Before we start: I am not trying to challenge or put down those of you who play such games. I have no agenda; I simply am curious as to what draws y’all to such activities.
Thanks!
It’s like being in a book and controlling a character, when done well it beats any computer RPG by miles.
For me, it’s always been the combination of storytelling on the part of the DM/GM, and on the parts of the players that’s been the most entertaining. A well-run and well-played role playing game is more or less an interactive story that’s playing out in real-time with one primary storyteller, and however many subordinate storytellers adding in.
Unfortunately, there are too many people who actually really like tactical wargames based on medieval weaponry and fantasy settings, that blur what role playing games are.
If it’s about the story and the characters, then it’s role playing. If it’s all about fighting and dice rolls, it’s about tactical combat. Not that tactical combat’s not fun, but it’s not role playing as such.
I’ll concur with what Frodo and bump have already noted – a big chunk of it, for me, is that the other players and I are creating a story. I’ve always been fascinated by “simulation” games (it’s why I’ve always liked sports-simulation games, from electric football to Strat-o-Matic to Madden), and, in a sense, D&D is a way to simulate a fantasy novel.
I enjoy creating and developing my characters. Part of that is the initial character creation, but part of it is also seeing how the character grows and changes as he gains experience, and is affected by the things he’s experienced.
The tactical part of the game is part of it, too, for me. Not knowing if you’re going to succeed or not, attempting to overcome your foes, etc. Having my character in a life-or-death situation can definitely be an adrenaline-pumping experience.
Finally, it’s a social activity. It’s a chance for me to get together with friends (and sometimes make new friends), and spend a few hours together doing something we all enjoy. From that angle, it’s probably not a whole lot different from how my parents view playing bridge with their friends. 
All of the above: creating a character, guiding him through various adventures, overcoming obstacles and foes, winning fame, glory or wealth, all while playing with friends and having fun. You get to try things you could never do in real life, and go to fascinating, bizarre and/or dangerous places that never even existed. It really is a lot of fun. Try it sometime!
It’s a social activity. You usually play as a group.
It’s a game and people enjoy playing games.
There’s the escapism element because you’re playing characters in a genre like fantasy, science fiction, superheros, horror, etc.
There’s usually some puzzle solving elements as you try to work your way through a series of obstacles towards a goal.
And there’s the storytelling element. Unlike most games where the rules are pretty rigid about what you can and cannot do, RPG’s are pretty fluid. If you can think of an unforeseen play and convince the other people at the table that it would work, it goes.
Another big part of it is the humor involved. With every group I have played, everyone is cracking jokes and laughing. It is just a good time.
Well, do D&D and the like afford one the opportunity to win through treachery, deceit, and misrepresentation, and once the game is over to viciously mock my opponents until they are either infuriated to the point of violence and/or weeping? Because I want to play to my strengths.
If you refer to human oponents, no (or not in any table where I would like to play), all the other players in the table are playing with you, not against you.
You can mock NPCs and the like, but I don’t know if that would satisfy you…
Depending on the style of game which the Dungeon Master (and the other players) want to play, use of treachery and deceit are certainly possible. Keep in mind that, in most roleplaying games, the other players aren’t your opponents; in most RPGs, the other players (with the exception of the Dungeon Master) are playing your character’s allies, not opponents. The Dungeon Master does play the “opposition”, but most games do not present it as a particularly antagonistic relationship with the other players.
See, kids? This is what happens when you don’t use smilies.
Not to mention if you are going to wait until the game is truly over, you might need to wait for a while - most of our campaigns last 1-2 years of RL time, easily. I think the current one we are in, a WHFRP game, is the fourth campaign for us in 8 years. That gives them the average length of … not sure, say 350 hours.
Skald, I think you would make a fantastic Shadowrun GM. 
Seriously, the way your mind works, you would likely be an excellent GM for any game where intrigue, deceit, treachery, and keeping two steps ahead of your players was the goal. There are D&D games like that too–you can have that play style in just about any RPG, though some (like Shadowrun or the World of Darkness games) lend themselves more to it than others.
A good GM follows the rules and is fair to the players (nobody likes a GM who sets them up to fail no matter what they do, because GMs hold all the cards and control the world), but constantly looks for ways to challenge them and keep them on their toes. It always (at least to me) feels better to triumph over a scenario set by a GM who’s like that than one who simply goes along with whatever the players want and lets them win all the time.
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Ah…Dungeons and [del] Drugs [/del]…er…Dragons. Many of my fondest memories from college involve late nights in smoke filled rooms, munching chips or whatever else was handy, drinking way too much of various beverages, and indulging in flights of heroic fantasy. Slaying foul monsters, looting fabulous hordes, solving problems…and spending quality time with friends, all at the same time.
D&D was a precursor to online games like Everquest and Wow. Largely because in the late 70s/mid 80s, computer gaming wasn’t really viable. Really cheap entertainment, which was a major plus is those cash strapped years. Once you had the rulebooks, you had infinite hours of playtime ahead.
Simply put, I never grew out of enjoying playing pretend.
There’s actually two parts to this question. “Please explain the appeal of roleplaying games…” You don’t actually need an explanation of this part, I’m sure, given that you seem to spend most of your time on the board playing role-playing games. The only difference comes in the “… such as D&D”. That just means that the games are structured in some particular way, as opposed to the free-form games most folks engage in.
My preferred way of explaining RPGs is that, in essence, they’re just like the games of cops and robbers, or cowboys and Indians, or whatever, that you used to play as a kid. The dice and the rules are just to resolve the inevitable “I shot you” “Nuh-uh, you missed!” disputes.
I have not played a D&D game since I moved back to Houston in the late 70s. I was a member of a group that played on a regular weekend schedule. When I moved, we had just entered a castle where the lord threw a feast for us. We managed to piss him off and as far as I know, my dwarf warrior is still chained up in his dungeon.
I’ve never played Everquest or Wow (is that World of Warquest?) or any other computer game other than frequent chess games and occasional solitares, Oak. I know, I’m weird.
World of Warcraft