{
  "version": 1,
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": "play-structure-table-format",
      "label": "Play Structure & Table Format"
    },
    {
      "id": "mechanics-character-design",
      "label": "Mechanics & Character Design"
    },
    {
      "id": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "label": "Tone, Premise & Subgenre"
    },
    {
      "id": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "label": "Accessibility & Session Fit"
    },
    {
      "id": "product-licensing-metadata",
      "label": "Product & Licensing Metadata"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    {
      "label": "Base-Building",
      "definition": "Mechanics for constructing, upgrading, or managing a home base, stronghold, or settlement",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Combat-Heavy",
      "definition": "A significant portion of the rules and expected play time is devoted to combat",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Domain Management",
      "definition": "Mechanics for ruling territories, managing economies, or commanding organizations",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Dungeon Crawl",
      "definition": "Primary play loop involves exploring dangerous locations room by room",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Exploration",
      "definition": "Mechanics reward or structure the discovery of new locations, peoples, or information",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Faction Play",
      "definition": "Mechanics model relationships between political or social groups that players interact with",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "GM-Less",
      "definition": "Can be played without a dedicated game master",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Grid-Based",
      "definition": "Combat and movement use a physical or digital grid for positioning",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Heist",
      "definition": "Mechanics support planning and executing robberies, capers, or complex jobs",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Hexcrawl",
      "definition": "Exploration is structured around a hex map with procedurally generated or keyed locations",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Improvisation",
      "definition": "Mechanics provide prompts, procedures, or constraints for creating situations, NPCs, locations, or consequences spontaneously during play. Low GM preparation alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Investigation",
      "definition": "Mechanics structure the gathering and piecing together of clues",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Journaling",
      "definition": "Designed for solo or group play through written journal entries",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Journey",
      "definition": "Mechanics structure travel as a meaningful sequence of events and decisions",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Map-Drawing",
      "definition": "Players or GM create maps as part of the play process",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Miniatures",
      "definition": "Designed to be used with physical miniatures on a surface",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Mission-Based",
      "definition": "Play is structured around discrete assignments with defined objectives",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Mystery",
      "definition": "Play centers on uncovering hidden information through investigation",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Roleplay-Heavy",
      "definition": "Expected play devotes more table time to social interaction, character expression, or relationships than to combat or exploration. Having social skills or character-focused mechanics alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Sandbox",
      "definition": "Players set their own goals in an open world without a scripted plot",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Ship-Based",
      "definition": "Mechanics include operating, upgrading, or crewing a vehicle or vessel",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Social Intrigue",
      "definition": "Mechanics model political maneuvering, reputation, and social conflict",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Solo-Friendly",
      "definition": "Can be played by a single player, with or without a GM",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Theater of the Mind",
      "definition": "Combat and movement are described verbally without maps or miniatures",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Worldbuilding",
      "definition": "Mechanics involve collaborative creation of the setting during play",
      "category": "play-structure-table-format",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Ascending AC",
      "definition": "Armor Class increases as defenses improve; higher AC is harder to hit",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Attacks Always Hit",
      "definition": "Combat resolution determines degree of effect rather than whether an attack connects",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Career-Based",
      "definition": "Character advancement is structured around careers, jobs, or prior history rather than classes or freeform skill selection",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Character Building",
      "definition": "Significant mechanical investment in customizing a character's abilities, feats, or traits",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Character-Driven",
      "definition": "Mechanics attach rewards or consequences to goals, beliefs, relationships, identity, backstory, or personal arcs. Character-focused subject matter alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Classless",
      "definition": "Character abilities are not gated by a class system",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Collaborative",
      "definition": "Mechanics distribute narrative or setting authority among multiple players beyond ordinary group decision-making. Teamwork alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Corruption",
      "definition": "Mechanics track moral, physical, or spiritual degradation as a resource or consequence",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Crunchy",
