Is there any genre or theme that the TTRPG medium does not work for?

Reynard

Reynard

Legend
Supporter
A brief interchange about sex in RPGs in another thread got me thinking:

Do you personally believe there are any genres or themes that the tabletop RPG medium will not work for? Game systems vary, of course, and there are certainly games that are not good fits for specific genres or themes, but that is a different issue. Are there any specific types of stories that you can't do with the medium, assuming you could craft an appropriate ruleset?

I don't think there are. Assuming you could get consent and buy in on whatever it is, you coulld TTRPG it.

Thoughts?
 
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payn

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario
At one time I probably thought there were genre that didnt work, but ive seen some out there RPGs leading me to believe anything is possible.

A lot of that was in the past thinking D&D was the template for RPG. Obviously, under that lens and framework the answer is a lot of things dont work, but if you expand beyond the D&D template, its wide open skies.
 


Reynard

Reynard

Legend
Supporter
payn said:
At one time I probably thought there were genre that didnt work, but ive seen some out there RPGs leading me to believe anything is possible.

A lot of that was in the past thinking D&D was the template for RPG. Obviously, under that lens and framework the answer is a lot of things dont work, but if you expand beyond the D&D template, its wide open skies.
Click to expand...
For many years, I did not think RPGs worked for horror -- even having played, run and owned horror games. I don't mean you couldn't have the trappings and tropes -- of course you could --but that you couldn't actually scare people when playing an RPG.

Two things disabused me of this notion. First was reading more horror and realizing that scares weren't actually the core fo the genre. The core of the genre, it seems to me, is being unsettling. And you certainly can do that in a TTRPG.

The second was simply finally having a really good horror GM or two.
 


UngainlyTitan

UngainlyTitan

Legend
Supporter
Reynard said:
A brief interchange about sex in RPGs in another thread got me thinking:

Do you personally believe there are any genres or themes that the tabletop RPG medium will not work for? Game system vary, of course, and there are certainly games that are not good fits for specific genres or themes, but that is a different issue. Are there any specific types of stories that you can't do with the medium, assuming you could craft an appropriate ruleset?

I don't think there are. Assuming you could get consent and buy in on whatever it is, you you TTRPG it.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
With the right group no, but in my experience most people I have played with are casual player and not interested in that kind of commitment.
 


Umbran

Umbran

Mod Squad
Staff member
Supporter
Reynard said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm not big on absolutes. I feel little need to put a stake in the ground that some specific genre cannot be done.

Discussion of what genres/themes might be difficult to do well, or poor choices for the RPG media? That's probably more my speed.
 



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