pawsplay
Hero
Heroes Unlimited. Even though I know full well it's a clunky old thing, even though I'm not a fan of the Palladium rules, even though it's entirely possible to roll up a mentally-challenged guy whose power is that he drives a bulletproof car, even though it gives next to nothing in the way of tools for generating NPCs... I still find myself eyeing the revised second edition. Why? Because, honestly, there is something really fun about rolling up a character just to see what will happen. Enduring the bizarre results is almost a game itself, and trying to rationalize some of the results in a story fashion is nothing less than an art. Also, the game is not heavy on design philosophy or complicated subsystems, just a combat system that fits on a few pages, dozens and dozens of skills (with percentages), powers, spells, a few charts. There is a lot to be said for just being able to run something. I could probably have a Heroes Unlimited game running in under an hour, with novices. Not that I would be inclined to play, but I could certainly do it, if I wanted... there is something profoundly simple and pleasing about rolling up the power to generate flame and simply writing it down on a character sheet. That's why it's tempting to buy it, really. Just to roll up characters. It's even better than Rifts in that regard, which not only gives you the option of rolling up a nonhuman before you touch the dice, but allows you to pick OCCs, even some (such as the borgs) that basically wipe out some bad attribute rolls.
Basic D&D does not quite do this, as there simply aren't enough variables or choices, but there other games that can give this kind of pleasure. Dark Conpiracy, Warhammer Fantasy Role-Playing, Paranoia, Villains and Vigilantes, Marvel Super-Heroes. Should I admit that own three I just named?
Even Runequest is relatively modern, with its background occupations and so forth. To really get the feel right, you have to be able to roll up something that looks nothing like the guy on the cover of a role-playing game novel. We're not talking about Drizzt or a Superman knockoff, we're talking about a ninja moose that walks with a limp, a mildly retarded frost giant mercenary, or a mutant who can control the wind and turn into a tiger. Characters who become Fighters because their ability scores are too low to do anything else. Dextrous characters being pressed into service as clerics because the last one died.
Basic D&D does not quite do this, as there simply aren't enough variables or choices, but there other games that can give this kind of pleasure. Dark Conpiracy, Warhammer Fantasy Role-Playing, Paranoia, Villains and Vigilantes, Marvel Super-Heroes. Should I admit that own three I just named?
Even Runequest is relatively modern, with its background occupations and so forth. To really get the feel right, you have to be able to roll up something that looks nothing like the guy on the cover of a role-playing game novel. We're not talking about Drizzt or a Superman knockoff, we're talking about a ninja moose that walks with a limp, a mildly retarded frost giant mercenary, or a mutant who can control the wind and turn into a tiger. Characters who become Fighters because their ability scores are too low to do anything else. Dextrous characters being pressed into service as clerics because the last one died.
