Difference between revisions of "Themes"

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Possible themes for a roguelike, presented in an orderly way:--[[User:Rdanhenry|Rdanhenry]] 22:15, 8 May 2005 (CEST)
For a list of games by Theme, see [[List of Roguelikes by Theme]].
 
Please feel free to adopt one of these for your own roguelike project,
select one of the zillion worlds described on a world construction
hobbyist's website, or come up with your own ideas. I hope on the wiki, this
list will finally grow.


= Mythology and folklore =
= Mythology and folklore =
* [[African mythology]]
* [[African mythology]]
* [[American Folklore]] (Tall Tales, Historical Legends, etc.)
* [[United States Folklore]] (Tall Tales, Historical Legends, etc.)
* [[Arabian Tales]] (e.g. Arabian Nights)
* [[Arabian Tales]] (e.g. Arabian Nights)
* [[Arthurian legend]]
* [[Arthurian legend]]
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* [[Traditional English folklore]]
* [[Traditional English folklore]]
* [[Russo-Finnish Mythology]] (esp. the Kalevala)
* [[Russo-Finnish Mythology]] (esp. the Kalevala)
* [[Slavic Mythology]] (and legends)


= Historical and pseudo-historical =
= Historical and pseudo-historical =
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* [[Wild West]]
* [[Wild West]]
* [[Wilderness Survival]]
* [[Wilderness Survival]]
* [[World War II]]


