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In this installment, I ask my favorite bunch of gamers...
What's your favorite rules set and/or system? Why?
Being that this is the Paizo boards, I'd imagine a lot of support for Pathfinder RPG, but I know that a lot of us play other systems too.
My favorite? I'll list my top five and call it even.
1) Pathfinder. It refines the best of what has come before, in my estimation, and while not perfect it's the best of show to date. The backwards compatibility goes a LONG way, as my Beloved Spouse (Kobold chorus: "We love you!") and I have a LOT of 3.x splat books.
2) AD&D 2e. This was where I cut my gamer teeth. Where I first rolled dice and created characters. This is where it began, and it will never be forgotten. Oh, and 2e was where a favorite setting (Spelljammer) got its start.
3) GURPS. Generic. Universal. Roleplaying. System. From such a humble name arises a great (to me) concept. The rules set and the setting are not intrinsically connected. And the splatbooks were INCREDIBLE. Some of them were so well written that I would have bought them even if I wasn't playing GURPS.
4) TORG. This was a very awesome game. The concepts rocked, the cosms were incredible. My only nitpick is that you HAD to buy worldbooks if you wanted to play that cosm.
5) Car Wars. Sure it requires significant math skills. Sure it took hours to build anything from scratch. But gorramit, it was FUN. Variable Fire Rocket Pod FTW.
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Here's mine. (Pretty D&D heavy, but, hey...)
1. Pathfinder/3.5/3.0/d20
2. BECMI - Until 3rd Edition came out, "Basic" was still my favorite game ever. I still have a bunch of "modules" I wrote way back when.
3. AD&D 2nd Edition - Never liked 1E, not sure why. 2E seemed to fix whatever it was I objected to, though.
4. Marvel Super Heroes - the one with the Ultimate Powers Book. The "Power Ranks" system was kind-of funky, but gave us descriptions like "Barely there, has trouble with doors." Gotta love that.
5. D&D 4th Edition - Decent game, just not my favorite.
I've also played (and like reasonably well): D6 (Star Wars pre-d20), GURPS, Car Wars, and Palladium.
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Dungeons & Dragons gets perfected, and it's not even Dungeons and Dragons anymore. Well, ok, not perfected, but it's a hell of a lot better than it ever has been before.
In addition to be the pinnacle of horror gaming, the system also works well for games involving normal humans with no superpowers, etc.
System itself isn't all that amazing, but the sheer amount of customization possible during character creation is nigh infinite.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Aside from Pathfinder, I've always had a soft spot for Villains and Vigilantes. There were a few wonky bits in the rules, and there was a bit too much calculations to derrive some secondary stats, but it had a relatively streamlined system, quick to make a widely diverse set of characters (though they could be very unbalanced against one another without some GM influence). But, in the end, it's captured the superhero feel better than any other I've tried.
I've also really enjoyed the 1st edition of Warhammer Fantasy RPG (I can't comment on the 2nd edition - haven't tried it). It does a good job of blending traditional fantasy with much more fragile characters and a good does of horrors from beyond feel, so even long running characters are always at risk from more powerful demons, etc, not to mention a lucky critical. In addition, it has lots of fun sanity rules and various ways your character can get more and more insane and twisted from their experiences.
Finally, Paranoia, really any edition, since the story/setting/humor matters far more than the rules (which a good troubleshooter shouldn't know anyway.)
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Re: Arazyr. Yay! Marvel Supers rocked, but it didn't QUITE make my top 5 because I couldn't remember the awesomeness. That was the one with 'shift x' power levels, right?
Re: Kthulhu. Huh, with your boardname CoC is a shoe-in. Ia Ia! Have you tried Unknown Armies?
Re: JoelF847. V&V is where my wife and her group killed Satan, just because he had a statblock. Took over Hell. And Paranoia just ROCKS. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" *no one claps, everyone dies*
Re: Joela. Ooh, runequest. Haven't heard of Savage Worlds. Nifty!
