In the same vein as top five military rpgs, say your top five and say why each one is there.  Lists without reasons are very boring, reasons are what we read for.

Here's mine:

DnD, edition isn't the key thing though if pushed I would say Cyclopedia, simply the grandaddy of them all and probably in most people's top fives.

Runequest, second or third edition for me, makes for gritty fantasy with a far more realistic feel than DnD manages.  Kind of the anti-DnD in many ways, fun, tactical, dangerous and mechanically intuitive all at the same time.

Elric/Stormbringer, probably the best iteration of the BRP fantasy engine yet to see print.  Does high power characters well while still keeping a feeling of risk.

Ars Magica, gets magi to feel magical and gets the middle ages feel pretty good too.

Pendragon.  Just sheer gaming goodness, passions, births and deaths, playing generations, a tremendous game.

So, over to you, what's your top five?

D&D - Still the best at what is does, and what it does best is dungreoncrawling, monsterkilling, and pillaging.  I prefer the '81 Basic/Expert incarnation, but I've played almost all the rest and enjoyed them.  I haven't tried 2nd edition with Skills & Powers.  I should give that a go one of these days.

MERP - Almost all the crunchy fun of Rolemaster with half the heartache and comes with a pretty decent setting.

Pendragon - Classy, romantic, and one of the few 'serious' games that I can actually take seriously.

Mazes & Minotaurs - Slick mechanics, stupid and fun, and faux-bronze age rather than faux-medieval.

SenZar - Extremely stupid but mechanically tight.  I sold my copy but only because 3.5 D&D does 'extremely stupid' almost as well.

My five:

D&D/AD&D

RoleMaster 2nd edition - With judicious use of optional rules and stuff from the Companions (a very little bit), it's quite a robust system.  I love the philosophy behind the character generation system, and love the combat system.  If only people didn't run away as soon as they saw the charts...

Ars Magica - Not only for the cool magic system, but for introducing (to me, at least) the idea of troupe-style play, which is a model I've used with success in just about every game I've run since getting this game.

Runequest - I've only played 3e, and that for a short while.  But the system was excellent, and our GM really knew the game top to bottom, so it flowed the way it was supposed to.

Hmm...I don't have a number five.  There goes what little shred of credibility I have left....

1) D&D3.5
2) Basic D&D (Rules Cyclopedia)
3) 1st Edition AD&D - tied with Rolemaster
4) Palladium Fantasy
5) Earthdawn

1. D&D Rules Cyclopedia (best version of D&D IMO).

2. MERP/Rolemaster 2e (preferably a hybrid of the two, but if going with RM 2e, use only the rules [core + some optional] in the 'core' books to keep things sane).

3. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying 2nd edition (great setting and solid rules).

4. Castles and Crusades (okay, it's essentially a streamlined and 'cleaned up' version of 1e AD&D, but it gets rid of the byzantine rules I didn't like, while keeping most of the stuff I do like; plus, it can be used easily with all pre-3e D&D materials).

5. True20 (keeps everything I like about d20 while getting rid of all the 'fiddly crap'; also, very flexible).

Note: exact ranking varies depending on current mood!

Ars Magica
Best and most flavorful magic, interesting take on Middle Ages, as well as developing a system and ideas for dealing with very imbalanced PC types.

Dragonlance Saga
I've never been a fan of Dragonlance's setting, but the Saga system is one of the more elegant, simple and yet effective in play systems for giving player's power without getting too metagamey. I utilize a lot of the advice from Steve Kenson's Website for customizing the system to generic fantasy.


True20
Yep, everything a D20 RPG should be--simple, elegent, well design (although poorly edited and explained in some places), it really is one of the best things to come out from the OGL.


Providence
Superheroes plus fantasy setting, that provides a unique interesting world, that has few comparisons--caste system based on status (And wings as the ultimate biological symbol/representation), magic as origin for superpowers, evocative organizations to belong to from Kestral Martial Artist, D'shau monks, Slaywinds, and Horizon Striders, magic that fits the world. The system isn't one of the best, a somewhat complex die pool system with too many attributes, and too complex a health system. But the setting ALONE is worth reading.

Talislanta
Solid system, interesting world that is alien yet graspable, easy enough and logical setting reasons for all sorts of adventures from dungeon crawls, to undead hunts, to magical sporting events.

Rolemaster(ICE):  My 3rd level Dwarf Fighter embeds his hammer in the jaw of a dragon(critical success, 66) and sends it off to ComaLand, level 7 here I come!.  Soon after, my level 7 dwarf fighter is pushed by a scumbag witch doctor into a well and critically fails(66) his movement/maneuver roll.  Luck you are a harsh mistress and Death, I welcome thee..

Stormbringer(Chaosium):  "Dude. This is like the 5th time I rolled a Thief. I'm size 18, WTF?" "Dude at least you rolled a Thief, this is my 3rd roll of Sailor, and we haven't even seen a pond."  Harshest modules ever, pitting characters against Elric, a beggar God, insta-deth traps.  I remember a map for a dungeon having a note from the designer and an arrow pointing at a location in the dungeon:"This is the farthest any party has ever made it".

1E D&D(TSR): Why is your cleric charging me for healing?  Why/how am I carrying around  5,000,000 gp?  Who care, let's kill things and take their stuff!

