RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
Torg was a very interesting concept. I bought all of the books for the first couple of years, but the problem was that the system was just awful. They had a totally innovative and interesting idea and then ruined it with a crap system.
Actually, I still play in a TORG campaign. The system is a little crunchy in places (power-push table, anyone?) but the Aysle magic system is ingenious, and all the different types of powers (cybernetics / Nile-Empire mathematics / Weird Science / Living Lands miracles) feel very different from one another.
What problems do you see in the game system?
--+--+--
My dead-on favorite obscure game is an easy decision: Crimefighters, a 16-page pulp action RPG by Zeb Cook, published in Dragon magazine, issue 47, March 1981. Illustrations by Jeff Dee and Bill Willingham. Fantastic rules. David Noonan's Pulp Heroes was the more recent d20 analogue.
|
Just came across this. Cartoon Action hour.
More info here.
The free pdf preview looks awesome. Can't wait for season 2 to come out.
Hiya.
I think *one* other person mentioned it: Powers & Perils ( http://abroere.xs4all.nl/pnp/ ; you can get all the rules at this site, totally ligit), an old system written by Richard Snider and published by Avalon Hill waaaaay back in the early 80's ('83, iirc).
Another system that I quite like and isn't played by many is Dangerous Journey's (ala, "Mythus" as it is sometimes known). This was a mammoth game system created by EGG back when he fled from TSR. Alas, TSR (who's acronym at that time was referred to as "They Sue Regularly") decided that EGG's brain was property of TSR and sued him and GDW (the company that published it). GDW didn't have the obscene money TSR did, and so settled out of court and within the year closed up shop.
Oh, and another masterpiece is Synibarr.
:)
^_^
Paul L. Ming
*PS: I'm joking about Synibarr...even though I do own two copies of the rule book for some infernal reason... Still, it is probably the best representation of an anime-style system written by an egotistical chaotic-neutral meglomaniac...so there is that. ;)
|
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
Alas, TSR (who's acronym at that time was referred to as "They Sue Regularly") decided that EGG's brain was property of TSR and sued him and GDW (the company that published it). GDW didn't have the obscene money TSR did, and so settled out of court and within the year closed up shop.
I think I can safely say that there was no love lost between TSR and Gygax when he created Dangerous Journeys, and that the animus fueled the willingness to sue as opposed to negotiate in other ways. But, TSR sued DJ as a violation of the "look and feel" of AD&D, which was a debateable point. The rulebooks used Gygax's name and Larry Elmore cover art, the pages has an analogous layout, and there were odd things like, instead of player characters having hit points, your heroic personage (HP) had PC's.
And, according to Gygax himself, "Eventually, we settled and I'm pleased to say that I think the amount of money it cost them to sue us and pay out in settlement was what really drove TSR under."
But it was a game where characters had something like 18 stats (2d6+8), which added and combined in different ways, and something like 12 entirely different magic skills, and ... a lot of crunchy system.
|
|
I think The Morrow Project looks pretty interesting, though I've seen nothing but the old Dragon ads. Wasn't there another zombie apocalypse game with ads in the old Dragon?
You wouldn't by chance be referring to AFTERMATH! by FGU, would you? I really wouldn't define it as Zombie Apocalypse so much as 'After the bomb'. Another of the fifty bazillion games I've owned and read but never played.
I do know that Eden Games has some zombie love going on with their Universal system, but I've never played anything from them. I've been patiently waiting for City of Heroes but I think that's pretty much been buried in the "took too long to bring to market, for whatever reason and now is no longer feasable, again for whatever reason" category.
As to Twilight 2000, I couldn't stand that game. NOT because it was a bad game, I'm sure it was fun, but at this point I'm an infantryman, probably about 2 years into it, and the game just seemed like more work. Oh boy! I get to pretend to drive around in HMMWVs and eat MREs! Wheee!! Sorry, but there was no charm there for me! LOL. Had a lot of guys in the barracks play it regularly though. I stopped talking to them ... >.>
Dragon Warriors - a fantastic little game. Featuring a simple unified system, 4 paths of magic (8 if you include the separate elementalists), magic item creation rules, numerous scenarios including 2 campaigns and a well worked setting similar to 10th century Europe - all packed into 6 Octavo size paperback books!
