31 Questions about your RPGing Experience. The idea comes from the Crypt of Rabies blog [LINK] which in turn got the idea from [HERE]. I say we a lot because most of my gaming was when I was younger with a certain group of friends. I'm old now but getting back into things. I hope you read mine and Crypt's answers and then answer the questions yourself!
1. What was the first roleplaying game other than D&D you played? Was it before or after you played D&D?
For me that would be Gamma World, which is pretty much D&D in a post apocalyptic setting. Gamma World was the first game I ever bought with my own money as well. We played it off and on when I was younger, but never seemed to get much steam with a campaign going. Starting up again now that I'm older and loving it.
2. In what system was the first character you played in an RPG other than D&D? How was playing it different from playing a D&D character?
For me that would probably be Space Master. Space master was/is fairly complex, so I don't think we ever got the rules completely right, but we had a lot of fun with the game. Yes we did play it differently. It was more about mowing down your enemies with plasma repeater rifles and surviving then it was about building an empire which is usually where our D&D campaigns would move towards.
3. Which game had the least or most enjoyable character creation?
Probably Traveller. Creating a character with the original Traveller was a mini-game in-and-of-itself, and if I remember correctly (it's been a long time) you could actually die while making up your character.
4. What other roleplaying game author besides Gygax impressed you with their writing?
I wasn't and still am not so much of a fan boy of "The Hobby" that I track names and such. I have a lot of respect for Storm Bringer and Chaosim games. When I was younger I thought Chaosim had the best RPG system, but their games were kind of dark (even for us) so we didn't play them that much. Simon Wishborne(?) who is behind Barbarians of Lemuria I like. Also the authors behind Victory Games's James Bond should get a bigger spot in the annals of gaming.
5. What other old school game should have become as big as D&D but didn't? Why do you think so?
I always thought the Rolemaster line didn't get enough love, especially the Spacemaster Sci-Fi variant. I still don't think the game does. The reason why is obvious...complexity. Spacemaster wasn't so out of control complex though, and I thought / think it should get more attention. Maybe Sci-Fi HARP should as well but I haven't played it.
6. What non-D&D monster do you think is as iconic as D&D ones like Hook Horrors or Flumphs, and why do you think so?
That one is tough. In most of the other games we played the adversaries were human or partially human.
7. What fantasy RPG other than D&D have you enjoyed most? Why?
Currently Barbarians of Lemuria. It is simple, fun, and FAST. I'm really starting to appreciate fast when as you are older those gaming hours become more and more precious. I can GM characters through in one session of BoL what would take 4 sessions in D&D. In the past I has some limited exposure to the HERO system. I really liked it, but my friend who owned it wasn't a big fan. A shame. Rolemaster was enjoyable too, but we never got Rolemaster off the ground.
8. What spy RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.
James Bond hands down. It was an innovative system in it's time and still fun to play.
9. What super hero RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
For some reason I haven't played super hero games more than two or three times, which is strange because I had fun doing so. I think the system I used was Villains and Vigilantes , but it was so long ago I'm not sure.
10. What science fiction RPG have you enjoyed the most? Why?
Spacemaster. I was a child of the 80ies. We took American cold war military resurgence and applied that to our Spacemaster settings. We (I) had a blast playing and GMing Spacemaster. Now that I'm older Mutant Future / Gamma World is what I find I'm playing the most outside of D&D. I like the over-the-top dystopian ruined world of Gamma World. As a GM I can bring a lot of creativity to the game because the rules are light and easy to modify even though it really is D&D.
11. What post-apocalyptic RPG have you enjoyed the most? Why?
See above
12. What humorous RPG have you enjoyed the most? Give details.
I'm not sure GURPS was supposed to be humorous, but I often played it that way. Not really sure why. It was the first game with advantages and disadvantages that I played, so I would try to come up with either over powered or humorous combos.
13. What horror RPG have you enjoyed the most?
I wasn't a big horror fan. Sometimes I would play in games that would include horror elements. I have a copy of Ghost Stories that I'm eager to try out though, but it would be more x-files with a heavy horror element than Chill.
14. What historical or cultural RPG have you enjoyed the most? Give details.
A friend of mine created an awesome pirates on the seas game out of his head when I was younger that we played a lot and I loved it. I'm not sure how realistic it was (probably not at all), but there was no magic or anything like that. I made up an ancient Greek game that got a fair amount of play. I also made up a college student game that my friends liked but I hated, so I ditched it.
