Sleeper RPG's

[Dannyalcatraz]

Of Mekton I can only say that I didn't play it enough to get a real feel for it, but I remember liking it.

I was in Austin, and the guy running it was a Marine in SCA named Marlin- great guy, passionate DM. Unfortunately, his passion was the problem in this case. He really wanted to create and run a great mecha campaign, and so we started off with MechWarrior. We played a few sessions, but he wasn't satisfied (I was, though). We then moved from mech-based RPG to mech-based RPG, including Mekton, but he never found "The One."

A damn shame, too, because I liked every single session he ran in each game.

Perfectionism has its rewards, but it is not without its costs.

 

[Nathal]

Eldritch

Goodman Game's Eldritch Role-Playing is another many enjoy. Reviews have predominately attested the game to be a good, narrative-based, generic fantasy RPG with a unique action system. I'm glad, since that was the goal. Naturally, as the co-author, I'm glad it's gone over fairly well.

 

[Khairn]

A recent game that really deserves more attention is Artesia. Fantastic fluff, a tweaked Fuzion system that not only fits the setting but enhances it, and production values that are at the high end of the industry.

To that I would add Riddle of Steel, Talsilania, Fireborn and D20 Modern. I'm a big 3E fan, but really do feel that D20 Modern was a better overall system.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Aces & Eights was talked about forever in Knights of the Dinner Table, which is where the basis of the game came from though it is founded on real game mechanics from similar Western RPGs.

IIRC the game always talked about in the KODT strips was called Cattlepunk.

 

[jdrakeh]

Goodman Game's Eldritch Role-Playing is another many enjoy. Reviews have predominately attested the game to be a good, narrative-based, generic fantasy RPG with a unique action system. I'm glad, since that was the goal. Naturally, as the co-author, I'm glad it's gone over fairly well.

It doesn't seem like that has been out for a whole year yet, does it? I've been wanting to snag a copy, though it kind of fell off of my radar. I guess I'd like to see it get more love, too.

 

[MortalPlague]

Gear Krieg. I nearly forgot Gear Krieg. I bought all of the books and minis for the RPG and its companion wargames (yes, there were multiple wargames) and I think I played it all of once. The setting had a lot of potential for Indiana Jones-ish adventure.

One of the players in my group picked up the book for Gearkrieg. She's quite enthusiastic about getting me to run a game set therein. Someday, we might discover the magic.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

While it has gotten some more success then some RPGs, one game I would love to see get well more love is Promethean: The Created. It is a wonderfully crafted game, with everything you would ever need contained within its limited series of books. It is also one of the most engaging rp-experiences out there I think.

 

[jdrakeh]

One of the players in my group picked up the book for Gearkrieg. She's quite enthusiastic about getting me to run a game set therein. Someday, we might discover the magic.

I don't agree with Treebore often, though I do here. With regard to role-playing and Gear Krieg RPG, the "magic" (or fun, if you will) really is in the setting. Although the various GK wargames are fun in the vein old school microgames (e.g., Car Wars), the Silhouette system seemed like an awkward fit for Pulp heroics to me.

I thought that the Silhouette system worked very well for games like Tribe, mind you, just not so much for GK. If I were to run GK again, I'd probably plunder the DP9 books for setting info, grab some of the paper mecha models, and then use something like Risus (with some of the Risus Companion options), Spirit of the Century, or HEX to run the actual game.

 

[sjmiller]

The one game I have yet to see mentioned is DragonQuest, by the now defunct SPI. TSR bought the rights to the game, published a heavily edited version of it, then buried it. That was back in the 1980s. At the time it was a unique, creative game with lots of potential. No set classes, a school based magic system, creative player control over where experience points are applied, and even a point based character creation system with certain random aspects to it. It's modular nature made it incredibly easy to create new things for, and it was fun and easy to play. Sadly, the demise of SPI meant that this game never saw the marketing it truly deserved.

 

[Nathal]

It doesn't seem like that has been out for a whole year yet, does it? I've been wanting to snag a copy, though it kind of fell off of my radar. I guess I'd like to see it get more love, too.

You're right, the year just blew by. Anyway, the game's PDF was recently updated with clarified rules, hyperlinks and new bookmarks. We just put out a short monsters supplement too (PDF), recently.

Oh, and to contribute to the overall thread, I must say I'm interested in checking out Savage Worlds, since I still haven't gotten a chance to play that game. I've heard great things about it. As for other "sleepers", I've enjoyed Gygax's Lejendary Adventure (I worked with him on material for that game, so it holds a special place in my heart).

And as an aside, I wouldn't have regarded Castles and Crusades a "sleeper", though I didn't see it in my local, popular game store. I'll have to make noise and change that unfortunate fact.