Perfect for tucking into a schoolbag for those lunchtime campaigns...
HELL YEAH! And the best bit? Mongoose is bringing it back!
I'll chime in with Torg as well. Great concept and I thought the mechanics were a fantastic approach and I agree the Magic system was pretty good (and the spell design brillient). I've got all of it apart from the last couple of books (city books I think, with anime style artwork). I'm ready to run it at a moment's notice.
Cheers
Mark
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Two of my favorites, though I don't know how "little known" they are. Rarely played might be a better term.
Ars Magica- Best magic system ever. This is my favorite RPG and I never get to play.
7th Sea- The game that started off so grand and died in the mass of d20 material that got produced during the bubble. The d20 version was a pale shadow of what the original was.
|
One that I fortunately came upon lately is The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen. This game is more of a story-telling/drinking game then an RPG, but it calls itself one on the cover, so there you go. if you ever manage to get your hands on this game, then buy it, read it and play it as much as you can. It's also a great resource for increasing creativity and spontenaety skills, since the entire thing is making up stories on the spot based on topics given by someone else. it also has the easiest character creation of any game ever. there are 3 steps:
1) write down your name.
2) put a title in front of it such as count or baron or countess or etc...
3) underline your name twice.
that's it. a great game. and a fine book and movie if you can get your hands on either.
|
|
One of my favorites which may or may not be 'little known' depending upon which circles you hang out in: Nightbane. I fell in love with the story concept and character customization, but the palladium system itself was just so repulsive to me that I never played a game.
I isn't to hard to convert the whole thing to the witchcraft system (remember - the core book is for free...)
http://www.geocities.com/patchlord/unisystem/unipall.html#NIGHTSPAWN
Most of the Nightbane Powers are rules-light and can be taken as written, the witchcraft magic system and spellcaster types fit the nightbane mood just fine (as does the rest of the witchcraft world.)
I really love the nightbane setting though until I encountered witchcraft the books only were a "good read" because I couldn't stand playing a horror/action game with palladium rules.
BESM
Much, much easier than Heroes and the 3rd ed. is streamlined. Even if you got Anime on the front, you can play anything, everywhere.
Jadeclaw
Real nice setting, great art, but the mechanics lacked a bit.
Btw 'Morrow' has a lot of online supllements which are great for any postapocalypse game. http://www.thesupplybunker.net/morrow.htm
Suzerain.
But I might be a little biased :)
Any we will be selling through Paizo shortly. If that grabs your attention take the time to visit the treasure section of website for all manner of cool free stuff.
|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
|
Maelstrom
Awesome rules! Very realistic.
I also enjoyed Aeon/Trinity (I have the original Storyteller System Hardcover), but never got into Aberrant or Adventure!. (Incedently, why does noone ever mention Adventure! when they reference Trinity and Aberrant?) I had the chance to buy the Hardcover for Trinity when it still had the Aeon title, but procrastinated and missed out. Kicking myself for that! =(
|
One of my favorites which may or may not be 'little known' depending upon which circles you hang out in: Nightbane. I fell in love with the story concept and character customization, but the palladium system itself was just so repulsive to me that I never played a game.I isn't to hard to convert the whole thing to the witchcraft system (remember - the core book is for free...)
http://www.geocities.com/patchlord/unisystem/unipall.html#NIGHTSPAWN
Most of the Nightbane Powers are rules-light and can be taken as written, the witchcraft magic system and spellcaster types fit the nightbane mood just fine (as does the rest of the witchcraft world.)
I really love the nightbane setting though until I encountered witchcraft the books only were a "good read" because I couldn't stand playing a horror/action game with palladium rules.
And it doesn't hurt that CJ wrote both books ;)
|
|
Cortex System RPG anyone? Anyone? Beuhler?
Am I the only one that's played this? It started out as the Serenity RPG, and has been refined through the Battlestar Galactica RPG and the Demon Hunters RPG.
I am eagerly anticipating the release of the generic version of the system in the next month or so.
