Bad RPG Collecting

[Scurvy_Platypus]

West Seattle. I can't get any more specific than that because I don't remember. It's been a few years.

Wonderworld books, most likely then. It used to be in Burien.

It no longer exists as a physical store to my knowledge, the owner having moved over to ebay exclusively. I was there about... a month?... before it was due to close. This would be 3 years ago I think.

Wonderworld books used to be a kick-ass store. All kinds of stuff to find tucked here and there. It's where I bought my copy of Buttery Wholesomeness (expansion book for HoL for those that don't know). It was one place I always made sure to poke around in, every year when I go back to Seattle.

Which reminds me... HoL (Human occupied Landfill) probably belongs on the list, although I think it might be one of the more obscure ones.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

Is there still any way to acquire F.A.T.A.L.? The part of my mind that gawks at car accidents want to see if it's really as bad as the reviews indicate.

It really is as bad, but it kinda takes a while to get there. I mean, the pdf is 977 pages. It's possible to find online, and it's a 20 MB download.

If you haven't read the review or the rebuttal, just go for those instead.
http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/fatal.html
http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/FATALReviewRebuttal

It makes what would otherwise be a disturbing and unpleasant "game" into something funny.

If you _really_ just gotta have it... no, I'm not going to send it to you. Go off and search for it. Think of it as training to see if you're actually ready to handle it. If your google-fu fails you (it took me about... 5 minutes? 3 different search tries), or you don't have the patience... it's a sign from somewhere that you should just leave it be.

Sidenote: It's amusing that Darren did the review of Synnibarr, and one of the things he counted against it was the page count. 473 pages. Jump forward 7 years, and now people seem to expect at least 300 pages for their books, and don't want to pay more than $30 for it either. And it's gotta be hardback, glossy pages, and full-color art.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Wonderworld books, most likely then. It used to be in Burien.

That actually sounds right.

It no longer exists as a physical store to my knowledge, the owner having moved over to ebay exclusively. I was there about... a month?... before it was due to close. This would be 3 years ago I think.

I find that sad in a way. It was the one store where I ever found a copy of the first book I ever published - White Robes Black Hearts: Enigma of the Arcanexus. It's a damn shame parts 2 and 3 never saw the light of day. I think what we had was epic, but with our financial situations at the time, it was like trying to build a house when the only building materials available was chalk.

 

[Khairn]

I have Synnibar, F.A.T.A.L., and Living Steel... amongst others.

I'm not proud of the fact, but keeping them in plain sight reminds me of the mistakes I have often made when looking at new games.

 

[Tetsubo]

As for truly bad games, you need to look at:

deadEarth

Pee napalm due to a mutated johnson! Die during character creation because you're in the general vicinity of water! Fight the most awesome of foes -- giant ants! This game is brutally realistic! Or not. Not at all. Not remotely realistic. Why does the ad copy say that?

I've got that one as well...

 

[Tetsubo]

S. John Ross isn't posting here to my knowledge so, in his stead, I direct you to that wonderful cutaway diagram of the cyborg's head in Book 1. WTF?!?!

While it sits on my shelf, I refuse to open it again...

 

[Tetsubo]

Wonderworld books, most likely then. It used to be in Burien.

It no longer exists as a physical store to my knowledge, the owner having moved over to ebay exclusively. I was there about... a month?... before it was due to close. This would be 3 years ago I think.

Wonderworld books used to be a kick-ass store. All kinds of stuff to find tucked here and there. It's where I bought my copy of Buttery Wholesomeness (expansion book for HoL for those that don't know). It was one place I always made sure to poke around in, every year when I go back to Seattle.

Which reminds me... HoL (Human occupied Landfill) probably belongs on the list, although I think it might be one of the more obscure ones.

HoL isn't really a RPG. Its a joke played on those that play RPGs... and I own it and the supplement...

 

[Tetsubo]

I have Synnibar, F.A.T.A.L., and Living Steel... amongst others.

I'm not proud of the fact, but keeping them in plain sight reminds me of the mistakes I have often made when looking at new games.

I love Living Steel! Not to *actually* play mind you. But the side bar comments and quotes are great. I own the other games that company made as well. The curse of being a collector.

 

[Tetsubo]

It really is as bad, but it kinda takes a while to get there. I mean, the pdf is 977 pages. It's possible to find online, and it's a 20 MB download.

If you haven't read the review or the rebuttal, just go for those instead.
http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/fatal.html
http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/FATALReviewRebuttal

It makes what would otherwise be a disturbing and unpleasant "game" into something funny.

If you _really_ just gotta have it... no, I'm not going to send it to you. Go off and search for it. Think of it as training to see if you're actually ready to handle it. If your google-fu fails you (it took me about... 5 minutes? 3 different search tries), or you don't have the patience... it's a sign from somewhere that you should just leave it be.

Sidenote: It's amusing that Darren did the review of Synnibarr, and one of the things he counted against it was the page count. 473 pages. Jump forward 7 years, and now people seem to expect at least 300 pages for their books, and don't want to pay more than $30 for it either. And it's gotta be hardback, glossy pages, and full-color art.

Thank you for that review.

I like big pages counts as well, so long as they are full of actual content. It doesn't have to be a hard cover but I do prefer dead tree versions of games. I simply don't buy PDFs. And I like good B&W art. So long as it is *good* B&W art.

 

[Pat]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Wraeththu (I'm not sure I can even describe the game without offending Eric's Grandma, but there's a not-necessarily-safe-for-work review here) or RaHoWa (short for Racial Holy War, the white supremacist RPG). Games like KABAL (perhaps the first RPG flop) and Empire of Satanis are relatively mild in comparison.