Games that survived first contact...

[Edgewood]

Aliens by ICE: A surprisingly easy to use system with sensible Character Creation Rules. Heck I even like the hit location system they developed for combat. I played a couple of sessions and even had a chance to develop a character who was finally promoted to Sergeant. Although it wasn't my mainstay game by any means, it was a fun game to play.

Marvel Superheroes: I know that there is quite a strong fanbase for this game now but back in the mid eighties I was reluctant to try it out. Once I played though I fell in love with FASERIP. The simplicity of the actions made me believe that I was Spider-man. Alot of fun.

 

[knightofround]

I might get flamed for this but, but I was a big fan of Alternity. Firefly is another good one. Gurps illuminati can be incredible, but you need a really good DM for it. (Moreso than other games) I'll always have a soft spot for star wars D6. However D&D 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 all had the best survival rate.

Games that I was surprised didn't survive first contact were Champions and Star Wars d20. I never figured out why, just the people I play with I guess.

 

[exile]

I play a lot of different games, so you could argue that many of them have survived first contact.

Most recently, D&D4E barely survived first contact. Since that, it has grown on me a lot. I now consider it the equal of 3.5 (equal but different).

Dread has been a recent hit with me and my friends, easily surviving first contact.

Chad

 

[The Green Adam]

First, Second and the Third Kind

Mutants & Masterminds:
For me, an avid fan of simple D6 systems, the best thing you could possibly do with a D20 outside of the original Paranoia game. I was into this one before it came out (in a manner of speaking) and I've run many a cool campaign with both 1st ED, 2nd ED and a merger of the two I like to call First and a Half.

Traveller:
Traveller, the original, classic, no-funny-diet-aftertaste version actually didn't survive 1st Contact with me and my friends. At the age of 11, SciFi games needed aliens, blasting ray guns and hyperwarp drives. Products of the age of Star Trek, Star Wars, Legion of Super Heroes comics and the like, Traveller was bland and boring. This feeling was further cemented by a GM who ran a scenario that could have occured in a featureless warehouse during any period of time where guns exist. It was second contact, when I learned the game and ran it my self that made it one of my all time favorite RPGs..

Deadlands:
When a very close friend of mine returned to NY from Cali he told our group that he now GMed and wanted to run something. I thought, Holy Moley! Keith is gonna run something?! I am there! Anything you wanna GM is good by me...so he said, "I'm going to run Deadlands!"

Er...let's see...I don't like Westerns and HATE Horror...the system seemed needlessly overworked...ok...let's give it a try!

We ended up only running it a few times but I actually had a blast. My buddy Keith changed a few things here and there resulting in a very cool experience.

One never knows, do one?

AD

 

[Engilbrand]

I played in a Savage Worlds Deadlands game. I used a pre-made Gambler. I thoroughly enjoyed that game. The system was nifty, but my favorite part was the ability to basically play cards against the devil to temporarily gain more power. I used that ability constantly. Sometimes it worked out and I was able to use power that I didn't have access to. Other times I shot fireballs into the backs of my friends or had them explode in my face. Either way, it was a ton of fun.