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Defining RPGs with Tags

by Mike on 11 May 2026

Over on the Lazy RPG Talk Show I talked about defining the OSR, my attempt to try to better define what separates one RPG from another.

I think it's useful for GMs to be able to describe RPGs to one another and to our groups so we know what separates one game from another and what we might expect when we run a particular game at the table. Terms like "OSR" aren’t really clear outside of Matt Finch's four principles for old school gaming:

Rulings, not rules.
Heroic, not super-heroic.
A world that doesn't conform to the power of the characters.
Player-testing, not character-mechanics driven.

I thought better defining the characteristics of RPGs can help us talk about them so today I offer what I like to call "tags". These tags help define various aspects of RPGs so we can better clarify what separates one RPG from another. The list below isn't all-inclusive or definitive. I'm sure you have your own way to describe RPGs but I think taking a shot at defining these tags might help. I also don't expect these tags to become a new IEEE standard or ALA classification guide. But, for me, I think these tags help me talk about what makes RPGs different from one another.

Genre

RPG genres are largely self-explanatory and again, these terms aren't all-inclusive.

Science Fiction
High Fantasy
Folk Fantasy
Dark Fantasy
Science Fantasy
Apocalyptic Fantasy
Horror

System

System tags describe the ruleset a game uses. Here are a few of the big ones.

5e. Based on the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons and the various 5e system reference documents. Examples: D&D 2024, D&D 2014, Tales of the Valiant, and Level Up Advanced 5e.
Powered by the Apocalypse (PbdA). Based on the rules and style of play from Apocalypse World. Examples: Blades in the Dark (sort of), Dungeon World, and the Avatar RPG).
D20. Built on rolling a 20 sided die and likely loosely based on the 3rd edition version of D&D. Examples: 13th Age.
Mechanics Lite. The game and the characters have simple mechanics and it's fast to generate a character. Examples: Shadowdark, Cairn RPG, and FATE.
Mechanics Heavy / Crunchy. Games with more detailed mechanics for playing characters in the world. Examples: Pathfinder, 5e, Daggerheart, and Draw Steel.

Character Roles in the World

What roles do the characters have in the world? What are they like compared to common folk?

Folk Heroic. Characters are similar to the other people in the world. The characters are just the ones who decided to pick up a sword and go into a cave instead of being a farmer. Examples: Shadowdark, Cairn, and Old School Essentials.
High-Heroic. The characters are special in the world or become special after a level or so of play. They may already have had a profession before becoming an adventurer. Examples: D&D 2014, Dragonbane, and Pathfinder 1.
Super-Heroic. The characters are unique in the world and significantly more powerful than most people in the world, even at low levels. Examples: D&D 2024, Daggerheart, Draw Steel, Pathfinder 2, 13th Age, and 4th edition D&D.

Gameplay Style

How does the actual game play out? What does it look like when you play?

Narrative / Theater of the Mind. Gameplay takes place mostly in conversation, including combat. Examples: Dungeon World, Cypher / Numenera, Daggerheart, Shadowdark, and 13th Age.
Tactical / Gridded. Combat uses specific distances and involves elements that work best or require playing on a gridded battle map. Examples: D&D 4th Edition, and Draw Steel.
Player Testing. Players mostly interact with the world by describing what their character does regardless of their character's abilities or role in the world. GMs test players and ask what their characters do in the world instead of asking for rolls. Examples: Old School Essentials, Cairn RPG, and Shadowdark.
Character Testing. Players mostly interact with the world by rolling checks on the skills their characters have. Examples: Dragonbane, Draw Steel, Pathfinder, 13th Age, and 5e.
Group World Building. Players are involved in building out the world. Examples: Daggerheart.

World Interaction

How do the characters interact with the world and how does the story unfold during the game?

Scene Driven. The game mostly follows a set of scenes prepared by the GM ahead of time. Even though there's agency for the characters to determine the outcome of a scene and the direction to new scenes, most of the prep for these scenes occurred ahead of time. Scene-based games often have some form of combat encounter balancing. Examples: D&D 5e, Daggerheart, Draw Steel, Pathfinder, 13th Age, and Numenera.
Emergent. The story of the game builds from the decisions of the characters and where they go. GMs pave the path at the table based on player decisions and often the generation of scenes from random tables. Examples: Dolmenwood, and Old-School Essentials.
Procedural. The game has clear fixed procedures for combat, overland travel, dungeon exploration, downtime and more. Examples: Shadowdark, Dolmenwood, Old School Essentials.
Deadly / Dangerous. The world is a deadly and dangerous place. You may go through several characters during a campaign. Examples: Old-School Essentials, and Shadowdark.
Resource Focused. The game pays attention to rations, lighting, storage, and encumbrance. Examples: Shadowdark, Cairn, and Dolmenwood.
Resource Abstracted. The game doesn't pay much attention to rations, lighting, storage, and encumbrance. Examples: 5e, Draw Steel, Daggerheart, and 13th Age.

Applying These Tags to Games

What if we take the above tags and apply them to actual games. What does this list look like?

D&D 2024. 5e, super-heroic, scene driven, character testing.
Shadowdark. Mechanics-lite D20, folk heroic, narrative, player testing, procedural, resource focused, deadly.
13th Age. D20, super-heroic, narrative, scene driven, character testing, resource abstracted.
Shadow of the Weird Wizard. D20, high heroic, narrative, character testing, scene driven, deadly.
Dragonbane. High heroic, narrative, character testing, procedural, scene driven, resource focused.
Daggerheart. Mechanics heavy, super-heroic, narrative, scene driven, character testing, resource abstracted.
Draw Steel. Mechanics heavy, super-heroic, tactical, character testing, scene driven, resource abstracted.

What Do Your Tags Look Like?

When you think about how you define your own favorite RPGs, what terms or phrases come to mind? How do you describe your favorite game to your fellow GMs or your players?

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Patreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Talk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Last week I also posted a YouTube video on Putrescent Hestor – Dragon Empire Prep Session 65.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Resolve NPC versus NPC conflicts quickly. A D6 swinging one way or another is all you need.
Ask players where they go and what they do when spending time in town.
Ask players regularly for a magic item wish list. Drop in items as they make sense in the story.
Challenge powerful characters with waves of combatants.
Ask players for their desired arcs or character goals as you close in on the end of your campaign.
Celebrate player birthdays.
There are many styles of RPG play. Explore what style suits you and your group best.

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