I decided to try a number of new games this year. When pre-registering, I Google'd many of the game systems used in the events to see if they looked interesting.
1) Skullduggery - Played in PirateCat's test game. It was a lot of fun, though I'm not sure how the system would be for an extended campaign. Perhaps there's not as much PvP seen in a regular game, but the intentional character rivalry setup of the playtest would definitely make it a great (and hilarious) system for conventions and other one-shots.
2) AlphaOmega - This game has a great... website. Nice production values on the slick, horizontal-rectangle rulebook. But both the setting and rule system were a bit too much of a kitchen sink approach IMO. A post-multi-apocalyptic earth with aliens battling each other and strong religious, supernatural themes. I got the impression that it's trying to be the the new Rifts. Not for me.
3) Unhallowed Metropolis - Take Victorian London, throw in a massive zombie apocalypse, then fast-forward a couple hundred years inside the walled-off city, where the pace of technology not only slowed but took a decidedly different direction than our world and the inhabitants try to cling to the pinnacle of civilization - the Victorian Era - in the face of unrelenting horror. The playtest had pre-gen PCs, all with great hooks that helped establish the feel of the game as well as get everyone involved. The system was very simple (roll 2d10 and add either your attribute or skill bonus), with a wound system rather than hit points (and hit locations! Important for a game where head shots are part of the genre). I had so much fun I bought the core rulebook, which has tons of flavor.
4.) Savage Worlds - Heard alot about this system, so thought I'd try it out. GM was a no-show. Bleh.
5.) Dave Arneson's Blackmoor (D&D 4E) - While 4E isn't new to me, I played in two games that were part of a "living campaign", which I'd never done before and didn't even realize they were this type of game when I signed up. Code Monkey Publishing, who prints the book, ran the events. While I had fun, things were a little chaotic from an organizational standpoint, as apparently Code Monkey had a number of issues with, among other things, absentee DMs, printer failures and a huge response of people with generic tickets showing up. Saturday night there were around 75 people that showed up for an event that was suppose to be for about 18-24, I think. They tried to accommodate everyone, which, while noble, I don't think was the best choice. In the four hour time slots, we only got in about two hours of actual playing in the first and three hours in the second.
