This is an abbreviation for Fantasy
RolePlaying Game and is used to denote a "paper and pencil"
RPG (such as
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or
Rifts) as opposed to a
CRPG (Computer/
Console Role-Playing Game) such as
Baldur's Gate or
Final Fantasy. This abbreviation seems to have fallen out of favor at some point, however it is still useful (the further abbreviation "
FRP" is used to denote FRPG-related
usenet groups in the rec.games hierarchy).
Over on the CRPG node /dev/joe asserts that because the rules in an FRPG can be modified at any time it is easier to design an FRPG than a CRPG. I have to agree as I cannot think of an FRPG analogue to the CRPG problem of mixing IC and OOC up in the code of computer-based RPG.