Fair is fair! How about some little know RPGs that you can suggest? Now I am not talking the big one like Vampire, Shadowrun, D&D or Traveler. How about some little known games that have that certain edge... that extra color... that fun that keeps you returning for more.
I have to agree with some of the earlier posters:
* TOON
* It Came from the Late, Late Show
* RuneQuest
* Forge of Chaos
In service,
Rich
Go to The Original Dr. Games Site.
|
|
Battlelords of the 23rd Century
Absolutely fun game! d100 system. skill based, deadly combat, deep space shadownrun, working for the corps...
Nothing like having a 9ft tall Ram Python paratrooper that can't remember to count to 3.
The books contain humor sections...like famous last words...
I can upgrade my armor after this mission
and
Is napalm flamable?
------------------------------------------------------
I'm also a huge fan of Earthdawn, Gamma world (1e and 2e), Deadlands, Paranoia, 7th Sea (by Pinnacle Entertainment group), and L5R.
Also, TMNT was fun. (palladium games)
|
|
Battlelords Rocked! Looking back, I dont think I've ever had more fun with a group as when I was playing B23. The game was complex as all heck using percentiles but with sourcebooks like "Uncle Ernies Minions of Doom" you cant help but have fun with the universe.
Chronically Depressed Cloned Gene Humans
Smoking addicted six fingered space halflings (Orion Rogue)
Four armed mind-flayers who eat human flesh (Phentari)
Giant Stupid Lizards (Ram Pythons) who worship glorify farting because it's what the volcanos do.
The perpetually picked on smarter little brothers of the Ram Pythons (Python Lizard).
Neurotic Psychic aliens with powers to crush solar systems.
Cat people
Even the art is amusing. The system is just really complicated and they dont really have any rules for vehicles. I'd take shadowrun over it for a regular game but it's a great play anytime.
-Stabbity
It Came from the Late, Late show, was fun to read.
Paranoia was a favorite of Mine.
I loved the original version of "In Nomine" (which was called "In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas" in France) and still own nearly every book from the 1st edition, some 20+ years ago (but then, I'm french.And fourty-ish.)
Not much known games:
Ninja& Superspies.
Know you Role (a WWE wrestling RPG)
* DC Heroes / Mayfair Exponential Game System
Yeah, outside of D&D / Pathfinder, my favorite tabletop RPG has always been MEGS. Back in the 1980s, the 1st edition of "DC Heroes" changed the way I thought about RPGs. It was simple, flexible, and elegant. When it came to creating characters, it was the most fun game I ever played.
Years later, I got Pulsar Games' "Blood of Heroes", a revised version of MEGS, and immediately adopted those rules.
Then when I got into D&D 3.X, that also changed the way I thought about RPGs, and I didn't know if I could go back into the mode of thinking I needed for MEGS.
I've been talking lately about my son's exploits in Pathfinder RPG, but I haven't yet mentioned that once, between PFRPG campaigns, I ran a "Blood of Heroes" campaign for him. I DID manage to get in gear for that game after all. I had forgotten how much fun MEGS could be.
Ars Magica, all the way.
But I'll second Delta Green and Cthulhutech, but I don't think those two are very unknown. Hell, none of them are very little known any more, I think.
-Ben.
BESM 3rd ed.
NOT the d20 book- the real game.
{edit} Oh! I forgot Waste World rpg by the long dead Manticore Games!
HARP - just for the scaleable spells
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mythender (free download from the Paizo site)
It's my favorite game of all time. I heard a phrase once "You GM the games you wish you could play", which is true for me, because I always get to run this.
It's one of the more violent and brutal games I've played, even though players rarely die (I've killed probably a dozen over the years, but only 2 stayed dead). I always manage to get one player to turn into a god though (which is a bad thing, it represents joining the dark-side, loss of free will and oppression of the masses).
In my 20 years of gaming, this game is the closest to producing fights that feel like epic back and forths. I describe a fight scene against a god like an on-the-spot first draft of the Avengers final fight scene. It isn't polished, cause hey we're making this up as we go along at the table, but it has that kind of feel and intent.
