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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Silverlion on April 17, 2006, 05:04:32 PM

Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 17, 2006, 05:04:32 PM
(As in: Fantasy, Superheroes, Historical...)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: The Good Assyrian on April 17, 2006, 05:26:44 PM
I like most of the genres listed, but in the end, Pulp is my personal favorite.  It is the one where I have the most good memories playing and have helped to create the most good memories for friends as a GM.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Sobek on April 17, 2006, 05:29:03 PM
Fantasy is my favorite.  Horror (WoD or CoC variety) and SciFi are high up, too.  Really, though, I haven't played in a genre I actually disliked.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: gleichman on April 17, 2006, 06:22:43 PM
Sorry, can't really answer this as give.

I rotate between genres, not really likely one over the other. It's all a matter of what I happen to be interested in at the time.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: ColonelHardisson on April 17, 2006, 06:30:55 PM
While I enjoy reading scifi much more than I enjoy reading fantasy, fantasy RPGs are far and away my favorites.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Bagpuss on April 17, 2006, 06:40:14 PM
I'm the first Other...

Horror genre, mainly in a modern day or historical setting.

Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy Horror is okay as well I suppose, although in those settings you usually have the resources to defeat the horror so it doesn't work as well..

I like doomed characters fighting against impossible odds, so original Call of Cthulhu and All Flesh Must Be Eaten are favourites, more so than say something like Buffy or D20 Modern. Although I have enjoyed playing Vampire:tM in the past.

I also kind of like historical and modern day games in generally, like Flashing Blades, Millenium's End or Conspiracy X.

While I do enjoy Sci-Fi gaming, generally near future appeals more than things like Star Wars or Star Trek.

Fantasy gaming I'll have fun with but it tends to bore me after a while as well it's all a bit silly really.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Roudi on April 17, 2006, 07:03:21 PM
Modern.  I play games that might be shoehorned into the "horror" category, but are more correctly identified as occult suspense/mystery.  My second favourite is military, and my third favourite is sci-fi.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Zachary The First on April 17, 2006, 07:17:42 PM
Fantasy is far and away #1, with SciFi/Space and Historical having sort of a Neptune/Pluto thing going on--every now and then, Historical ends up being #2, but usually is #3.
 
However, other genres tend to pop up now and then in my Fantasy games--horror and pulp make guest appearances, as well as even supers and military now and again.  Fantasy tends to be a big tent.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Maddman on April 17, 2006, 07:36:20 PM
Modern Horror.  Buffy, AFMBE, WoD, stuff like that.  Next fave I guess would be fantasy but I really need something out there to get my attention.  It feels like pretty 'been-there, done-that' after all these years.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Akrasia on April 17, 2006, 09:43:30 PM
It's all about fantasy for me (Middle-earth, Hyboria, Wilderlands, Mystara, Warhammer Old World, Dying Earth, etc.).

I also like 'modern fantasy' (Angel/Buffy), but rarely get a chance to play it.

I used to like some science fiction back in the late 1980s (Traveller, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, even some Space Opera), but haven't had a chance to play any in almost 18 years -- and would likely never GM any.

So fantasy, eh!  The darker and grittier the better!

:wizard:
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 17, 2006, 10:02:30 PM
I can't believe I actually left Horror off the poll *DOH*!
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Caesar Slaad on April 17, 2006, 10:31:52 PM
Though I have an enduring love for SF, Fantasy is my main course.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Teflon Billy on April 17, 2006, 10:42:39 PM
Superheroes by a mile.

It can easily be the rest of them combined.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: mearls on April 17, 2006, 11:04:45 PM
Fantasy. It's been 25 years, and I still love exploring dungeons that may or may not contain dragons.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Sigmund on April 17, 2006, 11:20:27 PM
Fantasy for me as well, followed more or less closely by sci-fi, then modern-day espionage and supers. I'm never really all that picky though.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Eli the Vile on April 18, 2006, 12:41:33 AM
I love me some Plasma Deathrays and Grav Sled Chases. But Cyber-Punk is the wasy to go!
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Zombie Hunter Woz on April 18, 2006, 02:55:11 AM
as a player hands down my favorite is Werewolf:the apocalypse, followed distantly by generic (D&D) fantasy.

As a GM, however, i tend to lean more towards the Sci-Fi / cyberpunk genre.  Ive been told im pretty good with Shadowrun, and i run a mean Solaris VII MW campaign off and on...

so i put other, since im undecided:ponder:
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Eli the Vile on April 18, 2006, 05:06:56 AM
Quote from: Zombie Hunter Wozas a player hands down my favorite is Werewolf:the apocalypse, followed distantly by generic (D&D) fantasy.

As a GM, however, i tend to lean more towards the Sci-Fi / cyberpunk genre.  Ive been told im pretty good with Shadowrun, and i run a mean Solaris VII MW campaign off and on...

so i put other, since im undecided:ponder:

I love Shadowrun, Through I am not to update on the current storyline. I tend to play Pe Dunkezel Assasination
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Bagpuss on April 18, 2006, 09:08:22 AM
Quote from: SilverlionI can't believe I actually left Horror off the poll *DOH*!

