Quote from: Insufficient Metal;394553but I don't get why having a fast, useful software tool is somehow a detriment for any system.

It's not. That software tool is really helpful. My problem with GURPS is that chargen is a chore, with or without the software tool.

I don't mention HERO here because the name of this thread is Games you used to love, and I never loved HERO.

Quote from: Silverlion;394559One is saying that the problems with Gurps requires an additional tool to be workable, instead of a tool that might be a nice option to be utilized. Mind you that isn't the case for me--and I am more than happy to pick up a (Free) tool to assist me with any game that I'd like to speed up. Of course GCA isn't free unlike almost all other tools I use and it doesn't solve my problems with Gurps anyway.

(tiny voice) GCS is free....

But I get where you're coming from.

AD&D 2e - it was my first commercial game, and I had a great deal of fun with it. What killed it for me was overthinking things. I've gone back and replayed it, stripping out all the rules I never used anyway, and even ran a con game like that and it was a great deal of fun, but there's a disconnect in there for me because the game I play is entirely different from what's written in the rulebooks. I still like it, but it's so heavily modified from RAW that I'm unsure it's even AD&D anymore.

GURPS 3E - initially it was great, great freedom from AD&D, and it did everything it was supposed to, brilliantly even (at least from my perspective then). Eventually I noticed that all my builds ended up taking the same patterns in skills - there was a very clear way to optimise things so that one 100 point character could be more powerful in every way than another 150 point character, all based on how well it was put together. Since then, looking at every similar point buy system I see the same problem - there are patches and bandages built in, but really, it's a point buy system, it doesn't work as it's intended too.

BESM 2E - the initial love affair was with the simplicity, modularity and versatility. Most of all it was with genre based skill costs, and if I play BESM stripping out every attribute, and only playing it with skills, it actually works quite brilliantly. It's also one of the few systems that allows me to stat myself up properly and not have a ridiculously high point count (a ton of skills at +1 or +2 for a jack of a bunch of trades has a tendency of doing that) thanks to the genre based skills. Ultimately though, that's pretty much the only thing left that I like about it, and it still sits on my shelf but I have absolutely zero interest in playing it.

D&D 3e - when it came out, it solved everything that I was complaining about with 2e. It was great. Had a few oddities but it was still great. 3.5 killed it for me. I didn't have that much money and 3.5 seemed to invalidate the previous books as almost everyone switched over, and somehow everything seemed more sterile. Also, over time I realised that d20 as a whole required a great deal of system mastery - something some players love about it, but for me it's a major drawback.

Quote from: Gabriel2;394397I used to love Rifts, Robotech, and TMNT.  This was borne of a strange misconception I had, and which the books encouraged, that I simply wasn't understanding the rules.  Then, one day, I opened my eyes and realized that there was no sense to any of it.  The rules were just an amagamated mess of stuff which the author knew didn't work and didn't care about.  It might as well have been piss on the paper instead of words.

In a nutshell (well, except Robotech). I enjoyed many Palladium products, including Rifts, BTS, After the bomb, N&SS, etc. Then I realized what shit the system was. Then I got tired of vapourware, and constantly being told I was too stupid to understand how perfect, I'm sorry, PERFECT (TM), the Palladium Megaversal System was. In essence, my supply of Koolaid ran out. Now I get nostalgic once in a while and crack one open, only to slam it shut 15 minutes later in disgust.

I have books for Robotech, but never did anything with them. Same for TMNT.

When I was younger, I use to buy a lot of rpg books on impulse.  For the most part, very few of these rpg books ever saw much use in most of my games.  Looking through many of these older books more recently, the first thought which comes to mind is "what was I thinking?" when I first bought these books decades ago.

In spite of having tons more disposable income today than when I was younger, I'm a lot more selective about what rpg books I'll buy these days.  I don't bother impulse buying rpg books anymore, unless they're titles which are less than 4 or 5 bucks a pop.  Now I only really buy new rpg books which can be immediately used in my games.

Awhile ago I picked up the Mongoose Runequest 2 (MRQ2) core book and the MRQ2 Glorantha campaign setting book.  I only ever got around to playing one pickup evening game using the MRQ2 ruleset.  As much as I like Runequest, I don't think I'm going to bother picking up any further MRQ2 books.  I'll probably never use them again, other than for maybe another one-shot evening pickup type games.  One doesn't need a huge library of Runequest or Glorantha books, to play one-shot evening pickup games.

Elfquest
T&T (4 ed. I think)
TMNT
Rifts
Dragonquest (TSR 3ed.)

all great games that I would play again but not "DM".

I don't think there's any game I fall out of love with per se. There are some that go dormant for a while.

RPGPundit

Mekton w/MTS

Mechwarrior (1st and 2nd edition; both were a mess, but in different ways)

Star Frontiers (still got my boxed set!)

...

That's about it; I still play most games I own at some point or another.

