Akrasia
Procrastinator
My question: What RPG systems have your tried -- and liked -- despite initial doubts?
I have three:
MERP. I was pretty committed to AD&D for my fantasy games in the early 1980s, but my group gave the game a shot. It quickly became our favourite system. We loved the flexibility of the classes and the goriness of the critical hit charts. And those covers by Angus McBride were beautiful (still the best art for any FRPG IMO). My most successful campaign during high-school (1985-86, iirc) used MERP. (In retrospect, I see that my games violated many core tenets of Middle-earth -- it was ridiculously 'high magic' -- but it was fun at the time.)
Buffy/Angel (Cinematic Unisystem). I was a fan of BtVS before looking at these games, and I was pretty sceptical about their ability to capture the 'feel' of the series. IME, most games based on movies or television shows have been pretty weak. Boy, was I wrong in this case! I've never encountered a game system that does a better job in realizing the core features and ethos of its subject matter. The rulebooks are fun to read, as well.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying (2nd ed.). I was completely agnostic about this system before reading and trying it. The core book looked pretty, but because of its connection with WFB, I was worried that it might emphasize tactical combat too much, and require the use of minis. Once I read the rules and tried it out, though, I realized that the game is really well put together! The rules do a superb job in expressing the 'dark and gritty' tone of the Old World. It achieves a very nice balance of detail and playability. Plus, the book is fun to read.
Anyone else pleasantly surprised by a RPG system?
(If you liked a system that you thought you would like ahead of time, please don't mention it.)
I have three:
MERP. I was pretty committed to AD&D for my fantasy games in the early 1980s, but my group gave the game a shot. It quickly became our favourite system. We loved the flexibility of the classes and the goriness of the critical hit charts. And those covers by Angus McBride were beautiful (still the best art for any FRPG IMO). My most successful campaign during high-school (1985-86, iirc) used MERP. (In retrospect, I see that my games violated many core tenets of Middle-earth -- it was ridiculously 'high magic' -- but it was fun at the time.)
Buffy/Angel (Cinematic Unisystem). I was a fan of BtVS before looking at these games, and I was pretty sceptical about their ability to capture the 'feel' of the series. IME, most games based on movies or television shows have been pretty weak. Boy, was I wrong in this case! I've never encountered a game system that does a better job in realizing the core features and ethos of its subject matter. The rulebooks are fun to read, as well.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying (2nd ed.). I was completely agnostic about this system before reading and trying it. The core book looked pretty, but because of its connection with WFB, I was worried that it might emphasize tactical combat too much, and require the use of minis. Once I read the rules and tried it out, though, I realized that the game is really well put together! The rules do a superb job in expressing the 'dark and gritty' tone of the Old World. It achieves a very nice balance of detail and playability. Plus, the book is fun to read.
Anyone else pleasantly surprised by a RPG system?
(If you liked a system that you thought you would like ahead of time, please don't mention it.)
