45+ Roleplay Ideas (+ Tips for Brainstorming)

Sometimes, the hardest part about roleplaying is actually brainstorming roleplay ideas. With all the different types of roleplay, it can be pretty tough to narrow down ideas. But it doesn’t have to be.

In our comprehensive overview, we’ll give you more than 45 different roleplay ideas, including educational and creative scenarios, along with tips for brainstorming and a resource you can use to engage in any type of roleplay.

Tips for Brainstorming Roleplay Ideas

Brainstorming is often half the battle when it comes to engaging in a successful roleplay. There are so many different types of roleplay that people can leverage for personal and professional improvement. That being said, it can be difficult to narrow down your ideas. If you’re having trouble brainstorming roleplay ideas, here are some tips and best practices. 

Try some fun prompts or RP challenges

Since roleplay is often social and community-based — especially when it comes to creative roleplay — experimenting with different prompts or roleplay challenges can be a great way to stir up roleplay ideas.

Sites like Tumblr often have creative roleplay prompts and challenges. These allow you to begin with a particular scenario and go from there. There are also character-specific prompts for folks who use roleplay as a tool for writing. For example, you might be challenged to create a character persona or two to meet the challenge’s requirements. Engaging in basic prompts and challenges like this can spark even more roleplay ideas. 

There are also random generators folks use to generate roleplay ideas. The site Capitalize My Title has its own roleplay plot generator. People can input character or plot details (if they have any) before its algorithm creates a random plot. 

Brainstorm with other roleplayers

One of the best things about social and community-based roleplay is you can bounce roleplay ideas off each other to brainstorm. Many roleplay groups have dedicated brainstorming sessions where everyone works together to come up with fun ideas. This can be especially helpful with creative endeavors. 

For example, with a game like Dungeons & Dragons, you can work together to practice worldbuilding, character development, and plotline brainstorming. This can help ensure a good upcoming session. 

Use your real life for inspiration 

Depending on the purpose, you can also use your real life to inspire roleplay ideas. For example, when you’re creating characters and storyboarding for creative endeavors, you can use your own experiences and situations as inspiration for ideas. If you’ve got a job interview coming up, you might home in on interview roleplays to boost your skills.

If there’s nothing in your personal life to inspire you, you can look to both current and historical events to spark ideas. Sometimes looking through the local news can inspire story ideas for your next roleplay. For example, teachers will often ask students to reimagine historical events or imagine themselves during that historical event to explore some creative, educational roleplay.

17 Educational Roleplay Ideas to Consider

Educational roleplay is one of the largest types of roleplay out there. Tons of people use educational roleplay to improve their personal and professional lives in some way. It’s also versatile in that all ages can benefit from this type. From grade school-age kids to university students and adults, roleplay can set them ahead of their peers.  

Here are 17 worthwhile educational roleplay ideas, from language learning to classroom and workplace scenarios. 

Language learning roleplay ideas

One of the most useful ways to use roleplay is for language learning. It can be tough to practice in a language that’s not your own. This is especially true if you don’t have anyone to practice with. However, folks can leverage AI roleplay to interact with an AI-generated partner who speaks that language. Yoodli is one such AI roleplay tool that offers roleplay in five languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and German (with Chinese and Japanese coming soon!).

When it comes to language learning roleplay ideas, getting comfortable with the basics is a great starting point. 

For example, aim to be able to engage in the following basic scenarios: 

1. Ordering food at a restaurant: This is a great scenario to practice since there’s more opportunity to go beyond just ordering your meal. You can practice what you’ll say when paying the bill, ask about what ingredients are used for your meal, or request a change to your order. 
2. Asking for directions: There comes a time when everyone needs to ask for directions. As such, it’s one of the best roleplay ideas to prepare for. Imagine a scenario where you’re lost and need directions to the nearest bus stop. You could also practice asking for specific information about public transportation, like how much a bus ticket costs or where the bus stops are along the route. 
3. Asking retail workers for help when shopping: Situations you can practice with regard to shopping include asking store employees to help you find a bigger size, exchanging items for a return, or comparing prices between different items. 
4. Checking in and out of a hotel: Another common scenario you should practice is checking in and out of a hotel (and the small talk that might come with that!). You can practice making a reservation, calling or placing an order with room service, and checking out.
5. Making small talk with a stranger, coworker, or friend: Small talk is an essential part of life in many cultures, so it’s a generally useful situation to prep for when you’re learning another language. You can practice discussing the weather, the latest soccer match, celebrity gossip, or other small talk topics. 

