A roleplaying game is like many other games. The idea is to get together with some friends, play the game as defined by a set of rules, and work toward a particular individual or group goal. Above all the point of a roleplaying game, as with any other game, is to have fun. Unlike most other games, however, there are no fancy shaped figures, no colorful play money, and no fold-out cardboard gameboards. The game take place on an endless playing surface: your imagination. The ultimate goal of the game is to create an on-going interactive story in collaboration with the other players. Unpredictable situations, like combat, are resolved in part by rolling one or two six-sided dice or choosing Zener Cards.

In a roleplaying game, players take on the role of characters they create and guide them through a world run by the Game Master. Players decide the actions of the main characters in the story, the story's protagonists. They develop their characters continuously, bringing fresh new elements to the overall story line as the game progresses. The Game Master creates and describes the background of the world and the plot surrounding and engaging the characters. He or she immerses the characters in the conspiracies and dangers that plague the game world. The Game Master brings life to the supporting cast of characters, deciding and detailing the reactions of the game world's inhabitants.

Winning and losing are not the focus of a roleplaying game. There is no set game time limit or single winner or loser. Players and groups might have individual goals and objectives, and if and when they meet them, they might feel as if they had won, but the game does not necessarily end at that point. Game Masters should feel a sense of victory if their missions entertain their players. Even if a player's character is cut down by a hail of enemy gunfire, the player may not feel that he has 'lost', providing that his character died heroically and by doing so enhanced the story. Besides, a player may always rejoin the story later with another character. The object of the game is to have fun and create an interesting and engaging story, not to beat the other players or compete against them.