Which I do.

Of course, I love many forms of entertainment.  I listen to a wide range of music, I still go to gigs, I read one or two books a week, I love movies and there are tons of great series on TV.

But, and here's the thing, rpgs are more fun than any of that stuff.

You hang out with friends, you have something to eat, have a laugh, have an adventure, it's just the coolest thing.

That, and here's the real killer app, you help create what happens.  Whether it's some groundbreakingly innovative concept or whether you are part of a motley band of adventurers including an elf, a dwarf and a not-a-hobbit-honest off to save your land from some great and prophecied evil, it's you doing it.  It's not a character on screen, it's not a protagonist from a book, it's you right there with your buds creating something unique (if not necessarily remotely original) right there and then, and having a hell of a lot of fun while doing it.

Coolest hobby ever.

Anyway, I'm off for about six months and I wanted to post before I went something just to say, this hobby seriously fucking rocks.  If you're of a mood, you might wish to post why you feel the same yourself.

I love it because it's structured creativity with friends.  That kicks all sorts of ass.  It's less transient than a board or card game, and you take more away from it.

It's super nerdy in the best way.

Right now, I'm engaging in a thought experiment in analyzing what a theoretical future Sumerian alphabet might've looked like, and discovering that apparently, the Sumerians basically didn't have a concept of any other culture besides themselves.  

I've been digging about in dictionaries, staring at cuneiform, and scribbling characters on paper off and on all day long.

And why am I doing this?  For an RPG of course.  And damn is it fun.

I love RPGs because you get to meet folks like Balbinius.

Seriously, Balb.  You rock.  I'll miss you, guy!  Good luck, may your dice roll well, and see you in winter!

I love it for what Balbinus said, except I read a lot slower and don't go to gigs.

And you're cool in a different way from Balb...

Form where will the sanity come if Balbinus is gone?

Elliot? you there?

Huh, what? You think I've got sanity to dispense?

When I was a kid, what I think I enjoyed most about RPGs was the freedom. You could make your own adventures, and you could (as in the standard answer to the outsider question "what do you do?"), do "anything", because the rules weren't prescriptive the way they are in boardgames.

Now that I'm back in RPGs, I find I'm much more appreciative of the people themselves. RPGs are great because they're a pastime where people entertain each other, enjoy each other, and make their own fun instead of depending on someone they don't know to provide it.

EDIT: Oh, yeah, Max, I saw your note about taking a hiatus elsewhere but I was hoping you weren't serious. Crap, you are. Hope you have fun and/or success with whatever you'll be doing, and that you come back in six months, or whenever the mood strikes you, to chat more about RPGs.

I love them because they're infinitely expandable.  You can find a correlation to absolutely anything.  One degree of separation.

Yeah.  The other day, my wife said the words, "Mummy space pirates".

I am so down with that.  I just need a framework for 'em.

Spelljammer...?

Ah, rot! Take care, Balbinus! And come back refreshed!

-clash

With Balbinus leaving, perhaps my post count will go up dramatically.  Not that Balb kept me away from the boards but because almost everything he's ever written, I've agreed with almost 100%; and who wants to read "Me too," "QFT," and "I agree," posts all the time?

This kind of self-affirmation isn't very British, B....

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Yeah.  The other day, my wife said the words, "Mummy space pirates".

I am so down with that.  I just need a framework for 'em.

Spelljammer...?

I saw this and got, like, eight ideas for how it might work...

Oh, and... I love RPGs... because they're RPGs. They're their own kind of awesome, and are perfipherally (sp?) related to just about everything else awesome there is... except maybe sports. I'm kinda glad the weather is so much better now...

I love them because you can do anything with them.

I love them because I've met some of the best friends in my life through them.

I love them for the special energy you find at a con, and because I find beautiful to see grown people remembering what being a child means.

You'll be missed Balbinus, let us just hope that you come back, good luck on all your endeavors.

And as for why I love RPG's, well for all the things you guys already said, and also because they make my imagination and creativity reach uncharted levels.
And because they're just plain FUCKING FREAKING FUNNY.