(not in order)
Pathfinder/Besm-20 (both 3.5 based and you asked for SYSTEM)
Call of Cthullu/BRP
and finally on this one, I am the only one alive to say so:
Coda system by Decipher...but I only played Lord of the Rings, I thought their other games like Trek sucked.
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1. FATE - I have yet to play this and have only GMed it a few times but it remains my favourite game, so much so that I put together Free FATE! I particularly like the Cubicle 7 implementation with Starblazer Adventures and Legends of Anglerre (I would really like to run a Star Wars game using the former and an Eberron game using the latter).
2. D&D3.5 - I really want to play more of this specifically running the Freeport Trilogy and an Eberron campaign. Luckily my local meetup group still plays a lot of 3.5, it hasn't yet been eclipsed by Pathfinder.
3. Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Ed - I love this game and I love supers, the Freedom City setting is great and I really want to run and play this some more. I won't be getting 3rd ed as I haven't played this enough yet.
4. Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space - I am not so hot on the system (I would prefer to run it with FATE) but the material and setting is great and I love running it at conventions.
5. Mongoose Traveller - I cannot comprehend how such a complete ruleset can exist in such a small core book - it really is amazing. COmbat is fairly simple but with enough options to make diving to the floor and shooting under tables like John McLane not just a cool stunt but an optimal choice!
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1 - Depending on what I want to play Pathfinder (as a slightly better version of D&D 3.5) for high fantasy play. Perhaps this is because I liked more than one of the (A)D&D campaign worlds and followed the rules update. I find the mechanics simple enough and neither me nor my players are rules lawyers, so I can add bonuses without checking the rulebooks first to reward ideas or roleplaying. None of my games (again, thanks to my players) has developed into a "crazy rocket launch", otherwise it would possibly be much lower on my list.
For SF, Horror and other "grittier" games I love the sadly not continued Alternity system. The rules are simple, yet elegant for simulating deadly combats and different skill challenges.
2 - The UniSystem and the CinematicUnisystem. Easy to use yet complex enough to get most play concepts done, they also have some beautiful rulesets for magic, psionics (there is even a system to resolve psionics throug the use of zener cards, how can you not love that?) and custom zomb...ah, monsters. In my games, the rules never got in the way of the game.
3 - Call of Cthulhu. The mechanics are so simple everybody can grasp the concept in a minute and the d% skills make it easy to evaluate how good a character is at what he does. Great for new players who are more interested in playing a character and resolving a story than in game mechanics.
4 - Savage Worlds. Got into it for Solomon Kane and I really like how easy and fast paced the game works. I will probably get one or two companions for it and see if it raises in my list.
5 - Cthulhutech. Again, I got into the game through its wonderfully weird szenario, but I found out I really like the (strange) dice mechanic and the mechanics are very much in tune with the tone of the setting. So, great game, yet I wonder if it would work as well with a different setting.
Honorary mention: Unknow Armies. That game has some seriously twisted ideas for mental detoriation, magic and horror elements. A bid hard to get in, but the mechanics work wonderfully to show the pure weirdness of the arcane underground - if you use mechanics at all that is...
1) 3.5/Pathfinder
2)Hero(Champions...but only for super heroes)
3)Legend of the 5 Ring/7th Sea(while the two have diffrences they have enough similiarity to to them I do lump them together)
Honorable Mentions:
Alertnity(if I knew people who played it might be on the list),
the Fantasy Flight Warhammer 40K line( the rules need to be hit with a hammer ie. organized and smoothed over)
Palladium Rifts(I know...I know...but the rules are not bad...they just need to hire a editor is all and organized thing to be understandable.)
FATE - Especially "Strands of Fate"
Dragon Age - Really simple to play and run. Growing support
Pathfinder - Great material and adventures. Rules....well livable until high levels.
Savage Worlds - Has replaced Basic Role Playing as my GO-TO system for quick games, and one-shots.
Castles and Crusades - If I could just get anyone to play it.
Top Secret/S.I. is first, 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons/Greyhawk is second.