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Re: Arazyr. Yay! Marvel Supers rocked, but it didn't QUITE make my top 5 because I couldn't remember the awesomeness. That was the one with 'shift x' power levels, right?Yeah, and 'Class 1000' and so on. Guess they couldn't think of any bigger names. 8^)
Don't forget the Beyond(?) category for, you guessed it, the Beyonder ^_^
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I've never gotten to try Amber. What's it like? I kinda sorta get diceless, but have no idea how that would render to play.Rolemaster 2 Ed.
Champions - Hero system
Gurps
Amber Diceless RPG
Well it lends itself very well to storytelling. There are but 4 stats and the person with the highest stat wins in any conflict using that stat. Since the game is many times player vs. player most people are very cautious about whom they attack and when.
1. Pathfinder/3.5. A little 3.0 but not much, I didn't get into the game full throttle until 3.5 had just come out.
2. World of Darkness. Roommate got interested in this and ran a short-lived game. Only the new version (and all the old WoD fans grumble).
3. 4E D&D. Played a few games. Not my favorite system but definitely not the worst.
4. Mutants and Masterminds. Had some fun with this, though again it was a short-lived game.
Those are all I've played. As much as I love Lovecraft I've never actually played a Cthulhu game. I need to remedy this someday.
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1. Pathfinder/3.5. A little 3.0 but not much, I didn't get into the game full throttle until 3.5 had just come out.
2. World of Darkness. Roommate got interested in this and ran a short-lived game. Only the new version (and all the old WoD fans grumble).
3. 4E D&D. Played a few games. Not my favorite system but definitely not the worst.
4. Mutants and Masterminds. Had some fun with this, though again it was a short-lived game.
Those are all I've played. As much as I love Lovecraft I've never actually played a Cthulhu game. I need to remedy this someday.
The various editions can be quite different so look carefully before you decide where to spend your hard earned cash. The D20 system while nice is not exactly the optimal choice. I have yet to see or play the current version.
Have to be in order:
Pathfinder
New World of Darkness
Fading Suns {Victory Point version)
Earthdawn
Warhammer 2nd Edition.
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The various editions can be quite different so look carefully before you decide where to spend your hard earned cash. The D20 system while nice is not exactly the optimal choice. I have yet to see or play the current version.
Confused am ??? One of the great things about CoC is that it's changed so very little from edition to edition. It doesn't matter if a module was written for 1st edition CoC or 6th...you can use it with practically NO conversion required. It's less than for using a 3.5 module with Pathfinder.
My all time top 5 RPGs, in no particular order (maybe hours played?):
1) Champions/HERO
2) 3.X D&D/Pathfinder
3) Villains & Vigilantes
4) AD&D (1E or 2E)
5) Toon
Runners up: Call of Cthulhu and Paranoia
P.S.: I love Car Wars and I played a ton of it when I was younger. But I'd need a separate list for my top 5 board games.
1) Scrabble
2) Trivial Pursuit
3) Civilization
4) Junta
5) Car Wars
Runners up: The Game of Life (the version where you can sell your offspring), Careers (with Uranium Prospecting and Expedition to the Moon), and Full House
My all time top 5, in no particular order:
1) All iterations of D&D
2) Rolemaster / MERP
3) GURPS - Steampunk (especialy), I would have loved to play Horseclans such a good source book.
4) D6 Starwars
5) Paladium (I have system hate but setting love) Rifts, TMNT, Ninjas and Super spies
Yes, I'd say my favorite at the moment is 3.X, including Pathfinder.
But I would have to mention BECMI, which I loved for its simplicity.
I would also have to mention MEGS - Mayfair's Exponential Gaming System. It was originally called the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game. It was later revived by Pulsar Games under the name Blood of Heroes.
I loved MEGS for its simplicity, for its mathematical elegance, and for its handling of the many awkward problems inherent in making rules for the absurd logic of comic books. But most of all, I loved it for the character creation rules. When it comes to creating characters, (whether original or based on an existing fictitious character,) MEGS is definitely the most fun system I've ever played.
AD&D
Simple Sixes ( download )
For a fantasy setting: Pathfinder.
Superheroes: Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Ed.
Cinematic: Unisystem. Specifically the Buffy and Angel game.
