An example that shows how language is important and that applies to almost any RPG is our need to label a particular element of our playable fiction with an appropriate word. This may refer to a character or a place, but also to an event, an item, a resource, a feeling, anything. Some of these may even have a name, but, if it is too generic, everyone will quickly forget it, making it useless as a label. A stranger can be described as a “silhouette” or a “man”. A place can be labeled as a “tavern” or an “inn”. An object can be referenced as a “book” or a “tome”. Usually, RPGs have a GM who creates these labels which are then picked up by the players. Depending on his choice of words, they will probably be approaching a silhouette rather than attacking it, for example. A GM controls the flow of information and how players react to it by choosing how best to label the important elements of the fiction. Players should be aware of this power and avoid misunderstandings by clarifying what the GM is trying to convey.

Language even matters when numbers replace words and RPGs achieve global popularity by trading out meaningful ideas in favor of neutral variables that can be mathematically perceived in any country, but that lack an imediate instinctual connection to who we are as cultural human beings. This does not need to be a matter of playing with words versus playing with numbers. It is a matter of getting the most out of of both and of how well words and numbers can work together to enrich our gaming sessions. Through this imense power of language, RPGs are created, shared, changed, played, recorded, reviewed and debated over and over again. Combining our own native language with the universal language of mathematics is the most powerful and essential thing we do all the time in our games.

True escapism means finding new ideas, emotions and images in words that we rely on everyday. Language is a giant round table upon which we crack open an RPG book and the magic of a shared imaginary space happens. No matter their format, RPGs are so much more than mere abstract games of mathematical grids and variables. They explore the infinite boundaries of our shared imagination and our ability to communicate. Language matters because our games are not only about group collaboration, but also about personal expression. It matters because words are more than a story already told, they are tools with which we create many stories together. It matters, without a doubt, because human beings are an essential part of any Role-Playing Game and because our own native language is an undeniable part of who we are.

This all brings me to my point and to the tag that binds these paragraphs together. I do realize that “Language Matters” is quite an obvious and general thing to say, but so was “System Matters” some good years ago and still most role-playing-gamers don’t care one bit about it. In much the same way, we Portuguese are not really aware of what difference would it be to read and play RPGs in our own native language. We underestimate the great power that comes from the massive in-your-face open shared communication that is possible when you read what you speak, what you play and what you write in the very same language that you use in your everyday life and that is part of your culture.

Furthermore, Portuguese roleplayers do not really acknowledge the need for having RPGs in their native language, as a great majority of them are reasonably proficient in English. In particular, most prospective RPG authors (myself excluded) do not write in Portuguese, because they mainly aim to reach the greatest number of roleplayers internationally and do not feel a strong connection with such a tiny national community. It is true that any of these works can be translated later on but, while almost anyone can sometimes feel like creating their own game just for fun, translating something just for fun is not very likely. Besides, no meaningful text is really the same after being translated.

Hello, my name is Ricardo Tavares and I am an avid roleplayer and all-around gamer. I live in a town called Porto in the north of Portugal and one thing you should know about Portuguese people is that we have a knack for different languages and technology - more in particular, we love the English language and we love the Internet. All movies and series are subtitled, lots of Portuguese music bands sing in English, and even some advertisements use untranslated slogans. As for the Internet, Portugal is currently the 3rd country in the world with the fastest growing bandwidth infrastructure. Of course, we are also a small country. With only a few hundred roleplayers. So few that RPG books are neither translated into our Portuguese, nor imported from Brazil. So few that no one presently retails RPGs in Portugal. Which means that we Portuguese roleplayers get to apply our love for the English language and the Internet onto our quest for roleplaying games.