Toon
Ghostbusters
Paranoia
V&V
I have on my shelf:
7th Sea
Brave New World
Top Secret SI
Classics, every one.
Artesia: adventures in the known world
Dogs in the vineyard
Houses of the blooded/blood and silk
Paranoia
Base raiders
Cyberpunk 2020/Cybergeneration
SLA Industries
Deadland
I like what I have seen of 13th Age. I just need one more book (13 True Ways) in my hands to consider myself as having enough information to convert a D&D 4E campaign to that system.
Oh, before I forget, there is also the supremely cool night's black agents.
|
|
Hey! Great topic!
Legends of Anglerre - I prefer it to Pathfinder when it comes to people that want to really create a character & go in many directions that isn't so limited to hard rules. (no offense Paizo, you're still one of my favorites!) The learning curve is a little steeper, but for me it was about even to learn due to there being a little less math involved. With a few homebrewed tweaks to the skill pyramids, etc. it is my favorite system. Your stats ARE your character's personalities & talents. (FUDGE/FATE system, I'm not really sure of the difference).
Marvel Heroes - Though I have only read the book a couple times, it looks a lot more simple to set up - & I'm all about systems that free the characters from doing too much math & letting them focus on playing the character, telling the story, etc. (I am about to post a topic about this actually.).
Mystic Empyrean - Fun, odd, high-powered. You are basically demi-gods rebuilding planets, on quests to find stones that can aid you in the mission. Where that takes you on the way, can be quite fantastic. Emotions, & actions even!, are each assigned an element (the element wheel is lightning, fire, stone, etc. very unique!!), so who you are really defines your power/powers. Very easy to run too strong, but I had a very very fun loose game with my brother & his wife.
Those are the systems I've used & loved.
Mystic is easy to learn, a little harder to implement (so you're attacking? FIRE. A high combat campaign would be full of FIRE based characters.. depends on your playstyle & homebrews).
Marvel Heroes looked more simple & freeing up, but really made for Xmen/people with mega powers (we've done a medieval mutants sort of game with this system, but can't seem to find a similar SIMPLE system that is specifically for medieval fantasy)
Legends of Anglerre is a bit different to learn. I had to step out of my D&D 3.5 & Pathfinder (3.75 in my book! I'm not a fan of D&D 4, etc.) mindset & look less at math & more at qualities, words, definitions. It's a really fun system with the right intelligent group, but for those that want a more board game feel, it might not be the best. (Not a board game person myself, though I'm down with the battlemat when it's time!)
All of the GUMSHOE games are pretty cool. My favorite is Trail of Cthulhu, of course, but I think the GUMSHOE monster book "The Book of Unremitting Horror" is one of the creepiest monster books I own.
The stuff on spectres for wraith: the oblivion is creepier in my opinion, but not by much.
Oh, before I forget, there is also the supremely cool night's black agents.
I'm going to guess you're a fan of the Role-Playing Public Radio podcast. A bunch of the games you've mentioned I've originally heard of from them. I've been wondering how Base-Raiders plays.
Other games I've played and enjoyed because I heard of them there first:
Monsters & Other Childish Things
Godlike/(the modern version whose names is escaping me now)
Eclipse Phase
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The West End Games version of Star Wars: The Role-playing Game.
A little game from the early 1980s called Psi World. The rules kind of sucked, but the art was by Bill Willimgham!
For a modern-day under-played game, I heartily recommend Fiasco!
|
Maid is a very odd anime/manga inspired RPG.
Kobolds Ate My Baby! is hilarious and fun.
Lamentation of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy RPG is basically an 0e retro-clone, but the aesthetic of it is amazing.
Trailblazer is a v3.5 variant. Less pretty than Pathfinder, but the tweaks they made actually help patch the holes a lot better.
The latest incarnation of Fate (Core System or Accelerated) is a great game, and it's actually getting a fair amount of support from various 3PP, as well as powering most of Evil Hat Production's games.
Hellcats & Hockey Sticks is obscure as hell, but very amusing. It's essentially the St. Trinian's RPG. With more supernatural weirdness as an option.
Maid is a very odd anime/manga inspired RPG.
