RolePlaying In General
The scope of roleplaying ranges far and wide, from ancient Greek theater to historical re-enactments to covert/espionage tactics to psychiatric analysis, and much more. But at its heart, it is the assumption of an identity other than your own, for the purpose of (among others) exploring who you are not, and who you are. And of course, you can have a lot of fun doing it.
In The Lattice, you will take on the role of a resident of a distant future time, and you will interact with many other residents in fantastic and intriguing settings. What you will do is entirely up to you -- you define your role and decide on your character's actions.
FreeForm vs. Systemized
Perhaps a quick example will serve best to distinguish these two major types of role-playing:
FreeForm Roleplaying is chaotic, true. One might think that without any way to determine whether you shot your opponent -- other than his own choice of getting shot or not! -- play would soon break down in argument and frustration. Well, guess what ... there are probably more arguments under systemized play (by the dreaded "Rules Lawyers") than there are in FreeForm. Both types of play have their advantages and drawbacks. For better or worse, The Lattice operates in a FreeForm environment.
This does NOT mean that there are no rules! Indeed there are Rules, and you must abide by them, just as in any other game! But the rules are in place only to maintain a smooth-running FreeForm environment, with as few restrictions as are practical. Hey, even in Cowboys & Indians, if you have a bow and arrow, you still can't actually shoot anybody, right?
Mastered vs. Open-Course
One further aspect of rolepaying deserves an explanation.
Both FreeForm and systemized games can be "Mastered" (a.k.a. "refereed") -- one person is in charge of the supporting characters and situations within an adventure. In D&D, he is called the DungeonMaster; in most other games, the GameMaster. He does not dictate the players' actions, but he produces the majority of results arising from what the players do. He describes and defines the player's surroundings. In effect, he has conceived of a story or situation that he helps the players explore, basing his reponses on his pre-defined scenario. While the players run their individual characters, the GameMaster runs the rest of the world. (Please note that the LatticeMaster is NOT a GameMaster for the entire Lattice, despite the similarity in naming.)
Alternatively, FreeForm roleplaying can take place without a GameMaster -- the story develops from the interactions of the players, who can each drop in the kinds of supporting details that a GameMaster would provide. This "Open-Course" play is slightly more difficult to sustain at a rewarding level of interest, but plenty of players are capable of it ... and, indeed, once they have developed that much ability, they usually become GameMasters in their own right, and are more than happy to master a scenario or three for less-experienced players.
In the Lattice, both Mastered and Open-Course adventures can run side-by-side. Check the Adventure Registry for available players and openings in Mastered adventures in The Lattice.
Play By Web
While games can be played face-to-face (e.g., at a table-top), many gamers have found it convenient play by mail (PBM) ... and, when Internet access became widespread, tp play by e-mail (PBeM). The Lattice uses a similar system, whereby moves are posted on WWW-based message boards, for all the involved players to read and respond to in turn. A quick glance at the boards themselves will show how intuitive this method is, and you will have no difficulties in adapting to our Play-By-Web system.