1. 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons/Pathfinder combination w/lots of house rules
2. Marvel Super Heroes/FASERIP
3. Star Wars d6
BECMI/Rules cyclopedia D&D
BRP is also good but i haven't really played it a lot
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In no particular order:
Fate (particularly Diaspora and Starblazer Adventures for sci-fi Fate games)
Pathfinder
Warhammer FRP (1st edition specifically, currently running this and having a great time)
1. FATE - I have yet to play this and have only GMed it a few times but it remains my favourite game, so much so that I put together Free FATE! I particularly like the Cubicle 7 implementation with Starblazer Adventures and Legends of Anglerre (I would really like to run a Star Wars game using the former and an Eberron game using the latter).
I had the pleasure of using Starblazer Adventures to run a very short Star Wars campaign, and it works incredibly well. I don't you could find a better match.
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I had the pleasure of using Starblazer Adventures to run a very short Star Wars campaign, and it works incredibly well. I don't you could find a better match.
yeah it seems to be a match made in heaven and I put together a few notes on how to use the SBA rules to simulate Star Wars stuff like Jedi. I need to stat up some star ships as well :)
Not in order, and probably changes depending on time of day
Pathfinder/ The first time I have ran a game over three months is with APG's from Paizo. Before this, I would always get frustrated and hand over the GM reigns to annother.
Amber Diceless Roleplay/I can remember so many times our group laughing and having fun with this game.
Shadowrun third edition/ So many of our groups "innovations and gaming experimentation" happened in this game.
Liftime honorary mention, is Talislanta. I have owned every edition, yet have only ran 2 sessions and never played. *sniff* My peeps just are not fans of it.
Cyberpunk should be mentioned as well. Four of us from my core group got together shortly after this came out, and we have been gaming together ever since as well as become lifelong friends. Good memories.
Greg
Hiya.
Same as always... :)
- BECMI
- Gamma World 3rd Edition
- Marvel Super Heroes Advanced
- Powers & Perils
- Call of Cthulhu
What can I say? I like the older systems best. :)
^_^
Paul L. Ming
1- Fate or Savage World, for quick, easy and complete rulesets. Tie. Also, both are great for Steampunk. They deserve first place because I can play again with those games, since they make the DM job so easy you can throw down a game in a few minutes. Also, it's quick to learn and it covers everything, so no more "ah, don't want to play this really cool game, cause I don't want to learn new rules... lets play dnd!"
2- oWoD - In order: Mage, Vampire, Changeling, the others. Wraith is great, but not for everyone. Best ruleset for social play / light action, on the fly ruling, improv. Mage is just... wow. I did my master degree in metaphysics (philosophy), partly because of this game. I like the "Tell me what you want to do, I'll tell you what to roll" idea behind the Storytelling System.
3- WFRP 3rd and PFRPG. Yes, I do like WFRP's bits and cards. Tie again. Those are my "heavy" systems. I can't see myself playing Hero, for example, since I think universal systems should aim for less work and easy prep/play. For supers, I'll go Savage or M&M.
4- Eclipse Phase. For the setting, the rules are... ok, but nothing really special about them. I should convert the setting to SW or Fate when I have the time to do so.
5- In Nomine / Paranoïa. For a funny evening. Tie again.
6- Sorry, that's already 8+ systems and 11+ games, and I could list more: Saga (the TSR card game), Birthright (a game of it's own, and the best of the advanced edition ruleset, in my view), Ars Magica, Amber, Planescape (a really fun setting - philosophical wars for reality, epic), Don't rest your head, Gumshoe (never cared for BRP, it's ok I guess, but, well, flavorless. It's the Cherios of Rpgs. I do like Cthulhu, but I prefer my Old Ones with gumshoes, and Mutant City Blues is a blast to play - Gritty hardboiled mutant cops, yeah!), Earthdawn, 8 tribes, etc.
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Let's see, for me it's...
1. Pathfinder. Still my favorite after all other experimentation.
2. Exalted. Because some days I just need to kick the stuffing out of everybody.
3. DnD 4E. Because my non-geek friends will play too.
4. L5R/SIFRP. Both of these because of the setting. Rules, well, I've barely been able to play, so I can't really comment.
