Genre Terms for Tabletop Games

Developed by Diane Robson, Kevin Yanowski, Catherine Sassen, and Kelly Evans

University of North Texas Libraries

Version 2 (2024)

Key:

155 = Authorized Heading

455 = See From Tracing (Use the Authorized Heading instead of this term)

555 = See Also From Tracing (See another Authorized Heading that relates to this term)

670 = Source Data Found (Where information about the heading was found)

680 = Public General Note (Definition of the heading, if needed)

155 Abstract games

455 Abstract strategy games

680 Abstract games are often theme-less, built on simple design and mechanics, perfect information games, promote one player overtaking opponents, little to no elements of luck, change, or random occurrence.

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155 Acting games

450 Drama games

450 Theater games

555 Party games

680 Games with the Acting mechanic require players to use some form of mime or mimicry to communicate with the other players.

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155 Adventure games

680 Adventure games often have themes of heroism, exploration, and puzzle solving. The storylines behind such games often have fantastical elements and involve the characters in some sort of quest.

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155 Area of control games

455 Area of influence games

555 Strategy games

680 The Area Control mechanic typically awards control of an area to the player that has the majority of units or influence in that area.

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155 Asymmetrical games

680 Asymmetrical games are games in which one player or faction of players plays the game differently from other players. An example would be Scotland Yard.

155 Betrayal games

680 Betrayal games allow some players to make choices and place trust in the game or in other players. Trust can either be reciprocated or betrayed based on various choices made by the game or other players.

670 harvardmagazine.com

155 Bidding games

455 Auction Games

555 Strategy games

680 Bidding games require the player to place a bid, usually monetary, on items in an auction of goods in order to enhance their position in the game. These goods allow players future actions or improve a position.

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155 Biology games

555 Science games

155 Board games

455 Move games

555 Tabletop games

680 A board game is a game, played on a tabletop, which involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or “board.” The movements are defined according to a set of rules.

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155 Card drafting games

555 Card games

680 Card drafting games are games where players pick cards from a limited subset, such as a common pool, to gain some advantage (immediate or long term) or to assemble hands of cards that are used to meet objectives within the game. Games where cards are simply drawn from a pile are not card drafting games–drafting implies that players have some sort of choice.

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155 Card games

455 Cards

555 Collectible card games

555 Deck building games

555 Tabletop games

680 Card Games often use cards as its sole or central component. There are stand-alone card games, in which all the cards necessary for gameplay are purchased at once. There are also collectible card games (CCGs), where players purchase starter and “booster” packs in an effort to compile a more and more powerful deck of cards to compete with.

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155 Chemistry games

555 Science games

155 Children’s games

555 Educational games

155 Collectible games

455 Trading card games

455 Customizable card games

455 Expandable card games

455 Collectable figure games

455 Collectable action figure games

455 Miniatures games

555 Card games

555 Deck Building games

680 Collectible Components games are ones where the components required to play the game are purchased incrementally, rather than all at once. These games have a transitory nature as reprints really aren’t possible. Collecting a “complete set” for many of these games could be considered a hobby.

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155 Communication games

555 Educational games

155 Cooperative games

455 Co-op games

680 In cooperative games the competition can be between a group or groups of players rather than between individuals.

155 Civilization games

455 Creation games

555 War games

680 Civilization games often have players developing and managing a society of people. The aim of each player is usually to employ citizens in ways that are beneficial to society, and have them progress throughout the game so that their civilization gains superiority over others. Civilization games may have each player build their society independently, or through warfare and diplomacy, each player may find themselves benefiting or suffering from the actions of others.

155 Deck building games

455 Living card games

555 Card Games

680 Deck building is a mechanism in which players start the game with a pre-determined set of cards / player pieces and add and change those pieces over the course of the game. Many deck-building games provide the players with a currency that they use to “buy” new items that are integrated into the deck or pool. These new resources generally expand the capabilities of the player and allow the player to build an “engine” to drive their future plays in the course of the game.

