Fun With Suffixes
The word "steampunk" niggles at me a little bit. I assume the etymology is such that it's a take on "cyberpunk," but it's an odd derivation. Does it really have punk ideals? Look at Girl Genius, for example; it's clearly of the steampunk genre, but it's not really very punky at all. There's not really the sense of rebellion against authority, the fever of angry youth - rather, there's an out-and-out sense of wonder, and one that's embaced with pride. The world is a mess, yes, but the heroes are people of almost traditional idealism. Possibly steampunk could be considered a punk rebellion against Victorian morés (and like that I start thinking of Victorian morays, never mind me), but it doesn't seem to be handled as such very often. People like the top hats and the cultured diction. Steampunk involves gentleman adventurers, and it's damn hard to be a gentleman and a punk at the same time.
Gamers are pretty bad for using -punk as a suffix with a very vague meaning. "Gothic-Punk" actually did consider what punk meant, back in the day, but "dungeonpunk" is an art style. Steampunk is used to describe a certain aesthetic of technology. I don't think there are "wuxiapunk" or "Westernpunk" or "spypunk" terms out there, but it's probably a matter of time.
If it were up to me, now, I'd use a different suffix. I'd want to see "-pulp" out there. The idea being that it would evoke the sensibilities of pulp novels and suchlike. We already have pulp science fiction and pulp fantasy and pulp spy fiction and pulp noir, all that kind of thing. There it exists as a prefix, because those are historically established genres. But honestly, I think much of what we call "steampunk" would be more accurately described as "steampulp." "Steampunk" is more fun to say, of course, and is now sort of a fashion movement, so there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. That said, I can't help but feel that there's some measure of value to the idea that "pulp" is a potential descriptor for a frame of mind. If used as a suffix, it could be shorthand for Exciting Adventure and Spine-Tingling Chills!
Take Street Fighter, for instance. I've long held that the RPG is an example of modern pulp: larger-than-life adventurers who exemplify certain broad archetypes, traveling the world and getting embroiled in mysticism, mad science and vicious criminal conspiracies. (Also you can play a cyborg gorilla in that game, which to me is a pretty good acid test.) You could call it "eightiespulp" if you wanted, though I suppose true eightiespulp would be Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble in Little China.
Try out some other genres. If "dungeonpunk" is a word, why not dungeonpulp? D&D needs little to no modification to justify the term. Some play it like "true" pulp fantasy already, but Eberron is an example of pure dungeonpulp, and I'm sure many others play the game with that kind of rollicking sensibility.
What would horrorpulp be? I'm gonna say Hellboy. Yes, there's clear horror, but there's also a love of jamming adventure, quips through gritted teeth, and yes, there's a cyborg gorilla in there, too. Multiple cyborg gorillas, actually. The old World of Darkness would also qualify in its more outrageous moments, n'est-ce pas?
Cyberpulp? Shadowrun's almost there already. It still retains some of its punk vigor and stance on rebellion, but there are a lot of pulp elements infused in the world.
Post-apocalypsepulp? Ugly, clunky word, but... Rifts.
Now ultimately, I don't think this sort of thing could ever catch on. It's not immediately intuitive, and honestly people are already attached to their "-punk"s. But I like the idea, if for no other reason than it's another tool to brainstorm subgenres for RPGs and other creative works. What would a pulp graft do to a favorite game? Or is the -pulp already there, and is that why people love it so much? In the case of many of my favorite games, I'd probably have to say "yes." But then, I do have a weakness for gaming in that fashion.
Gamers are pretty bad for using -punk as a suffix with a very vague meaning. "Gothic-Punk" actually did consider what punk meant, back in the day, but "dungeonpunk" is an art style. Steampunk is used to describe a certain aesthetic of technology. I don't think there are "wuxiapunk" or "Westernpunk" or "spypunk" terms out there, but it's probably a matter of time.
If it were up to me, now, I'd use a different suffix. I'd want to see "-pulp" out there. The idea being that it would evoke the sensibilities of pulp novels and suchlike. We already have pulp science fiction and pulp fantasy and pulp spy fiction and pulp noir, all that kind of thing. There it exists as a prefix, because those are historically established genres. But honestly, I think much of what we call "steampunk" would be more accurately described as "steampulp." "Steampunk" is more fun to say, of course, and is now sort of a fashion movement, so there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. That said, I can't help but feel that there's some measure of value to the idea that "pulp" is a potential descriptor for a frame of mind. If used as a suffix, it could be shorthand for Exciting Adventure and Spine-Tingling Chills!
Take Street Fighter, for instance. I've long held that the RPG is an example of modern pulp: larger-than-life adventurers who exemplify certain broad archetypes, traveling the world and getting embroiled in mysticism, mad science and vicious criminal conspiracies. (Also you can play a cyborg gorilla in that game, which to me is a pretty good acid test.) You could call it "eightiespulp" if you wanted, though I suppose true eightiespulp would be Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble in Little China.
Try out some other genres. If "dungeonpunk" is a word, why not dungeonpulp? D&D needs little to no modification to justify the term. Some play it like "true" pulp fantasy already, but Eberron is an example of pure dungeonpulp, and I'm sure many others play the game with that kind of rollicking sensibility.
What would horrorpulp be? I'm gonna say Hellboy. Yes, there's clear horror, but there's also a love of jamming adventure, quips through gritted teeth, and yes, there's a cyborg gorilla in there, too. Multiple cyborg gorillas, actually. The old World of Darkness would also qualify in its more outrageous moments, n'est-ce pas?
Cyberpulp? Shadowrun's almost there already. It still retains some of its punk vigor and stance on rebellion, but there are a lot of pulp elements infused in the world.
Post-apocalypsepulp? Ugly, clunky word, but... Rifts.
Now ultimately, I don't think this sort of thing could ever catch on. It's not immediately intuitive, and honestly people are already attached to their "-punk"s. But I like the idea, if for no other reason than it's another tool to brainstorm subgenres for RPGs and other creative works. What would a pulp graft do to a favorite game? Or is the -pulp already there, and is that why people love it so much? In the case of many of my favorite games, I'd probably have to say "yes." But then, I do have a weakness for gaming in that fashion.