15. What pseudo or alternative history RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
I really liked Oriental Adventures for AD&D. I enjoy Asian fantasy, probably because it is different enough from Western fantasy to make it unpredictable and unique. There is almost a "pseudo science" now of how fantasy games should operate...elves should do this, orcs should be like this, dragons do this, etc... Asian settings are new and refreshing. I was never a big fan of elves either.
16. Which RPG besides D&D has the best magic system? Give details.
I like how Rolemaster did spell list. It has been a while since I played, and even when I did play it was only for a few times, but I liked how you had access to certain spell list and spent development points learning specific list (or at least that is how I remember it).
17. Which RPG has the best high tech rules? Why?
Spacemaster. Though the versions I have played may be a little dated now (concepts of the future change as the future becomes the present). Mainly I liked the personal combat in spacemaster...going up against shields and powered armor with different types of weapons was cool. And the chart results were awesome.
18. What is the crunchiest RPG you have played? Was it enjoyble?
Rolemaster...or should I say Chartmaster? It was enjoyable, but it was a game for a time when you had a lot of time to kill. It wasn't that the concepts of the game were that crunchie, just all the plugged in charts made for a lot of page flipping. If you had the patients though those charts became really fun. But alias my gaming groups of my youth didn't, and I haven't played Rolemaster in years.
19. What is the fluffiest RPG you have ever played? Was it enjoyable?
Hummm....can't recall any that I played or GMed that I would consider fluffy. A good thing.
20. Which setting have you enjoyed the most? Why?
I always made my own settings, still do. The people I played with and play with today still do as well. Probably the most enjoyable was a sci fi marine game setting a friend of mine made. Lot's of different ways to kill bad guys, lot's of bureaucracy even in combat to face, lot's of planets needing invasion.
21. What is the narrowest genre RPG you have ever played? How was it?
Interestingly, I would say D&D! It is because everyone expects fantasy elements in D&D to act a certain way. Magic should act like this, monsters like this, heroic progression like this. After playing for years this gets old. But then most of the games I play are typically sandboxable, what attracts me to them. So narrow genre's I usually pass by. D&D isn't really that narrow, just narrow on my scale.
22. What is the most gonzo kitchen sink RPG you ever played? How was it?
Various mashup of post apocalyptic games like Gamma World / Mutant Future. The settings lend themselves to such.
23. What is the most broken game that you tried and were unable to play?
Bureau 13. I love the setting! X-Files before X-Files! But the TriTac rules system...Yikes!
24. What is the most broken game that you tried and loved to play, warts and all?
Some of the Palladium games I think are broken. Mechanoids and later Rifts I loved, but the various damage types SDC vs MDC and scaling that realistically always bugged me. I loved to GM those games but either I sucked with them or my players didn't appreciate the systems, probably both, as they got bored quickly.
25. Which game has the sleekest, most modern engine?
Relatively Barbarians of Lemuria is the sleekest and most modern game I've played, and I love it, but it's spell system is both it's strength and it's weakness. Also players tend to resemble each other, not in "tropes" but in actual stats. I understand the push for rules lite, but for long term campaigns I think you need rules medium, which many people would neither define as slick or modern. genreDiversion games get honorable mention.
26. What IP (= Intellectual Property, be it book, movie or comic) that doesn't have an RPG deserves it? Why?
Can't think of one. It does piss me off that some IP's pull their rights all the time. Killed WEG and might kill Mongoose.
27. What RPG based on an IP did you enjoy the most? Give details?
James Bond hands down. Great game. The Q manual needs some updating, but it was one of the most innovative systems around when it came out. Ease factors, "hero" points, skills, ahead of it's time and still very playable.
28. What free RPG did you enjoy most? Give details.
I went into my gamer hiatus when most of the games for free came out over the internet, but since I've been back I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the free version of Mutant Future.
29. What OSR product you have enjoyed the most? Explain how?
I created my own hack of D20 Future, using various 3rd party source books for inspiration. It had it's own damage system that I think worked pretty well. The few times I GM'ed it my players seemed to for the most part like it.
30. Which non-D&D supplemental product should everyone know about? Give details.
I can't really answer that. I buy games all the time now (within reason) and I mind them for ideas. A specific supplement doesn't come to mind.
31. What out-of-print RPG would you most likely to see back in publication? Why?
There were a lot of great GURPS source books that I see are out of print. You can still find 'em but it would be nice if more of them were in print. Is Car Wars still in print? I wouldn't mind seeing an updated all in one box set of Car Wars from Steve Jackson Games if it isn't.
