Genre

Genre is a form or type of communication which follows a set of socially-agreed conventions, stylistic criteria, or thematic patterns which emerge over time. Most frequently applied to the discussion of literature, music, and audiovisual entertainment, the identification of genre in roleplaying events facilitates communication between participants regarding the types of directives and diegetic style to expect and enact.

Common Roleplaying Genres

Although many games combine and cross genres, the following list highlights a number of the most popular genres found in UK roleplaying:

• Action (e.g. Superheroes, Battle Royale, Military fictions)
• Adventure (e.g. Journeys of investigation, fantasy campaigns)
• Alternate History (e.g. Retropunk, costume drama)
• Historical Period Drama (e.g. Jacobite, Napoleonic, Regency)
• Horror (e.g. Cthulhu horror, hauntings, werewolves, vampires)
• Fantasy (e.g. Tolkien high fantasy, magical realism, fairy tales, contemporary urban fantasy)
• Science-Fiction (e.g. post-apocalyptic survival, space opera, tech noir)
• Western (e.g. Frontier fiction)