A better term

[loverdrive]

I don't really have anything interesting to show (yet), so let's procrastinate meaningful TTRPG developments together.

"Tabletop Role-playing Games" doesn't exactly represent the reality where many games there's no table, physical or virtual: PbtA games are often played using only Discord and a diceroller bot; Alice is Missing (hey, I'm not missing, I'm right here!) is played exclusively with SMSes; etc. And even in the meatspace, I'm playing in a Mage: the Ascension campaign right now and the real physical ikea table is used only as a surface to put character sheets on. Well, character sheets and my feet.

"Tabletop" doesn't seem to be an important signifier of our hobby.

But if we assume for a second that everyone will magically accept the new terminology, what TTRPGs should be called instead?

 

[niklinna]

Human Operated RPG = HORPG
Shared Imagination RPG = SIRPG
In-Person RPG = IPRPG
InterPersonal RPG = IPRPG
Analog RPG = ARPG (whoops, established acronym)
Person-to-Person RPG = PtPRPG
Spoken RPG = SRPG
* Specifically in opposition to Textual, (Graphical) Computer, Live Action. You might prefer "Verbal" to "Spoken"

Well, that's a start.

Edit: Fixed a typo.

 

[loverdrive]

Interpersonal RPGs sounds like an amazing name!

 

[Fenris-77]

As the original RPGs I feel it should be incumbent on the other types of RPGs to muck about in this rebranding space.

 

[soviet]

Classic RPGs - the original and the best

 

[dragoner]

I always use RPG's, I mean I talk a lot to people outside the anglosphere, they understand that terminology as well; usually if a further descriptor is needed, it is "like dnd" which may be less that ideal, it is what it is.

 

[payn]

If I have to expand to that level of detail, VTT for digital space.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

As the original RPGs I feel it should be incumbent on the other types of RPGs to muck about in this rebranding space.

This. They are RPGs. Period.

The only reason I am forced to use "TT"RPGs is because of all the "C"RPGs and "J"RPGs and "MMO"RPGs out there. But all of those derive from the original.

As for the OP, this isn't a new issue- this dates back to the 70s, when they were trying to name this new form (adventure game, etc.). And, for that matter, they already had a massive variety of RPGs back then as well.

 

[Umbran]

"Tabletop" doesn't seem to be an important signifier of our hobby.

But if we assume for a second that everyone will magically accept the new terminology, what TTRPGs should be called instead?

The "table" signifier is sometimes technically inaccurate, but is intended to separate the mode from live action RPGs, computer RPGs, and some other modes. The table can be a metaphor, rather than a physical reality.

Leaning into how there is realtime verbal interaction between players will not differentiate between TTRPG play and live-action play, which also depends on those things.

 

[CubicsRube]

As the original RPGs I feel it should be incumbent on the other types of RPGs to muck about in this rebranding space.

It's a nice thought but it won't happen.

I do the sport of Weightlifting, a.k.a the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk. It has been officially Weightlifitng since at least the 60s. But when people started amateur bodybuilding and just going to the gym they started calling it "lifting weights". Now everytime I tell people I do Weightlifting I have to explain what it is, despite it being the original name.