What games should I have on my shelf?

[Mercule]

So, every few years, I sell off a bunch of my gaming books and re-invest the money in other gaming stuff. This time around, I realized that I've been so deeply buried in D&D that I'm not even sure what's out there. Thus, this thread.

What games would you all recommend having around on the off chance you get to run them (I'm almost always GM, especially for one-off games)?

Feel free to throw out any ideas -- hopefully others will get use from this thread, too. What I'm looking for, though, are games that are pretty self-contained (or incredibly interesting support books) to play and lend themselves well to low prep time. Ultimately, though, it's all about the fun. I'm not looking for d20 alternatives/knockoffs, since I'm not actually unhappy with D&D. I will not be getting True20, C&C, etc.

I'd also be interested in hearing about any handy gaming accessories like Tact Tiles, Steel Sqwire, etc.

Things that are already on my radar are Shadowrun 4E, Dread, and the nWoD core books. I've got Hero, and that'd be my "universal" game of choice. What else is out there? Please assume I've never heard of it.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Posting with my wii.

Star Wars: Saga edition. I can`t speak highly enough of this game. That, and Legend of the Five Rings 3rd Edition.

-TRRW

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Toon. Possibly the easiest game system ever, it perfectly evokes Looney Tunes cartoons and is a great game to create a one-off session for, especially with younger non-gamers.

Kobolds Ate My Baby. The second easiest game system ever, players are kobolds descending on a pitiful peasant village to capture human babies for a feast. Unfortunately, these kobolds make 1E kobolds look macho and hilarity ensues, especially when a chicken catches a kobold.

 

[Treebore]

I second Legend of the 5 Rings 3E
Mutants and Masterminds 2E (d20 based)
EPICrpg
HARP
Call of Cthulhu
Shadowrun 4E

are my top picks off of my shelf.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Feng Shui. Anything that you do in an action movie, you can do here. Think over-the-top Jackie Chan style stunts. Big Trouble in Little China would be a good movie to use as a point of reference here although really almost any action movie can be emulated.

Paranoia. Think George Orwell's 1984. Big Brother is a crazy paranoid computer that is watching your every move. You are a Troubleshooter trying to weed out commie mutant traitors. Trouble is you are also a mutant that may just be a communist (and so are your fellow Troubleshooters). Try to kill them before they kill you. Sure, your character will die a lot, but you'll have an awesome time doing it.

Toon! Think Loony Tunes as a roleplaying game. A good light-hearted game. Great as a one-shot but I'm not sure how it would go as a campaign.

All 3 are pretty much self contained games in 1 book. All of them have supplements but you can run a perfectly good game with just the 1 core rulebook.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Mercule]

Paranoia. Think George Orwell's 1984. Big Brother is a crazy paranoid computer that is watching your every move. You are a Troubleshooter trying to weed out commie mutant traitors. Trouble is you are also a mutant that may just be a communist (and so are your fellow Troubleshooters). Try to kill them before they kill you. Sure, your character will die a lot, but you'll have an awesome time doing it.

Ooo! I used to play this in high school, but don't have the book anymore. Is there a version currently in print?

 

[WayneLigon]

I'm not looking for d20 alternatives/knockoffs, since I'm not actually unhappy with D&D. I'd also be interested in hearing about any handy gaming accessories like Tact Tiles, Steel Sqwire, etc.

Tact Tiles are one of the best all around use-every-game gaming tools I've ever encountered. They are one of nature's most perfect creations. Kill if you must to obtain them. I've never had a problem with them. They cannot be stained, chipped, bent, discolored, or warped. They should plaster the bottom of the space shuttle with these things.

GURPS, obviously, for a non d20 game. The third ed GURPS Lite actually contains everything you could want for a short campaign no matter what that campaign is. 4E is OK, but it feels a little bulky compared to 3E, even with one of the rules compendium added in (I never bought the combat rules compendium).

Savage Worlds. They really are not kidding when they say fast, furious, fun. The rules themselves can be summarized on one page. Everything else is elaboration and clarification for the new people.

Angel the RPG. Nice familiar intro to Cinematic Unisystem, and it contains more options than the Buffy book since the scope of Angel was larger. I've often heard it suggested that you should get The Magic Box supplement to round out and strengthen the already good magic system.

FATE

 

[jonathan swift]

Savage Worlds again. Gotta love it. Plays fast and cinematic.

Esoterrorists. Possibly the best mystery game system ever. And there's a Cthulhu-esque supplement coming out for it eventually too.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition. My go to fantasy system. Absolutely brutal in combat. So avoid combat.

Spirit of the Century. Pick up pulp-era roleplaying goodness. Possibly my fav rpg ever.

 

[Treebore]

Ooo! I used to play this in high school, but don't have the book anymore. Is there a version currently in print?

Paranoia XP, by Mongoose games. Its a bit on the different side, since they changed things a little bit to run campaigns. However long or short the computer wants them to be.

 

[blargney the second]

While not RPGs, I can heartily recommend both Apples to Apples and Dreamblade. Settlers of Catan is wicked fun as well.
-blarg