Tinkering: Types of Worlds

[Llum]

Space Opera kinda seems like it could fill in the Space Wonder category.

I'll give Superheroes its own setting type if only because its so distinct, it has really become its own thing. And not all Superheroes are modern (original Ghost Rider, Jonah Hexx although these could be called western. Other Superhero could be called science fiction as well.)

[Nomadic]

Perhaps it would help to hear how the rest of us categorize stuff. Here is generally how I view things.

Categories:
Adventure/Exploration - The classic RP style that centers on a wandering group, often of questers or explorers that solve problems, fight baddies, and uncover ancient wonders.
Dystopian - A realm where grime is the norm and twisted representations of reality assault your perceptions wherever you go. Dystopian settings focus not on the triumph of one group over another but instead on the simple struggle to survive.
Horror - Horror settings explore the struggle to fight off unseen and vastly more powerful evils that are actively out to hurt the characters. Much of the essence of horror is drawn from not knowing exactly what it is that is out to get you.
Superheroes - A style centered around individuals that are far stronger than the average person. Common conflicts result from fighting counterparts, protecting or controlling weaker individuals, and many other settings drawn from the vast power difference.

Types:
Magic - Magical settings have a connection to the arcane, a not fully explained force that permeates the world and enables the inhabitants to do things outside what would be considered normal in the real world.
Might - Might settings are focused on the martial aspect. They often have little technology or magic (if any at all) and instead center on physical prowess.
Modern - Modern settings are reflections of the current world, often in fact they are alternate realities of the present time.
Science Fiction - Science Fiction is a focus on technological wonders, often in a futuristic setting. The technology in science fiction tends to take up the same position as the magic in a magical setting.
Steampunk - Steampunk is technology blended with a fantasy style. This often results in a blending of magic and science with strange and generally impossible (in regards to reality) results.

Note that a setting can have more than one type (for example you could have a modern dystopian magical setting). Oh and as a side superhero is one for me because it can fit any genre where you have a group of elite above the average man.

[Polycarp]

comprehensive[/i] descriptions of fantasy that have meanings far beyond how widespread magic is.

As for my own setting, I consider it pretty standard Low Fantasy both in terms of magic and morality, though I don't really know whether it would fit better in "exploration" or "wonder" as per the present grid.  I guess it depends on how "odd" you find the Clockwork Jungle to be.

[Elemental_Elf]

To me, Lord of the Rings is Low-Fantasy by today's standards. Sure there were Wizards and magical trinkets but there weren't constructs, lightning rails, commonplace portals, or anything of the like.

Also, where would we put Clockwork Jungle on this chart? It's sort of fits Wonder... Maybe Low-Fantasy Wonder? Perhaps High Fantasy Wonder...

It's hard to say since we aren't provided with definitions for the left-hand axis.

EDIT: Ninja'd by the Creator!

[Polycarp]

To me, Lord of the Rings is Low-Fantasy by today's standards. Sure there were Wizards and magical trinkets but there weren't constructs, lightning rails, commonplace portals, or anything of the like.

high fantasy[/i] with high magic.  The lack of clear moral purpose, at least to me, is more important to the definition of high fantasy than anything else - if you've got a monolithic evil overlord, it's high fantasy.  If your evil is more petty, uncertain, fractious, and realistic, it's probably low fantasy.

Dystopian worlds can be either.  A dystopian world could be high fantasy - think the world after Lord of the Rings, but if Sauron had won - or low fantasy, in which moral contrast is still low (nobody is "pure" good or evil) but in general things tend towards the evil, petty, venal, and corrupt.

[Elemental_Elf]

To me, Lord of the Rings is Low-Fantasy by today's standards. Sure there were Wizards and magical trinkets but there weren't constructs, lightning rails, commonplace portals, or anything of the like.

high fantasy[/i] with high magic.  The lack of clear moral purpose, at least to me, is more important to the definition of high fantasy than anything else - if you've got a monolithic evil overlord, it's high fantasy.  If your evil is more petty, uncertain, fractious, and realistic, it's probably low fantasy.

I've never interpreted High and Low as being anything other than a measure of how widespread magic is and how much it impacts society. However, having read into the issue, I am indeed confusing High-Magic with High-Fantasy.