= Fantasy =
= Fantasy =
* [[D&Dish stock fantasy]] world
* [[Dungeons and Dragons | D&Dish stock fantasy]] world
* [[Children's Fantasy]] (Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, etc.)
* [[Children's Fantasy]] (Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, etc.)
* [[Conan-style world]] (mighty swordsmen, relatively rare (but powerful) supernaturalities, very human dominated)
* [[Conan-style world]] (mighty swordsmen, relatively rare (but powerful) supernaturalities, very human dominated)
* [[Dinosaur Sword and Sorcery]] (with semi-humanoid hero dinos)
* [[Dinosaur Sword and Sorcery]] (with semi-humanoid hero dinos)
* Fantasy, but [[PC is a monster]] (dragon, gryphon, demon) who must grow from the weakness of childhood by rampaging across the countryside, terrorizing the peoples, defeating or avoiding the bold knights and cunning wizards and sneaky elves, gathering a hoard of treasure, and establishing oneself as Monster Supreme
* Fantasy, but [[PC is a monster]] (dragon, gryphon, demon) who must grow from the weakness of childhood by rampaging across the countryside, terrorizing the peoples, defeating or avoiding the bold knights and cunning wizards and sneaky elves, gathering a hoard of treasure, and establishing oneself as Monster Supreme. See [[OrcRL]].
* Fantasy in [[modern high school]] (ala many Japanese/Korean fantasies)
* Fantasy in [[modern high school]] (ala many Japanese/Korean fantasies)
* Fantasy, non-cliche, centered on [[exploration]] rather than combat
* Fantasy, non-cliche, centered on [[exploration]] rather than combat
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* [[Lovecraftian]] Horror
* [[Lovecraftian]] Horror
* Michael Moorcock's [[Eternal Champion]] stories (or better, a rip-off)
* Michael Moorcock's [[Eternal Champion]] stories (or better, a rip-off)
* [[Middle-Earth]] (it's been done; although not mixing it with D&D-generica would be new, problem is, it's hard to do a pure Middle-Earth RL)
* [[Middle-Earth]] (it's been done; although not mixing it with [[Dungeons and Dragons | D&D]]-generica would be new, problem is, it's hard to do a pure Middle-Earth RL)
* [[Modern and supernatural]] (e.g. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy)
* [[Modern and supernatural]] (e.g. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy)
* [[Narnian]] (can take talking animals, human children, and mythological creatures and make a new "Narnian" world)
* [[Narnian]] (can take talking animals, human children, and mythological creatures and make a new "Narnian" world)
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* [[Underwater]]: fantasy (sea elves, merpeople, no fire elementals)
* [[Underwater]]: fantasy (sea elves, merpeople, no fire elementals)
* [[Vampire(theme)|Vampire]] Gothic (modern "gothic")
* [[Vampire(theme)|Vampire]] Gothic (modern "gothic")
* [[Wild West]] + supernatural
* [[Weird West]] ([[Wild West]] with supernatural elements)
* [[World without spells]]
* [[World without spells]]
* [[World without magic items]]
* [[World without magic items]]
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* [[Comic SF]] (e.g. Red Dwarf, Hitch Hiker's Guide, Galaxy Quest, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)
* [[Comic SF]] (e.g. Red Dwarf, Hitch Hiker's Guide, Galaxy Quest, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)
* [[Cyberpunk]]
* [[Cyberpunk]]
* [[Cyberspace]]: The world you are in is a representation of (a) computer network(s).  Think William Gibson.
* [[Fantastic Voyage]] ripoff (get shrunk and travel the human body)
* [[Fantastic Voyage]] ripoff (get shrunk and travel the human body)
* [[Fugitive]] on an alien planet
* [[Fugitive]] on an alien planet
* Fusion of [[Mad Max]] and [[Cyberpunk]]
* Fusion of [[Mad Max]] and [[Cyberpunk]]
* Futuristic [[dystopia]]
* Futuristic [[dystopia]]
* [[Gamma World]] style post-appocalypse
* [[Gamma World]] style post-apocalypse
* Huge "[[generation ship]]" sci-fi setting
* Huge "[[generation ship]]" sci-fi setting
* isolated interstellar [[colony]] (no FTL)
* isolated interstellar [[colony]] (no FTL)
* Jack L. Chalker's [[Well of Souls]] rip-off, specifically the mix of many "worlds" into a single world, multiple races, technologies, etc.
* Jack L. Chalker's [[Well of Souls]] rip-off, specifically the mix of many "worlds" into a single world, multiple races, technologies, etc.
* [[Mad Max]] style post-appocalypse
* [[Mad Max]] style post-apocalypse
* [[Martian colony]]
* [[Martian colony]]
* [[Mecha]]
* [[Mecha]]
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* [[Starship Troopers]] ripoff: fight alien monsters in a very powerful and cool powered battlesuit
* [[Starship Troopers]] ripoff: fight alien monsters in a very powerful and cool powered battlesuit
* [[Steampunk]]
* [[Steampunk]]
* The [[AIs have turned on humanity]]! (or for bonus originality points, the AIs have turned on some alien species!)
* The [[AI's have turned on humanity]]! (or for bonus originality points, the AI's have turned on some alien species!)
* [[Time Travel]]
* [[Time Travel]]
* [[Tron]]: You are *inside* a computer.  Each program/command is a species, so plenty of vairety.
* [[Tron]]: You are ''inside'' a computer.  Each program/command is a species, so plenty of variety.
* [[Ultratech]] Sci-Fi (advanced biotech, nanotechnology)
* [[Ultratech]] Sci-Fi (advanced biotech, nanotechnology)
* [[Underwater]]: science fiction (bioengineered or just properly equipped)
* [[Underwater]]: science fiction (bioengineered or just properly equipped)
* [[Virtual Reality]] setting
* [[Virtual Reality]] setting
* High-tech world with almost extinct [[humans gone savage]] (Blame!, GUNNM) [You can't go extinct *and* go savage. Really.] [Doh!]
* High-tech world with almost extinct [[humans gone savage]] (Blame!, GUNNM)


