BakaTheIdiot
Viscount of Spaghetti Code
I'll start this with an image, and then further elaborate on what I'm trying to say.
The slightly more unhinged (a la Me) among you may recognize this as a Political Compass, but with different axes. Please pay no mind to the actual categorization, I was using Paint, and Paint is awful.
Obviously no definition is as clear cut as we would be led to believe, but even so, knowing how to classify your roleplay can be critical in generating interest - and more importantly, the right kind of interest. Miscommunication is part of the game, but by knowing just how your SciFi will play out according to some simple criteria, you can prevent a lot of problems before they start. This should not be taken as a cut-and-dry guide. As always, you should use whatever you find in this in whatever way is beneficial to you or your projects. Please feel free to respond with your own takes or ideas in the comments below, as that's what it's for. Now, without further ado, let's delve into a simple premise on how to categorize a SciFi roleplay.
SciFi traditionally gets classified as "space opera" and "everything else." While that certainly narrows it down, that's not particularly helpful for most, since "everything else" can contain a bafflingly large array of different subcategories. Let's go back to that political compass real quick, or as I like to call it, "Science/Seriousness Compass." While I've used this specifically for SciFi for the purposes of this post, you could (at least, in theory) apply this to any number of roleplaying genres if you tweak the criteria slightly. The axes are very simple:
The Y axis represents how grounded in reality (as in, right now) the exercise is. If it's more inclined towards science we can actually prove then it would be better suited to the bottom quadrants, titled "science." If it's more loose with its interpretations of physics and the realm of possibility, or if it's just inclined towards more spiritual/magical themes, it would do better in "fantasy." Neither of these are better than the other. All this does is give you a better idea of what you want your Roleplay to be about.
The X axis represents how serious you want your story to be. Not necessarily lighthearted or dark, but rather does this roleplay seek to ask some interesting questions about itself, or is it more for the sake of telling an awesome story? Sometimes these go hand in hand, but use different means to reach the same ends. For example, if your roleplay follows a team of NASA scientists establishing a colony on Mars, ask yourself: what are the stakes? Is there a greater objective? Is there some internalized conflict that will need addressing? Etc etc. Definitions to what qualifies as a "soap" varies by person, but I tend to believe that soaps don't take themselves very seriously. I could be wrong though.
Now I said before these axes are not definitive, and they're not. Putting things on a political compass is the fastest way to get yourself a one-way ticket to internet hell if you find somebody who disagrees with your definitions (I'm doomed). With that said, why should we even bother with categorizing like this? I believe that the answer is quite simple: despite their similarities, no two SciFi are identical, and they can explore different themes or have different goals. These principles apply to most, if not all, stories, and that means they apply to our roleplays by extension. If you're looking for a slightly grittier exploration of what it means to be human, you're probably not wanting to join a roleplay about harvesting space kittens for Intergalactigram Clout. These big neon signs we put on our roleplays do serve a purpose, but classifying things as "futuristic" vs. "realistic" is a false argument. All futurism is based in some element of realism, and our perceptions of what is realistic is at least some way tainted by our fantasies.
This may do nothing for the people searching for your roleplay. In fact, I would hazard a guess that this is more a tool for you, the GM, than anyone else. I submit this idea to you because I find that if I know what I'm making, I can make it properly. I try to classify my own roleplays within not an exact carbon boundary, but perhaps with some loose definition, so that I can keep that key vision of what I want my story to be. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've seen roleplays falter in my years of roleplaying because the GM and team ultimately didn't really know what they wanted their story to be about. My hope is that this tool can help ease that strain slightly and provide some insight into how you explore your plots and settings.
And, if nothing else, it'll be pretty funny watching people tear apart this compass I've made - because, believe it or not, I can't tell much difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. Fight me. Haha.
Hope this gets somebody thinking or helps you out in some way. Cheers.
Baka
The slightly more unhinged (a la Me) among you may recognize this as a Political Compass, but with different axes. Please pay no mind to the actual categorization, I was using Paint, and Paint is awful.
Obviously no definition is as clear cut as we would be led to believe, but even so, knowing how to classify your roleplay can be critical in generating interest - and more importantly, the right kind of interest. Miscommunication is part of the game, but by knowing just how your SciFi will play out according to some simple criteria, you can prevent a lot of problems before they start. This should not be taken as a cut-and-dry guide. As always, you should use whatever you find in this in whatever way is beneficial to you or your projects. Please feel free to respond with your own takes or ideas in the comments below, as that's what it's for. Now, without further ado, let's delve into a simple premise on how to categorize a SciFi roleplay.
---
SciFi traditionally gets classified as "space opera" and "everything else." While that certainly narrows it down, that's not particularly helpful for most, since "everything else" can contain a bafflingly large array of different subcategories. Let's go back to that political compass real quick, or as I like to call it, "Science/Seriousness Compass." While I've used this specifically for SciFi for the purposes of this post, you could (at least, in theory) apply this to any number of roleplaying genres if you tweak the criteria slightly. The axes are very simple:
The Y axis represents how grounded in reality (as in, right now) the exercise is. If it's more inclined towards science we can actually prove then it would be better suited to the bottom quadrants, titled "science." If it's more loose with its interpretations of physics and the realm of possibility, or if it's just inclined towards more spiritual/magical themes, it would do better in "fantasy." Neither of these are better than the other. All this does is give you a better idea of what you want your Roleplay to be about.
The X axis represents how serious you want your story to be. Not necessarily lighthearted or dark, but rather does this roleplay seek to ask some interesting questions about itself, or is it more for the sake of telling an awesome story? Sometimes these go hand in hand, but use different means to reach the same ends. For example, if your roleplay follows a team of NASA scientists establishing a colony on Mars, ask yourself: what are the stakes? Is there a greater objective? Is there some internalized conflict that will need addressing? Etc etc. Definitions to what qualifies as a "soap" varies by person, but I tend to believe that soaps don't take themselves very seriously. I could be wrong though.
Now I said before these axes are not definitive, and they're not. Putting things on a political compass is the fastest way to get yourself a one-way ticket to internet hell if you find somebody who disagrees with your definitions (I'm doomed). With that said, why should we even bother with categorizing like this? I believe that the answer is quite simple: despite their similarities, no two SciFi are identical, and they can explore different themes or have different goals. These principles apply to most, if not all, stories, and that means they apply to our roleplays by extension. If you're looking for a slightly grittier exploration of what it means to be human, you're probably not wanting to join a roleplay about harvesting space kittens for Intergalactigram Clout. These big neon signs we put on our roleplays do serve a purpose, but classifying things as "futuristic" vs. "realistic" is a false argument. All futurism is based in some element of realism, and our perceptions of what is realistic is at least some way tainted by our fantasies.
This may do nothing for the people searching for your roleplay. In fact, I would hazard a guess that this is more a tool for you, the GM, than anyone else. I submit this idea to you because I find that if I know what I'm making, I can make it properly. I try to classify my own roleplays within not an exact carbon boundary, but perhaps with some loose definition, so that I can keep that key vision of what I want my story to be. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've seen roleplays falter in my years of roleplaying because the GM and team ultimately didn't really know what they wanted their story to be about. My hope is that this tool can help ease that strain slightly and provide some insight into how you explore your plots and settings.
And, if nothing else, it'll be pretty funny watching people tear apart this compass I've made - because, believe it or not, I can't tell much difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. Fight me. Haha.
Hope this gets somebody thinking or helps you out in some way. Cheers.
Baka