Well more I can't believe you left off Modern.

Horror strikes me as more of a sub-genre. IE: You can have modern horror, fantasy horror, sci-fi horror.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Cyberzombie on April 18, 2006, 11:11:06 AM
I love me some fantasy.  If I'm not playing D&D, I'm probably playing Exalted.  No hate for any of the other genres (though neither horror nor supers do much for me), I just like fantasy RPGs.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Technicolor Dreamcoat on April 18, 2006, 01:35:13 PM
Other: Contemporary Settings, i.e. Urban Fantasy or similar.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: flyingmice on April 19, 2006, 11:13:56 AM
SF all the way. Even my putative fantasy game is really SF in disguise.

-mice
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Name Lips on April 19, 2006, 11:14:10 AM
This is a bit biased on my part. I voted Fantasy, but I've never played anything else. Perhaps if I did have a good Star Wars campaign under my belt, I'd vote differently.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: kanegrundar on April 19, 2006, 11:29:29 AM
Fantasy, though lately I've been more interested in playing Sci-Fi or Supers.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Aelfinn on April 19, 2006, 01:07:14 PM
Quote from: Name LipsThis is a bit biased on my part. I voted Fantasy, but I've never played anything else. Perhaps if I did have a good Star Wars campaign under my belt, I'd vote differently.

I don't see why that would change your vote. Star Wars is still fantasy.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Ben Lehman on April 19, 2006, 01:21:46 PM
I like any genre as long as it's done well.

That said, I have a deep and abiding fondness of fairy tales (as seperate from fantasy -- Dunsany writes fairy tales, Tolkein writes fantasy), post-apocolypse, and horror.  But none of those were listed so I just put "other."

yrs--
--Ben
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Marco on April 20, 2006, 04:54:49 PM
My favorite is modern-day horror. The weirder the better. I also like playing normal people without special combat skills in modern surreal horror games!

-Marco
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Maddman on April 20, 2006, 04:58:39 PM
Quote from: AelfinnI don't see why that would change your vote. Star Wars is still fantasy.

Nonsense!  Look at the differences between D&D and Star Wars!

In D&D the characters are warriors and wizards who go into dungeons and kill orcs with long swords and magic missiles.  In Star Wars it's totally different - you play smugglers and Jedi Knights who go into space stations and kill Stormtroopers with lightsabers and blaster rifles.  It's TOTALLY different.  :p
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 20, 2006, 05:49:43 PM
Quote from: BagpussWell more I can't believe you left off Modern.

Horror strikes me as more of a sub-genre. IE: You can have modern horror, fantasy horror, sci-fi horror.

I don't consider modern a genre--no common tropes, its a time period where genres occur, Modern Fantasy, Modern SF (Alien invasion, Psychic Phenom, etc), Modern Horror..:). But it doesn't have a common set of thematic elements it shares to be a genre of its own.

To /me/ that is..
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: ColonelHardisson on April 20, 2006, 08:14:49 PM
Quote from: SilverlionI don't consider modern a genre--no common tropes, its a time period where genres occur, Modern Fantasy, Modern SF (Alien invasion, Psychic Phenom, etc), Modern Horror..:). But it doesn't have a common set of thematic elements it shares to be a genre of its own.

To /me/ that is..

Hmm. That's an interesting point. It could be one reason why d20 Modern hasn't done any better than it has. I guess it's done well enough, but I thought it would be more of a blockbuster than it ended up being.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 20, 2006, 08:38:28 PM
Quote from: ColonelHardissonHmm. That's an interesting point. It could be one reason why d20 Modern hasn't done any better than it has. I guess it's done well enough, but I thought it would be more of a blockbuster than it ended up being.

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone (I don't like D20..) but I do like D20 modern...(Of course I also like Spycraft2.0 sorta, and M&M1st Ed, and Cloak of Steel and Lone Wolf, and anything that does a REALLY good job of ditching D&Disms.)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Caesar Slaad on April 20, 2006, 09:38:24 PM
Quote from: ColonelHardissonHmm. That's an interesting point. It could be one reason why d20 Modern hasn't done any better than it has. I guess it's done well enough, but I thought it would be more of a blockbuster than it ended up being.

I think... sorta kinda in a way.

I feel like d20 modern is just begging for its killer app... and third parties are what is really making it. But itself, it does sort of lack identity. I think as written, it most strongly supports the UA setting, but that setting is sort of vauge and aimless as is.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: ColonelHardisson on April 23, 2006, 06:13:28 PM
Quote from: Caesar SlaadBut itself, it does sort of lack identity.

