TTRPG Genres You Just Can't Get Into -and- Tell Me Why I'm Wrong About X Genre I Don't Like

I think of myself as a very open minded gamer. I can enjoy playing just about any game as long as I can get on with the rest of the players. And I generally can get on with most people. So I rarely turn down a gaming session because of the system. But there is one big exception.

I don't like "supers" games. The whole genre of superheros games turns me off. And I'm not even sure why. It can't be the power levels. I've run campaigns in D&D to 20th level. And it is not that I hate the genre in any media. I've enjoyed many superhero movies and TV series. I've enjoyed some superhero comics off and on over the years. But whenever I hear about a superhero TTRPG game session, I'm like, "ugh, no thanks." And I don't just mean committing to a superhero-themed campaign, I don't even want to sit down for a session. I'm thinking at the next Gamehole Con I should sign up for at least one superhero game session to see if I can either work past this block, or at least come away with a more informed opinion and maybe some insight on why I don't like them.

There is a player in my regular game that is like this with Sci Fi TTRPGs. And I mean Sci Fi in the broadest sense. When I run any Sci Fi flavored one shot, he nopes out. The Expanse? Nope. Paranioa? Nope.

Does anyone else have similar genres that turn them off? Do you have more self awareness than I do as to why? Or is it just a "doesn't float my boat" instinctual thing?

Also, this thread is a place to defend your yum that others yuck. Not argue, berate, belittle or otherwise be belligerent about it. Just a good faith explanation why you love the genre others don't. And if you were once turned off by a genre and came to love it, what turned you around?

I have a buddy who loves GURPS, has since college way back in the 90s . . . I have zero interest in playing GURPS. The game has been around for a long time and clearly has fans, it has withstood the test of time! I'm not even all that familiar with the game system, so I'm not even sure why I'm just so not interested, I'm just not.

However, when it is my buddy's turn to GM again, and if he wants to run us through a GURPS campaign . . . I'll play. Who knows, I might even have fun!

MNblockhead said:

I don't like "supers" games. The whole genre of superheros games turns me off. And I'm not even sure why. It can't be the power levels. I've run campaigns in D&D to 20th level. And it is not that I hate the genre in any media. I've enjoyed many superhero movies and TV series. I've enjoyed some superhero comics off and on over the years. But whenever I hear about a superhero TTRPG game session, I'm like, "ugh, no thanks." And I don't just mean committing to a superhero-themed campaign, I don't even want to sit down for a session. I'm thinking at the next Gamehole Con I should sign up for at least one superhero game session to see if I can either work past this block, or at least come away with a more informed opinion and maybe some insight on why I don't like them.

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Wow. That's too bad. Superheroes is my absolute favorite genre. I love the over-the-top action, punching people through walls, being a big-damn-hero, going out of my way to save innocent bystanders, the soap opera drama of it all. It's fantastic. Great way to spend an evening. Though, I will say, system matters so much with superheroes. I wouldn't want to play anything crunchy with lots of math getting in the way. Too much of a hassle. The juice just isn't worth the squeeze at that point.

For mine, it's any kind of romance and anything slice-of-life. If there's no action, no drama, there's no point. To the point where if we're even doing a bit of shopping in an otherwise action-adventure game, I'll write a list and hand it to the referee and volunteer to go get pizza or something just to not be at the table when it's happening. Ugh. The whole point of these games, to me, is escapism. Immersion and fantasy. I don't want to roleplay shopping. I have to do that in real life enough already. No thanks.

System-wise, it's anything over a reasonable medium-crunch level and I'm out. D&D 5E is too much. Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is closer. But the lighter the better. A one-page RPG? I'm in. Something that can fit the whole system on an index card? Hell yeah.

overgeeked said:

Wow. That's too bad. Superheroes is my absolute favorite genre. I love the over-the-top action, punching people through walls, being a big-damn-hero, going out of my way to save innocent bystanders, the soap opera drama of it all. It's fantastic. Great way to spend an evening. Though, I will say, system matters so much with superheroes. I wouldn't want to play anything crunchy with lots of math getting in the way. Too much of a hassle. The juice just isn't worth the squeeze at that point.

For mine, it's any kind of romance and anything slice-of-life. If there's no action, no drama, there's no point. To the point where if we're even doing a bit of shopping in an otherwise action-adventure game, I'll write a list and hand it to the referee and volunteer to go get pizza or something just to not be at the table when it's happening. Ugh. The whole point of these games, to me, is escapism. Immersion and fantasy. I don't want to roleplay shopping. I have to do that in real life enough already. No thanks.

System-wise, it's anything over a reasonable medium-crunch level and I'm out. D&D 5E is too much. Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is closer. But the lighter the better. A one-page RPG? I'm in. Something that can fit the whole system on an index card? Hell yeah.

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What is your preferred superheros ttrpg system? I'm thinking something interesting could be done with the Cortex Prime system. Marvel Heroic Roleplaying is based on Cortex, have you played that? Do you think the mix if dice step up and dice pools works well for an abstracted system that still supports tactical choices (e.g. selecting powers to build up your dice pool based on the challenge)?

