What are the major RPG systems?

[Sir Elton]

Heck, I love Ars Magica to tears, but I would never consider it a "major" system.

Ars Magica is using the Storyteller System.

 

[monkeynova]

Are you sure about that?

Ars Magica is using the Storyteller System.

Storyteller games can use several d10s for task resolution, and IIRC Ars Magica only uses a single d10.

Other than that, the task resolution mechanics are similar between the two.

monkeynova

 

[LordVyreth]

So, what, nobody considers Toon a major game system?

 

[Wombat]

Ars Magica is using the Storyteller System.

It is the system that Storyteller developed from, but it is a very different system. No dice pools, for example, only a single die figures the outcome.

 

[Gutboy Barrelhouse]

So, what, nobody considers Toon a major game system?

Lest we neglect:

Paranoia.
Report to the Computer for termination, citizen.

FUDGE
You can't stick sales numbers on it because Grey Ghost gives it away (mostly).

 

[sword-dancer]

Major RPGs in Germany

German RPGs
TDE The dark eye, Das Schwarze Auge
Midgard
Space gothic maybe?

Arcane codex had made a good start, in it `s two years.

D6D/D20, WoD, Shadowrun

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Has anybody mentioned the system they used for seven seas and L5R?

Those did fairly well in their time and won a ton of awards.

 

[Glyfair]

Tri-Stat/BESM is the only relatively important system I haven't seen mentioned yet. (edit - Because I overlooked Thanee's post. )

But yeah, really 'major' are only D&D/d20 and Storyteller; everything else is secondary.

That depends on your definition of "major." If it includes being the most profitable game systems, perhaps (I could argue BRP, no question Hero has had many money problems).

Still, I think GURPS, BRP & Hero definitely have a strong claim on being major RPGs. All have been around 20+ years in some form and all have been in print for most of that period.

I think if the Avalon Hill/Chaosium split and Hasbro buyout of Avalon Hill hadn't killed Runequest, it would still be in print. Indeed, I think it might have benefited a lot from the D&D 3.0 system bringing attention back to RPGs. As it was, Glorantha was going through another revival at that time. Unfortunately, Hero Wars/Heroquest are far too different from standard RPGs to attract the average player's attention.

And let's not forget Tweet's statements about RuneQuest (a game from 1978) being a big influence on his design of D&D3e (a game from 22 years later).

Which is somewhat ironic since Runequest apparently was just an adaption of Steve Perrin's D&D home rules (something I just found out about recently). That's not to say that that Runequest was not different enough to be considered a system in its own right.

 

[AuroraGyps]

What about Eden Studios' Unisystem. It's the system they use for Witchcraft, BtVS & Angel ( with added drama points system added ), a set of generic Unisystem books ( that can be used with all their other games ), and soon a revised Conspracy X.

 

[Darkness]

That depends on your definition of "major."

Of course. Most things do.