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I would also have to mention MEGS - Mayfair's Exponential Gaming System. It was originally called the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game. It was later revived by Pulsar Games under the name Blood of Heroes.I loved MEGS for its simplicity, for its mathematical elegance, and for its handling of the many awkward problems inherent in making rules for the absurd logic of comic books. But most of all, I loved it for the character creation rules. When it comes to creating characters, (whether original or based on an existing fictitious character,) MEGS is definitely the most fun system I've ever played.
MEGS is still a great system and there's a great fanbase even to this day.
Who currently owns the copyright?
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay - 2nd Edition: Ah the perils of the Old World. A simple d10-based system fraught with death, doom, and pain at every turn, magic does more harm than good (even the divine has its drawbacks), combat is a last resort at the best of times, and most of your enemies outnumber you five-to-one, can outmatch you in combat, and can outrun you if you gain the upper hand. Its the kind of game that after playing the same campaign for a year and a half, makes you proud to look at your character sheet and the certifiably insane, heavily-scarred, one-eyed Warrior Priest of Sigmar, resplendent in a half-suit of Plate Armor over a Chain Skirt, a Rune-Hammer hanging from his belt, an open book of songs and scripture in his badly damaged left hand, and think "I lived! Most everyone else in the original party is dead, but by Sigmar I lived!"
Call of Cthulu - The Chaosium version: Another d10-system with a huge focus on investigation. I love investigation games, and again: I love that combat is something to be avoided.
Rogue Trader: In the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millenium, there is only profit.
Dogs in the Vineyard: Affordable, easy to learn, and heavily customizable game about religion-doting cowboys fighting sin with faith, words, and guns in an alternate old west setting. I love it to death.
Mouse Guard: The Burning Wheel system, with a Mouse Guard graphic novel finish. What's not to like?
Pathfinder: I like 3.5; I like Golarion; I like Pathfinder; I like Paizo.
How could I have possibly forgotten the awesomeness that is Cthulhu?
In addition to be the pinnacle of horror gaming, the system also works well for games involving normal humans with no superpowers, etc.
It was probably burned from your mind in a fit of madness.
My favorites,
Pathfinder, I enjoyed 3.5 but was more ready than I thought for some changes. PRPG did a fine job. Currently my most played RPG.
Call of Cthulhu. Where heros are meant to die or go insane... or both! I love all things Lovecraft, and this game is amazing. With perhaps the best insanity system I have seen to date. I haven't tried any other versions of BRP, but will eventually. And I'll be giving the latest Lovecraft game a go at OwlCon this year. (Trails of Cthulhu)
AD&D 1e. They say your first love is your strongest. And for me, this is where it all started. 2e is ok, but if I'm going old school, i prefer 1st.
GURPS, I only recently stated playing this game and am constantly amazed at its flexibility. I am starting to believe you really can do ANYTHING with this system.
Shadowrun, gritty cyberpunk at it's finest. Of course I refer to 2n ed, I'm not crazy about the changes in 3rd and 4th.
1) DnD 3.5/Pathfinder. Done and done.
2) Star Wars Saga Edition(I know Revised/d20 had more stuff, but I love the flow and ease of use of Saga over the old system. More pewpew, less math).
3)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness. The system was a little clunky, but I loved the atmosphere and endless array of bizarre mutants. Also one of the first pencil and paper RPG's I ever played.
4)Aberrant(WoD version). The point-buy system of super heroes works really well. The d20 version of this was just severely lacking.
D&D 3.5/Pathfinder. Duh :P
GURPS. I've never played a single session in my life, but I love their sourcebooks and I always like point-based character creation.
Heroes Unlimited. The system may be flawed to hell and back, but you can create some great character concepts with it.
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1) Pathfinder RPG, shows my group that good times keep rolling on. We told our best stories with 3.5 and now they're even better. Huzzah!
2) Star Wars Saga. It only took 6-7 years for them to get this right but hot damn what a great job at finally making a fast, intuitive Star Wars RPG.
3) d20 Modern/Future/Past mix-mash to play out two time-warping campaigns, Reality Jumpers and Doctor Who. Worked perfectly for both.
Edit: Honorable mention to Dogs in the Vineyard. Fun, enlightening free-form and creative system.
