Quote from: ColonelHardissonHmm. That's an interesting point. It could be one reason why d20 Modern hasn't done any better than it has. I guess it's done well enough, but I thought it would be more of a blockbuster than it ended up being.

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone (I don't like D20..) but I do like D20 modern...(Of course I also like Spycraft2.0 sorta, and M&M1st Ed, and Cloak of Steel and Lone Wolf, and anything that does a REALLY good job of ditching D&Disms.)

Quote from: ColonelHardissonHmm. That's an interesting point. It could be one reason why d20 Modern hasn't done any better than it has. I guess it's done well enough, but I thought it would be more of a blockbuster than it ended up being.

I think... sorta kinda in a way.

I feel like d20 modern is just begging for its killer app... and third parties are what is really making it. But itself, it does sort of lack identity. I think as written, it most strongly supports the UA setting, but that setting is sort of vauge and aimless as is.

Quote from: Caesar SlaadBut itself, it does sort of lack identity.

Well, yeah. The name of the game itself, "d20 Modern," isn't very inspiring or evocative. Then this mistake is perpetuated with lackluster titles (and I do mean titles, because the books themselves are pretty good, I think) like "d20 Past," "d20 Future," etc. It's too bad they didn't beef up and release some of the Polyhedron d20 minigames as books - titles like "Thunderball Rally" and "Iron Lord of Jupiter" just sound more interesting.

Fantasy, but I really like all the genres mentioned.

I'm a sucker for Shadowrun (Other: cyberfantasy), but barring that I'd settle for good ol' fantasy.

I'd try anything once, though. Twice if it hurts.

Quote from: SilverlionI don't consider modern a genre--no common tropes, its a time period where genres occur, Modern Fantasy, Modern SF (Alien invasion, Psychic Phenom, etc), Modern Horror... But it doesn't have a common set of thematic elements it shares to be a genre of its own.

To /me/ that is..

The common trope (if thats the right useage) is the world is similar to what we have today (at least on the surface), and most of the activity takes place in this world. While the PC's might be extra-ordinary with access to magic / psionic powers / alien or advanced technology; the vast majority of people live in ignorance unaware of the supernatural / superscience (although events might later change that). However normal people are also effective PC's.


Modern games.
Conspiracy X
Call of Cthuhlu (modern)
D20 Modern (depending on particulars of campaign)
Urban Arcana
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WoD
Feng Shui (at least the modern juncture)
Millenium's End
All Flesh Must Be Eaten (depending on particulars of campaign)

Not Modern games IMHO
Any Superhero game where the public is aware of costume crusaders. (Supers)
Shadowrun (Fantasy/Sci-Fi)
Cyberpunk (Near Future)
Stargate SG-1 (Sci-fi as most of the story takes place off-world)

Quote from: BagpussThe common trope (if thats the right useage) is the world is similar to what we have today (at least on the surface), and most of the activity takes place in this world. While the PC's might be extra-ordinary with access to magic / psionic powers / alien or advanced technology; the vast majority of people live in ignorance unaware of the supernatural / superscience (although events might later change that). However normal people are also effective PC's.

Sorry I just don't agree though not a bad effort.

Genres are built on tropes that are well usually literary common ground, not quite jingoistic sterotypes, more common area aspects that are shared and your examples don't necessarily share enough common traits amongst them about what constitutes the "modern world" (COC defaults to 1920, though you did note modern.)
The fact is the "modern" setting of Technothriller Milleniums End and Black Eagle Investigations is very different than the blind eyes world of supernatural Hellmouth invested Buffy, which is also very different, than the darker and different horror setting of COC. See. Buffy is "Horror of High School" while COC is "Horror of Reality is not what you know" as aspects of what they are about. These are parts of their tropes.

So "modern world.'

No.

Most of the ones you list don't even fit.

They're horror.

Feng Shui is action via Wuxia/Honk Kong movies. It doesn't even fit modern tropes in any sense or semblence of the word.

They'd have to have similarities to each other--that they lack.

For that to work

Modern is not a genre. It is a time period or an aspect of setting of a genre.

Western=Genre, Victorian Era can be both time period and a genre depending on the material and presentation. (Because certian literature of the time period followed certian common trends.)

Probably picked some bad examples. Okay perhaps Modern is more of a time period, which imposes some conventions rather than a genre in itself.

But the convention that the setting is based on the world we know, but with some hidden element the players are part of or stumble upon (be it WoD, Buffy, Conspiracy X, CoC, etc.) is one I like, you want to think of a better label than "Modern" for it?

Fantasy (or Fantasy/Horror) followed really closly but Super Hero, enough so that they are almost interchangable.

Quote from: BagpussProbably picked some bad examples. Okay perhaps Modern is more of a time period, which imposes some conventions rather than a genre in itself.

But the convention that the setting is based on the world we know, but with some hidden element the players are part of or stumble upon (be it WoD, Buffy, Conspiracy X, CoC, etc.) is one I like, you want to think of a better label than "Modern" for it?

The Hidden World Supernatural ones? The most common I've seen referred to it is Urban Fantasy albeit some people narrow that to things like "Changeling"/Urban Arcana (fantasy dropped in modern urban settings)

Albeit If I got to name them Myself we'd have strict taxonomies of these things: that be Mundane Conspirartorial Supernature Genre (not necessarily supernatural--i.e not mystic solely but any "hidden" world--i.e Dinotopia, Lost World, no magic needed just some hidden fantastic beyond current believed natural phenomena)

But hey I liked discussing this stuff so

Hmm I think it perhaps best if we just stick with "Other" :heh:

Quote from: BagpussHmm I think it perhaps best if we just stick with "Other" :heh:

Fair enough.