ResearchGeneral Tips for Role-Playing Games
All role-playing games have some things in common. Here is a non-game-specific tip sheet for the basic role-playing games genre. Some varations may be encountered; frequently there will be a difference in name only. Other games in the genre may add to or subtract from this list, but generally these are the traditional rules handed down through generations of role-playing games.
Character: Character stats may be broken down into class (wizard, warrior, healer, rogue, etc.), race (human, elf, orc, etc.), alignment (lawful, chaotic, neutral, etc.), and even by sex. The different combinations may add or subtract from starting stats for your character. It is advisable to try out every race and class when you're first learning a game. Sticking with one character and race all the time will give you tunnel-vision, as different kinds of character may have different available solutions to a given problem.
Stats: The most common are strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, charisma, and luck. Different races and classes will start with higher or lower numbers in these categories.
Generally, these are how the stats usually affect the character you're playing: Strength will improve your melee combat and affect whether you can wear or wield heavy equipment, and sometimes also your speed while carrying equipment. Dexterity will affect how often your blows or shots connect in combat and may also determine how successful you are with picking locks or disarming traps. Intelligence will usually improve your ability to cast spells and your success at using them. Wisdom is kind of variable; it may affect how well a cleric or priest class can pray, or improve your resistance to mind-affecting magic. Constitution will determine how much health you have, and sometimes how quickly you recover lost hit points. Charisma, if that stat exists in the game, will usually determine how much you have to pay when buying equipment in shops, and may also affect how well you can charm or tame a creature. Luck is obviously an overall measure of how well you do at anything; it may depend on your alignment with a diety if your game uses that system.
Economy: Nearly every role-playing game has an in-game economy of gold which you can use to buy items in shops or off of other players; in addition, items can usually be sold for gold. Sometimes cash on hand also determines your score. Most role-playing games have an ample economy such that after your character has won enough battles and stashed enough equipment, you need never worry about money again. If there's an item in the shops that you want but can't afford, it's usually just a matter of hitting the dungeons to scoop up enough treasure (or beat it out of a monster or two) to earn enough to buy it. Frequently, the in-game economy in a multi-player online game gets ridiculously inflated over time, so that there's more gold going around than anybody knows what to do with. When this happens, you may find that other players won't trade equipment for gold, but will offer to barter for an item that you have instead.
Some rules of thumb: Take your time! This isn't Grand Theft Auto; role-playing games are still geared towards thinking your way through to solve problems and carefully determining your best strategy. Look before you leap.
Pick up everything while you're still too broke to afford the priciest item in the shops. After that, you may use your discretion. It may not be worth it to haul a load of cheap items back to town every time. If you find a really valuable item that you can't use, you may also be able to sell it to a character of another race or class who can.
Make 'recon' runs. Most games will generate new monsters or treasure in territory you have already covered. Back-tracking over previously conquered levels can also help you build your stats higher before you advance to greater challenges. If you rush head-first through the game, you are more likely to get killed by something because you picked a fight with it before you were ready.