1) 2nd Edition AD&D
2) Boot Hill (Still play every other Sunday)
3) 1st Edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying
4) 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Editions of Gamma World
5) Rifts
- D&D 3.5 (for medieval/fantasy type games)
- Fuzion (yeah, really(!); for futuristic/sci-fi games)
And that's it, really.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Carpe Diem, what edition of Boot Hill?
For myself:
1 -Mage: The Ascension. The game mechanics of the original Storyteller system managed to be simple: "roll a bunch of d10's, and count the number of successes." But by using a character's capabilities to determine the number of dice, and the difficulty of the endeavor to determine the target number for a success, and reading off the number of successes as a measure of accomplishment, the system was very robust. I picked Mage because, even more than Vampire, it set forth a new kind of role-playing experience. You walk away from a Vampire game being moody and seeing people as 'kine'. You walk away from a good Mage session with an altered view of reality.
2 - The various incarnations of the D&D 3rd Edition game. After playing other systems and coming back to it several times, I am impressed with how well it handles so many different kinds of actions with the same elegant game engine. The OGL was a success not merely because D&D is super-popular. It was also a success because the game engine was so versatile that it could be used for both Westerns and Superheroes.
3 - No game marries the mechanics to the genre better than the James Bond game from Victory games. And yet, with a little bit of tweaking, it's also very adaptable to, say, a Traveller-like game.
4 - For a game that is very quick for players to learn, and very light on rules, I'm a fan of Everway. It doesn't rank higher because --as some people note-- the magic system is a little weak as written. A number of the mechanics --the Fate Deck, for example-- are difficult to divorce from elements of the setting, but it has a great setting, with lots of plot hooks and mysteries.
5 - I wanted to include a good generic game system. The two front-runners are GURPS and HERO System. But I've found GURPS combat almost opaque to figure out and members of the GURPS community hostile to people who are trying to learn the system, and HERO really is designed to handle 4-color superheroes, with system klunkiness growing as you move farther away from that genre. (It's also pretty hard for a newbie to HERO to figure out how to stat up a character.)
So my candidate for great generic system is a tie between the d6 system --which takes a minute-and-a-half for a player to figure out, but which needs more robust rules for combat options-- and the Silhouette system from Dream Pod 9.
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Fantasy: D&D 3.5 / Pathfinder
SF/Modern: Alternity (Babylon 5 with Mongooses Sourcebooks for Background and I use them for Cthulhu, too, but use all the glorious german Cthulhu sourcebook and adventures for background)
Modern Action-Horror: Eden Unisystem (Witchcraft, All Flesh must be eaten, I love to use it for Palladiums Nightbane Setting)
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my favorite ones are:
1. 3.5/pathfinder- I'd first got into DnD at the tail end of 3.0 and I was in seven grade at the time. I see pathfinder as the patch for 3.5( BTW I still got my very first chars. I ever made)
2. Exalted- Your a Demi-god need I say more.
3. Savage Worlds- Easy to learn and from the settings I seen ( Deadlands, Necessary evil, and Rippers) are well written.
4. Mutants & Masterminds- You can make any super hero or vilian concept possible.
5. True 20- Easy to learn.(I know I said that in #3 but more so) Fast moving. Magic is infinite(you can get knoed out if you use it to often).
honorable mesons: NWOD (Vampire and Mage),Sion, and D20 modern.
1. 3.5 Ed./Pathfinder (first P&P RPG i ever played)
2. M&M (just found it, and love the idea behind the characters)
3. Cortex (have been playing Supernatural, Call of Cthulhu and Serenity for a while now, and i like the system alot)
4. Palladium (never played this one until I had to create a character for a PbP here, and now i love the system)
Other than these, I have yet to really play anything other then 4e, Star Wars 4e, and I wasn't really a fan of these, although the system and the games were fun, it just didn't suit me. No offence meant in the least to 4e players.
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Top 5 of all time...
1 Pathfinder (it has made 3ed/3.5 so much better)
2 Vampire: Dark Ages
3 Werewolf: The Apocalypse
4 Shadowrun (I've never had a chance to play in a full campaign, but the setting is awesome)
5 AD&D (for the nostalgia and the good times)
2 & 3 are both from the Storytelling System by White Wolf, but are different in their own way.
