing, because when you were a kid, you probably played some type of pretend game like 'cops & robbers,' 'cowboys & indians,' (remember, folks, pre-PC days here) or even your favourite space hero. Or to put it in simpler terms, similar to acting.  Where, as with your pretend game, one assumes the role of a character within a specific setting and usually must contend with a series of situations.

In the case of RPGs, the goal usually focuses upon one's survival.  And RPG's also implement certain regulations (hit points, attributes, etc), primarily dictated by the head (or Game Master), while success/failure is determined with a mere roll of the dice.  This sort of prevents the old 'I-got-you-no-you-didn't' debate one gets into when you played as a child.  Though some might argue on how some mechanics of an RPG work at times.  Naturally, those who've played their digital counterpart (sans the dice) are well-familiar with the concept.

One of the most popular RPGs is Dungeons & Dragons series, which was arguably inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolken (specifically with The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings saga), and for awhile, became the archetype for most RPGs being produced.  Of course, an observer would probably never suspect something this simple, yet, complex, would ever develop into a major problem.  Regrettably, as with most fads, Role-Playing also possessed an unexpected dark side towards its participants.


The Dark Side of RPGs
About 1981, there were various reports of D&D participants who had literally gotten intensely involved being their characters.  The result would turn even more dangerous whenever the character ended up deceased, for it would inexplicably result in a psychological condition, sending the player completely out of Reality.

Even though I'm no Dr. Phil, nor dare I ever pretend to be, I have witnessed some people who did enter this trauma.  Thus, I had formulated my own hypothesis behind this curious ailment:  The Creation Loss Syndrome (TCLS).

Being a cartoonist and writer, it's naturally known whenever a person creates anything from an actual person, to a completely ficitional being, the person begins developing an affinity with that character.  Translation:  Killing off said character would be akin as if one killed your own child or best friend.  Therefore, in my own theories, I suspected the Game Player (GP) would foolishly put so much into their creations, they couldn't dare visualize its death, despite harsh rules and regulations.


One solution I proposed in combating TCLS, was having the GP produce alternate characters from the one creation.  Thus, if the alternate gets killed, their original character remains intact, preventing any psychological damage.  Naturally, one of my associate's thought if one got that involved with RPGs, one should quit and acquire a life.


Consequently, the TCLS Outbreak with game participants had immediately spawned an immensely hateful reputation for RPGs.  As a result, as most loathed items which are secretly liked by its followers, war within society would soon follow.


The Great RPG War

As with most addictions, RPGs had received attention from watchdog groups who wanted to do nothing more than simply eliminate the problem.  At the time, TSR officials had simply dismissed the problem, noting their D&D system was never designed for teenagers, nor kids, but rather a more collegiate group.  Similar to the adult magazine, RPGs could no longer be sold except in certain specialty shops, and only to persons over 18.  Regrettably, these restrictions didn't hamper the craze, nor halt the TCLS Epidemic one bit.  Ironically, it had taken a flawed legislative bill to make a dent in the RPG War.

Around 1982, the Senate allegedly passed a bill outlawing public participation of RPGs, but the act possessed a highly, short-lived enforcement.  Not considering the obvious fact, most RPGs were done in private, but the bill specifically denied TSR games.  More precisely, D&D, since it stated the TSR-based systems failed giving participants a clear discrepancy between fact and fiction.

However, little did Congress realize they would single-handedly revolutionize RPGs with just a few overlooked loopholes.

The TV/Movie/Literature RPG
RPG Companies had immediately noticed the bill only prohibited games constructed upon pure fantasy.  But what if a RPG was based on something where one could indicate to players the vital difference between fantasy and reality?  About October 1982, FASA and West End started releasing RPGs based on such popular television, movies and books, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.  Remarkably these new formats helped RPGs win the war, though some people have formed Anti-D&D groups, in hopes of abolishing all RPGs.

And it was one game in particular by FASA, The Doctor Who Role-Playing Game, which would unwittingly start the debut of our club and the FANGARIUS series.