In this quick Shop Talk I discuss Role Playing Games and how they have evolved. There may be some aspects of them that can influence your board games or themeing in them. It's a quick one, and rather than list all of the games I mention, you should check out rpggeek.com and

Timeline of Role Playing Games

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_pen_and_paper_role-playing_games

List of Role Playing Games

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_role-playing_games_by_genre