Style Description Rating

Explanation

Action Combat and physical challenges ★★★☆☆

Smart players should be able to largely choose the time and place of their character's fights.

Character Development Personal dilemmas and choices ★★★☆☆

It's entirely up to the player how their characters will develop based on the events of the campaign.  Like real life, characters don't have complete control over what happens to them.

Darkness How raw the setting is ★★★★★

People do awful things when they're hungry, and they have such terrible hungers within them.

Drama Ceremony and grand story ★★☆☆☆

Player characters can take part in the pomp and circumstance, but it is not the focus of the campaign.

Intrigue Politics and negotiation ★★★★★

Yes

Manners Social etiquette and peer pressure ★★★☆☆

NPCs will react appropriately to the PCs' behavior, but manners are not the focus of the game.

Mystery Enigmas and investigation ★★★★★

There are plenty of enigmas, but it is up to the players how much they investigate.

Pace How fast do stories emerge, develop, and resolve? ★★★☆☆

Player characters choose when and where they get involved, but the world changes on its own.

Romance Relationships, whether loving, physical, or other ★★★☆☆

Characters can be in all sorts of relationships.  Don't be lewd in server channels.

"All of the above authors, as well as many not listed, certainly helped to shape the form of the game. For this reason, and for the hours of reading enjoyment, I heartily recommend the works of these fine authors to you."

— Gary Gygax, Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979)

Authors

Edgar Allen Poe

Beowulf Poet

George R.R. Martin

H.P. Lovecraft

J.R.R. Tolkien

Jack Vance

Stephen King

Thomas Malory

Ursula K. LeGuin

William Shakespeare

Thank you to my parents for being patient and supportive.

Thank you to my wife for the same.

Thank you to my cousin for being one of the OGs and passing on his wisdom.

Thank you to everybody I've shared a table with over the years.

Thank you to the TSR staff, netbook writers, and bloggers who made the game what it is today.