What's your definition of...

[Andrew Martin]

... cinematic?

... realistic?

... anime?

... gritty?

... soap opera?

... space opera?

... any other style of RPG?

[Deathlok]

Cinematic: Characters are capable of much more than human norms, and have some metagame control over events.

Realistic: Characters are (mostly) human-normal in capabilities. Combat can be very deadly.

Anime: I don't know...

Gritty: A realistic game where characters are constantly put into dangerous situations.

Soap Opera: The focus of the game is on character interaction, not character abilities. Conflict between player-characters is more important than PC-NPC conflict.

Space Opera: Science-Fiction that focuses on character interaction and the events surrounding the main characters' exploits.

Hard SF: Science-Fiction that focuses on characters interacting with the universe.

Josh Morrow
(logged in? Please?)

[Ian ORourke]

I have to say I thought about adding something constructive here, and then I decided it was just too much. This one will either die a death or run and run and go round and round.

[Mithras]

Since I recognize this list as my very own, I feel forced to give my (inadequate) views. And of course it goes without saying that everyone has their own views

Realistic: So called 'real-world effects' as seen through actual experiences, not through the media, film, TV, novels or fiction of any kind. Not Saving Private Ryan, but the biography of an Omaha veteran.

Heroic: Fiction recognizing the dramatic importance of the heroes, and insulating them from some real world effects in a large or small way. The theme of destiny or fulfilled purpose is probably strong too. Ben Hur is Heroic.

Gritty: Fiction not recognizing the dramatic importance of the heroes, and not insulating themat all from real world effects in a large or small way. These effects appear more often or are magnified to maximise the conflict. 12 Monkeys is a Gritty SF movie. Saving Private Ryan is Gritty.

Cinematic/Action: A style which probably emulates the fast-paced, action-packed and heroic genre of TV and film. Visually exciting with lots of stunts, many things look good while being probably tactically poor. Conan is a Cinematic/Action Fantasy.

Soap opera: you don't need me to comment on that!

Space opera: SF that is larger than life. Filled with easily identifiable villains and heroes, great and visually cool settings, and filled with 'veneer technology'.

What do you think?

[Patrick Chipman]

Note that these are just my personal opinions, which may (do) differ from the norm. YMMV.

Cinematic: The resolution system -- particularly the combat system -- produces results that are similar to what one sees in movies. In particular, people take several hits to incapacitate, death is rare, and guns have knockback. Additionally, cinematic games allow nearly superhuman ability levels to be common.

Realistic: More realistic than cinematic. Realistic games strive for naturalism (see below), but keep cinematic elements to improve game play or to match the feel of the universe.

Naturalistic: A naturalistic game tries to emulate reality. It eschews anything that does not actually occur in real life.

Anime: Big eyes, big guns, mecha, and lots of flashy superpowers. Even with this, though, anime usually has some aspect, such as a well-written script or an interesting thematic aspect, that makes it superior to raw adolescent powergaming fantasy.

Gritty: Somewhere between naturalistic and realistic in play style, along with a sort of snide satire. Whether or not that satire is effective is another matter entirely.

Soap opera: Melodramatic, cinematic character development that is light on violence and heavy on emotionality.

Space opera: I call this "soft sci-fi." The key here is that the science is very weak; the thematic emphasis is on mystical forces, philosophy, and fantastic elements.

Hard sci-fi: Science fiction where the science aspect is very strong. The thematic focus need not be on the science, but usually is. Hard sci-fi has been used as a vehicle for social commentary.

"Squishy" sci-fi: Science fiction where the science aspect is good, but is suspended in certain situations for the benefit of the game universe. The thematic emphasis need not be on the science.

[Lost Cub]

Hi, I hope I'm not too late to chip in my two bottle tops disguised as cents! :D So, here are some very uneducated guesses...

... cinematic?

A style of play which rewards flashy, entertaining actions, especially in combat. Destruction is frequently decorative, not threatening ("fireworks") and good guys can always get out of tight spots. Movie reference: Die Hard, James Bond.

... realistic?

A style of play which models its reality after real world. Applying knowledge of real world physics, logic or phenomena is rewarded.

... anime?

Japanese cartoons (and related games) designed to give you everything you may possibly desire - sex, violence, power, cool monsters - in a well-designed box. Characterised by innocent-looking, big-eyed protagonists and a weird mixture of innocent and sinister imagery.

... gritty?