1. What was the first roleplaying game other than D&D you played? Was it before or after you played D&D?
For me that would be Gamma World, which is pretty much D&D in a post apocalyptic setting. Gamma World was the first game I ever bought with my own money as well. We played it off and on when I was younger, but never seemed to get much steam with a campaign going. Starting up again now that I'm older and loving it.
2. In what system was the first character you played in an RPG other than D&D? How was playing it different from playing a D&D character?
For me that would probably be Space Master. Space master was/is fairly complex, so I don't think we ever got the rules completely right, but we had a lot of fun with the game. Yes we did play it differently. It was more about mowing down your enemies with plasma repeater rifles and surviving then it was about building an empire which is usually where our D&D campaigns would move towards.
3. Which game had the least or most enjoyable character creation?
Probably Traveller. Creating a character with the original Traveller was a mini-game in-and-of-itself, and if I remember correctly (it's been a long time) you could actually die while making up your character.
4. What other roleplaying game author besides Gygax impressed you with their writing?
I wasn't and still am not so much of a fan boy of "The Hobby" that I track names and such. I have a lot of respect for Storm Bringer and Chaosim games. When I was younger I thought Chaosim had the best RPG system, but their games were kind of dark (even for us) so we didn't play them that much. Simon Wishborne(?) who is behind Barbarians of Lemuria I like. Also the authors behind Victory Games's James Bond should get a bigger spot in the annals of gaming.
5. What other old school game should have become as big as D&D but didn't? Why do you think so?
I always thought the Rolemaster line didn't get enough love, especially the Spacemaster Sci-Fi variant. I still don't think the game does. The reason why is obvious...complexity. Spacemaster wasn't so out of control complex though, and I thought / think it should get more attention. Maybe Sci-Fi HARP should as well but I haven't played it.
6. What non-D&D monster do you think is as iconic as D&D ones like Hook Horrors or Flumphs, and why do you think so?
That one is tough. In most of the other games we played the adversaries were human or partially human.
7. What fantasy RPG other than D&D have you enjoyed most? Why?
Currently Barbarians of Lemuria. It is simple, fun, and FAST. I'm really starting to appreciate fast when as you are older those gaming hours become more and more precious. I can GM characters through in one session of BoL what would take 4 sessions in D&D. In the past I has some limited exposure to the HERO system. I really liked it, but my friend who owned it wasn't a big fan. A shame. Rolemaster was enjoyable too, but we never got Rolemaster off the ground.
8. What spy RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.
James Bond hands down. It was an innovative system in it's time and still fun to play.
9. What super hero RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
For some reason I haven't played super hero games more than two or three times, which is strange because I had fun doing so. I think the system I used was Villains and Vigilantes , but it was so long ago I'm not sure.
10. What science fiction RPG have you enjoyed the most? Why?
Spacemaster. I was a child of the 80ies. We took American cold war military resurgence and applied that to our Spacemaster settings. We (I) had a blast playing and GMing Spacemaster. Now that I'm older Mutant Future / Gamma World is what I find I'm playing the most outside of D&D. I like the over-the-top dystopian ruined world of Gamma World. As a GM I can bring a lot of creativity to the game because the rules are light and easy to modify even though it really is D&D.
11. What post-apocalyptic RPG have you enjoyed the most? Why?
See above
12. What humorous RPG have you enjoyed the most? Give details.
I'm not sure GURPS was supposed to be humorous, but I often played it that way. Not really sure why. It was the first game with advantages and disadvantages that I played, so I would try to come up with either over powered or humorous combos.
13. What horror RPG have you enjoyed the most?
I wasn't a big horror fan. Sometimes I would play in games that would include horror elements. I have a copy of Ghost Stories that I'm eager to try out though, but it would be more x-files with a heavy horror element than Chill.
14. What historical or cultural RPG have you enjoyed the most? Give details.
A friend of mine created an awesome pirates on the seas game out of his head when I was younger that we played a lot and I loved it. I'm not sure how realistic it was (probably not at all), but there was no magic or anything like that. I made up an ancient Greek game that got a fair amount of play. I also made up a college student game that my friends liked but I hated, so I ditched it.
