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Grimdark?

3 years ago
I find it intriguing there's this whole other category of fantasy here. What is it that makes a storygame grimdark?

I understand the basic idea but are there any hard rules to know how to categorize a game? And would a realistic and gritty medieval type fantasy count for instance?

Grimdark?

3 years ago
As long as it's violent, dark, dystopian, or amoral it could qualify as a grimdark. Even Game Of Thrones could have been considered a grimdark. AFAIK there aren't many hard rules, but grimdark stories tend to be edgier than normal fantasy and very violent.

Grimdark?

3 years ago
All the categories are pretty broad and there can be some blurred lines between them, so a lot of times the final decision comes down to just author preference. (Well, except for Fanfic...)

I think SmokingDeer covered it pretty well, but an easy way to think of it is just as a grim story in a dark setting. Antiheroes or villain protagonists are often (but not always) involved, or there might be Lovecraftian elements.

Something like GoT would qualify, although if you're going for actually realistic medieval, can I suggest the historical section? It could use a bit of padding out so Will doesn't have to carry the whole thing.