31. FAVOURITE RPG of all time
Everyone's favorite role-playing game of all time is All Time Fave: A Role-Playing Game.
Someone ought to design that...
Or not.
This is certainly one of my least favorite RPGaDay questions...
And this concludes RPGaDay 2023. How did you do?
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30. OBSCURE RPG you've played
I think there ought to be a role-playing game entitled Obscure Role-Playing Game, and I think I am the person who ought to create it. The title is always the most difficult part of the game design process for me, and here it is! It's perfect really. All I need are millions of fans to purchase it ironically.
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29. Most memorable ENCOUNTER
This question doesn't interest me, so I'll just focus on the featured word, "encounter," precede it with "random," and follow it with "table."
Random ENCOUNTER Table (RPGaDay 2023 Edition)
Roll 1d6
1. A fully clothed centaur (with briefcase).[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2023 specifically), read this.]
28. SCARIEST RPG you've played
I can't think of a single role-playing game I have played that was consistently scary, but I can think of plenty of instances in many different games—as a player or as a GM—that were startling and/or eerie. But too much of any one thing in a game becomes a bore. In any role-playing game there ought to be humor as well as drama, action as well as horror (or suspense). What the ratios are depends on the situation, but there's no reason a comedy RPG can't have dramatic stakes, or a dramatic RPG can't have moments of slapstick. Likewise, sometimes the greatest terror happens in fantasy adventure RPGs, and sometimes the horror RPGs inspire resourcefulness and heroism. It's all based on the circumstances. And the players. And the GM.
But the role-playing game that I hope is the scariest in the best possible way is Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game (although Og and Paranoia are contenders).
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27. RPG you'd like a new EDITION of
I think I would like to see a new edition of Men in Black adapted to The D6 System 2nd edition. (I would like to see a lot of things adapted to The D6 System 2nd edition.)
I would also very much like to see a new edition of the Science Fiction Companion for Savage Worlds (SWADE) as soon as possible. (It ought to have been the first companion to get a new edition after the publication of SWADE, in my opinion.)
Some new editions that are in progress (and that I am eager to acquire and play) are Scales and Tales 2nd edition and Knave 2nd edition. I am usually disappointed by newer editions of role-playing games, but I am feeling optimistic about these two.
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26. Favourite CHARACTER SHEET
Honestly, my favorite character sheet nowadays is the humble note card. I don't like clutter; I don't like small fonts; I don't like small spaces in which to record my information; and I don't like background images—all of which rules out most character sheets. Just give me note cards. It's one of the oldest methods of recording character information and it's still the most efficient.
One caveat, though: If you are the GM, make an example note card of primary character information for the sake of consistency. It's especially important for new players who may need help locating information. If the information is located in the same place for every player, they can help each other more quickly.
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25. UNPLAYED RPG you own
I have many unplayed role-playing games. (I might be a collector.) One of the many unplayed role-playing games in my collection I would like to play is Scales & Tales by Kevin Sherry. Available here, a new edition is expected to be released in early 2024. See the scalesandtalesrpg Instagram account for a wealth of Scales & Tales art.
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24. COMPLEX/SIMPLE RPG you play
The most complex role-playing game I am willing to play would be Savage Worlds or one of the classic Basic Role-Playing games from Chaosium (e.g., Stormbringer, Ringworld, etc.). Anything more complex is counterproductive to the kind of role-playing I enjoy. Life is too short for unnecessary complexity in gaming.
The simplest role-playing game I am willing to play would be almost anything as long as there is a random element and everyone gets to roll (or use whatever randomizer is used instead of dice). I want no part of "only the players roll" or "only the referee rolls." Both extremes are boring.
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23. COOLEST looking RPG product/book
So, I'm supposed to visualize every role-playing game product/book I've seen in my life and declare one of them as the "coolest looking"? I haven't the time to concern myself with evaluating every role-playing item I have ever seen. Instead, I'll reframe the question as the "coolest looking RPG product/book that doesn't exist, but should" and declare it to be The Blues Brothers, a D6 role-playing game that only exists in my imagination (with forwards by Dan Aykroyd and Cab Calloway). It would look so cool that just holding it would cause a mild explosion, and when the smoke cleared you would be dressed in the style of Jake and Elwood.
