Some works of Fantasy concern epic battles between mighty forces of good and evil, with the fate of empires and peoples hanging in the balance. Sword and Sorcery, however, typically works at a more personal, episodic scale. 

Its heroes, such as Conan the Barbarian, are usually outsiders and rogues, falling into exciting adventures that often have self-serving ends involving treasure and earthly reward. 

The more ad hoc register of Sword and Sorcery makes it a natural fit for Role-Playing Games, facilitating stories based in modest locales with short-term goals, rather than necessitating a complicated grand narrative or ‘metaplot’.

Image: Cover the First Edition of Conan the Conqueror by Robert E. Howard. Fair Use, via Wikipedia Commons. 