“Combat Heavy” games emphasize the combat mechanics within their systems over roleplay or puzzle solving. There are frequent and longer battles with enemies and a greater emphasis on tactical game play.

Combat Heavy

“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions. 

Theater of the Mind

Games that are ran “Rules as Written” emphasize realism and stick to the letter of the rules, allowing players to explore creative solutions while still operating under a consistent rule set. Players have the ability to utilize the rules in creative ways to create awesome characters and moments in the game.

Rules as Written (RaW)

“Combat Lite” games typically focus less on combat encounters and more on roleplay, storytelling, and exploration. Combat tends to be shorter, less frequent, resolved in a more narrative style, or absent altogether, while keeping the story as the primary focus.

Combat Lite

“Tactical / Crunchy” games are all about mastering the rules and making smart, mechanical choices. These games place a strong emphasis on strategy, planning, and system knowledge. Players who enjoy complex combat, optimized builds, or detailed mechanics will feel right at home here.

Tactical / Crunchy

Pathfinder 2e

Blades in the Dark

Starfinder 2e

Draw Steel

Blades '68

Aaron

I like all sorts of games, ranging from narrative first PbtA games to crunchy, combat heavy games like Pathfinder.  The collaborative storytelling aspect of TTRPGs is very important to me.  I don't like games that are heavily focused on character backstories, since that excludes other players from the storytelling.  

 I like to stick with rules as written, because it makes every game unique. But the narrative comes first, so bending or breaking rules to support the fiction is more important than always abiding by the rules.  


Aaron

About me

My preferences