Horrible games that you couldn't resist. . .

[jdrakeh]

Recently I read a capsule review for a game that is widely hailed as horrible, horrible, crap. So as not turn this into a game-bashing session, I've omitted reference to the game's title in the following quote from said review:

Game X reads much like the power fantasies of a death-metal worshipping high school freshman who's been beaten up by the wrestling team one too many times.

And for some reason, once I read that line, I knew that I must own this game. I thought "Gee, that sounds like bad, wrong, fun of the highest order!" -- see, I have a fascination with games that have a reputation for being "bad" -- from Cyborg Commando to World of Synnibarr, and everything inbetween. As John Waters once said:

“To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about”

And I know that I'm not alone. . . so. . . what hugely horrible games (or games widely held as being hugely horrible) have you gone out of your way to track down, procure, and/or play?

 

[hong]

OD&D (1974) is the one true game. All others are just poor imitations of the real thing.

 

[jdrakeh]

OD&D (1974) is the one true game. All others are just poor imitations of the real thing.

OD&D has flying bears that can shoot lasers out of their eyes, semen-blooded rape ogres (man, what?!?), space-travelling sodomy bikers, and mutations that let your PC urinate napalm before they instantly die due to coming within three miles of a body of water? I must have the sane edition of OD&D (1974)

 

[Frostmarrow]

I got Amazing Engine back in the eighties. I thought it was going to be the next big thing and wanted to get in early. From the ads it sounded like it was going to replace OD&D (1974) fast. It didn't and it sucked. I realised I had been had the minute I received the sad flimsy 30-page rule book. The whole thing only had about two rules but they were compex chart driven rules and probably only covered the author's home game anyway.

 

[jdrakeh]

I got Amazing Engine back in the eighties. I thought it was going to be the next big thing and wanted to get in early. From the ads it sounded like it was going to replace OD&D (1974) fast. It didn't and it sucked. I realised I had been had the minute I received the sad flimsy 30-page rule book. The whole thing only had about two rules but they were compex chart driven rules and probably only covered the author's home game anyway.

I'll admit that the Amazing Engine was disappointing, though I'm talking more about truly tasteless, unapologetic, romps into Bad, Wrong, Fun Land. Things like Senzar or, perhaps, the original Macho Women With Guns. The gaming hobby's own literary equivalents of Pink Flamingos.

 

[Glyfair]

And I know that I'm not alone. . . so. . . what hugely horrible games (or games widely held as being hugely horrible) have you gone out of your way to track down, procure, and/or play?

I went out of the way to purchase a copy of Spawn of Fashan (thanks Piratecat!). I think you'll be hard pressed to find a game that fits your definition more than this.

Even worse, I had used this game before I bought it. At a gaming tournament we finished a round early and one of the players had a copy of the game with him. We used the time to create characters with it's wonderful, weird, completely unplayable character generation system.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

OD&D has flying bears that can shoot lasers out of their eyes, semen-blooded rape ogres (man, what?!?), space-travelling sodomy bikers, and mutations that let your PC urinate napalm before they instantly die due to coming within three miles of a body of water? I must have the sane edition of OD&D (1974)

That is so sick, wrong and tasteless that I simply must have it. Where's that from?

 

[Evilhalfling]

TMNT

I still get the urge to breakout the book for some mutant animal characters where the randomly generated backgrounds don't even have a passing familiarity with balance and 1/3 of all rolled characters will end up as ninja.

I even picked up After the Bomb and Road Hogs off e-bay - cause in JHS I only had the regular books and my friend had the post Apocalypse expansions.

if character gen were less labyrinthine I would try and convince my group to try it.

 

[rgard]

I'll admit that the Amazing Engine was disappointing, though I'm talking more about truly tasteless, unapologetic, romps into Bad, Wrong, Fun Land. Things like Senzar or, perhaps, the original Macho Women With Guns. The gaming hobby's own literary equivalents of Pink Flamingos.

Yep, Macho Women with Guns. Gets my vote. And for full disclosure, I bought all the sequels/expansions for it too!!! Batwinged Bimbos from Hell? I think that was one of them.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Achan hiArusa]

I got Amazing Engine back in the eighties. I thought it was going to be the next big thing and wanted to get in early. From the ads it sounded like it was going to replace OD&D (1974) fast. It didn't and it sucked. I realised I had been had the minute I received the sad flimsy 30-page rule book. The whole thing only had about two rules but they were compex chart driven rules and probably only covered the author's home game anyway.

Though the system wasn't the greatest, the world books were just bursting with original ideas. I think you missed out on Magitech, Faerie Queen & Country, Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega, Once & Future King, Galactos Barrier, Tabloid!, and Bughunters. I'm not a big fan of the Amazing Engine, but having all these books has been a goldmine for ideas. I've run games in Tabloid!, Magitech, and Bughunters using alternate systems (D&D for Magitech and New WoD for the other two) and I have a Pendragon campaign that I've rewritten to use the setting for Once & Future King. And I will say that Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega was better than Jim Ward's later effort.