Quote from: ggroy;395077When I was younger, I use to buy a lot of rpg books on impulse.  For the most part, very few of these rpg books ever saw much use in most of my games.  Looking through many of these older books more recently, the first thought which comes to mind is "what was I thinking?" when I first bought these books decades ago.

I was the same way. That's how I ended up with random games like Dream Park, Project A-ko, the Willow Sourcebook, and four tiny Lodoss war game books from Japan which I can't even read. I've looked through them, made characters, and that's as far as it ever went. I doubt I will ever do anything with them, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them.

I tend to focus more on what I really like and hoard from there. I'm truing to fill in my rifts collection and rolemaster frp collection, but for everything else it's limited to what interests me as a GM and what I'm willing to let the players have (or what is cheap and looks interesting at the PDF stores).

Quote from: Guuthulhu;395535I tend to focus more on what I really like and hoard from there. I'm truing to fill in my rifts collection and rolemaster frp collection, but for everything else it's limited to what interests me as a GM and what I'm willing to let the players have

I gave up trying to fill in the gaps in my collection of 1E AD&D/D&D modules.  I have most of the classic modules and a smattering of later-1E/early-2E stuff.  At this point, the stuff I don't have is mostly marginal modules which are probably easily forgettable.  (I don't remember a lot of the later-1E stuff offhand, from back in the day).

Quote from: Guuthulhu;395535(or what is cheap and looks interesting at the PDF stores).

I purposely avoid the pdf market, for this very reason.  With many pdfs being less than 5 dollars a pop, I can see myself falling into the pattern of impulse buying tons of rpg pdfs.

The only impulse buying of rpg books which I may still indulge in these days, is whenever I find really cheap stuff (ie. less than 5 bucks a pop) at second handed book stores, garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets, etc ...

Quote from: Guuthulhu;395535I was the same way. That's how I ended up with random games like Dream Park, Project A-ko,

I like Dream Park, but I admit I haven't done much with it.  It tends to get dusted off periodically for wacky one shots.

As for Project A-Ko, I've never seen the RPG.  Up until about two years ago, I had never seen the anime either.  I guess I lose my 80s Anime Fan membership card.

I've always wondered, what do you make as PCs in A-Ko?  Is it some kind of generic anime game with a slant toward comedy?  I'm not really sure what you could inherently do with the A-Ko setting.  Do you just make up school kids who get involved in absolutely batshit insane interstellar conflicts and superscience revenge fantasies borne of irrationalism and lesbian lust?

Quote from: ggroy;395540I purposely avoid the pdf market, for this very reason.  With many pdfs being less than 5 dollars a pop, I can see myself falling into the pattern of impulse buying tons of rpg pdfs.

I thought that would happen to me, but it hasn't. Well, not yet. My PDF impulses tend to be more with open content I can use with any game, than new things.

Quote from: Gabriel2;395582I like Dream Park, but I admit I haven't done much with it.  It tends to get dusted off periodically for wacky one shots.

As for Project A-Ko, I've never seen the RPG.  Up until about two years ago, I had never seen the anime either.  I guess I lose my 80s Anime Fan membership card.

I've always wondered, what do you make as PCs in A-Ko?  Is it some kind of generic anime game with a slant toward comedy?  I'm not really sure what you could inherently do with the A-Ko setting.  Do you just make up school kids who get involved in absolutely batshit insane interstellar conflicts and superscience revenge fantasies borne of irrationalism and lesbian lust?

I liked Dream Park, the book, which is why I ended up with the game. I haven't done anything at all with it, other than look through the pictures and sample characters and those paper miniatures it came with. I always thought it'd make a fun concept for a side trek.

the A-Ko RPG reminds me of what the BESM anime guides were, but doesn't contain any kind of episode guide or synopsis. It has stats for all the characters, setting info, and some funky card battle game that you can play on it's own or within the game. The character sheet is less than half a page and the rules really suck. You basically just pick a name and concept for your character from the teenage high schoolers list, the PWDF RC - citizens of Graviton list, or United Earth Allied Command. This is pointless. Its just a bunch of names and some stupid quote beneath.

QuoteThe Muscleman:
Huhn, hunh, hunh. Man, my pecs hurt -- got a mirror? What am I sitting on...?

The rest of character creation is point based. You have four attributes, and they gives you sample lists of skills like motivates losers, paint with angst, BS on essays, or collect junk. There are no skill descriptions, it's all crazy batshit stuff. That was enough to put me off, so it just sat gathering dust.

It's just like you say, though. You just make some whacked characters and throw them in absolutely batshit insane interstellar conflicts and superscience revenge fantasies borne of irrationalism and lesbian lust' or whatever other whacked shit the GM has in store for you, which isn't going to be any better.

ummmm, d6 Star Wars, d6 System, ummmm, ewww still love d6 Legendary System for the WEG DCU, hummm and ran the hell out of RIFTS.