How do these RPG's work?

[Valandil]

Hi,

I've glanced into this forum now and then, and I'm just curious about how these work. From what I see, someone starts a game, lays out the situation and various people join in as role-playing characters (most commonly, about everyone wants to be an Elf and goes into great detail about what their character wears and the weapons they carry ).

I haven't carefully tracked a thread to see how it progresses from then, but I imagine play starts at some point with a goal in mind and situations encountered spelled out - and that players react accordingly.

Do you try to get everyone online at the same time when play is happening? Or does this not matter so much? How is it determined just what happens at any stop along the way? (like if you have combat with non-player characters - or if (does this ever happen??!!??) two characters fight it out) What else happens?

Now actually, I doubt I could find/make the time to get involved. I suspect it takes a fair amount of time... so I mostly wanted to just know a bit more about it. I imagine maybe you could also use a thread like this to explain it to newcomers anyway.

So... Earniel, or somebody else who is actively involved... am I right so far? Anything to correct? Or add?

Way back in the old days, I played some D & D - but everything was pretty much resolved with rolls of the dice... so I wonder what you do.

And, btw... I suggest what I thought might be a good RPG setting in my start of thread, "Turbulent Times in Old Middle Earth" in the Middle Earth forum... or has that been done already??