How do you categorize tabletop role playing games? There’s no strictly scientific way of doing it, but you could try asking the following questions…
What genre of fiction is it? Many popular RPGs are in the fantasy genre, set in a fictional world with spells, magical creatures, cursed jewel, and epic adventures. Other games are based on sci-fi, horror, or historical scenarios.
- Fantasy (Dungeons and Dragons, Blades in the Dark, Pathfinder)
- Science Fiction (Cyberpunk RED, Scum and Villainy, Mutant: Year Zero)
- Horror (Call of Cthulhu, Alien: The Roleplaying Game, Delta Green)
- Military / Espionage (Twilight: 2000, FIST: Ultra Edition, Never Going Home)
- History (Pendragon, Night Witches)
- General-Purpose (Fate, GURPS, Savage Worlds)
How does it treat its rules? Classic RPGs have well-defined rules about dice rolls, characters sheet, structure of play, conflict resolution, and so on. Other games called “Storytelling RPGs” focus on procedures that let the group of players develop a story together. Finally, rules-lite RPGs use simpler rules for pick-up-and-play fun with minimal prep.
- Classic Rules Style (Lancer, Cyberpunk RED, Dungeons and Dragons)
- Storytelling Rules (Wanderhome, The Quiet Year, Monster of the Week)
- Rules-lite (Fiasco, Dread, Honey Heist)
The game’s text will tell you how it treats its rules, but your experience at the table depends much more on how the GM and players treat the rules.
What is the style of play? D&D is designed for campaign play; a long-term style of play where characters develop over time and the narrative gets more complex. Some games are designed primarily for one-shot play, where players can complete a self-contained adventure in a single session.
Furthermore, RPGs are typically cooperative, with players working as a team to overcome obstacles, but there are occasionally ones where players compete against each other, or where players collaborate tell a story about characters opposed to each other.
- Campaign Play (Dungeons and Dragons, FATE, Pathfinder)
- One-shot Play (Lasers & Feelings, Fiasco, Masks: A New Generation)
- Competitive Play (Paranoia, Houses of the Blooded)