For more advanced language learning roleplay ideas, you can work on scenarios like: 

1. Passing along a customer service complaint: Being able to ask questions about a product and pass along feedback is key when learning any language. You can practice explaining an issue with an item you bought, asking for a refund, or inquiring about their exchange policy. 
2. Making a doctor’s appointment: Being able to schedule and attend a doctor’s appointment is also crucial. However, medical terminology is often one of the more advanced topics covered when learning a language, making it a powerful roleplay idea. You can practice setting up your appointment, rescheduling an appointment, canceling an appointment, explaining your symptoms, and discussing treatment options with your doctor in the language you’re learning. 
3. Dealing with air travel scenarios: Navigating the airport can be a pain no matter what language you speak, and it’s always smart to prepare for those situations. For example, you might practice asking questions about baggage, checking in, or a delayed flight. 
4. Interviewing for a new job: Another advanced scenario you can prep for is interviewing for a new role. Practice describing your current role and how it would relate to this new position. You could also work on negotiating your salary in the language you’re learning, too. 

Classroom roleplay ideas

The amount of classroom roleplay ideas is essentially endless. Students of all ages can engage in this type of educational roleplay, which is the best part. The roleplay might look different depending on age, but even the youngest students can benefit from this kind of immersive learning. 

Some classroom roleplay ideas for students include: 

1. Roleplaying as historical figures: Also referred to as a “Living Museum,” this activity involves students roleplaying as famous historical figures. Have students choose their historical figure (or assign them a famous person in history to research) and dress up like that figure. They can then deliver a monologue describing their achievements throughout their life and interact as the historical figure. 
2. Historical court case roleplays: If your students are older, choose a historical court case and assign students to be judge, jury, defendant, plaintiff, and witnesses, among other roles. Each student can roleplay as their character to do an in-depth learning on famous court cases. 
3. Historical scenarios roleplay: Similar to historical reenactors, you can have your students reenact a child-appropriate historical scenario based on an event in history. Not all historical events are kid-friendly of course, but some can be tailored based on the age group. For example, a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party might look different for elementary students than it would for high school students. 

Workplace roleplay ideas

Another great area for educational roleplay ideas includes the workplace. There are plenty of work-related scenarios worth practicing to improve your emotional intelligence at your job. For example, some of the best workplace roleplay ideas include scenarios like:  

1. Asking your boss for a raise (or negotiating your salary): One of the most common scenarios worth practicing for is asking for a raise at work. It’s also one of the more difficult conversations to navigate because it can feel uncomfortable talking about money, even in a professional setting. You can practice negotiating back and forth and prepare for counteroffers. This will help you feel more comfortable when the time comes to discuss promotions.
2. Working on a team project: You could also practice roleplaying in a collaborative context, like while working on a team project. You can use a tool like Yoodli to train an AI partner to act as your coworker while the two of you collaborate on a team project. There’s a lot of nuance when it comes to teamwork and collaboration, and practicing this sort of scenario can help you prepare.
3. Engaging in office small talk: Office small talk is another popular roleplay idea in part because it’s such a common scenario. People at work engage in small talk all the time, whether that’s over lunch or during the beginning half of a meeting. You can practice discussing work topics, the weather, or weekend plans. 
4. Interviewing for a job: If you’ve been job searching, practicing interviewing for a job is a great idea. This can help you not only feel more prepared for any upcoming interviews, but it can also help you see what you need to work on. For example, you might discover that you have trouble talking about your past work experience and relating it to your current dream job. Using this roleplay idea can help you unearth those trouble areas before your actual interview so you have more adequate time to prepare. 
5. Receiving feedback from your boss: Getting feedback — especially negative feedback — can be uncomfortable. As such, it can also be hard to face and respond to. However, you can use roleplay to practice your feedback reception skills so you’re not blindsided at your next one-on-one or quarterly performance review. 