      "definition": "Dense rules with many subsystems; rewards thorough knowledge of the rulebook",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Deadly",
      "definition": "Character death is a frequent and mechanically likely outcome",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Descending AC",
      "definition": "Armor Class decreases as defenses improve; lower AC is harder to hit",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Diceless",
      "definition": "Core resolution uses no dice; uses cards, tokens, or negotiation instead",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Drama",
      "definition": "Mechanics explicitly support emotional, character-focused scenes",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Experimental",
      "definition": "Deliberately breaks from RPG conventions in mechanics or structure.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Fast-Paced",
      "definition": "Rules resolve quickly with minimal interruption to play",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Fear & Stress Mechanics",
      "definition": "A dedicated subsystem mechanizes fear, dread, sanity, panic, stress, or trauma. A horror setting without such a subsystem does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [
        "Horror"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Fiction-First",
      "definition": "Fictional positioning determines which mechanics trigger, how they are resolved, and which outcomes are possible. Merely describing an action before rolling does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Freeform Magic",
      "definition": "Magic system allows open-ended effects rather than a fixed spell list",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Hackable",
      "definition": "Rules are modular and explicitly designed to be modified",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Inventory Management",
      "definition": "Tracking carried items and encumbrance is a meaningful mechanical element",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Mana Points",
      "definition": "Spellcasting is governed by a pool of points that deplete with use",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Martial Arts",
      "definition": "Mechanics specifically model unarmed combat techniques",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Modular",
      "definition": "Rules are organized into optional components that can be added or removed",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Narrative",
      "definition": "Mechanics directly shape story outcomes or grant players authority over plot, scenes, or consequences beyond controlling their characters. A general emphasis on storytelling does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Playbook-Driven",
      "definition": "Character creation uses pre-built archetypes with curated move sets",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Player-Only Rolls",
      "definition": "Only players roll dice; the GM never rolls",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Random Character Creation",
      "definition": "Characters are generated through random tables rather than player choice",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Random Tables",
      "definition": "Procedural tables are a core tool for generating content during play",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Resource Management",
      "definition": "Tracking limited consumable resources is a central mechanical challenge",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Roll to Cast",
      "definition": "Spellcasting requires a dice roll that can fail or have unintended consequences",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Rules-Light",
      "definition": "Few rules, minimal mechanical complexity, quick to learn",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Simulation",
      "definition": "Rules attempt to model the game world with mechanical fidelity — physics, biology, social dynamics, or internal consistency — beyond what typical RPGs track",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Skill-Based",
      "definition": "Character advancement focuses on individual skills rather than classes or levels",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Social Combat",
      "definition": "Social conflict is resolved through a structured subsystem that parallels combat — its own initiative or rounds, attacks and defenses, and a depletable resolve/composure/position track — rather than a single opposed roll",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Superpowers",
      "definition": "Extraordinary powers beyond ordinary human capability are central to characters and modeled mechanically. A superhero setting without modeled powers does not qualify.",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [
        "Superhero"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Survival",
      "definition": "Mechanics model attrition, resource scarcity, and staying alive as primary challenges",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Tactical",
      "definition": "Combat or challenges involve meaningful positioning, action economy, or resource decisions",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Tag-Based",
      "definition": "Character abilities are defined as short narrative descriptors (tags, aspects, traits) that players invoke for mechanical effect, rather than fixed numeric skills or class features",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Toolkit",
      "definition": "Designed as a flexible system for building custom games rather than a specific play experience",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Vancian Casting",
      "definition": "Spells are prepared in advance and expended on use",
      "category": "mechanics-character-design",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Anime",
      "definition": "Art style, tone, and mechanics draw from anime and manga conventions",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Atmospheric",
      "definition": "Repeatable rules, procedures, or scenario structures actively create or sustain a specific mood or tone. Evocative setting prose alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Cinematic",