Well, yeah. The name of the game itself, "d20 Modern," isn't very inspiring or evocative. Then this mistake is perpetuated with lackluster titles (and I do mean titles, because the books themselves are pretty good, I think) like "d20 Past," "d20 Future," etc. It's too bad they didn't beef up and release some of the Polyhedron d20 minigames as books - titles like "Thunderball Rally" and "Iron Lord of Jupiter" just sound more interesting.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Dr_Avalanche on April 23, 2006, 06:31:33 PM
Fantasy, but I really like all the genres mentioned.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: JongWK on April 24, 2006, 03:40:00 AM
I'm a sucker for Shadowrun (Other: cyberfantasy), but barring that I'd settle for good ol' fantasy.

I'd try anything once, though. Twice if it hurts. ;)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Bagpuss on April 25, 2006, 11:47:30 AM
Quote from: SilverlionI don't consider modern a genre--no common tropes, its a time period where genres occur, Modern Fantasy, Modern SF (Alien invasion, Psychic Phenom, etc), Modern Horror..:). But it doesn't have a common set of thematic elements it shares to be a genre of its own.

To /me/ that is..

The common trope (if thats the right useage) is the world is similar to what we have today (at least on the surface), and most of the activity takes place in this world. While the PC's might be extra-ordinary with access to magic / psionic powers / alien or advanced technology; the vast majority of people live in ignorance unaware of the supernatural / superscience (although events might later change that). However normal people are also effective PC's.


Modern games.
Conspiracy X
Call of Cthuhlu (modern)
D20 Modern (depending on particulars of campaign)
Urban Arcana
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WoD
Feng Shui (at least the modern juncture)
Millenium's End
All Flesh Must Be Eaten (depending on particulars of campaign)

Not Modern games IMHO
Any Superhero game where the public is aware of costume crusaders. (Supers)
Shadowrun (Fantasy/Sci-Fi)
Cyberpunk (Near Future)
Stargate SG-1 (Sci-fi as most of the story takes place off-world)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 26, 2006, 02:54:31 AM
Quote from: BagpussThe common trope (if thats the right useage) is the world is similar to what we have today (at least on the surface), and most of the activity takes place in this world. While the PC's might be extra-ordinary with access to magic / psionic powers / alien or advanced technology; the vast majority of people live in ignorance unaware of the supernatural / superscience (although events might later change that). However normal people are also effective PC's.


Sorry I just don't agree though not a bad effort.

Genres are built on tropes that are well usually literary common ground, not quite jingoistic sterotypes, more common area aspects that are shared and your examples don't necessarily share enough common traits amongst them about what constitutes the "modern world" (COC defaults to 1920, though you did note modern.)
The fact is the "modern" setting of Technothriller Milleniums End and Black Eagle Investigations is very different than the blind eyes world of supernatural Hellmouth invested Buffy, which is also very different, than the darker and different horror setting of COC. See. Buffy is "Horror of High School" while COC is "Horror of Reality is not what you know" as aspects of what they are about. These are parts of their tropes.

So "modern world.'

No.

Most of the ones you list don't even fit.

They're horror.

Feng Shui is action via Wuxia/Honk Kong movies. It doesn't even fit modern tropes in any sense or semblence of the word.

They'd have to have similarities to each other--that they lack.

For that to work

Modern is not a genre. It is a time period or an aspect of setting of a genre.

Western=Genre, Victorian Era can be both time period and a genre depending on the material and presentation. (Because certian literature of the time period followed certian common trends.)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Bagpuss on April 26, 2006, 06:29:44 AM
Probably picked some bad examples. Okay perhaps Modern is more of a time period, which imposes some conventions rather than a genre in itself.

But the convention that the setting is based on the world we know, but with some hidden element the players are part of or stumble upon (be it WoD, Buffy, Conspiracy X, CoC, etc.) is one I like, you want to think of a better label than "Modern" for it?
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Phantom Stranger on April 26, 2006, 12:07:20 PM
Fantasy (or Fantasy/Horror) followed really closly but Super Hero, enough so that they are almost interchangable.
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 26, 2006, 03:44:25 PM
Quote from: BagpussProbably picked some bad examples. Okay perhaps Modern is more of a time period, which imposes some conventions rather than a genre in itself.

But the convention that the setting is based on the world we know, but with some hidden element the players are part of or stumble upon (be it WoD, Buffy, Conspiracy X, CoC, etc.) is one I like, you want to think of a better label than "Modern" for it?

The Hidden World Supernatural ones? The most common I've seen referred to it is Urban Fantasy albeit some people narrow that to things like "Changeling"/Urban Arcana (fantasy dropped in modern urban settings)

Albeit If I got to name them Myself we'd have strict taxonomies of these things: that be Mundane Conspirartorial Supernature Genre (not necessarily supernatural--i.e not mystic solely but any "hidden" world--i.e Dinotopia, Lost World, no magic needed just some hidden fantastic beyond current believed natural phenomena)

But hey I liked discussing this stuff so :)
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Bagpuss on April 26, 2006, 06:08:33 PM
Hmm I think it perhaps best if we just stick with "Other" :heh:
Title: What genre in gaming do you prefer?
Post by: Silverlion on April 26, 2006, 06:49:51 PM
Quote from: BagpussHmm I think it perhaps best if we just stick with "Other" :heh:


Fair enough.