Bizarre RPGs

[CharlesRyan]

Ship of Fools is actually a subtitle. The game in question is Psychosis, which uses a tarot-based resolution system. It's very heavy on symbolism, obviously. I never got a chance to play it, however, so I can't offer much more info than that (other than the fact that the basic rules were released for free at a TXT document).

If you want to get really obscure, there was a second Psychosis book that only released as a PDF. (This was year before PDF publishing hit, so it was sold as a PDF on a CD-ROM--thus, I don't think you can find it out on the net.)

 

[GreatLemur]

It ain't extremely bizarre or even a little bit new, but the Amber RPG was definitely revolutionary at the time, and is still a pretty different experience. I've never been a Zelazny fan, and the game books are in desperate need of an editor, but I'm digging the game all the same. There ain't a lot of RPGs out there where the players get to do so much worldbuilding.

For a properly bizarre game, I've been wanting to check out De Profundis for a while, but I don't think I'll ever see a copy of it. The game actually seems to be half way to a LARP, except that it's all carried out through written letters (ideally of the actual, physical, snail mail variety). You're apparently supposted to take the real world around you, view it in a paranoid and demon-haunted mindframe, and then write increasingly unstable letters to the other players about the cosmic terrors you're menaced by. It's very Lovecraft, of course.

HOL:Human Occupied Landfill. Fantastic game. No chargen in the main book just some templates. We fudged and created some new guys anyway heh. Buttery HOLsomeness is the only supplement for the game and has the character gen.

Good Christ, somebody actually played HOL? I always figured it was just there for the lulz.

I don't know how bizarre you call it, but you may recognize it from the ENnies: Spirit of the Century is a pulp-action game based on FATE (which is in turn based on the classic game FUDGE.)

Not too bizarre, yeah, but definitely an awesome piece of mechanical innovation. And I ache to play it. In a dirty way. I'd really love to try applying the system to other genres, such as space opera, or 1980s-style 30-minute-toy-commercial action cartoons.

Universalis can get pretty weird, but that really depends on who you're playing with. I wish I could find a surrealist fiction reading group and play Universalis with them, that would be a freaking weird game.

Aw, this is another one I'm dying for. I especially like the idea of using it as a coopertive worldbuilding tool for other RPGs.

 

[Desdichado]

What; nobody mentioned Wraeththu yet?

 

[Jhaelen]

The ones that came to my mind immediately are Over the Edge, Amber, and Skyrealms of Jorune.

If you are more interested in bizarre settings, rather than odd game mechanics, I'd add Paranoia and Tribe 8.

I'd also call two of the WoD lines bizarre: Wraith and Mage (bizarreness increasing in the order: Technocracy, Nephandi, Marauders and adventuring in the (Deep) Umbra).

Depending on the campaign/GM Call of Cthulhu can become pretty bizarre, as well.

[hijack] On the Discordia graphic, anyone else notice the striking resemblance to Scarlett Johannsen? [/hijack]

You got it backwards: Scarlett Johannsen resembles the person on the Discordia cover!

 

[Tetsubo]

Chia Chian the Roleplaying Game

Senzar

Spawn of Fashan

ReichStar

World of Synnibarr

All proud members of my collection...

 

[Epidiah Ravachol]

For a bundle of little odd games, get your hands on The NoPress Anthology. It's got some gems like a game that is played backwards, like the movie Memento; a game with one player and a bunch of GMs; and a game that is a bit like psychoanalysis for the role-playing soul. I haven't had a chance to play any of the weird ones in the book, so I can't vouch for how well they work, but they certainly make for some interesting thought-exercises.

I've played Bunnies & Burrows (well, the old original edition, not the GURPS version), it's not so much bizarre as... unusual. The actual game, however, runs like just about every other RPG, it's just that you are playing rabbits.

Yeah, but it's got that old school flavor (which it pretty much invented) where everything you do uses a completely different system to resolve it. Which appears freshing and new in this day and age. And it tempted you into trying out things just to see how they worked.

 

[eyebeams]

One of the design goals of Æternal Legends is to put strangeness on a GM and player-controlled dial. The GM chooses how much of the game to set in weird, magical parallel world, and players choose whether or not to or on a surreal, occult spiritual quest or to seek traditional perfection in a niche.

We wanted a game where D&D players and Over the Edge players could hang out and do their thing together without it causing any problems because Stew Wilson and I like games that run the gamut ourselves.

 

[Planeswalker Maloran]

HellHound: You've got me intrigued with Junk Dreams. I want to play (or run) it very badly. I'm certain I'd have a really hard time finding more players for it, though.

Psion: Where does one find a copy of Psi*Run?

 

[jdrakeh]

Chi Chian the Roleplaying Game

This is a great game. I wish I hadn't sold my copy.

 

[Modoc]

HellHound: You've got me intrigued with Junk Dreams. I want to play (or run) it very badly. I'm certain I'd have a really hard time finding more players for it, though.

I would be interested inplaying this as well. If you get the material and decide to run a pbp let me know.