Pathfinder isn't my favorite RPG. It's the RPG I play because it's what everyone else is running; as it is, I find MANY of the assumptions underlying it to be ill thought out.
My favorites:
1) D6 Dramatics - I'm currently developing/designing this one.
2) Minimus, a complete RPG (player's guide and GMing section) in four pages.
3) GURPS. I love the math underlying 4th edition and they cleaned up a lot. Then, they did a horrible job of organizing the books, and it's still got the bloat of Advantages and Disadvantages that accrued in the '90s. I still have fond memories of playing a low-fantasy campaign in this game, where spells cost hit points to use, but generally did more.
4) The Riddle of Steel. One of the best 'swordsmen' RPGs out there, and I took their Spiritual Attributes mechanic and merged it with D6 to make D6 Dramatics.
5) Star Wars 2nd Edition, Revised. Probably the best edition of D6 ever. Now, if only I liked the *setting*
I've discovered that as I've gotten older, I want roleplaying games that focus on character action, interaction and desires and goals more than I want a combat simulator. If I want a tactical combat game, I'll play a miniatures game. If I'm playing an RPG, I want something that rewards playing a character, rather than building the best DPS deliverer out there.
1- GURPS. 3'erd Edition. Best system for making uniqe characters ever... and they make some of the best genre/worldbooks in the biz. (don't really like 4'th ed. as it spans over two books and you really need both of them, even as player. besides the lay-out is not to my taste and the illustrations are not very good).
2- Pathfinder. Great when you want heroic fantasy and levels. This is the version of D&D that I like best so far (I've gone though "The Red Box", AD&D, 3.5 and 4'th Ed.)
3- Warhammer 2'nd ed.
GRU
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World of Darkness; Old and New
Exalted
Pathfinder/3.5/3/2nd
Shadowrun
7th Sea
Cyberpunk
WEG Star Wars
Rolemaster
in no particular order
Yes its a long list and I'm not sure I included everything. Just cause I didn't list it doesn't mean I hate it. I love RPG's, and there are only a few I've played and not liked.
Graywulfe
hmmmm I'd say:
DnD 4th Ed- Have to say I'm really enjoying playing/running games on it. By no means perfect but a little imagination can overcome its "flaws".
Fading Suns- Just the setting itself blows my mind, nice combination of a lot of my favorite sci-fi genres.
D6 Starwars- I had tons of fun/ridiculous adventures with that system alone, now I prefer Saga...but this one still rocks.
Red/Blue/Green/etc Boxed DnD- What I first started on...still so simple and fun. Will always have good memories of this one.
Palladium RPG- Didn't seem as much of a train wreck as the other Palladium games, had some really fun published adventures too.
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Rolemaster RMSS/RMFRP (MERP)
Shadowrun 2nd/3rd (own none of the 4th ed)
BECMI (Loved this as a teenager)
Traveller in its various incarnations
Palladium-FRP/TMNT/Ninijas, Beyond the supernatural (GHOSTBUSTERS!) etc
Honerable Mention: I own like 20+s Hero books (no supers stuff) and the 3 new 6th ed
books, but Ive never RUN the game. The *concept* seems awesome, its just hard to come to grips with
World of Darkness old and new esp changeling (both) and Basic nwod.
Simple, yet with just enough complex. Also kick ass setting.
Pathfinder/3.5 It's D&D but it allows for you to customize your character.
True 20 because like above only not so rules heavy.
5. DC Heroes
My first super hero game. I loved the concept that how well you hit someone determined the effect of your attack.
4. G.U.R.P.S. 3rd Edition
My first universal system. Flexible, simulationist, comprehensive and splat which is the envy of the industry.
3. Prose Descriptive Qualities (PDQ#)
Rules lite. This system finally deals with Batman vs. Superman issues head on. Incredibly flexible. Free.
2. Hero System 5th Edition
I find the flexibility unparalleled. Speedsters are finally given their due.
Drum roll please.
1. Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition
Very flexible and lite enough to bring in new blood. A great cinematic play that works well for other genres besides Supers. One die to rule them all. No more Hit Points.
+1elventy one. I love M&M for exactly those reasons!
Wanna game, baby?