Iron Gauntlets (Politically Incorrect Games)
What's left to say?  It won't shy away from whatever crazy crap you can (and should) come up with.  It replaces rules minutiae with a flexible and adaptable baseline for resolving just about anything, and encourages (although implicitly) the thrill of play itself over unnecessary checks and balances.  It doesn't care that elves have more tricks up their sleeves than humans do; it cares that both of' em can go out together, get into trouble, whack some ass and make memories.

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR)
There's a lot between those two covers, and every bit of it encourages play and adventure.  Comes with a setting (albeit a sketchy one) to get you started, and no matter what craziness you're up to, from fighting orcs and finding traps to massive battles and planes-hopping, the RC has your back.

Fantasy HERO (Hero Games)
More appropriately, I'm talking about the fantasy genre sourcebook for  HERO 5th Ed.  This sucker's a leopard and a chameleon in one – you can send it out after whatever setting you want and it'll being it back whole.  I used it for a brief Forgotten Realms game with my wife and man, did it deliver.  Too bad I got so obsessed with Doing The Math Right...once I cure myself of some Gamer OCD, I'm'a ride that pony some more.  Hee-ya!

D6 Fantasy (West End Games)
I don't own it,but I have the other two games (Space and Adventure), so I know what it can do.  And what it can do is get you playing ASAP, with a few different combat options, easy-to-use magic systems and -again- very little conversion work for stuff from other settings.  In fact, I recently began to wonder why I don't play D6 more often, and I really think that it's because of lists like these.

GURPS Fantasy (Steve Jackson Games)
Again, the genre sourcebook for a generic system-- in this case, GURPS 3rd Ed.  I'm not hot about the default setting of Yrth (nor do I think it has cooties), but GURPS supports a kind of gritty gameplay that I yearn for when I read Fritz Leiber.  Plus, GURPS' combat system can switch from generalized to specific in the middle of a combat round, and I tell ya, I like that.

AD&D- this is the one. if it wasnt for D&D none of us would be here.

Conan RPG- the TSR one. killer brutal game mechanics. where else can you decapitate your enemy on your first roll in combat?

GURPS- you want detail- they have a dozen different worlds ready - my faves were conan and horseclans.

Settings:

Midnight - Sauron won. There's nothing very unique in the setting itself, but the premise and level of detail is just great.

Iron Kingdoms - Steampunk fantasy with lots of gears and cogs. With some very good states and cultures it's easy to avoid the usual clash of non-human races and supernatural evil.

Palladium - There's a lot of love and work done for the setting. I'm not a big fan of the rules, but most of the books are just too inspiring. Love the Wolfen.

Talislanta - not that odd, but at least somewhat different, even if it's just a different paint coat.

Hyboria - Conan. 'nuff said.

Systems:

D20 - The core SRD version of the game is still pretty decent for most campaigns. There are lots of options, but if you stick to the roots, it's rather manageable, at least for the lower levels.

True20 - a more generic and adaptable D20. Nice.

GURPS - Lots of detail, but still not that complicated (Hero, I'm looking at you)

D6 Fantasy - They took the Star Wars system and added the magic rules from Torg. What's not too like?

Rolemaster - Yes, it has tables. No, it isn't that complicated. As with D20, it can get bogged down with options. But on a diet, it's sleek and rather fast.

(honorable mentions: Conan D20, Pendragon, Fuzion, Artesia, Ars Magica, Rules Cyclopedia, Elric, Runequest, Swordbearer, C&C, Masterbook)

D&D Speaking 3e here, simply for the great support and overall improvements in the cleanliness and flexibility of the system over prior editions.

Fantasy Hero - Craftsman's dream system, lets you make any Fantasy System you image.

Ars Magica - A nice variant with a pretty nifty magic system.

Atlantis - No, not the omni system thing. The original bard games thing. Some speak of going back to the likes of RC or 1e D&D. This is probably the only classic D&D-like game I would go back to for a lark.

I'm stuck for a 5th.

I'm amazed no one's posted Exalted yet. It's not in my top 5, but I would've assumed it's in someone's.

I like Castles and Crusades bestest as of right now. I just adore the simplicity of the system, and the fact that it feels so old-school.

The Mongoose Conan book is a great RPG too. For me, it really gets a complete REH feel.

I'm surprising myself here by adding D&D 3.5 to my list. Sure the system is pretty damn crunchy, but it's also pretty damn exciting if played right (which I like to have the ego that I do). Not to mention there is so much good material out there for it. It's very well supported.

I'm going to go outside the standard definition and add Changeling to my list. Sure, it's modern, but it's definitely fantasy. And the themes of lost wonder resonate with me. I just recently finished a Changeling chronicle and it was filled with dragons and heroism and epic battles and saving the world.

Quote from: el diablo roboticoI'm amazed no one's posted Exalted yet. It's not in my top 5, but I would've assumed it's in someone's.

there are not a whole lot of Exalted fans around here, to say the least. :pundit:

Quote from: Mcrowthere are not a whole lot of Exalted fans around here, to say the least. :pundit:

Glory be!

Quote from: Caesar SlaadAtlantis - No, not the omni system thing. The original bard games thing. Some speak of going back to the likes of RC or 1e D&D. This is probably the only classic D&D-like game I would go back to for a lark.

I don't want to cause unneccesary chaos in this thread, but what's the big difference between the two versions? I never even heard of the originals but do own the Omni one. Haven't found the time to play it, as it wouldn't be too big a difference between it and the Conan RPG we're running on and off again. But it sure looks nice. So the original is even better?