I totally missed that #RPGaDay2003 was a thing until like the 26th! So, inspired by James, I’m going to play catch up for this year all at once, and next August I’ll try to get in on the daily game!
First RPG played this year:
Nobilis. Ran a hacked together “3.9 Edition” using Glitch and Chuubo’s rules. Worked pretty well, but has already fallen apart due to adult scheduling.
First RPG Gamemaster:
Me! No intro, I dove in using the books and first principles! Then my best friend got in on it and ran a different game for our group! Good times!
First RPG bought this year:
Delta Green, I think.
Most recent game bought:
Also Delta Green, I believe, the Impossible Landscapes scenario book.
Oldest Game Played:
Brown pamphlet D&D, about as old as you can get unless I recreate the legendary Braunstein or Blackmoor games.
Favourite game you never get to play:
All of them, but FATE and Unknown Armies specifically. Goddamn, I’d love to run so many UA games!
Smartest RPG you’ve played:
I think they can all vary, depends on the group, the session, etc. Nobilis is easily the most consistently cerebral game I get into though.
Favourite Character:
I really enjoyed my Lord of Doomscrolling emo-kid Strategist from that recent Nobilis game. Hard to play favs though, I love them all in their times.
Favourite Dice:
FATE dice! I have a cool fire-and-ice set that I enjoy rolling quite a bit!
Favourite tie-in fiction:
I liked Dan Abnett’s Inquisitor books (Warhammer 40K) more than I expected. Been meaning to reread them, see how they hold up.
Weirdest game you’ve played:
Human Occupied Landfill (HOL); or that homebrew Gamma World Gurps session that went some places. Both ages ago.
Oldest Game you still play:
I’d throw down one of the Basic clones I have (S&W, ACKS) in a heart beat for some old school dungeon stomping, but honestly anything I want to run seems to be old now: FATE, UA, Reign. I guess those all have good new editions though!
Most memorable character demise:
I don’t recall any funny or heartfelt ones offhand. Character death has never featured heavily for me, and games where it is common you tend to have a chuckle at the 1st level fighter being melted by a slime trap WHILE the the mage accidentally fireballs them, then you roll up a new target dummy and forget about the last one.
Favourite Convention Purchase:
I hardly get to gaming conventions any more. Uhh… I got an awesome signed copy of Loony Labs’ Pyramid Arcade at PAX South one year. That’s an underappreciated collection of great games and it was tons of fun meeting and playing games with the owners!
Favourite Con Module/One Shot:
Meh, I never get into these. I do own several neat little games that are clearly convention one-off games, but I couldn’t pick a fav of them.
Game I wish I owned:
Well, I DO own Nobilis 2nd (the GWB) which would be it if I didn’t. I wish I had original books for a lot of classic games: Paranoia, various D&D, the first Vampire maybe, RIFTS, that kind of stuff.
Funniest Game you’ve played?
I had a good laugh at the Knights of the Dinner Table game, which is a pretty good farce of early D&D. My Nobilis games do tend to be pretty funny too.
Favourite game system?
FATE. I think Aspects are just the best idea ever. They work well with almost any other system, yet can also be the only mechanic if you want. Truly genius.
Favourite published adventure?
No idea, hardly ever us them. Impossible Landscapes does intrigue the shit out of me, as do megadungeons like Rappan Athuk that I’ve got sitting here. There’s something amusing and thoughtful to me about a long,
spoiler
and in the end impossible to win
, scenario that makes me want to explore them with a group.
Will still play in 20 years time?
FATE for sure! I’m a big fan of the One Roll Engine and I’m sure I’ll still be breaking that out too!
Favourite licensed RPG?
Weapons of the Gods counts, I guess? Eventually turned into uh… Legends of the Wulin? Not sure what’s going on with EOS Sama these days, or those properties. I don’t get it licensed stuff much.
Best Secondhand RPG Purchase?
Ooh, a D&D Set 1 Basic Rules (red box) in very good condition that I just found at a thrift store one day!
Coolest Looking RPG product/book?
Uh, I’m just going to brag about owning the absolutely gorgeous Nobilis 2nd edition again! I also have a lot of very cool props and accessories for running D&D that I’m like never going to get to use!
Complex / Simple RPG you play?
For simple it’s FATE. Like I said, you could literally have aspects and nothing else and have a very effective system.
For complexity it’s Burning Wheel. Just, all of the fucking Burning engine books. I don’t understand how Crane and co had time to write these things, let alone play them!
Unplayed RPG You Own?
Far too many of them, sadly. Going to say Delta Green and Unknown Armies are the ones I most want to play right now.
Favourite Character Sheet?
I always design my own and I love them! My Nobilis sheets have been great, but my favorite is for a long abandoned RPG of my own design. It was way too complex and unfun to play, but that character sheet was gorgeous!
Game I’d like a new edition of?
I’m pretty good, haha, got new editions I haven’t even gotten to yet! I do wish Weapons of the Gods / Legends of the Wulin had a better publisher and about a dozen more source books by Jenna Morran!
Scariest game I’ve ever played?
Tremulus, ran a pretty fun and spooky one-off with it for Halloween. But the scariest to come is the DG scenario I’ve been wanting to run. Got some good, spooky ideas for that one!
Most memorable encounter?
I once talked a kill team of Dragonblood assasins into joining our righteous cause in an Exalted game. That was pretty amazing, and really annoyed the DM since he hadn’t planned for them having much personality, since he also hadn’t planned on my pacifistic charming character being literally irresistible!
Most obscure RPG that you’ve played?
My own homebrews, surely. HOL, as mentioned, and a few other weird RPGs from that era like Feng Shui.
Favourite RPG of all time?
The most successful campaign I’ve run was with Diaspora, which is basically Traveller run with FATE. I really loved that game, and would run another session any time. Greg Stolze’s Reign is way up there too.
I think Unknown Armies is my favorite to just read and think about.
Compare your answers with those from the first #RPGaDay.
First time posting! I’ll look forward to looking back next year though!
Thanks for reading and happy gaming!