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[Second photo by Sooz.]
22. Best SECONDHAND RPG purchase
The best secondhand role-playing game purchase I have ever made was a copy of the boxed set of Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game, complete, unpunched, and containing a Ghost Die in perfect condition. It was a miracle I found a copy, and it was reasonably priced. I had been kicking myself for not buying a copy when it was available in stores (I think because I was worried it was based more on the cartoon than the movie), and to find a complete, undamaged, affordable copy of the game after all these years was lucky indeed.
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21. Favourite LICENSED RPG
It depends...
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20. Will still play in TWENTY years time
I would hope that I will still be playing all of my favorite role-playing games in twenty years time if I live that long. I'd rather not think about it. Let's concentrate on what we're playing now and what we'll be playing next, regardless of the interval of time.
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19. Favourite PUBLISHED adventure
This question makes me tired. There are too many adventures for too many different role-playing games for me to have an answer. Plus there's the distinction between favorite published adventure played versus favorite published adventure GMed. I have neither the time nor energy to ponder the matter. And as I have mentioned before, my mode of thinking tends not to be hierarchical. I fail to see the point of it.
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18. Favourite RPG SYSTEM
Some of my favorite role-playing game systems include:
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17. FUNNIEST RPG you've played read
Instead of "funniest role-playing game you've played," I'll name the funniest concept for a role-playing game I've encountered. It's a tie between Creeks & Crawdads, the game of playing inept crustaceans in a post-apocalyptic future, and Og (including Land of Og and Og: Unearthed), the game of playing prehistoric people with an extremely limited vocabulary. I don't know how funny they are in action, but they're hilarious on paper.
N.B. This may overlap Day 7.
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16. RPG you WISH you owned
I shall interpret the "role-playing game you wish you owned" as one that has never been published, because otherwise I would merely be sharing my wish list of mostly out-of-print titles, and no one cares to see that.
The nonexistent role-playing game I wish I owned (because a friend of mine would dearly love to play it) would be an adaptation of Tron. I would want it to be streamlined, fast, and awe-inspiring in play. I would want special Tron dice and Tron dice trays and a landscape Tron GM screen and a rule book that looks gorgeous in both print and PDF. And I want interactive player character sheets with graphics and sound effects that the GM can alter remotely during the game.
It sounds crazy and it will never happen (and if it did it wouldn't be nearly as good as I'm envisioning it), but that would be my wish. Short of that, I'll just have to homebrew my own version.
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15. Favourite Con MODULE/ONE-SHOT
I no longer recall the name of the GM nor the title of the adventure, but I remember the following:
I say it was my favorite convention module/one-shot because it was the only occasion my friends and I all played together as players without one of us having to be the GM. It was great fun, and I wish it had been one of many such experiences.
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14. Favourite CONVENTION purchase
This one is easy. My favorite and most memorable convention purchases were the items I bought at the first Gen Con I attended when it was held at the University of Wisconsin—Parkside in the early 1980s: Stormbringer, Call of Cthulhu, and the two volumes of Best of The Dragon/Best of Dragon. This was the beginning of my devotion to the Basic Role-Playing series of games by Chaosium.
I can remember how I felt as I sat in our tent at a nearby campground, marvelling at my first convention acquisitions. The first remain the best, and I cherish them.
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13. Most memorable character DEMISE
The winner of "Most Memorable Character Demise" goes to one of my wife's 0 level characters in Sanctum of the Snail, a Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG adventure included in the first issue of Crepuscular (obtainable here). I can't reveal the cause of death, as it would be a spoiler (and that's the problem with this question), but I can say that her character had two options. Upon taking the correct option, which yielded something beneficial, she then decided to take the second option also (over the objections of her fellow player) and paid the fatal consequence. Those who have played or run the adventure might know the situation to which I am referring, and can well imagine the facial expressions of onlookers. I wish I could say more. Rest in Peace, 0 level daredevil who knew no fear and took every risk that confronted her. If we ever find her character sheet, I'll post it here.*
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[Edit: I previously stated that the name of the adventure was Sailors on the Starless Sea, but I had misremembered.]
