When Japan Touch Haru / Geek Touch 2017, we were able to interview the beautiful world which Kerlaft the roleplayer, the ambassador role play in France.

Amid this horde stands figurines and goodies of all kinds of Geek and Otaku to Fantasy and SF and video games and board game atypical stand filled vial of all kinds filled with magic and mystery. Under the sweet name slug slime, life potions and even Nuka Cola, a world without limits offers the visitor a little curious. But the most interesting, it was mostly the owner of this fantastic display, a well-known magician who calls roleplayers Kerlaft.

Pause Geek: Hello Kerlaft, how did you get started in the role play?

Kerlaft: So, I started in 1981 on a beach in Africa. There was the older brother of a friend who was returning from a university in the United States and was playing a weird play. It was about dragon, wizard, of fireball ... And we began to side, one was on the mouth with bamboo whole time he was talking about it and in the end it was pity on us and it made us play a game of Dungeons and Dragons. And since my life has been the same. It was my first time.

At the time the role play was quite unpopular ...

So it was very well seen. Everybody was doing, they were found in supermarkets. Only after, in the course of 80 years it has demonized. A little as he had done at the time with the Rock'n'roll and other things and the media played the shot including Mireille Dumas and Family of France, it was terrible. I even lost a job at the time because of it.

Yeah outright? You were working in the middle of the game?

No, it was simply that I had put in my CV that I was doing the role play, it was known I was back then in banking and thanked me after this discovery.

Oh yes it is going away.

It's going very far then.

So my question was what was the impact of prejudices on gamers?

There have been many and there we take our revenge. Like those watching Star Wars or people were considered Geeks was the pimply villain, the person pointing the finger at which one does not want to look like. And right now there is a real contrast on that and that's why also I created my character and all the different actions that are around to help rehabilitate precisely this role play.

So the market to fall after this witch hunt

Yes many people at the time began to stop playing, they were afraid to play, some continued to play in secret, others continued to edit, others were playing in the provocation. ITake the case of In Nomine Satanis to role play a little sensational. It was a bad time for it and little by little we regrapillé a little, it was explained a little better people, they stopped a little to be sheep in relation to this and that to well advanced.

Thanks to the internet including I think?

Thanks to the Internet, but also through the struggle of each. And now it gets really IN. You have a lot of stars that make them a little bit coming out gamer somehow. You have someone like Maxime Chattam who explained that he drew some of his stories scenario he did with friends. Politicians who boasted of being gamer because now it's good to be able to say loud and clear. Was ashamed.

In 2017, how does one become a gamer? Because there was a kind of mass extinction, suddenly we can not necessarily know how it starts, with any game, to find the world ...

It's so simple today. You have several shops that regularly make introductions. Like here in Lyon Trollune particular, I think it's one or two Wednesday evenings a month. I also designed the GPS Roleplayer download on my site www.kerlaft.com, it's free. Select the GPS tab and gradually we develop it, department by department. But already on 69 and Isère you have documents to download and print where you have all clubs, associations, all potential places gamer where you can find a table, MJ, equipment, and there a lot of introductory stuff. So if you have never played before, there is one that can stick to it, but the ideal is to invite to a party and discover that. By cons, once you've tried you're cooked.

What advice would you give to a beginner gamer?

The advice is already not to be afraid, not to take the lead. There are rules, but who cares. We are here to have fun first. Must not take the lead, must not imagine that we will be judged, it is just as much a board game with friends. We are here to have fun. It is really huge, you have a lot of introductory products today as "forgotten Chronicles" as "Aventury" and so on of the best. You have so many nice things. Just ask in one of roleplayers shops in your area, because there is necessarily one, two, three and they will advise you. There are a lot of role play clubs that are open, even virtual. One can even play by correspondence via the Internet through Roll20 or other software like that. The easiest way is to invite you to a party. Make several same. Discover your style. There are not as Dungeons and Dragons, there is D&D course it is mandatory, but there are plenty of other things. There are more adult things, more childish, modern things ... It is as vast as television, movies or novels. Then if you hesitate, contact me by any means. I'll guide you.

All the worlds are represented, all the universe. You have this immersion where you're going to take the place of the character, you'll describe each of its actions and it will lead to more or less funny situations and it's you who are going to live your character like a movie where the actor to a script. You have no script. The only one that has the script is the master of the game. And it is he who will take in turn the role of different characters that you will meet. And you'll talk to your character. And you'll laugh you, that's for sure. You're going to vibrate, you're gonna break you and it's really too huge.

And how does one become a master of the game?

Generally you purchased or you're doing you lend a book of role play, you potash a little bit and you throw. Either you take a ready-made script. Here there are scenarios where today as then you have small inserts to read when they get to a certain place for your characters. And for them to get by. It has even happened to me not to master the rules and play aplayer at my table who knew him the rules and guiding me. But the adventure game you can do it. Favors a world you know and play it. There are also generic systems to create your own role play. I do not like systems Fallout, but as MJ Fallout RPG we did our little mix with generic systems and whoop. This is trash, but whoop.

In any case we feel that you have a real passion for the role play. Through this exchange, but also through your actions on the Internet and lounge.

Yes, it's true. On the one hand it's not a frustration because it's true that I suffered at that time to be singled even my own parents were afraid for me. They would rather have a moment that I use drugs than I play RPGs. But it's something that has given me so much in my life personally. Power me speak in public, have this ability to be able to imagine things, organize them. At the social level, too, I was a very very stale. It brought me so much that in 2013 I created this character Kerlaft the gamer with its sites, with all its activities, actions and I really wanted to make the people, to make the games. A little bit about me that brought me the role play! And that's why I really enjoy to discover, to help young artists. Besides the site is self-service for anyone who wants. Just ask me and you will have access access as an author. You are the author of your own item. You can make communication and meet the gaming community. On the site there are between 2,000 and 4,000 clicks per month over who are fans. Each item is then dispatched on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, and you will really be able to meet people, see people who are passionate. So naturally you are going to troll around, you purists, you will even assholes because there is everywhere, but in general it's a world so open,

Moreover brings role playing in private life?

It helps already making friends. I have lots of friends and I'm not talking just of knowledge Facebook. I met so many people and as we get to share this kind of dream life around a table together we live such extraordinary adventures that create links. This is also the time to come together and make a good meal. It brought me a lot socially, it also brought me a lot personally because at the level of development there are a lot of articles that have been written about it, but to personal development level that you will give a lot more confidence. It'll relearn Also the notions of social contract. This is important and it will teach you to break out and escape without losing touch with reality exactly. AND it makes you this little breath of fresh air when the world is too sad, too boring around you. Everyone is afraid, everyone makes a wry face was tired in the dough, and then frankly it's one of the entertainment that costs the least in the world. Once you have your pair of dice, you have a book of rules, a pencil, a sheet of paper, you have for a lifetime. And here you can not see from my words but my first book I had in 1982/1983, I still play with. And it allows me to live wonderful adventures I live now with my own children. It's really huge. And I invite you to try. If in doubt, contact me. If you do not trust you, but get started, we're here to have fun.

You will understand by reading this interview, Kerlaft is someone really passionate about the role play. This is the best meeting we have made during this edition of Geek Touch. The only regret I have is not having idea to dedicate him my role play "forgotten Chronicle" I had to buy him. Maybe next time !

To support Kerlaft, I invite you to follow him on his website www.kerlaft.com, on its Facebook page and its Tipee page.