Help me pick a game

[copeab]

Not to play, but to read. Due to the 4th of July holiday, my game session of the weekend is cancelled. I;ve decided to pull out one of the RPGs I've never played and give it a thorough read over the weekend, make characters, run mock combat, etc. (I've read parts of all of them).

So, which one should I pull off the shelf?

Edit: that should be "Marvel Super Heroes"

[Cygnia]

In the hands of a good GM, Everlasting can be fun.

Key word being "GOOD". I had the misfortune of a rather [BLEEP] GM railroading things when we got shanghaied into playing it... :p

[copeab]

In the hands of a good GM, Everlasting can be fun.


I like what I saw mechanically, but the backstory seems terribly pretentious.

[Darren Watts]

Pendragon is the best-written book on that list, if that's going to be your criterion. dw

[copeab]

Pendragon is the best-written book on that list, if that's going to be your criterion. dw

Good writing helps, but interesting material is also important.

[Nolgroth]

I vote for Shadowrun on the condition that you have prior to 4th Edition.

[copeab]

I vote for Shadowrun on the condition that you have prior to 4th Edition.

First edition.

[jtelson]

Pendragon's well written, gives good source, and has some interesting mechanics. Definately worth spending an afternoon going through.

[Lord Liaden]

Would it help to know that there are detailed free HERO conversions on the Internet for Shadowrun (http://www.starherofandom.com/h_shadowrun/index.php) and for Jorune (http://www.jorune.org/files/Jor_HERO.pdf)?

[Nolgroth]

First edition.Not as streamlined as 2nd and 3rd editions, but still fun.

[copeab]

Would it help to know that there are detailed free HERO conversions on the Internet for Shadowrun (http://www.starherofandom.com/h_shadowrun/index.php) and for Jorune (http://www.jorune.org/files/Jor_HERO.pdf)?

No, because I normally play GURPS ;)

[Cancer]

I've played the first three (in fact, was playtester on at least two of them and did some source material for one), know nothing about the others. I'll just comment on the ones I know.

1st Edition Shadowrun wasn't as good or playable as 2nd. We have a long-running 2nd/3rd edition campaign on indefinite hiatus as we decide what to do about the edition. We liked the setting.

Earthdawn is probably the most self-contained of the three. It's a FRP, uses all the polyhedra. Class and level-based. The background universe gives you a reason to go dungeon-crawling. We intend to restart that someday. Troll Sky Raiders rock.

TORG is the most ambitious of the bunch, an attempt at true cross-genre gaming. It uses a D20 (but antedates "d20"), which colors my vision of it (I hate flat probability distributions). Arguably the most interesting and innovative in terms of mechanics with a rigid logarithmic-exponential rating system, and a "Drama Deck" of cards that go a great deal toward imposing a more cinematic feel to combat. Unfortunately, it leans very heavily on supplement materials that aren't in the core rules set ... you have no way of figuring out how to construct pulp-science gadgets, magic spells, etc., from just the stuff in the core boxed set, which is a crying shame. Worse, there's no clue about the psionics, technohorror, and other late-entering alternate realities in later supplements.

From those three I'd pick Earthdawn, because without lots of supplements TORG is a pale shadow of what it should be, and 1st Edition Shadowrun is a step down from 2nd & 3rd.

[copeab]

Pendragon's well written, gives good source, and has some interesting mechanics. Definately worth spending an afternoon going through.

I have the 3rd edition, plus some supplements that are all over the place year-wise: The Pendragon Campaign (1985), Land of Giants (1996) and Book of Knights (2000). All were bought used.

[Psybolt]

Pendragon is my vote... for no specific reason.

[Ian Mackinder]

TORG is my vote. Yes, it needs add-on stuff for some things, but that hardly makes it unique as RPGs go.

[Blue]

Let's play... global thermonuclear war...



fun

[copeab]

Despite a late push by MSH, the winner is Pendragon.

Thanks to all who participated.

[bubba smith]

have you tried the algernon files or its prequel the fires of war?
they have HERO games version