I guess we're not eligible to vote for our own products so I'd say maybe these five, in alphabetical (not ranked) order.

Cyberpunk 2020
D&D (various)
Deadlands (classic)
Dungeon World
Vampire

They're not what I'd consider 'the best five', but they have a special place in my heart for one reason or another.

Owwwww....
In no particular order

D&D (1e, 2e or RC)
Gamma World 2e
FASERIP
Cyberpunk 2020
Basic RPG (this means RQ, COC or Stormbringer)

Of those I've actually played:

1) Cyberpunk 2020
2) D&D 2e
3) Vampire The Masquerade
4) GURPS: I would put this on the top of the list just for how much fun I had building shit with the rules, but I never actually played a campaign with it, so it goes last.

Those I've only read:

1)  Solipsist because I love the elegant resource management mechanic, on paper least
2) Silent Legions
3) Amber
4) Millenium's End
5) My Life With Master (interesting concept of adding end game conditions to an RPG)

In no particular order...

Runequest (6th, MRQII)
Shadowrun (2nd, 3rd)
D&D (1st Ed, Basic, 5th Ed, D20 Conan)
Rolemaster (MERP, RM2, RMSS)
WFRP1
Rifts

Those are the systems I've played the most and got the most enjoyment out of (as I currently remember it ).

Honorable Mentions: Traveller, FASA Trek, Earthdawn, OpenQuest/Renaissance, DCC, ACKS, AS&SH, Dragon Age, 2nd Ed, Gamma World, Top Secret, Aces & Eights, Mythus, oWoD, Hackmaster 5th, Cyberpunk 2020, Star Frontiers.

1. WFRP 2nd
2. Deadlands Reloaded
3. Hellfrost
4. Anima: Beyond Fantasy
5. Realms of Cthulhu

There are a number of games that I suspect would make the list (such as Stars Without Number) but I haven't had a chance to play or run them yet.

In alphabetical order.

• Call of Cthulhu editions 1-5
• Honor+Intrigue
• Pendragon
• Star Wars D6 2E or 2ER&E
• Runequest 2 or 3

Honorable mention: Star Wars D6 for its great system.

Maybe I am too old, but I only want to play D&D-based games. And then, my preferences in the following order:

1) Fantastic Heroes & Witchery (of course, since I wrote the game I wanted to play... Perfect for Moorcock style and Swords & Planets, but also more regular fantasy)
2) Crypts and Things (perfect for a Lankhmar-based game)
3) Astonishing Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AD&D 1e done right, as far as I am concerned)
4) Beyond the Wall (in case I would want to play in a Earthsea-based game).
5) DCC or Castles & Crusades...

1. GURPS (w. house rules, advanced low-tech tactical combat w. maps)
2. The Fantasy Trip (sentimental favorite)
3. Legends of the Ancient World
4. Ars Magica
5. Aftermath

Quote from: Turanil;837921Maybe I am too old, but I only want to play D&D-based games.

I think your age is less likely to be an explanation than that you just like D&D-based games.

Aside from games I've written, which otherwise occupy at least 3 slots:

1) Amber
2) D&D (editions prior to 4th)
3) Call of Cthulhu
4) Flashing Blades
5) Traveller

Quote from: Turanil;8379213) Astonishing Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AD&D 1e done right, as far as I am concerned)

You and I, brother, you and I.

Quote from: Simon W;8379644) Flashing Blades

Lots of Flashing Blades love in this thread. I feel like I should check it out.

1. 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
2. Cyberpunk 2020
3. Earthdawn 1st Edition
4. Dungeon Crawl Classics
5. Stars Without Number

I'll skip the honorable mentions, as I think that's cheating. But I will say that I had to cut some very good games out of that list to just make 5.

Top Secret/S.I.
Spycraft
True20
Edge of the Empire
Pathfinder



I'm amazed at how much love FASERIP got. Got me looking at that game again!

Mage: The Ascension - Not, perhaps, as popular with others as for me, but I played this regularly for years as my go-to system. The writing and tone is unapologetically polemical, but it bristles with ideas and speaks to me. I do like Vampire and the others too, but Mage is the best. It also tends to be a system I can run Supers with, incidentally, in a Doctor Strange type of way.

Traveller - Either Classic, which I respect immensely, or Mongoose Traveller which is immensely playable with simple-as-they-get mechanics and a literally universal application to sci-fi. Probably my go-to system these days.  

Dungeons and Dragons - The 5th edition simply works. Not too complex as with some previous editions, and now has enough options and loopholes to be able to adapt to most fantasy settings easily. I like that it is mainly supported with setting and campaign material, rather than crunchy splatbooks. With a Warlock, I can now play Elric too.

RuneQuest/Mythras - Probably shouldn't be bunching these together anymore, but the jury awaits what Chaosium puts out for it ultimately, and Mythras is indeed an inheritor of the Classic Runequest legacy in one degree or another. I like RuneQuest for the spirituality, the depth of research and the sheer class of it. It's more authentic and mature, as a game, than what I get from D&D. That's why I like it, although given the right group, I might like Pendragon even better, and Stormbringer always holds a soft spot for me.

Call of Cthulhu - Just about, although the 7E could have been better for me in the way they managed the rules. That said, the game seems to attract some wonderful scenario writers and, as such, it will always have something to offer. Maybe Delta Green, Unknown Armies and Kult could surpass CoC's hold on my horror tastes with their new, upcoming editions.

Honestly, I like lots of games - so I'm still going to mention Toon, Ghostbusters, and Paranoia anyway......and Ars Magica, HoL, Cyberpunk, Amber, Fiasco, Mutant: Year Zero, Over The Edge, Feng Shui, Warhammer Fantasy......