5. MnM 2E. Plenty of play time, just can't find a group that makes this go any higher than 5th place.
Dragon Age gets an honorable mention, despite having never played it, simply because of how well it seems to emulate its source material.
WH40K also gets a mention for its setting, and the Sisters of Battle.
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1. Gamma World 3rd edition - best game system imo, even with the botched delivery upon initial release still the best system I have encountered.
2. Chill (Pacesetter or Mayfair) - best horror system, again superior rules and can easily incorporate HPL/CoC or other horror themes.
3. Call of Cthulhu/Delta Green - In this it isn't the system (which is sub par) but the actual content and fluff. The writing and content is well developed and researched.
As far as generic fantasy roleplaying goes, D20 gets the job done, but I realllyyyy love Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition. Combat is brutal and hilarious. I still want to try 3rd edition, but I don't have the $$ to put into it, and I don't like all the little knick-knacky crap they sell with it. If you can't play a pen and paper game with just pen and paper, then something is wrong.... miniature combat not withstanding.
I only use (my slightly tweaked version of) BRP these days, over the past two or three years I've successfully and very enjoyably used it to run campaigns in the following settings;
My old homebrewed D&D setting (several different campaigns).
Middle Earth, in the period leading up to the wars of TA 2758-2759.
WH40K - Using the Calixis/Koronus settings from the 40K rpgs.
WFRP - Old World.
The Battletech setting.
'Twiminator' (my personal spin on a cross between the old Twilight 2000 setting and the Terminator mythos).
http://www.93gamesstudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=2636
I tweak and slightly adjust the settings of the BRP for each setting, catering for tone and feel, for example 'Twiminator' has a much grittier and less heroic feel than my D&D setting.
BRP is the only system I think I will ever use in future, it is simple as heck at it's core basics, yet gives realistic feeling combat results that are also highly descriptive. For example this sunday just past a modron duodrone fired a crossbow at a Dwarf adventurer in an ongoing 'D&D setting' campaign. In one or two rolls I knew exactly where the quarrel hit the dwarf, and that the bolt hit in his right chest, penetrated his chain shirt, but stuck in the leather arming shirt underneath. This all sounds simple, and it was, but it described exactly what happened - no need for GM spin or description to elaborate and give flavour to an abstract miss, the dice rolls give the description.
1. Pathfinder (Paizo's attention to detail and the love they bake into every bite seals the deal for me)
2. WFRP 2nd Edition (Someone the 1e crowd at Strike to Stun is probably now en route to my location to wreck up my office)
3. d6 Star Wars (some of the best adventure modules I've ever played/run)
4. Call of Cthulhu (Losing characters has never ever been more fun in any other games I've played/run)
5. Cortex Plus (Once it is released as a stand alone system it'll catch on. As it stands it is a good enough system that I found myself enoying my time playing Smallville of all things...)
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1) Advanced D&D (prior to Unearthed Arcana)
Sorry guys, I know there are other, better, more balanced RPGs out there, but this one takes it as my first (actually second) love.
2) Classic Traveller
So elegant, so simple, so .... crap, another character dead during the creation process! I don't know why I loved this one so much, if for no other reason than the three simple little books.
3) Tunnels and Trolls
While I hated the adds system, I loved the irreverent names and the solo dungeons. For some reason, Sorcerer's Apprentice seemed a more fun magazine than Dragon. I blame the little solitaire adventures in them. And Liz Danforth's art, which I still can't get enough of.
4) Gamma World 1st Edition
This one is actually my first rpg, but comes in at #4 in order of precedence.
5) L5R RPG. I totally fell in love with the Clan War story arc, and bought a bazillion cards (which I still have.) The RPG was cool and elegant, in a setting that I loved.
6) Oriental Adventures (3.0 Edition). This is the 3.x system I prefer to run. I'm not a rules guy, but a story guy. That being said, to me, OA was so full of 3.0 awesome! Loved every minute of it.
