Tabletop RPGs. Avid Gamers please answer!?

Question

What tabletop RPG games do you like? What exactly is it about them that you like? Do you like the simplicity of the system or do you like more complex systems? Do you prefer an experience (karma/point buy) system for character development or another system entirely? Do you prefer to have a full range of dice for different purposes or just a single die type (like all d10s for White Wolf or all d6s for Shadowrun)? Please elaborate on your preferences.

Answer 1

I'm not going to list all the games I've played and enjoyed, would take to long. However, a couple of personal favorites:

1 GURPS. Quite possibly the closest thing to a perfect system out there. The rules can become quite complex depending on what options you use, but the core system is relatively simple. Character design is completely flexible, the only limits are imagination, the number of points you're given and what your GM will let you get away with. And it can be used to play any type of rpg; fantasy, SF, superheroes, time travel, etc.

2 Champions/HERO System: In theory this could be a universal game just like GURPS, in practice, it mostly gets used for superheroic games. Slightly more complex than GURPS in character design.

3 Deadlands: While I freely admit the system is extremely odd, with some rather anoying quirks, this is quite possibly one of the funnest games out there. It's pure attitude. Dawn of the Dead meets The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with guest appearances by Wild, Wild West and Brisco County Jr. Not only does it use a full range of dice, but it adds playing cards and poker chips to the mix and somehow it all works. Where else can you resolve spells by drawing poker hands? Play an undead gunslinger? Ride a mechanical horse to your shootout at high noon? Use a gatling pistol? All in the same game? There are GURPS and (really bad) D20 versions of the game, but it just isn't the same somehow.


I'd say I prefer more complex systems, but ones that build on a simple core mechanic like GURPS or D20 (particularly Mutants and Masterminds or True20 which strip D20 to it's bare essentials). I like games with reasonably realistic combat (hit locations, partial armor) and extremely flexible character building, which usually means more complexity.

I'm really not familiar with any systems of character advancement other than awarding either XP to raise your character to a higher level or character points to buy new abilites.

As for the dice question. Both! I love my funky polyhedral dice. It's the old school D&D player in me. Having a collection of cool dice that I can actually use in play just makes me feel good. However, many of my favorite games (GURPS, Champions, BESM, Mutants and Masterminds and Storyteller (White Wolf)) all use a single die type. It's certainly nice not to have to fish around your dice bag for one of those elusive d12's you rarely use or an extra d8. Were I to design a game, I'd almost certainly stick to one die type, mostly because it makes figuring probabilities much simpler.

Answer 2

I like simple systems that let you focus on the stories, when giving the impression that your characters evolve. I think the Chaosium system is pretty cool, in CoC in particular.
I don't care about dices, as a game master I always cheat to serve the storytelling, and I usually don't tell the players why they're throwing the dices. The whole thing is to make players to believe it has a real influence, for the thrill.

Answer 3

I prefer a point based system of character development. It allows for individual choice to determine the nature of the character built. The whole point to play the role of someone else we might want to be isn't it? I don't much care about the dice, I have hundreds of dice of all kinds.

Another things I prefer is a table of hit locations and severity's. D&D for example is too simplistic in its attack rolls. I have playing many many different RPGs I would say my favorite game system is RoleMaster. I do also like comic Superpowered campaigns as well as fanasty.

Answer 4

this may take a while...

I play D&D supplemented by the Hârn system. I like a complex background base of information on all of the countries and races (as found in the Hârn system).

Also, I like the diversity of the dice, because there are certain situations where different probabilities are needed and cannot be randomly achieved in rolling multiple dice (two d10s do not equal one d20!).

Answer 5

D&D!! 3.0 OR 2.0