Role-Playing Games - An overview of mine and why I like them!

I have decided to do a series of articles about Role-Playing Games.  Why?  Because it is something I am very positively passionate about (and will make a change from my usual rants on this thread) and I honestly do feel that RPG's deserve a far bigger audience than they already have.  Computer RPGs have certainly grown in popularity over the years and I honestly feel that their Pen & paper parents deserve as much success.  So sit back and let me start off with an overview of the games I play on a regular or semi-regular basis and why I like them.

Castle Falkenstein:  This is a fantasy game, though one not set in a Tolkeinesque pseudo-medieval world as so many fantasy games are but in an alternative Victorian society with magic, dragons, Fey and Steampunk technology all around.  I bought this game back in the early 90's when it was first released and it has pretty much been my number one system ever since.  The reasons for this as numerous.  Firstly, the mechanics (rules system) itself is elegant and simple, using playing cards rather than the usual polyhedral dice for task resolution.  This allows the players to use a little more in the way of tactics in their game which my players have taken to very quickly.  Secondly, the world itself is evocative and given the time period, allows for many different sorts of adventures.  I never have any trouble coming up with plot ideas for CF games as I can easily run games that are thrilling espionage tales, games of gothic horror, games of the wild west or just simple variances on classic High Fantasy.  The mixture of the Victorian setting, steampunk technology and fantasy elements allows for a myriad of gaming styles.  Thirdly, being a rules lite system it really does allow for some actual Role-Playing rather than constantly relying on the dice.  As a GM I am heavily into getting Role-Playing into my games and CF is one of the best examples I've seen.

Kult:  A game of modern day horror that is also as easily used for a modern day setting without supernatural elements, thus making it an ideal modern setting.  The mechanics are extremely simple, requiring only one 20-sided die to resolve all task resolutions (including damage resolution) making it very easy for a beginner to pick up and use (although unlike some of the other games I will mention, Kult is by nature of its atmosphere, not the best game for a beginner to play).  Character creation is pretty straightforward, minimizing dice rolling in favour of the points system that was so en vogue during the 90's, allowing for a widely differing characters even if they start from the same stock template.  Players do mention the lethality of the system (it really can kill you with a single punch, let alone a single shot) but it is a game of dark and terrible horror so the lethality does fit in with it.  Some of the creatures (okay let's be honest, ALL of the creatures) are extremely difficult to kill whilst it is extremely easy for them to kill you, which does present a GM with a huge problem when trying to get a balance right.  I think I have now, by really focusing on psychological horror, and the slow build up of tension over many inter-connected scenarios, rather than go all out for blood and guts.  The gamebook I have carries with it a warning that no one under 16 should play.  I upped that to 18, only system I'd never let a younger teen near.

Call Of Cthulhu:  One of the grand old masters of RPGs, and the game by which al other horror games are judged, CoC is a classic that has earned its respect.  Character creation is simple as are the mechanics and it allows the GM (or Keeper of Arcane Lore as he/she is known as in CoC) to instead concentrate on atmosphere.  based obviously on the works of H.P. Lovecraft and his successors, it strives to really get the atmosphere right, rather than be a stalk and slash horror.  Whilst not as psychologically harrowing and deadly as Kult, its still a pretty lethal game (as it should be, its a horror after all) and I've run many a fun game (short scenario and longer campaign) with this system.

Dungeons & Dragons (Basic):  The game that started it all off for me back in the mid-80's.  The old Red Box with the basic Rules for levels 1-3 caught my imagination and when a friend of mine bought it I was hooked.  Since then I got the Expert, Companion and Master rules sets that followed it to fully flesh out the world.  Whilst the game system would seem a little abstract to some gamers today, I think there is much to love about old faithful D&D and I do at times give thought to pulling out the old books again.  I'd also say that for someone starting in the hobby, they could do a whole lot worse than get this set 2nd hand as it really is the perfect intro to fantasy RPGs.

Palladium Fantasy RPG:  Off the back of the success of games like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Runequest, came this little known but excellent RPG from Palladium Books.  Character creation is pretty long-winded (not helped by the terrible way the rulebook is set out) but it does allow for some very unique characters making their way in the world.  Anyone who has played D&D/AD&D will pick up the basics of combat and the like very quickly as the mechanics are almost identical (even if the stats aren't).  The tone is certainly more mature and dark than the high fantasy style of D&D/AD&D so not really a game for younger teens but for older teens and adults this is a perfect game.

Pendragon:  I have the 4th edition of these lovely rules, depicting adventure and high romance in the time of King Arthur.  Very in-depth character creation really gets to the heart of the character as more than a few numbers on a page.  Wonderful as a game but not really one that can be played as a short one-off scenario as it really demands campaign play and as such I have sadly rarely used it fully but I do love it very much.

MERP:  Middle-Earth is a fantastic classic game from the 1980's which gives the rules and background to adventure in the world of Tolkein.  A very simple set of rules (just an awful lot of tables) which I think any half intelligent beginner could pick up and learn fairly easily.  And the crit tables are laugh out loud funny as the people writing it definitely employ a real sense of gallows humour.

Buffy:  Yes the RPG of the series and its very good.  Simple rules very much designed with beginners in mind and the rulebook goes to great lengths to get the atmosphere just right.  I would also say at this point that the Angel RPG and the Ghosts Of Albion RPG, all use the same system and can be used with each other so yes, you could have a game where Willow & Tara arrive via a spell in Victorian London to help William & Tamara (now that could be a metaphysical experience).

Other games I've used but to a lesser extent over the years are:  Star Wars (D6), Nephilim, Traveller, Dragon Warriors and Space Master.  I may do my thoughts on these games in a separate blog but next, a quick intro to RPG's for the beginner.