7) 4E. Started as a hater, then slid into a lover role. This is the system game for me, and after more than three decades of gaming I am more than capable of providing story. 4E meets my needs.
"Why not PATHFINDER, you godless heathen?!" I hear you shout. PF became what 3.0 became for me, outside of OA - a convoluted mess. For the lovers, I feel you and I appreciate you, but 2.5 got bogged down into too much mechanics for me. As PF developed, it did the same thing. I felt that as I leveled the mechanics of the game were getting beyond what I could manage. When character creation became the meta game, I had to move on.
I only use (my slightly tweaked version of) BRP these days, over the past two or three years I've successfully and very enjoyably used it to run campaigns in the following settings;
My old homebrewed D&D setting (several different campaigns).
Middle Earth, in the period leading up to the wars of TA 2758-2759.
WH40K - Using the Calixis/Koronus settings from the 40K rpgs.
WFRP - Old World.
The Battletech setting.
'Twiminator' (my personal spin on a cross between the old Twilight 2000 setting and the Terminator mythos).
http://www.93gamesstudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=2636
I tweak and slightly adjust the settings of the BRP for each setting, catering for tone and feel, for example 'Twiminator' has a much grittier and less heroic feel than my D&D setting.
BRP is the only system I think I will ever use in future, it is simple as heck at it's core basics, yet gives realistic feeling combat results that are also highly descriptive. For example this sunday just past a modron duodrone fired a crossbow at a Dwarf adventurer in an ongoing 'D&D setting' campaign. In one or two rolls I knew exactly where the quarrel hit the dwarf, and that the bolt hit in his right chest, penetrated his chain shirt, but stuck in the leather arming shirt underneath. This all sounds simple, and it was, but it described exactly what happened - no need for GM spin or description to elaborate and give flavour to an abstract miss, the dice rolls give the description.
Very interesting. I have long been looking at the BRP rulebook and wondering if it could be used exactly like this - a framework to hang any kind of setting off of. It has always struck me as a wonderfully simple and elegant system that allows for this kind of depth when you want.
Disclaimer: Favorite does not mean balanced or the best.
1)Palladium
2)PFRPG
3)Arcanum
EDIT: Has anyone played Anima? I saw it in Borders, and it looked nice.
Very interesting. I have long been looking at the BRP rulebook and wondering if it could be used exactly like this - a framework to hang any kind of setting off of. It has always struck me as a wonderfully simple and elegant system that allows for this kind of depth when you want.I only use (my slightly tweaked version of) BRP these days, over the past two or three years I've successfully and very enjoyably used it to run campaigns in the following settings;
My old homebrewed D&D setting (several different campaigns).
Middle Earth, in the period leading up to the wars of TA 2758-2759.
WH40K - Using the Calixis/Koronus settings from the 40K rpgs.
WFRP - Old World.
The Battletech setting.
'Twiminator' (my personal spin on a cross between the old Twilight 2000 setting and the Terminator mythos).
http://www.93gamesstudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=2636
I tweak and slightly adjust the settings of the BRP for each setting, catering for tone and feel, for example 'Twiminator' has a much grittier and less heroic feel than my D&D setting.
BRP is the only system I think I will ever use in future, it is simple as heck at it's core basics, yet gives realistic feeling combat results that are also highly descriptive. For example this sunday just past a modron duodrone fired a crossbow at a Dwarf adventurer in an ongoing 'D&D setting' campaign. In one or two rolls I knew exactly where the quarrel hit the dwarf, and that the bolt hit in his right chest, penetrated his chain shirt, but stuck in the leather arming shirt underneath. This all sounds simple, and it was, but it described exactly what happened - no need for GM spin or description to elaborate and give flavour to an abstract miss, the dice rolls give the description.
It works beautifully. Aside from anything else it is MUCH faster and smoother to play than any of the D20 games. I can honestly say most sessions I only ever check the rulebooks once or twice - I have no need whatsoever for new classes, or new feats, or new spells etc - and yet can replicate any such effects without the need for loads of new pages of info.
