Mod categories

The manifest's optional category field (see Manifest reference § category) accepts exactly one slug from a curated taxonomy — modCategories.ts in packages/shared/src. This page lists every one.

One list per pack type#

Your pack's type decides which categories it may use. There are four lists and they never mix:

`type`	List	What the categories describe
`game-pack`	66 slugs in 16 groups	Genre, mechanics, theme, player count
`table-pack`	20 slugs	The table's shape, purpose and style
`room-pack`	18 slugs	The room's setting and style
`component-pack`	15 slugs	What parts the pack carries

It used to be one list of game genres offered to every pack, so a table pack's only honest answers were Eurogame or Other — and a table then got browsed as a game. The editor's Mod Details picker now offers only your type's list, and categoriesForModType() is the one accessor behind it.

⚠ A category from another type's list is not a parse error. modCategorySlugSchema still accepts every curated slug whatever the type, because tightening it would fail the next scan of every pack published before the split. If your pack carries one, the editor shows it marked (not a <type> category) beside the picker so you can replace it deliberately — it is a browse label, not a manifest violation.

Verified count (2026-08-24): 119 slugs across the four lists.

The rule that matters#

A category's slug is the stable wire/DB value and must never change once shipped. Renaming a label (the human-readable text shown in pickers) is fine and free. Renaming a slug orphans every mod that already declared it — their manifests still validate (the old value stops matching any current entry, which fails schema validation on next parse) but discovery can no longer group them correctly.

Every slug matches ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9]$ (lowercase kebab-case) and is unique — both enforced by tests, not just convention.

category picks one slug. If you want multiple free-form labels, use tags instead (see Manifest reference § tags) — tags are unvalidated against any taxonomy and a mod can have up to 20.

Game packs — 66 slugs, by group#

For game-pack. Unchanged since it shipped: every published game's category is one of these slugs, and they are the DB value.

Strategy#

Slug	Label
`abstract-strategy`	Abstract Strategy
`eurogame`	Eurogame
`area-control`	Area Control
`worker-placement`	Worker Placement
`engine-builder`	Engine Building

Mechanics#

Slug	Label
`drafting`	Drafting
`tile-laying`	Tile Laying
`auction-bidding`	Auction / Bidding
`set-collection`	Set Collection
`push-your-luck`	Push Your Luck
`puzzle`	Puzzle

Card Games#

Slug	Label
`card-game`	Card Game
`deck-building`	Deck Building
`trick-taking`	Trick Taking
`card-battler`	Card Battler
`ccg-lcg`	CCG / LCG
`poker-cards`	Poker
`blackjack`	Blackjack
`solitaire`	Solitaire

Dice#

Slug	Label
`dice-game`	Dice Game
`roll-and-write`	Roll and Write

Party & Family#

Slug	Label
`party`	Party
`trivia`	Trivia
`word-game`	Word Game
`dexterity`	Dexterity
`storytelling`	Storytelling
`family`	Family
`childrens`	Children's
`educational`	Educational

Slug	Label
`social-deduction`	Social Deduction
`hidden-role`	Hidden Role
`bluffing`	Bluffing
`deduction`	Deduction
`negotiation`	Negotiation

Cooperative & Campaign#

Slug	Label
`cooperative`	Cooperative
`campaign`	Campaign
`legacy`	Legacy
`escape-room`	Escape Room

Thematic & Adventure#

Slug	Label
`thematic-ameritrash`	Thematic / Ameritrash
`adventure`	Adventure
`dungeon-crawler`	Dungeon Crawler
`exploration`	Exploration
`rpg-ttrpg`	RPG / TTRPG

Theme#

Slug	Label
`fantasy`	Fantasy
`sci-fi`	Science Fiction
`horror`	Horror
`historical`	Historical

War & Conflict#

Slug	Label
`wargame`	Wargame
`war-strategy`	War Strategy
`miniatures`	Miniatures
`4x`	4X
`civilization`	Civilization

Economic & Building#

Slug	Label
`economic`	Economic
`city-building`	City Building

Sports & Action#

Slug	Label
`sports`	Sports
`racing`	Racing

Classic & Traditional#

Slug	Label
`chess-like`	Chess-like
`checkers-draughts`	Checkers / Draughts
`go`	Go
`mahjong`	Mahjong
`dominoes`	Dominoes

Player Count#

Slug	Label
`two-player`	Two Player
`solo`	Solo

Format#

Slug	Label
`board-game`	Board Game
`print-and-play`	Print and Play

Other#

Slug	Label
`other`	Other

The other three lists#

Table packs — 20 slugs#

For table-pack. What the table IS — its shape first, because that is what an author picking a table filters on, then the look. No genres: a table does not play anything.

