Poll: Favorite Non-D&D RPG Setting

[Enforcer]

I voted for World of Darkness, but I only really ever played Vampire. That game is just too cool, especially if you can manage to tie your players into the insanely complex metaplot that permeates the setting. Getting your players through an adventure based on diplomacy and intrigue is one thing, having their actions reflect the wishes of a 1500-year-old Methuselah is another...

If only there was some credible way to convert it to d20, but given the power of generation and age, I don't really see how.

As a close second place I have to go with Shadowrun. The richness of that setting is enormous, though I think the addition of otaku and other nonsense like that made it a lot less credible. At least it's definitely convertible--unlike other posters, I think rolling a bizillion dice every second is ridiculous, though the way they do armor makes a lot more sense.

 

[RangerWickett]

My vote is for Gamma Terra, though talislanta would be a close second. Gamma World was the second RPG I ever owned and I've always loved it. All the things I liked about the 4th edition were pretty much 3E D&D.

RangerWickett, have you seen the latest edition of Talislanta? I own the 1st and I think the 2nd and all the supplemants I could lay my hands on. Is it worth buying the latest version?

Yeah, I got it. It's huge, over 500 pages, and very nicely done. It's all in black and white, and I got confused a little bit with some of the Orders of magic, but overall, it's great. It's like the old rulebook and the Chronicles of Talislanta crammed into one, with slightly improved rules. I really do want to run it some time, if for no other reason than that it's so free form. It's got the epic high fantasy of D&D, but without so many nitty-gritty rules, which lets DMs run the game fast and loose.

Sadly, though, this means there's less of a market for new rules ideas. 3e is a piece of marketing genius, since new products can always come out, but for Tal, in its singular world and elegant rules, there's just not that much that you can really publish for it, except for regional descriptions and adventures. Though I think they could use an even greater fleshing out of the magic system; it's got so much potential, it boggles the mind all the things you can do with it. A nice book of examples, a guidebook to playing your spellcasting character, would be great.

 

[swordsman1612]

FASA's Mechwarrior. Who can resist the alure of Stomping around in a 12 meter tall Mech?

 

[RangerWickett]

Ooh, good point. But that's only the war game. The RPG wasn't anything special.

 

[The Green Man]

I voted for Shadowrun. Love the world, love the game concept, hate the rules.

I'm partial to Delta Green, as well.

 

[Lothaire]

World of Darkness.

 

[Aaron L]

Delta Green

I like Mechwarrior too. I read a lot of the novels and really liked the setting.

However, my vote is for Delta Green, by Pagan Publishing for Call of Cthulhu. It's like CoC meets the X-Files, with a big dose of caffeine, adrenaline, and firearms. Secret cabals whithin the government, some working with aliens, some fighting against the occult, cults in New York controlling organized crime, and all the while the Mythos watching everything and laughing as the humans become as twisted as the Great Old Ones.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Darkmatter, for Alternity. Very cool modern setting

LightPhoenix

 

[JeffB]

Glorantha by far. RQ2 Supplements still set a standard most companies can't match.

JeffB

 

[MythandLore]

Final Fantasy 1, 2(4j), 3(6j).

Or do you mean paper?
Hmm... There's a reason I play DnD and not the other games.
I don't like them.