Oral Storytelling Reborn: How Roleplaying Games Follow on an Ancient Tradition

There is no denying that modern roleplaying is entering a golden age. The resurgence of Dungeons & Dragons with its 5th edition has spurred the creation of a vast array of other games and settings, a trend that only continues to grow. This amazing revival has had a huge impact on my own life and career, pulling me from spending most of my time on the page into the world of oral storytelling and immersive roleplaying.

However, it was during a return trip to my home in Northern Ireland that a curious thought lodged itself in my mind. I was out in the countryside, sitting around a crackling fire, with a cloudless, star-filled night sky stretching above us. Several members of our group asked if I could run an impromptu game of Dungeons & Dragons. Slightly tipsy at that point, I of course agreed.

It was there, as I stood over the flickering light of the fire, lost in the moment of storytelling, that I felt something oddly familiar dawning on me—like a repetition of something long past, written in the code of our history. I could picture, right then, a storyteller much like myself, a thousand years ago or more, caught in the light of the fire, becoming the characters and the world all in one voice.

We, as humans, long for stories. They interconnect us, shape who we are, and define what we ultimately believe in. Roleplaying has opened a door to imagination and cooperative storytelling that harkens back to the ancient core of our being. No other medium, I would argue, does this quite the same way.

We see this too in the Greek tradition, where epics like The Odyssey and The Iliad would have been told over several nights, the tale morphing and changing with the audience and the storyteller, becoming something far greater than its individual parts.

The Irish have a word, Scéalaíocht, which refers to the practice of telling stories, myths, and legends passed down through generations. These tales convey culture, history, and a unified identity as they evolve, becoming an image of a collective whole—the closest thing we have to speaking directly to our ancestors. Seanchaí (traditional storytellers) played a crucial role in preserving and transmitting this cultural history through time.

Roleplaying now fills a similar, though distinct, space, creating personal and individual mythologies that stay with us longer than we might expect. Think of your own groups: there are undoubtedly many characters and moments, played years ago, that still occupy a place in your memory. In this way, roleplaying fills the same role that Scéalaíocht did in the ancient world.

I’ve witnessed this countless times. I've seen people with no prior interest in the games, after a drunken night years following their first session, enthusiastically tell anyone who will listen about how their dwarf barbarian held open a dragon's mouth long enough for the gnome artificer to toss a vial of acid down its throat. The reality of that moment matters no more than the reality of Achilles or Cú Chulainn. They all matter equally for the parts of ourselves they connect with.

For this reason, we aren’t just keeping the oral storytelling tradition alive when we play these games—we are evolving it, transforming it into something arguably more special and unique. The world can be a dark and frightening place, but it is in the depths of our imagination and the beauty of a well-told tale that humanity has always found its peace and courage.

So, I would end this by encouraging you all to go out, tell stories, and build the legends you need.