Shape

Slug	Label
`table-rectangular`	Rectangular
`table-square`	Square
`table-round`	Round
`table-oval`	Oval
`table-hex`	Hexagonal
Purpose

Slug	Label
`table-gaming`	Gaming Table
`table-card`	Card Table
`table-poker`	Poker Table
`table-battle-mat`	Battle Mat
`table-desk`	Desk
`table-dining`	Dining Table
`table-bar`	Bar / Pub Table
Style

Slug	Label
`table-wooden`	Wooden
`table-rustic`	Rustic
`table-modern`	Modern
`table-fantasy`	Fantasy
`table-sci-fi`	Science Fiction
`table-minimal`	Minimal
`table-outdoor`	Outdoor
Other

Slug	Label
`table-other`	Other

Room packs — 18 slugs#

For room-pack. The setting the table stands in, then its style.

Setting

Slug	Label
`room-game-room`	Game Room
`room-tavern`	Tavern / Inn
`room-library`	Library / Study
`room-dungeon`	Dungeon
`room-hall`	Great Hall
`room-kitchen`	Kitchen / Dining
`room-lounge`	Lounge
`room-shop`	Game Shop
`room-space-station`	Space Station
`room-outdoor`	Outdoor
Style

Slug	Label
`room-fantasy`	Fantasy
`room-sci-fi`	Science Fiction
`room-horror`	Horror
`room-historical`	Historical
`room-modern`	Modern
`room-cosy`	Cosy
`room-minimal`	Minimal / Neutral
Other

Slug	Label
`room-other`	Other

Asset packs — 15 slugs#

For component-pack. What the pack is MADE OF. An asset pack is parts, so it is browsed by the kind of part it carries.

Parts

Slug	Label
`parts-dice`	Dice
`parts-cards`	Cards
`parts-decks`	Decks
`parts-boards`	Boards
`parts-tiles`	Tiles
`parts-tokens`	Tokens / Counters
`parts-miniatures`	Miniatures
`parts-terrain`	Terrain
`parts-furniture`	Furniture
`parts-props`	Props
`parts-books`	Books / Handouts
`parts-materials`	Materials / Textures
`parts-sounds`	Sounds
`parts-mixed`	Mixed Set
Other

Slug	Label
`parts-other`	Other

Worked example#

"category": "checkers-draughts"

A checkers pack is exactly this shape: a game-pack with tags: ["checkers", "draughts", "board", "strategy"], which is a good illustration of the category/tags split — one curated category slug for browse grouping, plus free-form tags for search.

`MOD_CATEGORIES`#

119 values. The curated browse taxonomy. modManifestSchema.category accepts exactly one of these slugs.

