A List of All the Elements in RPG's

[TarionzCousin]

I'm about to start running a new campaign and I want to poll the players as to what they want in the game. To that end, I'm trying to create a list of all the elements/categories in a typical role-playing game.

Please help me by telling me what I've missed, what elements should be split out or lumped together. I will update this first post to include relevant suggestions.

Note: I'm lumping all combat except large-scale warfare together. Broad categories are underlined with subdivisions listed directly below them.

The List So Far:

Exploration
Wilderness/Unknown
Ruined/Fallen Lands
“Dungeons”
Towns/Villages
Cities
Behind Enemy Lines/Monster Nations

Combat

Interaction with NPC’s
Quest Givers
Friendly Acquaintances
Allies/Sidekicks/Familiars
Shopping

Intrigue
Political
Infiltration
Counterspying
Solving Mysteries

Large Scale Warfare
Between Factions
Between Nations
Entire World/Everything

Governing
Town/Village
Mayor of a City
Castle and Environs/Barony/County
Nation

Commerce
Itinerant Merchants
Running a Store
Caravan

Evil
Overthrowing Government
Wholescale Slaughter
Subversion

 

[Bawylie]

Romance


-Brad

 

[Quickleaf]

Puzzles / Riddles.

And I think the categories you have might go over the heads / under the radar of many players. YMMV, but in my experience when I've polled my players I typically get "just D&D, you know?" or at best a genre of fantasy "something like Glen Cook, Tolkien, etc."

 

[ArchfiendBobbie]

Honestly? It would be easier to just link them to the TV Tropes website, as pretty much everything on that site shows up in RPGs.

 

[steenan]

I think you should specify what kind/genre of game are you thinking about and what does an "element" mean to you. Otherwise, it's hard to understand why you lump things together in some cases and separate them in others.

For example, your "Exploration" and "Interaction with NPCs" categories confuse me.
You list different terrain types as different elements, but don't care what this exploration is about ("experiencing new things", "surviving in hostile/alien environment" and "understanding how the world works and exploiting it" are very different things in play, but are all kinds of exploration). You also separate friendly acquaintances from allies and list shopping as a separate element, but don't list things like "exploring relationships", "understanding strange/conflicting viewpoints", "judging and making moral choices" or "negotiating for cooperation".

It's not that some things are missing from the list, but that the kind of things you listed is confusing - especially for a list that you want to be comprehensive, "all elements in RPGs".

How does it relate to Hillfolk, for example - where most scenes focus on whether one PC gets what they want on emotional, relationship level from another PC?

 

[Nagol]

Such a taxonomy describes the cataloguer more than the game, really. The world and thus the struggles within it are constrained only be the game designer's imagination. The scenario designer will often extend the game past even that.

The typical elements of a RPG should match up pretty well with typical elements of the genre the game is attempting to emulate. The TV tropes suggestion is pretty solid. That said, below are some typical things I see/use a lot that I didn't notice on a skim of the replies:

• Factional ladder-climbing (NPC interaction, Intrigue)
• Factional advocacy (NPC interaction, Intrigue, Governing)
• Instigating crime (Intrigue,Evil)
• Overcoming physical obstacles (exploration)
• Overcoming mental/knowledge obstacles (exploration, NPC interaction)
• Overcoming social obstacles (Intrigue, NPC interaction)
• wilderness reclamation (governing, exploration)
• rivalries (NPC interaction, Intrigue)

 

[GMMichael]

I'm about to start running a new campaign and I want to poll the players as to what they want in the game.

Step 1, just ask them what they want.

Step 2, let them know what RPG you're running. That will trim your list down significantly.

Step 3, ask them for their favorite movies or video games. Emulate those.

(I know, I didn't provide any list items. Mostly because I want your poll to be shorter and easier.)

 

[TarionzCousin]

Step 1, just ask them what they want.

Step 2, let them know what RPG you're running. That will trim your list down significantly.

Step 3, ask them for their favorite movies or video games. Emulate those.

(I know, I didn't provide any list items. Mostly because I want your poll to be shorter and easier.)

I've already tried this approach. Their responses:
1. "I don't know." "Something fun."
2. Probably D&D 5E.
3. "Something different than those."

So I'm going an extra step or two to narrow my focus.

 

[TarionzCousin]

YMMV, but in my experience when I've polled my players I typically get "just D&D, you know?" or at best a genre of fantasy "something like Glen Cook, Tolkien, etc."

Yeah, I've already received those replies.

I think you should specify what kind/genre of game are you thinking about and what does an "element" mean to you. Otherwise, it's hard to understand why you lump things together in some cases and separate them in others.

It's probably going to be 5E.

I couldn't define element to my satisfaction, so I tried to keep what I called "elements" at approximately the same level of description: fairly high-perspective, no detail.

Such a taxonomy describes the cataloguer more than the game, really. The world and thus the struggles within it are constrained only be the game designer's imagination. The scenario designer will often extend the game past even that.

The typical elements of a RPG should match up pretty well with typical elements of the genre the game is attempting to emulate. The TV tropes suggestion is pretty solid. That said, below are some typical things I see/use a lot that I didn't notice on a skim of the replies:

• Factional ladder-climbing (NPC interaction, Intrigue)
• Factional advocacy (NPC interaction, Intrigue, Governing)
• Instigating crime (Intrigue,Evil)
• Overcoming physical obstacles (exploration)
• Overcoming mental/knowledge obstacles (exploration, NPC interaction)
• Overcoming social obstacles (Intrigue, NPC interaction)
• wilderness reclamation (governing, exploration)
• rivalries (NPC interaction, Intrigue)

I think I could add some/all of these to fit in with my specific definition of element. Thanks.

 

[Nagol]

Yeah, I've already received those replies.


<snip>

I think I could add some/all of these to fit in with my specific definition of element. Thanks.

One way to think about it is what form of maps and battlefields are you going to use?

A map is an exploration reference. Things exist on a map so that players can find them or not. Maps can be based around physical terrain, personal and factional relationships, how divinity/magic/technology/science work, or anything else the players have a chance to explore. If you categorise your exploration maps then you'll know what exploration the characters can get involved in.

A battlefield is where conflict happens. Like a map, it can represent physical terrain, but it not limited to that representation. A battlefield defines the space and tactical elements in a conflict whether that is physical, social, mental, spiritual, cyberspace, or any other type of conflict the characters will be expected to engage in the game. If you categorise your battlefields, you'll know what form of conflict with which you expect the characters can engage. Most games leave the non-physical battlefields formless or at least undescribed which rarely helps a DM come up with interesting and player-obvious resources and hindrances that a good battlefield map can allow.