Looking for suggestions on RPG's to own

[Brujoloco]

I am foremost an amateur collector of RPG's , owning rares of RPG corebooks such as KULT, Buck Rogers and CORUM.

I derive more pleasure in collecting tidbits of RPG's here and there knowing full well that a complete collection of an RPG is impossible and cost prohibitive, but I do enjoy greatly owning the books of varied RPG Systems.

So here lies my conundrum, I have run out of rares to try to collect, they being too rare to find or what few books I have managed to find torn and wrinkled beyond recognition by poor treating and lack of care, others so pricey it's honestly mindboggling. So I have switched to own more newer RPG's which are easier to acquire.

Right now I'm Interested in the strange <to me> as I live in LatinAmerica, PATHFINDER , HACKMASTER and CASTLES AND CRUSADES. Of These I was wondering wich core books would be more fun to own/read in my spare time? Would love suggestions and ideas on which set to start collecting (I usually try to buy the main corebooks and a couple xpacs/adventures/modules)

Thought, ideas and suggestions welcome on these 3 systems. I mostly enjoy reading the rules and perhaps some of the backstory for flavor.

I find I prefer first hand details from people that play, been mostly buying lately WFRP3rd Edition xpacs and core packs because I enjoy the setting and loved the old Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay setting.

I know it might sound weird, but I do enjoy collecting the RPG's, even more than playing them sometimes. And when I really fall in love with the system from the corebook I form a group to try it and explore. (That's how my CoC collection/play sessions grew the first time I laid hands on it)

So any suggestions on how fun to read and enjoy for a quiet lecture these 3 systems I suggested are? I want a new line to begin collecting slowly, as I buy the books as money allows and trickles slowly into my pocket.

Also if you have or know about some interesting to read <not necesarily play> systems around I would love to hear about them

Also PDF's are so impersonal and defeat the whole purpose of me holding them in my hands, they are out of the question <asked this on other forums and got that answer>, I just want opinions from People.

After playing D&D for years I decided to begin collecting alternate systems, so far my most precious treasures belong to the KULT brand. That's an RPG that deserves to be read as a standalone story.

Cheers!

 

[Jhaelen]

I cannot help you regarding the three systems you're now looking into but since I also collect rpgs, I thought, I'd mention a few that I consider essential to my collection:
- Amber
- Aria
- Skyrealms of Jorune

I considered many of the oWoD books a good read, although some were a bit over the top regarding the 'grim-dark' theme.
Currently, I enjoy reading the Ars Magica 5e supplements best because they tend to be well-researched and based in real world history.

 

[Thanael]

Ask at the acaeum forums?

 

[Celebrim]

I am foremost an amateur collector of RPG's , owning rares of RPG corebooks such as KULT, Buck Rogers and CORUM.

I derive more pleasure in collecting tidbits of RPG's here and there knowing full well that a complete collection of an RPG is impossible and cost prohibitive, but I do enjoy greatly owning the books of varied RPG Systems.

So here lies my conundrum, I have run out of rares to try to collect, they being too rare to find or what few books I have managed to find torn and wrinkled beyond recognition by poor treating and lack of care, others so pricey it's honestly mindboggling. So I have switched to own more newer RPG's which are easier to acquire.

In my opinion the best reason to collect RPG's is to play them. There are a lot of great systems that came out over the years (more than I've been able to play), but my suggestions for systems to own would be:

WEG 1e Star Wars - Still the best Star Wars system.
Chill 2e - Lovely game with attractive books. Very fun to play. Didn't really recieve the recognition it deserved in a crowded market.
Chaosium Call of Cthulhu - I think I have the 4e core book, but the changes over the years have been pretty minimal. The real collectible here is the campaign books - Mountains of Madness, Shadows of Yog-Sothoth, Horror on the Orient Express, and Masks of Nyarlathotep.
Mutants and Masterminds 2e

Game systems I would like to own as collectibles are:
Runequest
Skyrealms of Jorune
Aces and Eights
Hackmaster
Harn
Dogs in the Vineyard
Sword World
The Dark Eye

 

[Wightbred]

I like reading RPG texts so I appreciate your approach to the hobby. For me the PDF is a good option so I can carry my collection with me, but when I really like a game I always get it as a book as well.

I have only one Hackmaster book and it's from the previous edition: The Combatants Guide to Slaughtering Foes. Personally I wouldn't play the system, but the book is a great read. I think you'll find most Hackmaster products a great read as they have a humorous style but also lots of interesting mechanics.

These days I tend to collect what I would see as "independent" games because I find they are really interesting to read because of the very different mechanics but are usually small books and self contained. Often you can only get these through independent websites or from the creator, so they can have that search factor and make fun collectables. Some examples of ones I particularly like:
- Mouse Guard by Luke Crane (new boxed set coming soon)
- Dogs in the Vineyard
- My Life With Master
- Fiasco
- Primetime Adventures
- Polaris
- Grey Ranks
- 3:16

A couple of games I am adding to my collection soon:
- Burning Wheel Gold
- The One Ring
- Blood and Honor by John Wick

 

[Ycore Rixle]

A few other indie rule systems to look at and "collect" if only on your hard drive:
- Nicotine Girls from Halfmeme Press (Paul Czege, same guy who did the fantastic My Life with Master)
- The Shab al-Hiri Roach (Jason Morningstar of Fiasco et al)
- Risus
- Diaspora (hard sci-fi with FATE)
- Apocalypse World (Vincent Baker of DITV et al.)
- Spellbound Kingdoms (This is my game, but I think it's a system with enough difference and fun to be worth collecting!)

I think all of those are a great read. Some of them I don't think stand up so well in actual play! But for taking a look at game systems and collecting RPG esoterica, I think they're good.

 

[Greg K]

Ars Magica
Bond 007
Cinematic Unisystem: Angel
Cinematic Unisystem: Buffy
Cortex: Supernatural
Chill 2e
Cyberpunk 2020
DC Heroes 2e
Ghostbusters (not Ghostbusters International)
Mutants and Masterminds 2e
Earthdawn (for the setting)
Savage Worlds
... Darwin's World
... Hellfrost
....Mars
... Sundered Skies
... Thrilling Tales
Shadowrun (for the setting)
Talislanta (for setting)
Warhammer Fantasy (for the setting)
L5R (for the setting)
7th Sea (for the setting)

 

[alms66]

As for the systems you list, all I can really tell you is the order of rules-heaviness is:
Castles & Crusades
Pathfinder
Hackmaster

Beyond that, I highly recommend these games to everyone that loves fantasy gaming in all it's forms:
Talislanta (it's freely downloadable in pdf form now)
Dragon Warriors (rules-light, human-centric, great setting dripping with flavor)
Crimson Exodus (Great mix of elements from D&D/Savage Worlds/FATE)
Burning Wheel (Sort of heavy on rules, but awesome character development)
Shard RPG (some will call this a "furry" game, but it's not, it's highly based on Indian myths and legends)

And the two following Generic systems are pretty good two:
GURPS
HERO System

My list is pretty short as I only collect what are IMHO "the best of the best" RPG's out there. The only one I leave out is The Riddle of Steel, as it's almost impossible to find in book form, but the pdf of the core rules can be purchased from the TRoS fan-site or you can play with the "quick-start" rules found on TRoS website.

 

[Spinachcat]

If you are looking for RPGs to read, I highly suggest games from Palladium Books, especially Palladium Fantasy and Rifts. There is a HUGE amount of material and easy and cheap to collect via eBay.

 

[Spinachcat]

Also, if you like reading Free PDF RPGs, check out Mazes & Minotaurs which is an awesome game with tremendous support which is also all Free!

M&M