There are some games out there that get little (or no) love, not necessarily 'cause they suck, but because they lack (or lacked) exposure. I'm not talking about (as some asshat will surely suggest) the divide between fan clan on what constitues "best" or "good" (see this thread for an example of what I'm not talking about), but games that are genuinely overlooked. I can think of a few, but I'm going to start by naming one that I received as a gift yesterday. . .

High Adventure Cliffhangers

This little-known, largely ignored, pulp adventure game was published by TSR and opens up the original (i.e., the comic strip universe) of Buck Rogers. It was poorly marketed and, swiftly jettisoned by the publisher, who opted to support a different Buck Rogers game that used the AD&D 2e system as its core and was based on the TV series (which isn't pulp adventure, but space opera).

I've neither seen nor heard any discussion about the former game -- good or bad. It may as well not have existed at all, given the degree of recognition it commands from consumers. And that's sad, 'cause as I discovered while reading it yesterday, it's actually a very nice game and it certainly captures Buck Rogers better than the later XXVc game did.

HAC used adjectives to describe characters before FUDGE did (FUDGE first saw publication in 1995, HAC in 1993), used tokens to track hero points before Iron Heros did, and introduced a form of dramatic editing before Adventure or Theatrix did. In short, it did a lot of stuff that could be considered innovative at the time.

It looks like it will handle any pulp adventure with aplomb, not merely those of Buck Rogers. Indeed, it looks like it can do everything that Adventure! did with much less effort (to say nothing of Pulp Hero or Justice, Inc). I look forward to playing it. So. . .

What underrated games do you know of?

Living steel: Awesome setting crippled by an overcomplex system.

Battlelords of the 23rd century: Great tactical game with some real customizing options and a boat load of weapons and armor.

Blood!, which is why I picked it up and redid it.
Kryomek was, largely, an Aliens rip-off tactical skirmish game, but always felt it would have made a good RPG.
Dragon Warriors.

Quotewho opted to support a different Buck Rogers game that used the AD&D 2e system as its core and was based on the TV series (which isn't pulp adventure, but space opera).

Your facts are in error.
Buck Rogers XXIV was based on rather hard science (genetic engineering, only travel amongst other Sol-system planets)  but had no relation to the TV series. It also predated 'High adventure Cliffhangers" by 7 years. (Published 1988, vs High Adventure 1995)

TV Show had
Aliens
Vast Interstellar travel/Space Gates (aka FTL)
Erin Grey YOWR! (Willma Deering)
Lots of Robots

Buck Rogers XXIV:
In System Travel
Terraformed planets.
Genetically engineered lifeforms
No aliens
No FTL

Quote from: SilverlionYour facts are in error.
Buck Rogers XXIV was based on rather hard science (genetic engineering, only travel amongst other Sol-system planets)  but had no relation to the TV series. It also predated 'High adventure Cliffhangers" by 7 years. (Published 1988, vs High Adventure 1995)

Yeah, as i recall, TSR had some relationship with the family of the guy who created/wrote the old Buck Rogers comics of the 1930s.

My pick would be a little game called Expendables, published in 1987 or thereabouts. The main premise was that the PCs were scouts for a vast megacorporation/government. These scouts were sent to explore planets to see if they were worth colonizing or exploiting in some way. The game was relatively simple percentile based, as I recall), and had a sense of humor, remembering that it was, in the end, a game. It was geared towards pure scifi fun.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonYeah, as i recall, TSR had some relationship with the family of the guy who created/wrote the old Buck Rogers comics of the 1930s.

Lorraine Williams, who took control of TSR in the 80s and was in charge of it until she ran it to the ground by the late 90s, was the heiress to the Buck Rogers copyright.  As such, she forced TSR to publish various "Buck Rogers" games so she could skim the royalties off the top, even though all of these games were hugely unsuccessful. It was a vaguely legal kind of embezzlement.

RPGPundit

If I can just interject briefly on this tangent.

Mmm, Wilma Deering/Erin Gray, mmmmm...

Khaotic : http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_280.html

Always liked this game...

Regards,
David R

Quote from: jdrakehHigh Adventure Cliffhangers

This little-known, largely ignored, pulp adventure game was published by TSR and opens up the original (i.e., the comic strip universe) of Buck Rogers.  ...

And where did you say I can get this?

Hollow Earth Expedition doesn't seem to get much love.  Although I haven't actually played it yet, I *have* read the rules, and they are good.  Plus, it's absolutely gorgeous.

Encounter Critical is not, for some odd reason, accepted universally as the greatest RPG ever, as is its due.  What's up with that?  Do I gotta light up my shovel and start slappin' foreheads?

Quote from: ColonelHardissonThe game was relatively simple percentile based, as I recall), and had a sense of humor, remembering that it was, in the end, a game.

For some reason, the game has a huge set of rather narrowly defined skills, especially those of medical variety. Out there on the wild frontier of space, you never know when the only thing that can save the day will be your knowledge of Pediatrics or Proctology...

I'm rather fond of Waste World, solid and simple system for a Post-Apocalyptic "wahoo game" (basically its what Rifts wanted to be. Alien world, robots, psychomagi, powered battlesuits, mutants, etc.

I like Dragon Storm, a card based fantasy game. And Earth & Sky, where you play living faerie tales who vie against the forces of...unimagination.

Seanchai

Dangerous Journeys (Aint I predictable? )

Percentile task resolution, flexible, dozens of skills and vocations, killer combat. And about a dozen different kinds of horses in the Mythus Bestiary. The Epic of Ærth book is full of good stuff too. (The Phæree random environment tables are tons a' fun. )

Player: Yesterday Count Repugsive's castle was 20 miles away, the sky was blue, and a yellow sun travelled from east to west. Now a purple sun is traveling from south to north, the sky is green, and Count Repugsive's hamburger stand is right before us and offering a two for one deal on "Grovel Meals". Who, besides me, feels up to murdering that damn elf?

I remember Buck Rogers, rather bizarrely a pulp licence got turned into a fairly sf rpg.  Not a bad game as I recall, but not noticeably particularly Buck Rogersesque.

To be fair, Buck rogers has had a number of different shapes.  He's been a disco Han Solo and a non-Aryan Flash Gordon over the years.

But yes, it is odd that they should use such a recognisable license to then go off and make their own completely unrelated to anything RPG setting.

EDIT TO ADD: bidi-bidi-bidi-bidi-bidi