Genre, Tone and Context in TTRPGs
I have been thinking a lot about what goes into a campaign and game design for a TTRPG campaign to run with your friends. While I haven’t nailed out all f the components, I know there are 3 crucial tings that ghouls be considered when setting up a game with your friends. These things should be discussed in the session 0 or before. This will get everyone on the same page for the type of game, to help make characters fit, and expectations aligned. The mixing and matching of these elements can make for som interesting combos, but of course not all will be good combos! This is super helpful in a game like Rift Walker that is supposed to move between these a lot! So mapping out ideas can be useful.
Genre
Genre are the characteristics and conventions of your game. They are used to categorise the types of adventures suitable to a world and campaign. Often these are tropes that bring familiarity to a game. It helps players get into a headspace, that makes it easier to role-play in a way that is expected and suitable to the type of game. We all use those touchstones to be on the same page. These can be used to differentiate the Worlds of your campaign! Examples might include:
Post apocalypse - lack of resources, selfish behaviour and violence.
Sci-fi - new technology, exploring new worlds and what it means to be human.
Fantasy - magic, fantastic creatures and good vs evil.
Historical - class divide, divine reverence and the chosen ones uprising.
Modern - advanced technology, globalism and peoples coming together.
Gloom Horror - monsters vs man, curses and in-effect against great evil.
Tone
Tone is best explained by emotional themes to tie stories together and an attitude toward the setting, characters in order to evoke certain moods. This is best categorised by the optional rules that a Rift Master can bring in to invoke these themes through the mechanics. It is crucial to a campaign to get a specific vibe. Examples include:
Grim Dark - fear/sanity, corruption/mutations and tension pools.
Heroic Action/Adventure - momentum dice, power recovery and advanced gear options.
Whimsical - Wild magic, celestial resonance and transformations.
Cosy - NPC renown, home/base building and cooking mechanics.
Context
Context is what is used to tie it all together. This issue more specific to the Setting and campaign itself. It is the default places and peoples of the setting. This will help you know what to expect in the way NPCs and foes will react. They help shape the definitions that make this setting unique. Examples include:
War time world - stop the forces
Court Political Intrigue - faction manipulation
Clue hunting Mysteries - uncover the truth
Monstrous World - fight against the darkness
