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Top: Games: Roleplaying: Genres

This section contains sub categories for the various Genres, or areas of subject matter, that Roleplaying games seem to have broken themselves into. Each category contains pages that deal with more than one system in the genre and Systems specific to this genre.

Anime

Roleplaying games inspired by Anime or Manga.

Christian

Roleplaying games intended to represent or promote a Christian ethos.

Fantasy

Fantasy has a special meaning when applied to Roleplaying Games (after all, all roleplaying is fantasizing, right?). The Fantasy in Fantasy Roleplaying Games refers to what is sometimes called High Fantasy, or Swords and Sorcery - elves, dwarves, dragons, wizards, a more-or-less medieval or ancient setting. Not all of these games have all of these things. Dungeons and Dragons, the first Roleplaying Game, is the classic example.

Furry

Roleplaying anthropomorphic animals - animals that have hands, walk on two legs, use tools, speak, etc. They don't even necessarily have to be "furry" - birds, reptiles, etc., are generally acceptable. Even though this sounds like a cartoon in the making, this is not necessarily a light hearted comedy - sophisticated dramas can be played out in this genre.

Historical

Roleplaying games using reality-based historical (i.e., before the last century) settings. Many such games have been published (beginning in 1975 with TSR's Boot Hill and GDW's En Garde!), but few have had any longterm success in the gaming market.

Horror

Roleplaying with the things that go bump in the night. While other genres can have scary elements - what's a Fantasy game without a tomb to plunder, after all? - these games concentrate on the fear and horror elements, usually in a more or less modern setting. The first horror roleplaying game was Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu, probably the most popular currently are White Wolf's World of Darkness games.

Modern and Espionage

Roleplaying games set in more or less modern times, that at aren't particularly focused on horror, are listed here. Often these games will involve spies, and cinematic action and adventure. The horror genre is listed separately.

Science Fiction

Science Fiction roleplaying games usually focus on the future, and usually use technology as the source of wonder, where a Fantasy game would use magic. Aliens, spaceships, psionics, laser blasts, and other planets all have their place here, though not all games will use all of these. The first Science Fiction roleplaying game (the first roleplaying game at all that was not a medieval fantasy) was GDW's Traveller.

Super Heroes

This category contains pages with information related to roleplaying games within the super hero genre. This includes pages which are of a general, non-system-specific nature and pages dealing with super-hero roleplaying systems that do not fit into pre-existing categories.

In a super-hero roleplaying game (SHRPG) players take on the persona of a super-powered hero in a world very much like the Comics. (Batman, Superman, The X-Men, Spiderman, et. al.)

Universal

Universal isn't as much a Genre as a category for RPG systems that try to work in all genres.

The "related" categories aren't completely Universal, but cover many Genres.

• Open Directory Games: Online: Roleplaying
• Open Directory Games: Roleplaying: Live Action
• Open Directory Games: Roleplaying: Systems
• Open Directory Games: Roleplaying: Systems: Free

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