The San Francisco-based company The Soap Collective has released its free RPG app aimed at giving players a faster, easier and more convenient way to role-play.
One of the biggest problems with tabletop RPGs is the sheer amount of stuff they require. And I’m not just talking books, miniatures and dice, either. The knowledge it takes to run and even just play a pen-and-paper RPG can be absolutely daunting. Add in finding a space to play and time to get together with people and role-playing can become something of a pain in the butt to actually do.
Enter The Soap Collective.
Founded by Ian Hirschfield and Logan Dwight and based in San Francisco, The Soap Collective recently released a new iOS version of its RPG system Role. Designed specifically to serve as a faster and simpler alternative to other RPGs, the version in the new app version is even further streamlined to make it possible for any group of people to create characters, come up with a setting and start role-playing in a matter of minutes. “[Role] seeks to blend the imagination of games like Dungeons and Dragonswith the simplicity of party games like Apples to Apples,” said the company in its press kit.
The app, which is being released for free, comes equipped with tools for character creation, skill management, dice rolling and leveling up. The basic game will also include a collection of pre-made characters and adventures, complete with artwork. Role will also come equipped with a special “Role” button that game masters can press if they find themselves in a narrative jam and would like a random story idea to get things moving. Players who enjoy the Role app can purchase extra character and adventure expansions for 99 cents each.
Speaking personally as someone who loves a good role-playing session, Role sounds like a great idea. While some will never warm up to tabletop RPGs, for many the biggest obstacle is that daunting feeling that comes when you realize that the game you’re interested in requires an textbook-sized rulebook to play. If Role can remove that obstacle and give new players a user friendly way to take their first steps into the deep waters role-playing, then more power to it.
Source: Tabletop Gaming News
