What genres get you excited, TTRPG wise?
What are your favorite genres for TTRPGs? Why?
It's hard for me to narrow... but top 3 settings include Star Trek, Star Wars, and Firefly.
Albedo comes in 4th on preference, but my players dont go for it.
I clearly like Space Opera, both poles (the real science fiction end through the space fantasy end); I like space opera in TV shows (
Star Trek{all},
Space: Above and Beyond²,
Homeboys in Outer Space,
Mercy Point¹,
Andromeda, 1978-1981
Buck Rogers,
Battlestar Galactica (original series only, plus the Hatch novels). Of those, S:AAB is the most realistic, but it's still got too much fantasy to be real sci-fi. And Movies:
Star Wars Eps I-VI,
Solo, and
Rogue One; original BSG on the big screen;
Manhunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone;
In the Fold.
Note that a strong subset are active duty military/paramilitary... and my runs have a strong dose of Space Trucker and Paramilitary...
Traveller does both, so do FL's
ALIEN, WEG
Star Wars d6, FGU's
Space Opera, and
Spacemaster. All of those allow for space trucker mode, all allow for mercs mode, and all allow for ship crews in military service, tho not as cleanly.
Albedo is a Soft-Sci-fi, but it stays just shy of the Space Opera border, and is based upon the strip, Erma Felna, EDF, there are no living humans as far as I've read. (I haven't caught up.
www.stevegallacci.com has the strips online)
I'm also fond of fantasy, provided it's not too much LFQW³... I like it inspired by shows and movies such as
Ladyhawke,
LOTR (Both versions),
The Hobbit (Both versions),
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys &
Xena: Warrior Princess,
Percy Jackson,
The Dresden Files (defininte LFQW, but even so, I played a White Court), all the Harryhousen movies. I'm burned out on D&D, partly due to mechanics, partly due to settings, partly due to WotC's higher ups needing to have a serious attitude adjustment, and largely due to LFQW; the exponent on the wizards is lower in 5th than TSR or 3rd, but it's still there. Favored games include
The Fantasy Trip,
The One Ring 1E,
Arrowflight 1e,
Legend of the Five Rings (2e, 3e, and 5e, but NOT the nasty D&D ports),
Mouse Guard.
Arthurian - I like my arthurian pretty wibbly-wobbly, so my preferred game therein is King Arthur Pendragon 4th Edition. Yes, it does have serious LFQW. But most wizard players have decided to do prepped minor spells and risk no sleeping. It still felt right last I ran it (2018?). I've got a couple other Arthurian games, but I haven't used them:
I, Mordred (D&D 3e splat),
Romance of the Perilous Land (a D&D 3e knockoff with an excellent bit of fluff, and have read
Prince Valiant.
I long to do a Flash Gordon or close knockoff, but the groups I had? the players who'd enjoy it would be split between the online group and the FTF group. (Yeah, I do know there's a Savage Worlds setting book and splats.)
I like
Robotech as a setting, but liked the Macross Reconstruction era when playing. Rewatching the anime. Am hoping the live action series version gets greenlit. (I have my doubts that it will, tho'.) Finally watched Shadow Chronicles... and I've read the 19 novels. The series is 18 novels long. Trust me, 19 isn't a good fit to any of it. I've run 1-shots of
Heavy Gear and Palladium
Robotech. I dropped out of the SMG Robotech playtest due to the mechanics.
I also have a soft spot for action horror: BTVS, Angel, Army of Darkness, ALIEN. I've run Eden's BTVS, LEG's
Aliens Adventure Game, and FL's
ALIEN. If I were to do BTVS as a setting again, I'd use Savage Worlds, not Cinematic Unisystem - less work.
Oh, I also like Anthro games in general...
Mouse Guard,
Pugmire/
Monarchies of Mau/
Squeeks in the Deep,
Albedo,
Albedo SC,
Justifiers,
My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria- I've run MG, MLP:TOE, MoM, both Albedo games, and Justifiers. Haven't gotten Pugmire itself to table, nor Squeeks... it's down the road for one group, but they're same variant 5e adapted core... and they are QUITE adapted. While I have the
Freefall RPG, it's a little bit too light for me.
Historical/quasi-historicals intrigue me, but only one has seen play:
Crimson Cutlass. I am tempted to run
Recon some day, but I need players willing to play it. Warped history, such as
Space: 1889,
Deadlands, and
Aces & Eights appeal a bit more...
Footnotes
¹ when my wife worked at a TV station, I was asked to view the 4 epsiode prospectus. It was good. A sci-fi medical drama. A little more wibbly than Trek.
²: «BLEEP»ing FOX...
³: Linear Fighter, Quadratic Wizard. The fighter increases in power linearly or with a nearly linear exponent, while wizards increase in power by exponential growth.