So it recently came to light that several of my acquaintances (not my friends, mind) think I'm a paid shill for some games/companies. For instance, I often espouse the virtues of Star Wars Saga as a "good proto-4E that didn't get its rightful due," and I've been known to suggest R. Talsorian's Interlock (Cyberpunk 2020, Mekton, etc) as a good catch-all system for many different games in many different genres. I probably do it as much or more than my HERO and GURPS-loving friends.
Now, I'm not a shill for either WOTC or RTG (although I have done paid work for RTG more than once), but after having it pointed out that I really do pretty much always say "Yeah, we can do that in Interlock," or the like... it's got me wondering.
I can't be the only one. Surely, the rest of you have your Go-To game systems for games that don't necessarily fit clearly onto a particular peg... that "Sort of like Firefly, only with Xenomorphs" game, maybe. Or the "What if Batman and Robin were in the 1950's" campaign, perhaps.
So what are some of yours? You like these games so much, you can pretty much do anything with them. And what have you done with them, that wasn't necessarily what they were designed for?
For instance, with Interlock, I have recently run:
- Batman-style, down and on-the-street caped crusaders
- Firefly-meets-Blake's-Seven
- Multi-National Superheroics In Four Colors
- Secret Shadow Government Psychics fighting Colonist-minded Aliens
How about you?
Ars Magica and Cthulhutech for me. :)
-Ben.
Ars Magica and Cthulhutech for me. :)
-Ben.
Pathfinder
Dark Heresy (and its iterations except Rogue Trader)Shadowrun!
With my gaming group, it seems that if we do fantasy gaming, it's Pathfinder. Sci-fi or multi-genre gaming, we use GURPS.
I still own a lot of the Mekton books, both pre and post Zeta. I farm them for material, or use the rules to create mechs, to make sure they are 'balanced'.
Once in a blue moon we play a palladium game...for nostalgia and to remember why we don't play it more often ;)
I have another group that pretty much only plays Champions or Shadowrun.
I think it all has to do more with comfort level than the awesomeness of the system.
Mythender, a game about epic combat and killing gods. The game itself will be free, but takes roughly $70 (or more) in d6 to play, plus two distinct types of counters. I love the game and I take it to conventions or one-shot nights with great success.
I also know the author and there are several rules in the game based on my actions as a player and my input as a GM. (He's also won an ENnie for rules development before)
I'm also writing an altered version to play My Little Pony.