* I found her character sheet and realized I can't post it due to spoilers, but I can share her non-spoilery character generation info.
Name: Zip
0 level Rutabega Farmer (she/her)
Strength: 14 (+1)
Agility: 16 (+2)
Stamina: 4 (-2)
Personality: 13 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+1)
Luck: 14 (+1)
Armor Class: 12
Hit Points: 1
Lucky Sign: Bountiful Harvest (+1 hit points per level)
Weapon: pitchfork
Equipment: hen, holy symbol
Starting Funds: 42 copper pieces
12. Old RPG you STILL play
I am more interested in the inverse of this question. An old role-playing game I do not still play is Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the RPG I've spent more hours playing than any other game. I no longer have the patience for AD&D's morass of unnecessary rules. It has its uses as a resource, but not as a game I have any interest in playing again.
That isn't to say I won't run an AD&D adventure, but if I do, I'll adapt it for Basic/Expert D&D, Swords & Wizardry White Box, Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, Knave, or Maze Rats.
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11. WEIRDEST RPG you've played read
The weirdest role-playing game I have encountered would probably be The Original Flatland Role Playing Game by Marcus L. Rowland, based on Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott. It is available here via DriveThruRPG. The "free 'lite' version" known as The Original Flatland Role Playing Game (The Flattened Remix) can be obtained here (likewise via DriveThruRPG).
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10. Favourite tie-in FICTION
There was a time when I had the perfect answer to this question—a perfect example of fiction linked to a role-playing game. Barring the example I had in mind, the closest I can get to an answer would be the early BattleTech novels, which narrowly qualify only because of the related MechWarrior role-playing game. (I was in the process of reading them all until the Clan Invasion broke out and I consequently lost interest. Frankly, that stunt ruined the game for me.) In general, though, role-playing games rarely, if ever, inspire good tie-in fiction. I would be pleased to learn otherwise, but I am skeptical.
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9. Favourite DICE
I am not inclined to write a treatise on my favorite dice, so I'll just list some of them:
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8. Favourite CHARACTER
As I mentioned before, I do not think in hierarchical terms. Instead of designating a character as my favorite, I'll choose the first of my characters that springs to mind.
The character is Victor M. Valiant, director of silent films and founder of Valiant Pictures. I created him for a nighttime Call of Cthulhu adventure my friends and I played at a campground in Mukwonago, Wisconsin c. 1990. We were attending Gen Con (then located in Milwaukee), and camping was more affordable than any hotel. David was the Keeper (having read the adventure on our way from Ohio to Wisconsin). Tim's character was a jazz musician from New Orleans, and Andrew's character was a doctor. It was tremendously fun, and I regret we never had the chance to continue their adventures.
Here are the character's details:
Name: Victor M. Valiant
Age: 50
Occupation: Film Director [and founder of Valiant Pictures]
Nationality: American
Residence: U.S.A.
STR 12
CON 11
SIZ 12
DEX 10
APP 15
SAN 96
INT 17 (Idea 85)
POW 10 (Luck 50)
EDU 19 (Knowledge 95)
Magic Points: 10
Hit Points: 12
Cash on Hand: $149.70
Noteworthy Skills
Bargain 40
Chemistry 84
Cthulhu Mythos 3
Credit Rating 20
Dodge 50
Drive Automobile 30
Electrical Repair 30
Hide 25
History 34
Library Use 31
Oratory 11
Photography 94
Read/Write French 61
Ride 16
Sneak 37
Speak French 15
Spot Hidden 41
Swim 40
Track 30
Pump Shotgun 60
An Incomplete Filmography
- Nefarious Dreams
- Juju Dreams
- The Scoundrel of Baghdad
- The Bureaucrat
- Steamer to Shanghai
- The Black Widow
- Fig. 13
- The Engines of Peace
The names of the films were jotted on the back of my player character sheet as Andrew and I ad-libbed about some of my character's past filmmaking exploits. The conversational improvisation between player characters was one of my favorite aspects of that session.