Slug	Label	Group
`abstract-strategy`	Abstract Strategy	Strategy
`eurogame`	Eurogame	Strategy
`area-control`	Area Control	Strategy
`worker-placement`	Worker Placement	Strategy
`engine-builder`	Engine Building	Strategy
`drafting`	Drafting	Mechanics
`tile-laying`	Tile Laying	Mechanics
`auction-bidding`	Auction / Bidding	Mechanics
`set-collection`	Set Collection	Mechanics
`push-your-luck`	Push Your Luck	Mechanics
`puzzle`	Puzzle	Mechanics
`card-game`	Card Game	Card Games
`deck-building`	Deck Building	Card Games
`trick-taking`	Trick Taking	Card Games
`card-battler`	Card Battler	Card Games
`ccg-lcg`	CCG / LCG	Card Games
`poker-cards`	Poker	Card Games
`blackjack`	Blackjack	Card Games
`solitaire`	Solitaire	Card Games
`dice-game`	Dice Game	Dice
`roll-and-write`	Roll and Write	Dice
`party`	Party	Party & Family
`trivia`	Trivia	Party & Family
`word-game`	Word Game	Party & Family
`dexterity`	Dexterity	Party & Family
`storytelling`	Storytelling	Party & Family
`family`	Family	Party & Family
`childrens`	Children's	Party & Family
`educational`	Educational	Party & Family
`social-deduction`	Social Deduction	Social
`hidden-role`	Hidden Role	Social
`bluffing`	Bluffing	Social
`deduction`	Deduction	Social
`negotiation`	Negotiation	Social
`cooperative`	Cooperative	Cooperative & Campaign
`campaign`	Campaign	Cooperative & Campaign
`legacy`	Legacy	Cooperative & Campaign
`escape-room`	Escape Room	Cooperative & Campaign
`thematic-ameritrash`	Thematic / Ameritrash	Thematic & Adventure
`adventure`	Adventure	Thematic & Adventure
`dungeon-crawler`	Dungeon Crawler	Thematic & Adventure
`exploration`	Exploration	Thematic & Adventure
`rpg-ttrpg`	RPG / TTRPG	Thematic & Adventure
`fantasy`	Fantasy	Theme
`sci-fi`	Science Fiction	Theme
`horror`	Horror	Theme
`historical`	Historical	Theme
`wargame`	Wargame	War & Conflict
`war-strategy`	War Strategy	War & Conflict
`miniatures`	Miniatures	War & Conflict
`4x`	4X	War & Conflict
`civilization`	Civilization	War & Conflict
`economic`	Economic	Economic & Building
`city-building`	City Building	Economic & Building
`sports`	Sports	Sports & Action
`racing`	Racing	Sports & Action
`chess-like`	Chess-like	Classic & Traditional
`checkers-draughts`	Checkers / Draughts	Classic & Traditional
`go`	Go	Classic & Traditional
`mahjong`	Mahjong	Classic & Traditional
`dominoes`	Dominoes	Classic & Traditional
`two-player`	Two Player	Player Count
`solo`	Solo	Player Count
`board-game`	Board Game	Format
`print-and-play`	Print and Play	Format
`other`	Other	Other
`table-rectangular`	Rectangular	Shape
`table-square`	Square	Shape
`table-round`	Round	Shape
`table-oval`	Oval	Shape
`table-hex`	Hexagonal	Shape
`table-gaming`	Gaming Table	Purpose
`table-card`	Card Table	Purpose
`table-poker`	Poker Table	Purpose
`table-battle-mat`	Battle Mat	Purpose
`table-desk`	Desk	Purpose
`table-dining`	Dining Table	Purpose
`table-bar`	Bar / Pub Table	Purpose
`table-wooden`	Wooden	Style
`table-rustic`	Rustic	Style
`table-modern`	Modern	Style
`table-fantasy`	Fantasy	Style
`table-sci-fi`	Science Fiction	Style
`table-minimal`	Minimal	Style
`table-outdoor`	Outdoor	Style
`table-other`	Other	Other
`room-game-room`	Game Room	Setting
`room-tavern`	Tavern / Inn	Setting
`room-library`	Library / Study	Setting
`room-dungeon`	Dungeon	Setting
`room-hall`	Great Hall	Setting
`room-kitchen`	Kitchen / Dining	Setting
`room-lounge`	Lounge	Setting
`room-shop`	Game Shop	Setting
`room-space-station`	Space Station	Setting
`room-outdoor`	Outdoor	Setting
`room-fantasy`	Fantasy	Style
`room-sci-fi`	Science Fiction	Style
`room-horror`	Horror	Style
`room-historical`	Historical	Style
`room-modern`	Modern	Style
`room-cosy`	Cosy	Style
`room-minimal`	Minimal / Neutral	Style
`room-other`	Other	Other
`parts-dice`	Dice	Parts
`parts-cards`	Cards	Parts
`parts-decks`	Decks	Parts
`parts-boards`	Boards	Parts
`parts-tiles`	Tiles	Parts
`parts-tokens`	Tokens / Counters	Parts
`parts-miniatures`	Miniatures	Parts
`parts-terrain`	Terrain	Parts
`parts-furniture`	Furniture	Parts
`parts-props`	Props	Parts
`parts-books`	Books / Handouts	Parts
`parts-materials`	Materials / Textures	Parts
`parts-sounds`	Sounds	Parts
`parts-mixed`	Mixed Set	Parts
`parts-other`	Other	Other

Sixty-six slugs in sixteen browse groups, and a manifest picks exactly one. The group on each entry is presentation only — it heads a section in the picker and never appears in a manifest.

The slug is the durable half and the label is not. A label can be reworded any day; a slug is the value shipped manifests and the discovery database already hold, so renaming one orphans every mod that declared it. That is why near-duplicates like wargame and war-strategy are kept rather than merged, and why other exists at the end instead of the list growing every time something doesn't fit.

The taxonomy deliberately mixes mechanics (worker-placement), themes (horror), formats (print-and-play) and player counts (solo), so most games honestly match three or four. Pick the shelf a browsing player would look on, and put the other words in tags — that is the field discovery searches. See Manifest reference.