Kobolds Ate My Baby! is hilarious and fun.
Lamentation of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy RPG is basically an 0e retro-clone, but the aesthetic of it is amazing.
Trailblazer is a v3.5 variant. Less pretty than Pathfinder, but the tweaks they made actually help patch the holes a lot better.
The latest incarnation of Fate (Core System or Accelerated) is a great game, and it's actually getting a fair amount of support from various 3PP, as well as powering most of Evil Hat Production's games.
Hellcats & Hockey Sticks is obscure as hell, but very amusing. It's essentially the St. Trinian's RPG. With more supernatural weirdness as an option.
I've seen Maid at the FLGS but never felt like actually giving it a go.
LotFP is one I've looked at, and thought it had some cool ideas, but I don't think my groups would be into it.
Loving FATE at the moment, got so many ideas for it. Seriously considering making my next game an Atomic Robo game since there's a FATE based RPG out for it now.
As for Hellcats & Hockey Sticks. Yes. A million times yes. Love that game. Got some good memories of playing that.
There was actually a game on Kickstarter a while back called Busty Barbarian Bimbos which I was hoping would turn out to be a sort of traditional fantasy equivalent to Hellcats & Hockeysticks. It seemed like it was all in good fun, deliberately playing off tropes about portrayal of women in both fantasy and contemporary setting media. When it showed up I was heavily disappointed, it turned out I should have done a little more research into it, because if I'd known it was a game that got its start on 4chan I'd have never gone near it. Once I actually read the rules it started to feel less like harmless poking of fun at tropes and more like slut-shaming disguised as playing a game. One of my few major disappointments with Kickstarter, but it taught me to be more cautious about what I backed from then on.
Oh, before I forget, there is also the supremely cool night's black agents.I'm going to guess you're a fan of the Role-Playing Public Radio podcast. A bunch of the games you've mentioned I've originally heard of from them. I've been wondering how Base-Raiders plays.
Other games I've played and enjoyed because I heard of them there first:
Monsters & Other Childish Things
Godlike/(the modern version whose names is escaping me now)
Eclipse Phase
I am, but the only game I have mentioned I that i discovered through them was base raiders. I didn't mention eclipse phase, which I did discover through them.
Oh, before I forget, there is also the supremely cool night's black agents.I'm going to guess you're a fan of the Role-Playing Public Radio podcast. A bunch of the games you've mentioned I've originally heard of from them. I've been wondering how Base-Raiders plays.
Other games I've played and enjoyed because I heard of them there first:
Monsters & Other Childish Things
Godlike/(the modern version whose names is escaping me now)
Eclipse Phase
it plays like fate, which is to say, that if you get it, it is easily the most rewarding RPG experience you can have, but if you don't I imagine it is pretty rubbish.
There was actually a game on Kickstarter a while back called Busty Barbarian Bimbos which I was hoping would turn out to be a sort of traditional fantasy equivalent to Hellcats & Hockeysticks. It seemed like it was all in good fun, deliberately playing off tropes about portrayal of women in both fantasy and contemporary setting media.
...which of course reminds me of the parody RPG, Macho Women With Guns!
...and its vehicles supplement Renegade Nuns on Wheels...
... and its fantasy supplement Bat-Winged Bimbos From Hell.
There was actually a game on Kickstarter a while back called Busty Barbarian Bimbos which I was hoping would turn out to be a sort of traditional fantasy equivalent to Hellcats & Hockeysticks. It seemed like it was all in good fun, deliberately playing off tropes about portrayal of women in both fantasy and contemporary setting media....which of course reminds me of the parody RPG, Macho Women With Guns!
...and its vehicles supplement Renegade Nuns on Wheels...
... and its fantasy supplement Bat-Winged Bimbos From Hell.
Hopefully they were more on the "harmless fun poking" end of the scale than this one was.
|
I have not read through here to see what has been mentioned, but I always liked the dice step system in Earthdawn. Some people have a hard time learning the game at first, but once you get it down, it is a great game. I also enjoyed BESM, which stands for Big Eyes Small Mouth. It's a D20 system that plays out like an anime, and what gamer don't like anime?