Something gritty is believable because it matches our experience of human nature, reality etc. For example, a fantasy setting without a war between good and evil.

... soap opera?

A never-ending series of episodes (or books, or gaming sessions...) which tell about everyday problems of a group of interacting characters. The viewers become a sort of "gossips" "eavesdropping" on the characters.

... space opera?

A branch of SF which is very anthropocentric and makes some social point (often to a point of propaganda - see Flash Gordon.) In often sacrifices a valid scientific background, but always aims to be very colorful and entertaining.

... any other style of RPG?

heroic: (as Mithras mentioned) is a style where characters aim to become less like ordinary people and more like archetypal roles. They achieve their goal by committing what is considered "Good" for their community (eg. killing orcs).

cyberpunk: a branch of SF which tells about de-humanized urban life. It apparently takes place in a "near future" but it's actually a hyperbole of today's life.

swashbucklers: a genre where protagonists are amiable rouges, possessing all desirable qualities of their society (noble origins, charm, bravery and fighting ability) and who strive for personal freedom. It's like "chaotic good vs lawful evil", basically. See "The Three Musketeers", and note the corrupted bishop figure!

Regards,

LC

[Mock]

Just moved to a new house, been away from my 'puter for a while.

.. cinematic?

Characters perform flashy stunts, improbable actions, don't die, never reload, are generally one-note personalities, and can be described in a single, short, sentence. System is fast and does away with any nod toward actual physics, etc.

... realistic?

Characters are such that we can essentially understand them, their motivations, their actions, and their world. We agree that the outcomes of certain real-life actions are reflected accurately in the outcomes of game-world actions. The universe has a balance of "good" and "bad" that we can agree with--it seems right. System attempts to address the many features that affect real life actions.

... anime?

I'm generally unfamiliar with anime, and especially anime games; my only observation, based on the few movies and video games I've played, is that anime seems to favor bizarrely out-of-context philosophical discussions in the midst of events that would seem to preclude that level of discourse.

... gritty?

Setting is bleak, emphasizing that the darker, more unpleasant side of life is more prevalent in the world than the good side. Characters may or may not be badly flawed; they are quite fragile--even the tough guys. Character death is common and unpredictable; when your number is up, it's up. The system has features of sanity, humanity (not just in the sense of Vampire), pain, and injury as major points. Combat is violent, short, and usually very, very dangerous.

... soap opera?

Improbably plots that bring as many people into conflict with each other as possible. Interpersonal skill is paramount, as is charisma or its equivalent. Conflict is resolved through wits and underhanded deception.

... space opera?

Heroic or tall-tale stories which lightly gloss over any sense of real-world understanding of physics. The conflict can be transferred to any setting and remain unchanged. Typically includes a swashbuckling style of character and of play.

... any other style of RPG?

The above actually work best in combination with a genre. For example:

Cyberpunk: classic man + machine; a cinematic game will play up the performance enhancing features of cybertech, while a gritty version will play up the humanity-sapping element of replacing yourself with mechanical parts.

-Mock

[Ben Brown]

... cinematic?

Cinematic RPGs are ones where the genre conventions of action films are a better guide to How Things Work than any real world science. The behavior of characters and the flow of plots also tends to echo films and television. This doesn't necessarily mean that they're shallow, but rather that they're painted in broad strokes.

... realistic?

This is the opposite of Cinematic. Weapons kill, people have motivations that can't be quickly summed up.

... anime?

Obviously based on Japanese cartoons. Anime itself is too broad to be called a genre, but there are several genres in anime which contribute most of the tropes found in "anime role-playing".

... gritty?

In some ways this is realistic, but even more so. Whereas in "realistic" guns kill and you don't want to get shot, in "gritty" you also tend to have lingering wounds and such. Characters, on the other hand, are often just as broadly painted as cinematic characters, only in darker colors.

... soap opera?

Look at a soap opera: any individual episode, or even a weeks worth of episodes has these constant tense moments in relationships of the characters, with very little actual action and lots of standing around talking. For a week, this is bearable. Over the space of months, it quickly reaches absurd levels. The characters lives are constant emotional crises. Soap Opera-ish roleplaying has many of these features. Much emotions, much relationships, not much action (even non-violent action).

... space opera?

science fiction harking back to the days before actual science intruded. Painted in broad strokes, with things such as spaceships which behave like pre-jet airplanes rather than any sort of actual spaceship could be expected to handle. Space is another version of the high seas in the age of discovery--you never know what might be around the corner!