= Other (the unusual, the crossovers, the hard to classify) =
= Other (the unusual, the crossovers, the hard to classify) =
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* [[Furry]] (any other theme, but races are anthropomorphic animals)
* [[Furry]] (any other theme, but races are anthropomorphic animals)
* [[Highlander]] (set in present day or progressing through a series of temporal settings) [note: would not be hard to change the premise a little to create a new semi-immortals battle across history background]
* [[Highlander]] (set in present day or progressing through a series of temporal settings) [note: would not be hard to change the premise a little to create a new semi-immortals battle across history background]
* [[Indiana Jones]] style archeological digs
* [[Indiana Jones]] style archaeological digs
* James Bondesque (or Austin Powersesque) [["spy" adventures]]
* James Bondesque (or Austin Powersesque) [["spy" adventures]]
* [[Jungle Adventure]]
* [[Jungle Adventure]]
* [[Lost Valley]] (PC explorer from modern times, Victorian, 1920's etc.)
* [[Lost Valley]] (PC explorer from modern times, Victorian, 1920's etc.)
* Modern [[Covert Ops]]
* [[Pimp]] roguelike (and yes, that's pimp in the literal sense)
* [[Pimp]] roguelike (and yes, that's pimp in the literal sense)
* [[Pulp]] Adventure
* [[Pulp]] Adventure
* [[Rescue Worker]]: could be fantasy or sci-fi setting, but your job is to deal with crisis situations and rescue people, animals, and property
* [[Rescue Worker]]: could be fantasy, modern or sci-fi setting, but your job is to deal with crisis situations and rescue people, animals, and property. For instance play as a firefighter
* [[Shakespearean]] Roguelike
* [[Shakespearean]] Roguelike
* [[Sports]] (including futuristic or fantasy): try a career as a jockey, a charioteer, a stock car driver,zero-gee soccer/football note: this would be a difficult theme to pull off, IMO, but doable
* [[Sports]] (including futuristic or fantasy): try a career as a jockey, a charioteer, a stock car driver,zero-gee soccer/football [note: this would be a difficult theme to pull off, IMO, but doable]
* [[Superheroes]]
* [[Superheroes]]
* The Quest to [[Get Laid]]: Probably modern, seek out and explore strange new sex partners; requires parental warning label (sex could work, romance elements could be used in a roguelike, but can't be central because sex is the mechanics, romance is too intangible for the RL world to adequately handle)
* The Quest to [[Get Laid]]: Probably modern, seek out and explore strange new sex partners; requires parental warning label (sex could work, romance elements could be used in a roguelike, but can't be central because sex is the mechanics, romance is too intangible for the RL world to adequately handle)
* [[Underwater]]: alien (create your own exotic realm of the deep)
* [[Underwater]]: alien (create your own exotic realm of the deep)
* [[Calvinball]]: the Roguelike
Some of these ideas can be combined, others are obviously incompatible.
= See Also =
[[List of roguelikes by theme]]


Some of these ideas can be combined, others are obviously
[[Category:Gameplay]]
incompatible.
[[Category:Themes]]

Revision as of 15:20, 18 August 2022

For a list of games by Theme, see List of Roguelikes by Theme.

Mythology and folklore

Historical and pseudo-historical

Fantasy

Science fiction

Other (the unusual, the crossovers, the hard to classify)

  • Alien planet where battle is sex to submission by orgasm
  • Anime themes
  • Antarctica (penguin based?)
  • Atlantis has resurfaced. Explore.
  • Cartoon based
  • Completely new world "as little related to ours as possible"
  • Dimensional crossover (mixing themes)
  • Dream world: may be used as a solo idea or in conjunction with another world concept
  • Escape from Hell (after arriving via clerical error)
  • Furry (any other theme, but races are anthropomorphic animals)
  • Highlander (set in present day or progressing through a series of temporal settings) [note: would not be hard to change the premise a little to create a new semi-immortals battle across history background]
  • Indiana Jones style archaeological digs
  • James Bondesque (or Austin Powersesque) "spy" adventures
  • Jungle Adventure
  • Lost Valley (PC explorer from modern times, Victorian, 1920's etc.)
  • Modern Covert Ops
  • Pimp roguelike (and yes, that's pimp in the literal sense)
  • Pulp Adventure
  • Rescue Worker: could be fantasy, modern or sci-fi setting, but your job is to deal with crisis situations and rescue people, animals, and property. For instance play as a firefighter
  • Shakespearean Roguelike
  • Sports (including futuristic or fantasy): try a career as a jockey, a charioteer, a stock car driver,zero-gee soccer/football [note: this would be a difficult theme to pull off, IMO, but doable]
  • Superheroes
  • The Quest to Get Laid: Probably modern, seek out and explore strange new sex partners; requires parental warning label (sex could work, romance elements could be used in a roguelike, but can't be central because sex is the mechanics, romance is too intangible for the RL world to adequately handle)
  • Underwater: alien (create your own exotic realm of the deep)
  • Calvinball: the Roguelike

Some of these ideas can be combined, others are obviously incompatible.

See Also

List of roguelikes by theme