28 Creative and Genre-Based Roleplay Ideas

Although educational roleplays can be enjoyable, the real fun begins with creative roleplay. Creative roleplay is often more innovative, social, and genre-based in comparison to educational roleplay. 

Here are 28 creative and genre-based roleplay ideas for your next session.

Historical roleplays

Historical creative roleplay ideas are different from educational roleplay in that they often deviate from true history. For example, a historical educational roleplay will really home in on the true facts and events that took place to include a lesson. With creative historical roleplay, there will often be creative liberties taken, whether that’s a reimagination of a true event, an “alternate” timeline, or fantastical elements included. 

For example, some creative historical roleplay ideas include things like:

1. A new take on an actual historical event: For example, some historical reenactors might reenact a Civil War-era battle. However, they might have extra characters they embody with different “plot lines.” Even though it’s a real battle that happened in history, the creative liberties taken can explore more imaginative aspects of a certain historical event (which is where it differs from an educational historical roleplay, where learning the true events is prioritized over creativity). 
2. An alternative timeline that explores what could’ve happened: Another creative take on real history, exploring an alternative timeline involves a true event that would have completely changed history as we know it if the outcome was different. For example, the events of World War II changed the world as we know it. But what would’ve happened if the Axis Powers won the war? Or what would the world look like if air travel hadn’t been invented yet? Considering these pivotal moments in history and how they revolutionized the way we see life today yields an endless amount of fun, creative roleplay ideas. 
3. True historical settings with creative elements: Other historical roleplay ideas involve true historical settings — say, medieval Europe — coupled with more fantastical elements. One of the most common examples of this type is a medieval roleplay that involves fantastical creatures, like elves, dragons, and wizards coupled with real-life aspects, like knights and royalty.

Fantasy roleplay ideas and subgenres

In the realm of creative roleplay, fantasy roleplay ideas are common. There are tons of genres within the overarching genre of fantasy. 

These include sub-genres like: 

1. Urban fantasy, which usually involves a modern-day setting like a typical city but includes supernatural, fantastical beings like vampires, werewolves, mermaids, elves, and dwarves (The “Twilight” series is a good example) 
2. Post-apocalyptic fantasy, which is a roleplay scenario that takes place after a catastrophic, world-altering event, such as a nuclear disaster, and revolves around a new or up-and-coming society
3. Magical realism, which includes real-life settings alongside magical elements (Think about films like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” or “Life of Pi”)
4. Bangsian fantasy, which makes the afterlife the setting for this kind of roleplay, named after author John Kendrick Bangs  
5. High fantasy, which features lots of fantasy and fictional elements and not a lot of real-life references (one of the most famous examples is the “Lord of the Rings” series)
6. Steampunk, which toes the line between fantasy and science fiction and emphasizes the 19th-century aesthetic, especially when it comes to dress and technology 

Sci-fi roleplay ideas

Science fiction is another popular genre for roleplay ideas. There are tons of cool subgenres within this one, too. Some subgenres and topics worth exploring include: 

1. Solarpunk, which emphasizes a harmonious, sustainable relationship between humans and nature 
2. Dystopian, which features a world where society is completely controlled by an external force (like the government) and filled with injustice-fueled propaganda 
3. Space opera, which homes in on space warfare on a large scale
4. Utopian, which places an idealistic community or society at the forefront of the story
5. Cyberpunk, which usually uses dystopian elements with advanced technology 
6. Biopunk, which is similar to cyberpunk, focuses on the consequences of genetic engineering and biotechnology

Romance roleplay ideas

The amount of romance roleplay ideas and tropes is overwhelming. It’s a popular genre for creative roleplay that folks often like to explore. 