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155 Deduction games

455 Guessing games

555 Hidden role games

680 Deduction games are those that require players to form conclusions based on available premises.

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155 Developmental games

555 Educational games

155 Dexterity games

455 Action games

680 Dexterity games often compete players’ physical reflexes and co-ordination as a determinant of overall success.

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155 Dice games

455 Dicing games

555 Tabletop games

680 Dice games often use dice as its sole or principal component. Dice games traditionally focus almost exclusively on dice rolling as a mechanic.

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155 Economic games

455 Resource management games

680 Economic games encourage players to develop and manage a system of production, distribution, trade, and/or consumption of goods. The games usually simulate a market in some way. The term is often used interchangeably with resource management games.

670 boardgamegeek.com

155 Educational games

455 Instructive games

455 Training games

555 Communication games

555 Developmental games

555 History games

555 Language arts games

555 Math games

555 Science games

680 Educational games have been specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play.

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155 Environmental games

555 Science games

680 Environmental games often have themes and storylines regarding environmental conservation and management.

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155 Fantasy games

455 Magic games

680 Those that have themes and scenarios that exist in a fictional world. It is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there can be a great deal of overlap between the three.

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155 Fighting games

680 Fighting games are those that encourage players to engage game characters in close quarter battles and hand-to-hand combat.

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155 Geography games

555 Science games

155 Grammar games

555 Language arts games

155 Hand management games

455 Deck management games

555 Card games

555 Collectible card games

555 Deck building games

680 Hand management games are games with cards in them that reward players for playing the cards in certain sequences or groups. The optimal sequence/grouping may vary, depending on board position, cards held and cards played by opponents. Managing your hand means gaining the most value out of available cards under given circumstances. Cards often have multiple uses in the game, further obfuscating an “optimal” sequence. Hand management has no relationship to action/dexterity.

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155 Hidden movement games

455 Secret movement games

555 Betrayal games

555 Cooperative games

555 Deduction games

555 Hidden role games

680 In hidden movement games one or more player’s movements are hidden from the rest of the players.

155 Hidden role games

555 Deduction games

555 Mystery games

680 Hidden role games have an element that is hidden from one or more players. There may be secret consequences for actions: killing fellow players, releasing monsters, or a group of players may be trying to find another player whose true identity is only known to themselves.

155 History games

555 Educational games

555 War games

155 Horror games

555 Mystery Games

680 Horror games often contain themes and imagery depicting morbid and supernatural elements.

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155 Language arts games

555 Educational games

555 Grammar games

555 Language development games

555 Spelling games

555 Storytelling games

155 Language development games

555 Language arts games

155 Math games

555 Educational games

155 Memory games

680 Memory games require players to retain and recall previous game events or information as an objective.

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155 Movie/TV/Radio themed games

455 Movie themed games

455 TV themed games

455 Television themed games

455 Radio themed games

680 Movie/TV/Radio themed games feature characters from a movie or a series of movies, a television show, and/or a radio program and are thematically linked to these programs.

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155 Mystery games

455 Detective games

555 Horror games

680 Mystery games often involve an unsolved murder or a mystery. A requirement of these games is usually for players to investigate and determine the details and/or perpetrator(s).

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155 Nautical games

455 Pirate games

680 Nautical games involve sailors, ships, and/or maritime navigation as a major component of the theme or gameplay. Most Nautical games require players to effectively control ships as an objective.

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155 Novel-based games

455 Book based games

680 Novel-based games feature characters from a book or series of books and may incorporate other elements from the book as well.

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155 Party games

555 Acting games

555 Trivia games

680 Party games are games that encourage social interaction. They generally have easy setups, simple rules, and they can accommodate large groups of people and play in a short amount of time.

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155 Physics games

555 Science games

155 Political games

555 Simulation games

680 Political games encourage players to use their character’s authority to manipulate societal activities and policy.

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155 Print and Play games

680 Print & Play (versions of) games are not published in a physical form. Instead, the rules and (most) components are available in a digital format, and players are expected to print them off and assemble them themselves. Often, some additional, non-printable components are required as well.

