DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Front of House Play-by-Post Game Studio Genre Surveys Q2 2013 Genre Survey

So 2012 was the year we wanted more Fantasy games. In both halves of the year, Fantasy came out in front, but this strangely coincided with a stalling of new Fantasy games.

Alternate Reality then, is now tied with Fantasy as DreamLyrics' most popular genre.

Although it could be argued that one game in Alternate Reality is Fantasy, not being tied in to the real world, Alternate Reality's still where the most games are turning over these days. Whereas residing in Fantasy are several of the DreamLyrics Methusulahs.

( Alas, Neptune's Fantasy Baseball wasn't the Bloodbowl cross-over that Stranger in a Strange Land had perhaps hoped.)

That's all in the past, what does the future hold? What genre of game do you want to play right now?

(In a break from the norm, I've set the poll to show the results before you've voted, and posted the thread in advance so you can conflab! )

I find myself fancying something dark, sinister and adult; so Horror's looking appealing to me right now.

Maybe it's the audience-friendly and pedestrian use of "supernatural" tropes in the media, making vampires, demons, werewolves all seem no more shocking than the latest iPhone release.

Or maybe it's the opposite extreme, the torture porn and Human Centipedes out there, designed only to shock, but often simply disgusting.

Either way, I think Horror's lost its mystery in recent times. We could begin the revival right here on DreamLyrics!

What about you chaps and chapesses?

Supers. They always seem such ephemeral games on here, but they're fun while they last.

I could go with AJ.

I find I'm liking the Supers game Pam and I have going on.

I can live without dark. RL is rough enough, and I want my escapism to be fun... not miserable, scary or depressing.

Since I've been buried under work, I could say I'd like less work and more time to play, however, the income is nice to have. I wouldn't mind going back to a 40 hour week though...

Imo "dark" in its literary sense doesn't mean miserable or depressing. Nolan's Batman films have been described as dark, but I think they're more drab than dark. Burton's 1989 and 1992 Batman films felt darker to me, but magnitudes less miserable and depressing than Nolan's work.

Even with defining dark as gritty reality -- or heck, just realistic reality -- I'm not sure I'd care for it as the over-arching theme of a game. Dark is fine for the occasional movie, but it's not something I'd want to immerse myself in day after day; I mean, I do that already with RL. All that REAL.

If there isn't some sort of "out," some way to escape the realness of reality, then that's something I would probably consider dark. For instance, Wolf's Heartwood game could definitely be considered dark... except I have a special shiny sword that never needs sharpening AND A UNICORN (who's a pest, but an oddly lovable one). The thread Pam and I are running in COS has gotten really dark, but on the other hand... SUPER POWERS!

True. A bit like how Snow White & The Huntsman was dark in tone, but you had the dwarfs to lighten the mood, though even they were a little creepy.

Tbh I'm not sure any story is best served by being relentlessly dire and severe. Real life just isn't like that for a start, so I don't think it's realistic, no matter how grim things get, humanity has an irrepressible capacity for humour. Secondly, I find I need some relief in a story, otherwise I become distanced from it.

Or dark but with the definite possibility of allowing in light, the ability to fight back and make things lighter. That is a sort of escapism; having the ability to beat back the darkness and make a difference.

Yeah, those dwarves were Creepy McCreepsters. Any story that's relentlessly anything is going to be boring. Adding appropriate humor makes everything better.

At another time, in other circumstances, I might agree with you, Art. But currently, if I'm going to add anything to my plate, it's going to be fairly light with the occasional storm cloud. A long and winding road, to be sure, but essentially upbeat with the recommended daily allowance of tension. Tension does not necessarily need to be "dark," but without it, there's no story.

Wow, Supers has returned! Is it complete with new costume and retconned powers? Or are some of you missing particular games?

Any more for any more? GMs, mobilise your players!

I voted for Horror, though I'd really have liked to be able to split my vote between Horror and Fantasy. Those are the 2 genres that appeal to me.

I don't long for horror where things are overly horrible or gory though. I don't want to play a Saw game. I briefly participated in a murder investigation set in the modern world which was going to involve supernatural and horror elements. It died before I got to know where exactly it was going though.

Similarly, I've been longing for a World of Darkness or a Lovecraftian setting. We have games in both universes running here, but I missed the set up and didn't really want to try and add more characters to an ongoing story.

That's the kind of (not very realistic) horror I like.

As for Fantasy, it's my most played and read setting. I love it. So I'm always up for that.

Wendelius

Time for Quarter 3 poll I think.

Bump, 3rd quarter poll time please

I think neil might be on 'walk about' at the moment. I am sure he will get something up when he gets back.

Hiya.

We only usually do a survey for Q2 and Q4, so twice a year.

But we could always post the Q4 a little early?

Welcome back from walk about

G'day sport!