Is Science Fantasy the Next Big Thing™?

[Serendipity]

I have no idea if it's the "next big thing" or not but I've always liked (and honestly, preferred) science fantasy - so it's a nice welcome change of pace from bog standard fantasy.
I like my food to touch on the plate.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I have no idea if it's the "next big thing" or not but I've always liked (and honestly, preferred) science fantasy - so it's a nice welcome change of pace from bog standard fantasy.

To each her own. There's room in this big gaming world for all preferences.

I like my food to touch on the plate.

SINNER!!!

 

[Serendipity]

To each her own. There's room in this big gaming world for all preferences.

It really is a fantabulous time to be a gamer; I don't think I recall a period where this much diversity of product, catering to so many different interests, were all widely available. Everybody wins, and that's awesome.

 

[Morrus]

It really is a fantabulous time to be a gamer; I don't think I recall a period where this much diversity of product, catering to so many different interests, were all widely available. Everybody wins, and that's awesome.

That'll be the 80s. But it's cool to see it all back again!

 

[Serendipity]

That'll be the 80s. But it's cool to see it all back again!

I disagree. I started gaming in 1981 - the offerings nowadays cater to enormously more play styles and even the most niche concepts (be they stylistic, or in terms of rules complexity, or from the more narrativist to the more traditional) are getting wider acceptance than ever before.

 

[Morrus]

I disagree.

With what, exactly? The shelves and shelves of 80s games I own are testament to the sheer productivity of that era. Kickstarter may have brought that back, but I can't agree with any proposition that it's new.

 

[Umbran]

With what, exactly?

I think she's disagrring with the idea that the 80s had as much diversity of product as we do today. And, to that, I think she may have a bit of a point. Yes, there were lots of different products in the 80s, but while they'd differentiated a lot in genre, the mechanical designs used and playstyles supported were still fairly narrow. These days, in terms of well-considered mechanical support for various playstyles, games are much more diverse. The decades of experience have been good to us.

 

[Serendipity]

I think he's disagrring with the idea that the 80s had as much diversity of product as we do today. And, to that, I think he may have a bit of a point. Yes, there were lots of different products in the 80s, but while they'd differentiated a lot in genre, the mechanical designs used and playstyles supported were still fairly narrow. These days, in terms of well-considered mechanical support for various playstyles, games are much more diverse. The decades of experience have been good to us.

Pretty much exactly this. Though it's 'she' not 'he.'

 

[aramis erak]

When Numenera came out, I thought it was an outlier. But is it a harbinger instead? The Strange came next, and although it is directly related to Numenera, it is also a new game.

Now Wil Wheaton's Titansgrave is coming, and it is a self-proclaimed "science fantasy" game.

Are there more games in this genre out there right now? Are there more coming soon?

And, are you personally interested and/or excited to play in a science fantasy game?

D&D started there... It's always been a part of the gaming industry.

FYI: D&D is hugely influenced by Jack Vance's Dying Earth series. Dying Earth is post-holocaust pre-apocalypse science-fantasy. With magic and tech both. (Tho' it's not always obvious that it's sci-fan; only two of the short stories are really all that magic heavy of the 4 books I've forced myself through.)

A not very complete list of sci-fan RPGS:
D&D (all editions), EPT, Gamma World, Tunnels & Trolls, Skyrealms of Jorune, Castles & Crusades, Numenera, Star Wars (all editions), Spacemaster/Rolemaster, Castle Falkenstein*, (Theatrix) Ironwood, Rifts†, Torg†, Ringworld.

* CF is both Sci-Fan (diemensional travel) and steampunk.
† and just about every other invading realities game out there. Rifts and Torg get listed because they came out about the same time.

 

[Umbran]

Pretty much exactly this. Though it's 'she' not 'he.'

Ouch. I'm really sorry. I've been trying to kill that kind of assumption from my writing, but I'm not yet perfect.