For example, some of the best romance roleplay ideas play off tropes like:

1. Enemies-to-lovers, which features a couple who were previously enemies or at the least, opposed to each other, who eventually find themselves in a relationship one way or another
2. Forbidden love, in which the love interest and main character can’t be together for some reason (for example, maybe their families don’t agree with the pairing or the couple lives far away from each other)
3. A love triangle, which refers to a scenario where Character 1 is in love with Character 2 who’s in love with Character 3, and Character 3 might not be in love with anyone
4. Fake dating or “not really dating,” where characters pretend to be in love for the plot but end up falling in love with each other in the end
5. Office or workplace romance, which takes place in an office setting 
6. Friends-to-lovers, which involves close friends who eventually discover they have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship  

Roleplay ideas for Dungeons & Dragons

You can’t consider creative roleplay without specifically thinking about Dungeons & Dragons. It’s an iconic roleplay game that was re-popularized recently with the TV show “Stranger Things.” 

Whether you’re brand new to D&D or you’d just like some fresh ideas, here are a few concepts to get you started: 

1. You’ve (and your team) been tasked with lifting a dark curse from a once-thriving kingdom that’s in disarray 
2. You’re asked to locate and return a long-lost magical item 
3. There’s a monster (or another magical being) wreaking havoc on a modern-day city, and you and your friends are tasked with taking the monster down
4. You’re invited to attend a magical (or otherwise fantastical) school where you hone your skills, whatever they may be
5. You and your team are space pirates, exploring the never-ending void of space and plundering treasure as you go
6. Your planet is being invaded by extraterrestrial creatures and it’s up to you and your team to save the day
7. You and your team are thrust against your will back in time to a designated time period, where you have to adapt and get your bearings 

Exploring Roleplay Ideas With Yoodli

It doesn’t matter if you’d like to test out some roleplay ideas for future D&D sessions or if you’d just prefer to practice a biology presentation for your class next week. No matter the purpose, you can test and explore roleplay ideas with Yoodli. 

Yoodli is a roleplay and speech coach powered by artificial intelligence. It offers folks both existing roleplay scenarios and completely customizable roleplays they can leverage to fulfill any need, from educational to creative roleplay. In fact, top companies like Google, Korn Ferry, and Dale Carnegie have already used Yoodli’s roleplay capabilities for use cases.

No matter your exact purpose, Yoodli works by providing both existing and custom-made roleplay scenarios for you to use. This tool allows folks to experiment with various kinds of roleplay, from performance reviews to sales roleplays and small talk practice. Users can choose one of Yoodli’s existing, AI-generated personalities or create a custom persona to engage with during roleplay. 

Building your own roleplay

If you’re creating your own roleplay with Yoodli’s Builder tool, you can input any necessary information to tailor the tool directly to your needs. For example, you can add roleplay goals you’d like to hit, such as engaging in natural small talk or hitting all your talking points. Once you’ve included all the information you’d like, Yoodli will begin the roleplay with real-time, back-and-forth banter to keep you on your toes. 

With Yoodli’s Builder for roleplay, there’s an endless amount of opportunity for practice, no matter what your exact end goal is. 

Yoodli goes beyond just offering a space for roleplay, too. As a roleplay coach, it offers intelligent, data-backed tips and feedback so you can improve your abilities. You’ll get a detailed report on your delivery, listening ability, and speaking patterns so you can skip the guesswork and go directly to improvement. 

Learn more about how you can explore roleplay ideas with Yoodli for free at https://yoodli.ai/.

The Bottom Line 

When you’re willing to use your imagination, there’s an infinite number of roleplay ideas you can explore for personal and professional development (or just for fun!). Whatever your motivation, Yoodli has you covered when it comes to intelligent, meaningful roleplay sessions. 

Sources

• Capitalize My Title: “Roleplay Plot Generator.” 
• SimpleK12: “Living Museum — Student Project Idea.”
• Aesthetics Wiki: “List of Aesthetics.”
• Writer’s Digest: “21 Popular Romance Tropes for Writers.”