Quick, while everyone is focused on the 5.24 PHB...

[Cergorach]

Mine was "Oog Des Meesters", in English know as "The Dark Eye" somewhere in '85-'88, we moved to the Dutch version of the basic red box of D&D in '88 and then moved on to the English version of AD&D 2nd Edition in '89.

 

[Tonguez]

i actually cant remember if it was Palladium or Rolemaster

Palladium had its descriptive alignment system and better magic systems, Rolemaster was amazing but mindboggling and didnt really click with me. I remember toon and a couple of superhero games too

Then I discovered GURPS and played that for a few years

 

[Nikosandros]

For me, it was Rolemaster and I played it for the first time a few months after beginning with D&D.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

My first was D&D (Holmes basic, not that I identified it as such for years) but I largely switched to Runequest within a month. The more-or-less local club had these huge (20+ players, with about 10-12 per table most nights) open campaigns running RQ and later Traveller for anyone who was interested and could demonstrate some degree of maturity. Usually one of the two or three tables was adults-only while the other were mixed. I remember being extremely happy when my 13-year old self "graduated" to the adults table on the basis of "not being insufferable" according to the older guys who vouched for me.

Since they seem to be coming up so often on this thread and the genre is a particular interest of mine, my first supers games were V&V and Champions, both first edition and in that order. Unlike many supers fans I have never actually played TSR's Marvel rules, in large part due to disinterest in roleplaying in either of the Big Two's published settings. Not my gig, I want to create my own characters and world.

 

[billd91]

My first RPG was the Holmes Basic D&D edition. But shortly after that, we discovered Dragon Magazine and learned of other games. I was particularly inspired by one of its articles to pick up Traveller when I had a chance to get it. We made up PCs, many of whom died in character gen, and engaged in speculative trade as well as explored the derelict Annic Nova and some weird pyramids on Yorbund.

Soon after, a friend got a copy of Champions and we had our first introduction to superhero RPGs. We found it a bit more complex than we liked and so I picked up and started running Villains and Vigilantes and that became our primary superhero game.

 

[Aldarc]

Mine was "Oog Des Meesters", in English know as "The Dark Eye" somewhere in '85-'88, we moved to the Dutch version of the basic red box of D&D in '88 and then moved on to the English version of AD&D 2nd Edition in '89.

Das Scwharze Auge? Despite living in Austria for eight years and Germany for almost one year now, I have not played this game. However, my previous gaming group in Austria never spoke of the game in flattering words, to put it lightly, so I've never had a chance to play it.

 

[Faolyn]

While my first game ever was AD&D (2e) game at a convention, my first long-term game was a Star Wars d6.

 

[Arilyn]

Warhammer Fantasy. It was the game that caused me to fall in love with rpgs. All those careers!

 

[Wolfram stout]

1st was Traveller (but only Char Gen not actually playing). Then Top Secrect (but only for 1 shots), then Marvel (FASERIP) then a bunch of one offs, then V&V. V&V spawned a years long on again off again campaign that we still bring up. Yes, we did the Stat yourself as a Hero with all the arguments you can imagine from boys in their late teens.

Gurps got a lot traction in the late 80s/early 90s as well.

 

[eyeheartawk]

My very first RPG experience was not D&D. It was GURPS 3rd edition in YMCA summer camp, I suspect the "lite" version, though I don't really remember. And, since this was the 90s, Vampire, Werewolf and Mage next. I don't think we even looked at AD&D 2E (black border version ride till I die) until I was at least a year into the hobby.