      "definition": "Rules prioritize dramatic, action-movie-style play over simulation",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Classic Fantasy",
      "definition": "Draws directly from the conventions of early fantasy RPGs: dungeons, treasure, monsters",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Comedy",
      "definition": "Tone and mechanics support humorous, lighthearted play",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Cozy",
      "definition": "Tone emphasizes low-stakes, comforting play — warmth, friendship, and small-scale problems over danger, conflict, or character loss",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Dark Fantasy",
      "definition": "Setting and tone blend fantasy with dark, grim, or morally ambiguous themes",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Espionage",
      "definition": "Mechanics support infiltration, surveillance, and covert operations",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Gonzo",
      "definition": "Embraces absurdist, over-the-top, or wildly eclectic content",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Grimdark",
      "definition": "Setting presents a bleak world with little hope of meaningful change",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Gritty",
      "definition": "Survival, attrition, and consequences are emphasized over heroic action",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Heroic",
      "definition": "Characters are exceptional individuals capable of dramatic feats",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "High-Fantasy",
      "definition": "Setting features abundant magic, mythic stakes, and fantastical elements",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "High-Power",
      "definition": "Characters are significantly more capable than ordinary people from the start",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "JRPG",
      "definition": "Mechanics and tone draw from Japanese video game RPG conventions — job-based archetypes, turn-based combat structure, elemental affinities, and limit-break or charge-up resource mechanics",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Lore-Heavy",
      "definition": "Substantial published setting material that informs play",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Low-Fantasy",
      "definition": "Magic is rare, limited, or absent; setting is grounded",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Magic School",
      "definition": "Setting or premise centers on students learning magic within an institutional framework such as a school, academy, or college",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Mecha",
      "definition": "Mechanics include piloting large mechanical vehicles or robots",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Noir",
      "definition": "Tone draws from crime fiction conventions: moral ambiguity, cynicism, urban settings",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Pirates",
      "definition": "Setting or mechanics focus on seafaring adventure, piracy, and age-of-sail themes",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Pulp Action",
      "definition": "Fast, melodramatic action drawing from pulp fiction conventions",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Slice-of-Life",
      "definition": "Tone focuses on everyday experiences rather than action or conflict",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Space Opera",
      "definition": "Science fiction with epic scope, melodrama, and adventure focus",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Sword & Sorcery",
      "definition": "Low-fantasy action adventure drawing from Howard, Leiber, and similar authors",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Urban Fantasy",
      "definition": "Contemporary or historical setting where magic and fantastical elements exist alongside mundane life",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Weird",
      "definition": "Draws from weird fiction conventions: cosmic horror, the uncanny, reality instability",
      "category": "tone-premise-subgenre",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Beginner-Friendly",
      "definition": "A new group can create characters, understand the core loop, and complete meaningful first play with little prior RPG knowledge. Low complexity or free availability alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Family-Friendly",
      "definition": "Designed for mixed-age groups including children, with rules, presentation, and subject matter intended for shared family play.",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [
        "Family"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Low-Prep",
      "definition": "Designed to be run with minimal preparation by the GM",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "One-Shot Friendly",
      "definition": "Works well as a complete experience in a single session",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Short Sessions",
      "definition": "Designed for complete sessions lasting two hours or less; this concerns session length, not resolution speed.",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [
        "Fast Sessions"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "Strong GM Support",
      "definition": "Core materials include substantial procedures, examples, reference aids, or preparation tools that help the GM run play. Low preparation alone does not qualify.",
      "category": "accessibility-session-fit",
      "aliases": [
        "GM-Friendly"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": true
    },
    {
      "label": "CC-Licensed Rules",
      "definition": "Complete core rules are released under a Creative Commons license permitting redistribution and adaptation, including noncommercial variants. OGL, ORC, Year Zero Engine OGL, Forged in the Dark, and similar source-text licenses do not qualify.",
      "category": "product-licensing-metadata",
      "aliases": [
        "Open Source"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": false
    },
    {
      "label": "Licensed IP",
      "definition": "Uses a setting, characters, or other intellectual property licensed from another publisher, creator, or medium.",
      "category": "product-licensing-metadata",
      "aliases": [
        "Licensed Setting"
      ],
      "recommendationSignal": false
    }
  ]
}