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155 Puzzle Games

680 Puzzle games are those in which the players are trying to solve a puzzle. Many puzzle games require players to use problem solving, pattern recognition, organization and/or sequencing to reach their objectives.

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155 Questions and answers games

455 Relationship games

555 Communication games

555 Trivia games

680 Players ask and answer questions in a manner constrained by rules.

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155 Real-time games

680 Real-time games often allow for players to take their turns (or part of their turns) simultaneously. This is in contrast to turn-based games. There are also some Real-time games in which there is a consequence if a player does not play their turn in a set amount of time.

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155 Roleplaying games

455 RPG

680 A game in which participants adopt the roles of imaginary characters in an adventure under the direction of a Game Master.

670 dictionary.com

155 Science fiction games

680 Science fiction games often have themes relating to imagined possibilities in the sciences. Such games need not be futuristic; they can be based on an alternative past. (For example, the writings of Jules Verne and the Star Wars saga are set before present time.) Many of the most popular Science fiction games are set in outer space, and often involve alien races.

155 Science games

555 Biology games

555 Educational games

555 Chemistry games

555 Geography games

555 Physics games

155 Serious games

555 Educational games

680 Serious games are pedagogical in nature and may include elements of storytelling, experiential learning, immersion, or simulation to convey the educational purpose. They may be able to be played solo for personal benefit or in a group setting, such as for institutional teambuilding.

670 wikipedia.org

155 Set collection games

455 Component collection games

555 Collectible card games

555 Collectable component games

555 Deck building games

555 Tile placement games

680 The primary goal of set collection games is to encourage a player to collect a set of items.

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155 Simulation games

555 Political games

680 Simulation games attempt to create a realistic model actual events or situations.

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155 Solo games

455 Solitary games

680 Solo or solitary games are made for a single-player or have a single-player option.

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155 Spelling games

555 Language arts games

555 Educational games

680 Players arrange cards, tiles, or other components that represent an individual letter or small group of letters to create words.

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155 Spy games

455 Secret agent games

680 Spies/Secret Agents games often have themes or storylines relating to espionage. Often, players must identify another player who has taken the role of spy or secret agent and attempt to reveal secret information that this player holds.

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155 Storytelling games

555 Language arts games

155 Strategy games

555 Area of control games

555 Tactical games

555 War games

555 Worker placement games

155 Tabletop games

555 Board games

555 Card games

555 Dice games

155 Tactical games

555 Strategy games

555 War games

155 Territory building games

680 Territory Building games have the players establish and/or amass control over a specific area. Often, these games employ Area Control and Area Enclosure mechanics, in which the areas are not necessarily delineated at the beginning of the game but are instead contained from larger territories as the game progresses.

155 Tile placement games

680 Tile Placement games feature placing a piece to score VPs, with the amount often based on adjacent pieces or pieces in the same group/cluster, and keying off non-spatial properties like color, “feature completion,” cluster size, etc.

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155 Trading games

555 Economic games

555 Strategy games

555 Territory building games

680 In trading games the players can exchange game items between each other.

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155 Trivia games

555 Party games

155 Video game-themed games

680 Video game-themed games are games thematically linked with or inspired by a video game franchise or genre.

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155 War games

555 Strategy games

555 Tactical games

555 Simulation games

680 War games are games that depict military actions.

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155 Wellness games

455 Health games

680 Wellness games promote mental or physical health by increasing knowledge and modeling healthy behaviors through play.

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155 Word games

455 Word puzzles

680 Word games often require players to competitively use their knowledge of language. Language knowledge in Word games is often focused on spelling and definitions.

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155 Worker placement games

455 Action drafting games

555 Strategy games

680 This mechanism requires players to draft individual actions from a set that is available to all players. In a given round, drafting is done one-at-a-time and in turn order until all players have had a chance to draft individual actions.

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