The campaign is fully immersed in the archetype, and parody is rare. The consequences of ignoring the archetype in character are often severe. Player characters should be thoroughly invested in the setting.

The campaign takes the archetype seriously most of the time, but with some parody. Solutions to problems are often fantastical and can defy reason for the sake of entertainment. The adventuring party is often a mix of seriousness and parody.

The campaign openly parodies its own archetype, but may have the occasional serious moment. Taking the setting seriously often has greater consequences than mocking it instead. Player characters are usually a medley of hilarious tropes, with the occasional “stock character.”

The world is already ruined, and characters are expected to rise above a meager origin in the wasteland to determine their fate. Factions constantly fight over scraps, relics from a better time, and plot devices that may restore the world - or destroy what’s left. 

The adventuring party is made up of criminals and expected to take villainous - if lucrative - actions to accomplish their goals. Players and their characters will wrestle with the morality of their actions, and success is not guaranteed. 

The player characters are destined to take actions that will decide the fate of the Realm for millennia to come, and will contend with worthy challenges born from ancient magic and wrathful gods. Expect the pressure of being the “only ones” who can make a difference. 

The world is not necessarily lost, but must contend with a reality that contains horrifying entities that are too strong to be permanently destroyed, only avoided or warded away at best. Player characters may be asked to accept uncomfortable truths, or deal with dark forces. 

There is a secret that few people know, and the larger world either ignores it or has drawn the wrong conclusion. The players will be placed on a path to discover the truth, likely in competition with or opposition to other forces that either want the secret or want to keep it safe.

The forces of the world are strong and balanced, and constantly test each other for weaknesses they can exploit while shoring up their own defenses. Player characters will be given an opportunity to either upend the social order, create their own civilization, or both. 

The leaders of the Realm work in secret through highly trained and capable agents, looking for technology, information, and ways to sabotage other civilizations. The players are a team of such agents, given freedom to accomplish their goals however their morality allows.

The “rules” of the campaign are strange and unique, and prone to change, leading to a setting that defies definition and leads researchers to madness. Players will likely either simply have to accept their chaotic world, or spend their entire career trying in vain to understand it.

The world is not ruined, it’s just not meant for the people that live in it. Living day to day in this Realm involves vigilance, ingenuity, careful resource gathering, and either the trust to live in close proximity with others, or the cruelty to take what you need from the weak.

The campaign is full of romance in the forms of true love, mostly honorable duels, heroic personal quests, zealous revenge, and likely a fair amount of fast vehicles. Player characters will often either eschew treasure over happiness - unless the treasure is the point.