It also feels far less gamick in play, the 0th level farmer of D&D who the pcs can safely bully, while still being essentially just a farmer might have Brawling 130% in BRP and be able to punch the pc's lights out should they hassle him - people are rounded, they aren't forced into the slots of character class.
The system produces much, MUCH, better combat results than any of the D&D iterations, because as I say it gives descriptive and precise info on how the fights go. I have heard some critics claim BRP combat just devolves into an endless round of 'hit - parry/dodge - hit - parry/dodge' - that is not my experience of it at all.
I also hear people say 'once you reach 100% in a skill you can't fail' - that is simply not the case. For a start we use DC's like you see in any D20 type module - with DC10 equating to no adjustment, DC9 -5% to roll, DC11 +5% and so on) - so a thief with a lockpick skill of 100%, would still face potential problems with a DC24 lock (-70%).
I also allow skills to exceed 100%, indeed in our D&D setting a converted 20th level bad guy might have 200% or more to hit ... however a slight tweak of ours is that to hit rolls are made as an opposed check against your attack or parry (or dodge). So that 200% beast attacking a 1st level equivalent rookie will rip through the rooky's parry (or dodge) unless the rookie lucks out and rolls a crit.
We have logically structured the mass of D&D spells into far fewer 'spells', but with 'standard' ranges, durations, and so on - that can be boosted with extra Magic Point allocation as the mage chooses. So we can do any spell effect (the player describes how his spell is working within it's broad description and standardised but modifiable effects - no need for loads of different 'spells' that do similar things at their base, but are just given a slightly different bit of spin) without the need to endlessly pore over spell books during combat (avoiding one of the biggest slowing effects on all the D&D iterations).
Armour and shields, as in real life, are very important in BRP. We don't use hps at all, so though an experienced warrior might have magic items that better protect him, and be very good at parrying etc, there is none of the nonsense of humans walking around with dozens or hundreds of hps. We use 'wounds' divided down into broad descriptive categories (each of which have certain in game effects - minuses to actions, consciousness checks and so on - varying depending where the wound was received - a MW in the head is more likely to put you down than a MW in the left arm for example);
Light Wound, Medium Wound, Severe Wound, and Kill.
How many LWs equate to one MW (and on up) varies depending on the character's CON and SIZ, usually being on a scale of 2 or 3.
Speed of skill advance is something I change setting to setting, with more realistic settings having a slower advancement rate, to the fast and steady rate I use in my D&D setting, partly as a nod to the old structures of level and the increasing lethality of the canon of monsters.
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In no particular order;
* GURPS 3rd edition (particularly for fantasy and superhero gaming, played since The Fantasy Trip and Man-to-Man, and it's just gotten better up to 3rd edition)
* 'old' World of Darkness setting (Vampire the Masquerade and Mage the Ascension, primarily, but also fond of Mummy and Kindred of the East)
* Mutants & Masterminds 2nd edition (just got 3rd edition, still getting used to the changes, so it's not a fave quite yet. I'm sure I'll take the jump soon.)
* Pathfinder
* D&D 3rd edition (loved Eberron)
* A&D 2nd edition (particularly the Al-Qadim and Kara-Tur settings)
* Aeon/Trinity, Aberrant & Adventure! (same system, kinda, three different interconnected settings)
stuff about his conversion of D&D to BRPAny chance you have this stuff electronically? I'd like to take a look if you're willing to share.
Same here. This sounds like the system I have been looking for. I really have to track down a hard copy of the BRP system book. I hear there are some differences between it and the Call of Cthulhu version I'm most familiar with.
Same here. This sounds like the system I have been looking for. I really have to track down a hard copy of the BRP system book. I hear there are some differences between it and the Call of Cthulhu version I'm most familiar with.stuff about his conversion of D&D to BRPAny chance you have this stuff electronically? I'd like to take a look if you're willing to share.
I shall have to structure and pull together the stuff into a coherent format for you. I'll try to do it in the week. :-)
Disclaimer: Favorite does not mean balanced or the best.
1)Palladium
2)PFRPG
3)ArcanumEDIT: Has anyone played Anima? I saw it in Borders, and it looked nice.
