Tell me about "Any RPG" from before 1990!

[Knightfall]

As a side note Knightfall, if you want to get a more mechanical grasp of what SAN looks like, without learning the game, look at Sanity :: d20srd.org. If memory serves, it's CoC's mechanic basically bolted onto D&D.

I actually own Unearthed Arcana, which has those Sanity rules in it. But thanks for reminder. Also, I could always use CoC books as part of a v.3.5 Ravenloft campaign.

 

[Knightfall]

Noteworthy...

I was at a local FLGSs selling and trading today.

While I was waiting, I took a look at some of the old school boxed sets (plus one hardcover) in the store. Here are the highlights...

Top Secret/S.I.
CAN $25

Classic Traveller
"The Little Black Books"
CAN $20

Thieves' World
CAN $65

Call of Cthulhu
3rd Edition [hardcover]
CAN $45​

There was also a City State of the Invincible Overlord boxed set priced at CAN $45. It was definitely an older product, not a d20 product. However, I can't figure out exactly what it is. The box is brown and has two books and some nice color maps inside. The store didn't have it shrinkwrapped, so I had a chance to look inside the box.

There was also a Rolemaster boxed set (2nd edition, I think; the box was blue) as well as a Space Master boxed set (1st edition) and a Space Master Armored Assault boxed set. I forgot to write the prices down for those three. Doh!

There was also the boxed set for the Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers Game as well as the boxed set for War Against the Han.

 

[Knightfall]

The game that exposed me to roleplaying games was Traveller. A couple of kids at my school were playing it and I watched the whole session. My parents got me the red box D&D Basic set that Christmas and I've been into rpgs ever since.

Other games pre-1990 that I really enjoyed was Star Frontiers, Top Secret S.I. and Marvel Super Heroes.

Before 2000 I really enjoyed Star Wars (WEG), Fantasy Trip, and ran a Top Secret campaign for 2 years instead of AD&D.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to play many other games outside of D&D in the 00's because my current group of 9 years has been a D&D only club and my only non-D&D game time has been at cons. Since I'm married now, cons are out.

I'm sure you'll want to comment on the post I just made, then.

 

[Knightfall]

The store also had this boxed set...

Aftermath!​

I didn't look at it so I can't say for certain which version of the boxed set it is.

I did look at these, however.

Character Record Sheets

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

NEO in the 25th Century

Deimos Mandate

Sargasso of Space

Inner Worlds​

There wasn't a copy of the boxed set, however.

 

[Knightfall]

There was also this...

Legion of Gold​

And this...

All Animals Are Equal​

I'll be getting both of those as soon as possible.

 

[Doug McCrae]

In the first draft of Call of Cthulhu it was impossible to gain SAN. The PCs really were doomed to go mad. The playtesters complained it was too depressing and SAN gain for victories was introduced.

Krensky's comment would have been entirely true for the first draft but isn't quite correct for the published version. It is possible to win in Cthulhu, just not likely.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Tunnels & Trolls

This was were I started with role-playing.

Ahhhh... T&T. I remember after reading through it that forever more would I refer to Magic Missle as the "TAKE THAT YOU FIEND!!!" spell.

I'll explain to those unfamiliar with T&T.

T&T didn't have the wide variety of spells that D&D had. Instead they (if I am correct) created the first spell that truly levels with you. The Wizard's offensive spell was actually called "Take that you fiend". There was no need to have a bunch of other offensive spells, TTYF was the all in one attack spell for Wizards.

 

[JediSoth]

I played a lot of RPGs in the 80s, but the most played, aside from D&D were Paranoia and Star Wars by WEG.

I still play both, though more modern iterations. I use Paranoia, 2nd edition (published in 1989) and after trying Star Wars d20 and reading Star Wars SAGA edition, I've gone back to Star Wars d6, though I'm now using the 2nd edition revised rules, released shortly before WEG lost the license back in '97, I think.

 

[kitsune9]

I played a lot of RPGs in the 80s, but the most played, aside from D&D were Paranoia and Star Wars by WEG.

I still play both, though more modern iterations. I use Paranoia, 2nd edition (published in 1989) and after trying Star Wars d20 and reading Star Wars SAGA edition, I've gone back to Star Wars d6, though I'm now using the 2nd edition revised rules, released shortly before WEG lost the license back in '97, I think.

2nd Ed is what I have too for Star Wars. I have Star Wars SAGA, but I still like the d6 system the best. It just "works" for me.

 

[Knightfall]

Cross posted from my D&D-themed thread. I think Ariosto ment to post this here.

Thinking about the feel of Fritz Leiber's stories:

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two of the greatest swordsmen in all the worlds ... because the Author makes it so and gives them "plot protection".

In RuneQuest, or a system with a roughly similar approach, skill can certainly go a long way toward doing unto others before they do unto you. However, on those unlucky occasions when a hero is hit, armor is a pretty big deal -- and the famous duo tend not to wear much. (Nor to use shields; the fencing style seems more modern than medieval.)

So, one might want to look at how one's chosen system handles damage, and adjust it to taste. D&D works well for a more "cinematic" approach, because for a high-level character a loss of HP that might kill a normal man might not even represent a wound.