Dressed to Kill (and Loot)

This week’s issue is about a topic near and dear to our hearts here at The Escapist – roleplaying. Like the blazing insignia of a Level 12 Paladin’s family crest, we wear our interest in roleplaying on our sleeves. Cyberpunk sessions are last night’s football game; and random asides regarding someone’s decision to, say, teleport into the Mariana Trench are not uncommon in casual conversation. Unlike my colleagues, however, I’ve never been able to make that jump into full, unfettered roleplaying, preferring instead to live vicariously and silently through a prefab videogame character.

I think this can be explained through my aversion to dancing. Enjoying roleplaying is rather like enjoying dancing: At some point you have to throw your inhibitions to the wind, admit you might look like a fool to passing spectators and enjoy the moment. Also like dancing, which at first may seem like a fairly limited activity, roleplaying has almost infinite depth and variety in the experiences it provides. This week’s issue explores that idea, revealing the commonality between topics as disparate as roller derby and World of Warcraft factionalism taken beyond the computer.

Afrika Bambaataa may have been on to something when he proclaimed in “Zulu Nation Throwdown”:

So wallflowers in the house, this is your chance
To show everybody that you can dance
Punk rock to the left, and Patty Duke to the right
Move your body now, you can do it all night

Wallflowers and roleplayers alike, enjoy our tribute to all things roleplaying.

Sincerely,