Worst RPG Ever?

[baseballfury]

It's so hard to choose just one. While it's easy to take shots at stuff like Senzar, I'd rather mention games that at least had a shot at being good. For instance:

7th Sea: The "pirate game" with no pirates in it! This could have been so good, but at almost every turn the designers choose the wrong path.

Hackmaster: Can't decide if it's a joke or a serious game. If it's a joke, it's not funny enough for the page count. If it's serious, I have my own notebook full of house rules from the 80s, thanks.

Star Trek (LUG version): The system just wasn't Star Trek enough and making a character was far more of a chore than it should have been. Again, wasted potential.

As those are all fairly recent, I should delve into my collection and come back with more later...

 

[sfgiants]

Twilight 2000. Neat idea, and character creation, but fire off a couple rounds of a machine gun and you had problems (now roll 24 d6...)

 

[Sulimo]

Aftermath was pretty bad IIRC. Its been ages since I've seen it though.

So was RIFTS.

I must admit I'm surprised with some of the suggestions above. Some of them I really enjoy (Paranoia, WEG Star Wars) whilst others (Rolemaster) are alltime faves.

 

[HellBlazer]

Champions, i think that's what it's called. Way to complicated. Took hourse to crete the super hero and then the system seemed all buggy.

The Hero System is THE BEST system out there.

The new edition comes out in April (I look forward to this more then DnD3e)..but hey..to each his own

 

[Sulimo]

7th Sea: The "pirate game" with no pirates in it! This could have been so good, but at almost every turn the designers choose the wrong path.

Umm...I've never played it but, I never thought it was a "pirate game". Rather its a fantasy version of rennaissance Europe. So, perhaps the problem was with your expectations rather than the game.

 

[rounser]

Hackmaster: Can't decide if it's a joke or a serious game.

It's both. Tongue-in-cheek humour and long term campaigning aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but like you, most people aren't used to the idea and assume "game involving humour/parody elements" must equal "throwaway beer n pretzels game".
T'aint necessarily so.

 

[mythusmage]

Seen Hybrid yet? The thread about it should be just below this one.

 

[JeffB]

I'm suprised too by some of these responses..I love Champs, RQ and RM...honestly I'd rather play them than most modern game systems..

Apparently some you have never really seen some of the total and utter crap that came out in the late 70's & early 80's

Dave Arneson's Adventures in Fantasy ranks highest in my book...

Lands of Adventure from FGU

Powers & Perils from Avalon Hill...(you think ROLEMASTER is complicated and full of charts? hunt down a copy of P&P)...

Superhero 2044...

Man Myth & Magic from Yaquinto Games...

Universe from SPI...

MERC from FGU (I actually liked Aftermath)...

The original RECON...

The TRI-TAC system games (Fringeworthy, FTL2448, Stalking the Night Fantastic..all wonderful ideas for games..especially FW, but the rules were awful)

Lords of Creation by AH (another great idea ..poor rules... by one of my fave TSR guys no less...Tom Moldvay)

I could go on...

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hey! HackMaster is a fantastic game!

Worst is too hard for me to narrow down. Biggest disappointment: Ghostbusters 2 RPG. It took the first Ghostbusters RPG, which was a very fun little game, and tried to "improve" upon it, and simply made it dull and serious.

 

[Jasperak]

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/philippe.tromeur/hybrid.htm

Whatever the heck this thing is. Am I supposed to try and shoot down Voyager with old German military aircraft?