[SDragon]

Stuff on High Fantasy

Even more stuff on High Fantasy

Ok, turns out, this is the most discussion this thread has seen on the topic. Here's what I mentioned to PC awhile ago:

the "height" of fantasy is defined by the number of OMGWTFBBQ moments portrayed realistically (that is, with enough internal consistency) to keep you from actually going OMGWTFBBQ. I used Tolkien, Lewis, and Carrol as examples. Each one had more of those moments than the last, and each one was "higher" fantasy than the last. Sauron is just as much fantasy as the White Witch, but Narnia has talking animals. Like Narnia, Wonderland has talking animals, but also has playing cards painting roses. Dunno how close this falls to standard definitions of High Fantasy, but that's just me.

as a sidenote, on the "height" of fantasy:

Hyborea < Middle Earth < Narnia < Wonderland

[Kaptn'Lath]

you can put my Discworld of Tu'loras as Dystopian/Exploration or low fantasy(might)/Exploration its a bit of both.

[Elemental_Elf]

I think the whole debate on High Fantasy needs to be settled. I say we just use Wikipedia's definition and move on.

 

These stories are generally serious in tone and often epic in scope, dealing with themes of grand struggle against supernatural, evil forces.[1] It is one of the most popular subgenres of fantasy fiction. Some typical characteristics of high fantasy include fantastical elements such as elves, fairies, dwarves, magic or sorcery, wizards or magicians, invented languages, quests, coming-of-age themes, and multi-volume narratives.

High fantasy is a well-defined genre with established characteristics. This contrasts with low fantasy, a term that can be defined in many contradictory ways, each separate in its own way from high fantasy.

In some fiction, a contemporary, "real-world" character is placed in the invented world, sometimes through devices such as portals to other worlds or even subconscious travels. Purists might not consider this to be "true" high fantasy, although such stories are often categorized as high fantasy due to the fact that they've yet to be classified as their own distinct subgenre, and often resemble this subgenre more closely than any other.

High fantasy worlds may be more or less closely based on real world milieus, or on legends such as Arthurian. When the resemblance is strong, particularly when real-world history is used, high fantasy shades into alternate history.

High fantasy is the most popular and successful subgenre of the fantasy fiction. Its fandom ranges from Tolkien to contemporary. Recent screen versions of Rowling's Harry Potter, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe have contributed to the subgenre's continuing popularity. Moreover, film adaptations of some novels are in preproduction, such as David Farland's The Runelords, and also Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover and The Elfstones of Shannara.

[Superfluous Crow]

It's a pity we can't have more axes...
Settings are defined by:
Their level of magic: none, low, med, high
Their level of technology: low, medieval, renaissance, indsustrial, modern, future, steampunk.
Their scope: location, region, world, universe, multiverse
Their purpose: adventure, wonder, bureaucracy/intrigue, discovery, survival, horror etc.
Their morality: black/white (high fantasy), gray (low fantasy)
Their realism: gritty, game-ish/artificial (erfworld-esque), cinematic, simulation
Their style: alternative history, classic fantasy, exotic, dystopian  

Of course, this system has the downside of not giving any kind of overview of the distribution. But i think we have to set down some definitions for style/setting in the above diagram; isn't pulp and adventure pretty much the same?

[Elemental_Elf]

I think level of Magic and Tech are good scales to add... Though how you could incorporate 2 more axis on the current chart defies my 2 AM logic node...

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I don't think we should define it as "level of magic".  Magic is just a type of power, the category should reflect the fact that not all power used is magic.

[Superfluous Crow]

Okay, level of supernaturality then? Or what did you mean?
and as to the axes, we could have a few keywords in parentheses after each campaign or so...

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Okay, level of supernaturality then? Or what did you mean?

Probably we should have both a level of supernaturality and a level of "powers".  So you could have a high-power low-supernatural setting that has incredible abilities but everything is based on at least pseudo-science, and low-power high-supernatural which is any setting where rather ordinary people have to fight the "supernatural forces".

[Ghostman]

You could make several tables with different axes. For example...

Table 1:
* Tone (upbeat --- grim)
* Scope (cosmic --- backwoods)

Table 2:
* Technology (futuristic --- primitive)
* Fantasy elements (commonplace --- absent)

Table 3:
* Oddness (OMGWTFBBQ --- the world as we know it)
* Intrigue (high intrigue --- no intrigue)