Have you ever played an RPG game? This article will teach you all about different types of RPG games and other possible meanings of RPG.

Do you know what RPG stands for? Have you ever played a tabletop or online RPG game?

This article will tell you about what makes an RPG game an RPG game, the types of RPG games, and other potential definitions for the acronym RPG. Keep reading to learn more!

What Does RPG Stand For?

According to Techopedia and Britannica, RPG stands for role-playing game. This is a type of tabletop game or video game in which the player takes control of a fictional character in an imaginary world. Whether it’s played as a tabletop game or a video game, RPGs all share five specific elements.

First, character classes sort the different characters by skill, ability, and spell. Next, there is the ability to improve your starter character throughout the course of the game by increasing statistics or level. Third, there will be one main quest and numerous optional side quests.

Fourth, all RPGs have a menu-based combat system. As a result, players have the ability to decide what spell, skill, power, or weapon to use in a given battle. Finally, RPGs must give the player the ability to interact with environmental elements. Often, these will make use of other characters’ abilities.

The two main types of RPGs are tabletop RPGs and online RPGs. Tabletop RPGs are played in person with other people in real-time, while online RPGs are played on the internet.

Tabletop RPGs

A tabletop role-playing game falls under the genre of a live-action RPG. Players gather in-person to play a tabletop RPG to play out the real-time narrative using a board and dice. In these multiplayer games, players take on the roles of characters that each have different abilities in a fictional setting.

In some tabletop RPGs, players must work together to achieve a common goal. In others, players might be on two different teams, or each player might be competing individually. One of the most popular and famous tabletop RPG games is Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

In this game — and many other tabletop RPGs — one person will play as the game master that acts as the referee for the game mechanics and makes decisions that further the narrative’s plot without playing as a character themselves.

Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)

Another popular type of game is an MMORPG, which stands for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. These games can either be played on a video game console (called console games), on mobile devices, or on a home computer. Options for video game consoles include Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Popular RPGs that people play online include World of Warcraft, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, the Fallout franchise, and Ultima Online.

Some of these games are team-based, while others are single-character adventurer games. In these games, the play will interact with non-player characters or NPCs that act as opponents or serve to provide quests that advance the plot.

Often, online RPG games require intense graphics abilities and special computers.

What Are Other Meanings of RPG?

The letters R, P, and G are at the beginning of many different words. Therefore, people can make many possible abbreviations from the letters RPG. The Free Dictionary provides numerous definitions for RPG in a variety of fields.

Meanings of RPG in Technology

If you are in the tech sector, you might hear RPG stand for one of the below meanings:

Report Program Generator
Report Generator
Rapid Programme Generation (AS/400)
Renegade Programming Group (est. 1991)
Random Password Generator

Meanings of RPG in Government

RPG can have one of the following possible meanings in the governments and militaries of different countries:

Reasonable and Probable Grounds
Resource Protection Group
Report Generator
REFORGER Planning Group
Recommended Practices Guide
Rate Per Gallon
Reuse Planning Group
Research Project Grant (various organizations)
Rocket-Powered Grenade
Rassemblement Pour le Gabon (French: Rally for Gabon)
Radar Product Generator
Regional Policy Guidance (UK)
Research Program Grant (various organizations)
Rounds Per Gun (aircraft)
Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée (French: Rally of the People of Guinea)
Regional Planning Guidance
Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot (Russian: Rocket Propelled Grenade)
Radiation Protection Guide
Regional Planning Group (various locations)
Rocket Propelled Grenade
Research Planning Group/Guide

Meanings of RPG in Business

Numerous businesses and business sectors use the term RPG to stand for various phrases, like:

Reed Property Group (Australia)
Registry Player and Game
Routine Production Group
Research Policy Group (various locations)
Renegade Programming Group (est. 1991)
Recreational Pistol Gang (gaming clan)
Reprographic Products Group (Laurel, MD)
Risk Purchasing Group
Rééducation Posturale Globale (French: Global Posture Re-education)
Rules for Posting (forums)
Relapse Prevention Group
Ram Prasad Goenka (Enterprises; India)

Meanings of RPG in Science

If you are a scientist, you might hear someone use the term RPG to stand for one of the below phrases:

Rotary Pulse Generator (electronics)
Respiratory Pattern Generator
Running Power Generation (Mode)
Retrograde Pyelogram
Reflection Phase Grating
Radioisotope Power Generator
Random Plasma Glucose
Red Porgy (FAO fish species code)
Resistance Protein Gene
Research Post Graduate (various universities)

Meanings of RPG as Slang Terms

RPG has a couple of different slang meanings that you might hear. These are less common but are still valid definitions:

Rebounds Per Game (basketball statistic)
Repeating Plasma Gun (Star Wars)

Conclusion

RPG stands for role-playing game. While RPGs can either be played online or in person, they will incorporate character development and skills, quests, a menu-based combat system, and the ability to interact with the environment.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.