Do you think there are some genres that can't be combined? We have several odd examples that do work (Shadowrun comes to mind), but what genre-combination seems too far-fetched?

The mix is the dealbreaker in Shadowrun for me, that just doesn't work for me, at all. Which isn't to say that you couldn't mix the genres/themes successfully.

I'm hard pressed to think of any that couldn't concievably be put together.

I'd go so far as to say that there's probably no genre-mix that hasn't been done already, if you include novels and movies...

Undead teddy bears.

Quote from: mythusmageUndead teddy bears.

"Teddy bears" is a genre now? Gee, there's a fetish for everything on the 'net.

Still, you're out of luck. The German RPG "Pluesch, Power & Plunder" (where you play plush toys) has as its introductory adventure(!) "Night of the riding arch-chaos-plush-zombies of death".

I agree that Shadowrun doesn't work.  It either collapses into fantasy with guns and cyberware (like the Harlequin adventures) or it's cyberpunk with elves and dwarves included for no discernable reason.

Either way, it's not a melding of two genres, it's one of two genres playing genre-tourist and taking on some of the aesthetic trappings of the other genre while remaining largely unaffected by the deeper and less obvious genre trappings.

As for undead teddy bears, both I and my key-ring disagree with you.

Quote from: Sosthenes"Teddy bears" is a genre now? Gee, there's a fetish for everything on the 'net.

Still, you're out of luck. The German RPG "Pluesch, Power & Plunder" (where you play plush toys) has as its introductory adventure(!) "Night of the riding arch-chaos-plush-zombies of death".

I was thinking more of these people who put together some stuff about undead teddy bears. A sort of "The Care Bears Meet World War Z" sort of thing. World War Z, BTW, being Max Brooks' sequel to his Zombie Survival Guide.

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalAs for undead teddy bears, both I and my key-ring disagree with you.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING OF!

(Don't worry, I'm calm now.)

For me, horror and fantasy.

Star Wars isn't a genre so much as a setting, but good LORD, it doesn't mix with ANYTHING dystopic or horrific.  

In fact, let's just say that space opera doesn't taste real good with cyberpunk on it.  Look, when Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai goes, "Watch this, you vapid little actress -- trout motherfuckin' ice cream!"  you think, "Ooh, daring!  He's challenging convention!"  

But stop and think.

TROUT.

ICE CREAM.

Okay?  Very likely not good eats.

Plus, he puts truffles and foie gras on everything.  Nice shirt, though.

Star Wars doesn't mix with horrific? Haven't you seen the prequel trilogy?

Quote from: SosthenesStar Wars doesn't mix with horrific? Haven't you seen the prequel trilogy?

Yes, thus I speak from experience.

I've also played in a SW game which attempted to fold in Giger biomechanoids, i.e. Aliens.  It was...geh.

Oh, and the time I myself tried putting cyberpunk into SW, I looked at the players 15 minutes in and said, "This isn't working, is it?"

"No," we agreed.  I should've known better.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!In fact, let's just say that space opera doesn't taste real good with cyberpunk on it.

I'm not sure about this.  Could it be because space opera is inherently utopian and cyberpunk is inherently distopean?

Because a lot of recent hard sci-fi (Ken McLeod, David Brin, heck, even Ian M. Banks) mixes space opera and cyberpunk tropes very effectively.  I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I'd like to discuss this

Well, it depends on the kind of cyberware you're aiming it. If you're using something with high humanity costs (as most cyberpunk RPGs are doing), it might not work as well.
If you're using it as yet another way to provide superhuman capabilities to the heroes, it meshes quite well. But that's cyberware, if you're talking about the punk aspect I'd agree. In Star Wars, rebellion against the ruling order takes another form...

Quote from: Hastur T. FannonI'm not sure about this.  Could it be because space opera is inherently utopian and cyberpunk is inherently distopean?

Because a lot of recent hard sci-fi (Ken McLeod, David Brin, heck, even Ian M. Banks) mixes space opera and cyberpunk tropes very effectively.  I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I'd like to discuss this

Yeah...yeah, good points, Mr Fannon.  That's what I get for posting after a very long day.  

Hmn.  Okay, let's say that inherently, space opera is utopian -- or at least, it's optimistic.  It's optimistic, and its morals -and I think this is very important- are very black-and-white.  Shades of grey usually resolve conclusively, as is the case with Han Solo.  When they don't resolve, it's for a specific purpose -- and I daresay not a thematic one but merely to make an interesting character more badass.

Look, Fett's just a guy with a job.  "He's no good to me dead."  Is that good, or evil?  Immoral or  moral?  Nope -- just practical.  He's The Man With No Past, he Gets It Done, and he's a Total Badass Mystery*.  Say, how much Fett merchandise and fanart is there, again...?

I agree that space opera with cyberpunk tropes can work; I didn't think about stuff like Consider Phlebas when I posted.  Maybe if I said that space opera's themes don't work with dystopia or horror very easily, but that you can use space opera's trappings with such stuff and succeed -- if you know what you're doing.  I'm not sure it's really space opera anymore, but you can mix 'em, sure.  

I could yak about this for hours, Fannon, but not by myself.

*Well, he was before May 2002, anyway.

I wonder if there's a difference between genre and tone... You see, while Space Opera and Cyber Punk are considered two seperate genres, they're generally working at around the same level. Technology + Mood (where Mood varies, but precise technological level isn't really important).

Neither one of them are really 'Sci-fi', because they're usually not too stringent on science. Science is just a setting with the mood it invokes (utopian/dystopian) being the most important aspect. So, 'cyber-punk' doesn't mix with Space Opera because you're not mixing setting elements, but conflicting moods.

I think it's hard to mix genre; it's almost always going to be the original and rare exception that makes an outstanding game. I don't think you can really mix tone. You can't mix Star Trek and Aliens without removing the tone from one while you add its materials. If you mix the two, either it's utopian, and the Trek crew phasers the aliens and negotiates/metes justice to the Corp. or the crew of the Enterprise are dupes and everyone gets a facehugger except for Kirk/Picard/whoever - who escapes by the skin of his teeth.

Can't mix tone. Can mix any genre, with a good eye.