And here is the original character sheet:
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7. SMARTEST RPG you've played read
"Smart" has many definitions. For the purpose of answering this question, I choose the version of "smart" defined as "witty" or "clever." So, with that in mind, what is the wittiest role-playing game (in my opinion)?
Instead of mentioning commercially published role-playing games that most gamers already know about, I'll list the three SMARTEST independent RPGs that are free and currently available:
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6. Favourite RPG you NEVER get to play
Asking me to name my favorite role-playing game I never get to play is like asking me to name my favorite role-playing game, which is no easy task. You might as well ask me to name my favorite book or poem or movie. I do not think in hierarchical terms. I like many role-playing games and I never get to play as many as I'd like. So, my answer will be a role-playing game I never finished designing (although someday I may): Cargoes & Castaways.
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5. OLDEST RPG you've played
The oldest role-playing game I've played is Mazes & Minotaurs. No, that's not true (although I wish it were). The oldest RPG I've played is, of course, Dungeons & Dragons, the first commercially published RPG in the world. Everyone reading this knows what D&D is, but I think fewer readers know about Mazes & Minotaurs.
Mazes & Minotaurs, by Olivier Legrand, answers the question: What if the first role-playing game had been inspired by Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts and Homer's Odyssey rather than fantasy fiction? Based loosely on the rules of the third edition of D&D, it is a brilliant interpretation of a further fictionalized mythical ancient world, and it's free.
Both versions of Mazes & Minotaurs (the 1972 Original Rules and the 1987 Revised Rules) are available as PDFs and are far superior to most role-playing games on the market. And again, they are free.
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4. Most RECENT RPG bought
The most recent RPG I bought this year was Tim Snider's Fie, I Say!, "The D6 Comedy-Fantasy-Parody Roleplaying Game" inspired by Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game. I'll write more about it later in Decidedly Six-Sided.
Fie, I Say! is available in two different formats (PDF and black & white softcover book) here from DriveThruRPG.
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3. First RPG BOUGHT (this year)
The first print role-playing game I bought this year was Richard Woolcock's Tricube Tales, a rules light system using one to three six-sided dice. I'll write more about it later in Decidedly Six-Sided.
Tricube Tales is available in three different formats (phone PDF, standard color softcover book, and black & white softcover book) here from DriveThruRPG.
[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2023 specifically), read this.]
2. First RPG GAMEMASTER
I have already answered this in response to similar #RPGaDay questions over the years (see the first entry for RPGaDay 2019), but I'll repeat it: my first Dungeon Master was my friend David who introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons.
We were in third grade when we met and he proudly announced, "I play D&D with my brother." My blank and uninterested expression led him to follow with an explanation: "It means Dungeons & Dragons." To which I replied, "So?" I can't recall the rest of the conversation, but the subject died until we were in fifth grade and I was excited about an advertisement for a computer game called Deathmaze 5000 I had seen in an issue of 80 Microcomputing. To paraphrase what I told my friends David and Andrew on the playground, "What if there were a game like Deathmaze 5000, but instead of using the computer, which has a limited number of responses to a limited number of commands, you could try to do anything you can imagine and there would be endless possibilities! I wish it existed!" To which David responded, "That's what D&D is." Thusly did the lightning bolt strike me, and a short time later I played my first role-playing session with David as the DM.
It seems like a silly little anecdote, but it was the beginning of a lifelong hobby and it forged a bond of social activity and creative endeavor amongst my friends and me. Role-playing games were, and continue to be, a shared language amongst many of my closest and oldest friends. Thank you, David, for that first adventure.
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1. FIRST RPG played (this year)
The first (and only) role-playing game I have played this year is Mutant Crawl Classics RPG. I've been lax in my active gaming this year, and I only have the Lords of Chaos to blame. MCC RPG is a fine game, but there are so many more I wish to run and play. The year is not over, however, and I may yet find Tanelorn.
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