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I disagree, especially the "end game" part. I got interested in RPGs primarily because there was no mandated "end game." That's been part of their attraction. Sure, the length and feel of the various levels can and has changed through the years. I wouldn't mind if they experimented with...

I agree. However, another thing to remember is that someone's local experiences are not necessarily representative of the overall gaming populace either. I know certain areas where some game systems never caught on. On the other hand, there are some small niche game systems that might have...

Good summary, Steel Wind. A few comments based on my extended experience (i.e. adding experiences of gaming acquaintances of the time). Of all of your history I think the college experience of D&D is the most neglected. A friend of mine, who also was one of the two primary founders of the...

In my experience (going to back to the late 70s) most gaming clubs tied to RPGs were tied to gaming stores. at least were in Delaware. My high school had a gaming club called the "tacticans" that played D&D but they were mostly under the rader. In the early 80s friends of mine started an...

A brief digression, George R. R. Martin in (or was) a roleplayer. The Wild Cards series he was instrumental in creating was based on a Superworld campaign, for example. Of course, that wouldn't necessarily mean he would be good a creating a professional gaming product.

I love the focus 4E has on flavorful, detailed combats with lots of character abilities, focus on terrain, etc. as obstacles, and long combats with lots of choices. I feel this version of D&D captures this the best. It fits the feel of important combats. On the other hand, I am attracted to...

Of course, the pros of more than one person tend to be the cons of just one person, from a different POV.

Indeed, in my early RPG years (pre-1980) I saw an 18/00 rolled and wasted. The player was known for always playing an elf. He decided to play a fighter/wizard multiclass after having an 18 for Strength and 16 for Intelligence. His exceptional strength roll was 00. He tried to convince the DM...

I've been a long-time HERO veteran (although I haven't touched it since the mid-90s). HERO is not a system for someone concerned with "invest time making battlemaps and stats for every single enemy." My initial recommendation would be Heroquest, which is very good for multiple genres. They...

Of course, it's much harder to find a group if you have only one style of play you like. The more specific your needs and preferences, the harder it is to find a group. You need a group that is willing to stay close to your preferred play style. A large percentage groups like this met early...

I don't know how much the RPG industry is invested in Border's survival, but apparently Manga could take a huge hit. According to an article I was reading today, some estimates have Border's responsible for about 40% of U.S. manga sales. Now, I have mixed feelings. One of my two primary RPG...

My status is not up there. I am/have been subscribing, but am considering canceling. Admittedly, my new work schedule has dried up my gaming since I can only play weekdays on a regular basis (noon-8:30 at night isn't conducive to getting a group together). However, I will run some one-offs...

I agree. I only hit the 5 minute mark because of how long it takes to load. It took me two simple steps to have a crash (a constantly repeating crash). Step 1 - Choose create a custom character. Step 2 - Choose to create an Eberron character. Crash. Sorry, that doesn't count as being ready...

Funny you should mention PCGen. In the early days I used it and liked it and what it could become with more work. One day they decided they needed to make it cross platform and so switched to Java. What was once a pretty quick, useful program became a sluggish mess on my computer and I pretty...

Pretty much every superhero RPG would be set up to have magic and technology. The superhero comic books cover such a wide genre that they have to be able to simulate everything from magic, high tech, wild west and mutant monstrosities.

The simplest system I have seen is Greg Stafford's Prince Valiant RPG. There are two stats (one physical, one mental), a handful of skills and a system that uses coin tosses instead of dice. You could probably get the whole system on a page or two. The trick is to find a copy. Usually you...

Wow, I didn't even know there was another Heroquest setting out (besides Glorantha and Mythic Russia). If I was looking for a PDF copy of the Heroquest rules I definitely would have gone for this deal.

I have to admit I haven't played a lot of niche RPGs lately. However, I have a circle of acquaintances with whom I know I could get enough for at least a one-off of most RPGs, niche or not. However, I have had a strong gaming store in my area since '81. It has always encouraged gaming on site...

One issue here is that there is a failure to define terms. What exactly does it mean when you say "the hobby is surviving." If 6 people in the world are roleplaying, but doing it on a weekly basis, is that "surviving"? Technically, yes. For most of us, that doesn't meet the standard. When...

The contested information isn't his sales though, it's that he is #5. He was only placed their by a survey that is certainly based on what is considered very unreliable and selective data.