# Science fiction and fantasy elements: (name it game) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737 "2006-02-02T22:13:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/1 "2006-02-02T22:13:30Z")
If you could break down science fiction and fantasy into 116 distinct “elements” (doesn’t have to be 116 btw, just picked it because that is how many on the periodic table, IIRC), that represent themes, settings, characteristics of the various sub-genres of both areas of speculative fiction, what would they be? For example, I have thought of: 1. Multiple Worlds 2. Immortality 3. Saga 4. War 5. Aliens 6. Mythology 7. Magic 8. Superhuman 9. Vampires 10. Shapeshifting 11. First person (narrative) 12. Gods/Godesses 13. Knights 14. Dragons 15. Time Travel 16. Psionics It is possible, without too much redudancy, to reach 116? How close can we get? Or, if possible, can we achieve even more? Any book can contain any number of the elements, many genres have elements that cross over, and some may revolve around a single element. Trying to avoid redudencies, but if there is a general term (like Psionics), and you want to add, say ESP, that is allowable, but Mind powers isn’t. (if it seems unfair it can be revised) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/2 "2006-02-02T22:16:45Z")
1. Gadgets 2. Enhanced humans 3. Machine intelligences 4. Teleportation 5. Robots 6. Ultra- compact power sources 7. Levitation ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/3 "2006-02-03T02:42:38Z")
1. Elves 2. Rings of Power 3. Demons 4. Western elements 5. Meta-Genius Scientist 6. Spaceships 7. Cyborgs ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/4 "2006-02-03T03:45:44Z")
1. Alternate worlds 2. Microscopic worlds (Girl in the Golden Atom) 3. Superhuman to the point of being godlike AIs (not really covered by the term “machine intelligences”) 4. Weird alien children (Midwich Cuckoos) 5. Dangerous plants (Triffids) 6. Dinosaurs 7. Counter-Earths (Earthlike planet rotating in the same orbit as Earth, but on the other side of the sun so we never see it) John Norman 8. Catwomen on the Moon 38 Giant insects 9. Fairies 10. Death rays (duh!) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/5 "2006-02-03T09:44:37Z")
I think we need some research to clarify whether _dragons_ are actually an isotope of _dinosaurs_, or vice versa. Likewise Gods and demons. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/6 "2006-02-03T10:11:54Z")
41 McGuffins 42 Heroes with a thousand faces 43 Animal Fables (Brian Jaques and William Horwood, I’m looking at you!) 44 Wise older mentors ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/7 "2006-02-03T11:21:24Z")
45 Speculative worlds of realities that play by other rules than the familiar 46 Transformations of society with heretofore untried alternatives 47 More varied gender configurations & speculation on the society that would result ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/8 "2006-02-03T16:04:20Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 41 McGuffins > 42 Heroes with a thousand faces > 43 Animal Fables (Brian Jaques and William Horwood, I’m looking at you!) > 44 Wise older mentors I would like these struck as they are generic notions of fiction rather than SF concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/9 "2006-02-03T16:05:38Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > 45 Speculative worlds of realities that play by other rules than the familiar > 46 Transformations of society with heretofore untried alternatives > 47 More varied gender configurations & speculation on the society that would result I get 46 – Pohl and Kornbluth. And I get 47 – Octavia Butler and Left Hand of Darkness. But what did you mean by 45? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/10 "2006-02-03T16:57:18Z")
48: “The Prophecy” ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/11 "2006-02-03T17:06:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > 48: “The Prophecy” Oh… good one! ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/12 "2006-02-03T17:15:58Z")
1. Ordinary farmboys with unlimited magical potential. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/13 "2006-02-03T17:48:54Z")
1. Handwavium - a substance that will allow the author or producer to rewrite the laws of nature, as the plot requires. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/14 "2006-02-03T18:23:25Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > I get 46 – Pohl and Kornbluth. And I get 47 – Octavia Butler and Left Hand of Darkness. But what did you mean by 45? Very good. You scored an A on this portion of the test. 45 alludes the science fiction novel I dreamed will be published in the year 2012, so you weren’t expected to get it. (Bonus points if you had.) ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/15 "2006-02-03T20:27:50Z")
1. Non-human, sentient races (elves, dwarfs, trolls, etc.) living in parallel with mankind ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/16 "2006-02-03T20:43:04Z")
When I saw this thread I immediately took it a different direction and started writing it out as actual, you know, atomic symbols and various molecule chains (for instance, the molecule Ac[sub]3[/sub]Fe used in “Foundation’s Edge” where the ancient civilization (Ac) is actually from Earth (Fe). That story also contains the molecule O[sub]4[/sub]Te, the Hari Seldon techno-oracle who can predict the future but fails to do so in any way that is useful to the characters in the story. I hesitate to interrupt your thread with my own variant now that your thread is well under way. Should I start a new thread on it, or do you wish to see it here? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/17 "2006-02-03T21:48:52Z")
#9 Vampires should be more generic: Undead. #52. Enchantment/ Mind Control/ Possession #53. The Journey to the Exotic Place where the thing needed to fullfill the Quest is. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/18 "2006-02-03T22:02:38Z")
I posted my own variant [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7066266#post7066266) so I didn’t confuse the existing thread. I got a bit silly, I’m afraid. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/19 "2006-02-03T22:07:13Z")
Engineered worlds (planets, orbital rings, etc.) Evolved humans logic puzzle situations sentient machines organic technology faster than light travel and communication super-intelligent children Evil Empires Artificial gravity ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737/20 "2006-02-03T23:35:08Z")
I’d like to see these elements divided neatly between the two genres, fantasy and speculative fiction, so that bookstores could make two sections and I wouldn’t have to wade through shelves and shelves of fantasy to try to find some decent sf to read. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-and-fantasy-elements-name-it-game/342737.md?page=2)