Bonus points for any non-D&D or D&D derivative systems.
My first RPG was Palladium Fantasy way back when my grognard uncle invited me to his groups table. I still don’t really grok it, but it was pretty formative of my ideas of what an RPG could be. The lack of balance and extreme existential threats as part of ordinary encounters included.
Needless to say, I haven’t found a group for this system in a looong while, eheh.
Any of the crazy, mostly-single-page, mostly-free RPGs made by Grant Howitt. They start off sounding almost sensible (Death was the Only Road Out of Town, System Shutdown), then start pushing the boundaries (Honey Heist, TRAMFORCE), before going all in on the madness (Seans Bean star in: A VERY NORTHERN CHRISTMAS, Jason Statham’s Big Vacation). Great for a last minute one-shot with zero planning required and maximum laughs produced.
Scion (White Wolf). Maybe Eclipse Phase. Mutants and Masterminds.
Mage: the Ascension. It’s the only system I’ve ever played where I really felt like I knew MAGIC, rather than just a handful of pre-scripted tricks.
Chivalry & Sorcery
I played loads of this back in the 2nd edition days, but by the time 3rd edition had come out, all the people I’d played 2nd with dribbled out of my life (or I out of theirs) and that, combined with the seriously flawed nature of 3rd’s publication, left me nobody to play with. Now C&S is in its 5th edition, and it’s a powerhouse of a game, but I know of nobody anywhere who plays it. I play it solo only, now. I wish I could find a group.
Grey Ranks
You need to have a very special kind of player willing to play a game that’s as depressing and rigidly structured as Gray Ranks. I’ve never found people matching those traits. I can only read the game and imagine.
Space Opera
Yes, it has some of the most ludicrously complicated rules ever put into a game. (1.5 pages of dense-type rules for handing items from one character to another!) Yes it feels like they just took every space-based SF conceit and crammed it into the rules. But there’s a whole lot of remembered good times in those black books that very few games since have ever come close to matching.
Psi World
At a time when games from almost all companies were going crazier and crazier in complexity, with FGU, the publisher of this game, leading the pack with the insanely complicated rules of (in)famous games like Space Opera, Chivalry & Sorcery, Aftermath, and even games like Flashing Blades or Daredevils, out came the small, unassuming boxed set of Psi World with slim rules that were very simple (by the standards of the time: medium complexity by modern standards) and yet contained within them one of the best systems for psionic powers ever put to paper, and had an implied setting with more depth than you’d expect from the low page count in the main rules box.
I had loads of fun in this game playing weak psis, strong psis (verging on abusive), and psi cops. And now nobody’s even heard of it.
Oh God, Palladium. That was… A way to do things.
I fucking love G.U.R.P.S. Is it ground breaking? No. Is it fun to smash 6 different flavors together, hash out what survives, and run a short adventure or a few one-shots? Hell yeah! It’s not often I run into anyone who has a fondness for the system. Hell, I get kinda excited if someones even heard of it, even if they didn’t have a great experience.
Also rather enjoyed Ironclaw. I see it written off as “That Furry TT”, but I had a good time with it. Would happily play more.
I find in practice that I prefer d20hero/mutants and masterminds over GURPS. It has all the same flexibility but WILDLY less math.
Warhammer RPG, Earthdawn 3rd ed or Hero System is my owned top games that see too little game time.
Mutant Undergångens Arvtagare is also sorely missed on the table
Dragonbane. Got my box set, have Foundry all set up. Just need a group that wants to play.
Right now I’m playing Lancer and I really wish I had another campaign to try a different build/corpo. Not that I am unhappy with my choices or anything, but the more I build into what I want, the more I look at other mechs going “Hmmm…kinda want to try that too”
For something that’s not as ridiculous, I really want to play some goddamn Masks. I’ve been thinking of running it, after the book gets a proper publishing in my country, but I also really want to play.
I almost always want to play some Masks, but still.
I would love to play a retro clone like Old-School Essentials, Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry. I wanted to try the old school DnD mega dungeon system.
For non-Dnd system I would like to Apocalypse World system like Monster of the Week. I downloaded a new system called Coyote and Crow that seems very interesting. It is set in a North America that was never colonized with some cool magic elements. The setting looks dope but I have no idea about the mechanics. I didn’t get that far in my reading of the rules yet
I would love to do more Thirsty Sword Lesbians
I really want to try OG Rifts one day
I really want to give masks a shot sometimes
Dresden files rpg!! I’d settle for any fate system or dresden based game tbh
My first RPG was called “Het Oog des Meesters”, translated from the original German “Die Schwarze Auge”. It was probably pretty bad compared to AD&D but I loved it as a kid. In the one hand I’d love to play it again. On the other hand, playing might ruin my memory of the game. Like rewatching a bad cartoon from your childhood.
Unknown armies 3rd edition. Did the kickstarter however long ago that was but haven’t had a group in that long to try it out with.