15. What pseudo or alternative history RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
I really liked Oriental Adventures for AD&D. I enjoy Asian fantasy, probably because it is different enough from Western fantasy to make it unpredictable and unique. There is almost a "pseudo science" now of how fantasy games should operate...elves should do this, orcs should be like this, dragons do this, etc... Asian settings are new and refreshing. I was never a big fan of elves either.
16. Which RPG besides D&D has the best magic system? Give details.
I like how Rolemaster did spell list. It has been a while since I played, and even when I did play it was only for a few times, but I liked how you had access to certain spell list and spent development points learning specific list (or at least that is how I remember it).
17. Which RPG has the best high tech rules? Why?
Spacemaster. Though the versions I have played may be a little dated now (concepts of the future change as the future becomes the present). Mainly I liked the personal combat in spacemaster...going up against shields and powered armor with different types of weapons was cool. And the chart results were awesome.
18. What is the crunchiest RPG you have played? Was it enjoyble?
Rolemaster...or should I say Chartmaster? It was enjoyable, but it was a game for a time when you had a lot of time to kill. It wasn't that the concepts of the game were that crunchie, just all the plugged in charts made for a lot of page flipping. If you had the patients though those charts became really fun. But alias my gaming groups of my youth didn't, and I haven't played Rolemaster in years.
19. What is the fluffiest RPG you have ever played? Was it enjoyable?
Hummm....can't recall any that I played or GMed that I would consider fluffy. A good thing.
20. Which setting have you enjoyed the most? Why?
I always made my own settings, still do. The people I played with and play with today still do as well. Probably the most enjoyable was a sci fi marine game setting a friend of mine made. Lot's of different ways to kill bad guys, lot's of bureaucracy even in combat to face, lot's of planets needing invasion.
21. What is the narrowest genre RPG you have ever played? How was it?
Interestingly, I would say D&D! It is because everyone expects fantasy elements in D&D to act a certain way. Magic should act like this, monsters like this, heroic progression like this. After playing for years this gets old. But then most of the games I play are typically sandboxable, what attracts me to them. So narrow genre's I usually pass by. D&D isn't really that narrow, just narrow on my scale.
22. What is the most gonzo kitchen sink RPG you ever played? How was it?
Various mashup of post apocalyptic games like Gamma World / Mutant Future. The settings lend themselves to such.
23. What is the most broken game that you tried and were unable to play?
Bureau 13. I love the setting! X-Files before X-Files! But the TriTac rules system...Yikes!
24. What is the most broken game that you tried and loved to play, warts and all?
Some of the Palladium games I think are broken. Mechanoids and later Rifts I loved, but the various damage types SDC vs MDC and scaling that realistically always bugged me. I loved to GM those games but either I sucked with them or my players didn't appreciate the systems, probably both, as they got bored quickly.
25. Which game has the sleekest, most modern engine?
Relatively Barbarians of Lemuria is the sleekest and most modern game I've played, and I love it, but it's spell system is both it's strength and it's weakness. Also players tend to resemble each other, not in "tropes" but in actual stats. I understand the push for rules lite, but for long term campaigns I think you need rules medium, which many people would neither define as slick or modern. genreDiversion games get honorable mention.
26. What IP (= Intellectual Property, be it book, movie or comic) that doesn't have an RPG deserves it? Why?
Can't think of one. It does piss me off that some IP's pull their rights all the time. Killed WEG and might kill Mongoose.
27. What RPG based on an IP did you enjoy the most? Give details?
James Bond hands down. Great game. The Q manual needs some updating, but it was one of the most innovative systems around when it came out. Ease factors, "hero" points, skills, ahead of it's time and still very playable.
28. What free RPG did you enjoy most? Give details.
I went into my gamer hiatus when most of the games for free came out over the internet, but since I've been back I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the free version of Mutant Future.
29. What OSR product you have enjoyed the most? Explain how?
I created my own hack of D20 Future, using various 3rd party source books for inspiration. It had it's own damage system that I think worked pretty well. The few times I GM'ed it my players seemed to for the most part like it.
30. Which non-D&D supplemental product should everyone know about? Give details.
I can't really answer that. I buy games all the time now (within reason) and I mind them for ideas. A specific supplement doesn't come to mind.
31. What out-of-print RPG would you most likely to see back in publication? Why?
There were a lot of great GURPS source books that I see are out of print. You can still find 'em but it would be nice if more of them were in print. Is Car Wars still in print? I wouldn't mind seeing an updated all in one box set of Car Wars from Steve Jackson Games if it isn't.
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