To echo Kryzbyn; favorite does not mean balanced or the best.
Palladium
White Wolf
FASERIP
FASA
Pathfinder
These are my top 5.
(In no particular order).
To echo Kryzbyn; favorite does not mean balanced or the best.
Palladium
White Wolf
FASERIP
FASA
PathfinderThese are my top 5.
(In no particular order).
I miss FASA :(
Greg
I put in order
1 Pathfinder / Dungeons and Dragons 3.5
2 Army of Darkness
3 Dungeons and Dragons 1E/2E
looked at other systems, but they didn't taste right.
1. Legend of the Five Rings (3rd Edition, Roll-and-Keep)--By far the best setting and rules I have ever played with in my 25 years of gaming. Hats off to AEG for this one. (I haven't seen the 4th Edition yet; the $60 core rulebook is a bit off-putting. But I am old school in that I prefer crunch and fluff to a heap of glossy pages and color artwork.)
2. Castles & Crusades--Took everything I loved from both AD&D and 3.x to make a great fantasy game.
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness (a.k.a. After the Bomb)--Great "modern sci-fi" system. I like Palladium and how they have stuck to their guns for so many years. Most of their other games are great too.
4. Star Wars Saga--Of all the iterations of Star Wars, I think this one did the best in terms of fun, rules, and balance. WEG is a close second.
5. World of Darkness (both old and new)--Old had a better setting in the beginning, but New has much better rules.
Honorable Mentions to D&D 4E, Star Trek FASA and HERO System.
Now, there are games that are my "favorites" that I have not yet played. They just look well done and potentially fun.
1. Dragon Age RPG--The 3d6 Stunt system looks very simple yet diverse enough to facilitate great game play.
2. Gamma World 4E--I think the 4E rules set will work better for a non-D&D game, and I love the re-launch material thus far.
3. Traveller--It looks so good. So simple in execution, yet so diverse in character generation and rules. I really want to play.
4. Savage Worlds--Okay, I ran two sessions of this, but I have not seen a full game/campaign in Savage Worlds. As good as it looks and sounds, I want to play something using these rules.
5. Cortex (Serenity or BSG)--Loved both the TV series. Rules look solid. I want to give it a try.
Honorable Mention to Pathfinder. I wasn't the biggest fan of 3.x, but I'd be willing to give this version a try. Your "fluff" is rock solid; I have used the campaign world and a couple of adventures for 4E. Also, Honorable Mentions to Warhammer FRPG and the Warhammer 40K RPGs. I really want to try those.
1. Legend of the Five Rings (3rd Edition, Roll-and-Keep)--By far the best setting and rules I have ever played with in my 25 years of gaming. Hats off to AEG for this one. (I haven't seen the 4th Edition yet; the $60 core rulebook is a bit off-putting. But I am old school in that I prefer crunch and fluff to a heap of glossy pages and color artwork.)
It's worth the 60$.
1. Legend of the Five Rings (3rd Edition, Roll-and-Keep)--By far the best setting and rules I have ever played with in my 25 years of gaming. Hats off to AEG for this one. (I haven't seen the 4th Edition yet; the $60 core rulebook is a bit off-putting. But I am old school in that I prefer crunch and fluff to a heap of glossy pages and color artwork.)It's worth the 60$.
+1
There's some insanely bizarre (and awesome) JTTGs out there. Meikyu Kingdom!! (yes with three exclamation points) needs to be translated so badly. So badly.
Also L5R4 is totally worth the $60.
I don't have a list. I'm a Fun Haver. I find most games fun :B
Also L5R4 is totally worth the $60.
Ok if I and the ProfessorCirno are agreeing that L4R 4th ed is worth it you have to know that is the truth. ;)
Wow, I guess I need to check out L5R4 then. :)
In terms of rules, content, adventure, and 'game-ness,' my number one will always be: Cybergeneration.
I will join others in giving Gamma World the lifetime achievement award. Outside of 2nd ed, there is not an edition of GW without a redeemable quality.