MNblockhead said:

What is your preferred superheros ttrpg system? I'm thinking something interesting could be done with the Cortex Prime system. Marvel Heroic Roleplaying is based on Cortex, have you played that? Do you think the mix if dice step up and dice pools works well for an abstracted system that still supports tactical choices (e.g. selecting powers to build up your dice pool based on the challenge)?

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Yeah, Cortex works great. I played the hell out of Marvel Heroic RPG back in the day. You could easily build MHR in Cortex Prime. Or something even leaner if you were so inclined. I would absolutely play a one-shot at a con. It's fun as hell but after running or playing in a weekly or monthly game for years (well after it had gone out of print), it got overwhelming and I got tired of all the dice. It became too much.

My preference is super light. Something between Over the Edge 3E on one page, Freeform Universal, 2400, the new Discworld RPG, or FKR. Like have a comic book super nerd for a referee and just play kind of light.

Despite not liking the ultra-violent comics, I am looking forward to the Invincible RPG from Free League. Depending on what they do with it, it could be great. If they keep it light and do a good superheroics to soap opera drama feedback loop, I'd be in.

Sci-fi is a favorite fiction and movie/tv genre for me because I like weird mysterious, and it’s a genre where that is very easy to intrigue me. I don’t care for it in TTRPG because I’d probably be the DM, and I’d know the mystery, and the unheimlich, the uncanny aspect, wouldn’t be there for me, and I have little confidence in my ability to pull it off to the degree i would want for others. I don’t have the confidence in my abilities to deliver the experience I would want if I were a player.

To inform that, I primarily TTRPG in fantasy, a genre I have fairly little fiction or movie/tv interest in. I find it a bit silly. And THAT is something I can do at a table. I can do, what I think are, interesting mysterious fantasy encounters because I’m not super invested myself, but like the details of.

Anything modern day drama or romance or everyday not weird or silly, also not for me, because I would just feel awkward, like role playing sales calls at work. Ridiculous or otherwise non-serious modern day, doesn’t have the same awkwardness for me.

This is what I can’t get into, not what doesn’t work.

MNblockhead said:

Also, this thread is a place to defend your yum that others yuck. Not argue, berate, belittle or otherwise be belligerent about it. Just a good faith explanation why you love the genre others don't. And if you were once turned off by a genre and came to love it, what turned you around?

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I feel personally attacked! Just kidding. I saw the title of the thread and my first thought was that it's perfectly fine for you not to care for a particular genre for gaming purposes. Or for entertainment purposes period. I haven't really played a whole lot of superhero games since Marvel Super Heroes made by a mom 'n pop establishment named TSR. I don't hate it or anything, I just don't feel particularly compelled to play it.

I tend to think of Thirsty Sword Lesbians as a fantastic game that I have zero interest in playing. I don't like romance as a genre and I'm not particularly interested in telling queer stories with my friends. That last bit isn't me just talking, it's what they say TSL is all about on Evil Hat Production's website. Someone can come along and tell me all sorts of great things about romance as a genre and what makes such games great, but I'm not going to budge because I'm simply not interested. And that's okay. I'm happy TSL exists for those who are interested in that kind of thing and I hope they have a blast playing it.

Dire Bare said:

I have a buddy who loves GURPS, has since college way back in the 90s . . . I have zero interest in playing GURPS. The game has been around for a long time and clearly has fans, it has withstood the test of time! I'm not even all that familiar with the game system, so I'm not even sure why I'm just so not interested, I'm just not.

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As someone who spent a good amount of time in the late 80s and early 90s playing GURPS, I'm with you. GURPS is one of the best toolkit games out there. If you're someone who likes building their own setting from scratch or want to adapt a work of fiction into a game then GURPS is not a bad choice. Many of the sourcebooks for both 3rd and 4th editions of GURPS contain valuable setting information and tips for GMs even if you're playing a different game. The 4th edition sourcebook GURPS Horror is written by Kenneth Hite and is a great book for anyone who wants to run horror.

TBH, I can’t think of a RPG genre that’s an intrinsic turn-off. That said, I haven’t played every genre out there- the above-mentioned Romance as a main theme wasn’t even on my radar.

As for systems, I’ve tried over 100 since 1977. I’d play most of them again; I’d run a decent cross-section. The one I can remember not wanting anything to do with again was the FUZION system.

D&D 4Ed I’d play again, but never run in all probability. I didn’t like what I saw early on, but one guy in our group wanted to try it, so I played in the campaign. It was fun enough to play, despite its flaws. I’ve maintained since then I think its system was ill suited for shoehorning D&D style traditions, but it would make an excellent classless toolkit system.

5ED D&D left me cold from the earliest prlaytest press releases & discussion, and nobody in my circle got into it either. So I’ve never tried it, and probability of me ever doing so is low.

System-wise: FATE and Savage Worlds. I cannot grock either one, and I've tried.
Genre-wise: Cyber-punk, Paranoia, and transhuman sci-fi type games; also "Weird West" type games. If I'm playing a western game, I want a traditional western.

I love Super Hero games (ICONS is my go-to).
I love Westerns (Wild West Cinema is amazing!)
I love fantasy (The One Ring and B/X D&D)
I love sci-fi (Traveller, via Cepheus Light, and Far Trek)
I love post-apocolyptic (1e Gamma World)