Here is a list of the ten best pen and paper roleplaying games of all-time. Although there is no scientific way to prove the ‘best RPG games’ ever, this list takes into account the overall popularity of pen and paper roleplaying games since the industry was first created.
10 – Gamma World – It’s a post-apocalyptic game, but not in the style of Mad Max. This game fit more into the style of a science fantasy game. You could play all sorts of random mutant creatures, in addition to playing people that were mostly normal.
9 – Vampire the Masquerade – The first in a long line of products from White Wolf where you played the role of ‘the bad guy’. This game explored what it was like to be a vampire in the modern world and lead the way for products such as Werewolf, Mage, Changeling, Wraith, and many other great games.
8 – RuneQuest – Although not as popular as it used to be, RuneQuest is commonly considered by fans as one of the ‘original’ fantasy roleplaying games. It was created in the same genre as Dungeons … Dragons and Tunnels … Trolls, but with a slightly different campaign setting and game system.
7 – Champions – Comic books and super heroes defined this game. It was the first roleplaying game to allow the player to play a comic book super hero. Some of them were heroes that the players were already familiar with, and others were super heroes of their own design.
6 – Tunnels … Trolls – Also called T…T, this was the second modern roleplaying game ever created. It was published in 1975 and was created to be an easier to play game than its predecessor, D…D.
5 – GURPs – With the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPs), you can create a game for any setting. You use the GURPs system and find a sourcebook that has the campaign type you like. Once you do that, you’re pretty much ready to rock.
4 – Star Wars – Based on the movies carrying the same name, the Star Wars Roleplaying Game was first created by West End Games using the d6 system. Eventually it moved on to other companies and saw some play time under the d20 system, and then finally the Saga Edition. It is the premiere sci-fi, or space opera, themed roleplaying game due to George Lucas dominating the minds of nerds all over the world.
3 – Traveller – Although not the most famous space opera setting (See #4), it is the ‘original’ space opera setting for pen and paper roleplaying games. Traveller was first published in 1977 by Game Designers’ Workshop, but has been printed by other companies since then. It still remains one of the longest running and best RPG games of all time.
2 – Call of Cthulhu – The most famous horror-themed pen and paper roleplaying game. This setting is based off the horror fiction writings of H.P. Lovecraft. This game has many different editions, using many different systems, and has won multiple awards.
1 – Dungeons … Dragons – The most famous pen and paper roleplaying game of all time. This fantasy game still dominates the market with all of its various incarnations, from the original D…D to 4th Edition. D…D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson are legends in the industry, just as the game itself is.
Some people may disagree with the overall placement of some of these games. Others may ask why certain games are even on here. Why haven’t other games been included, like Shadowrun, Robotech, Palladium Fantasy, Rifts, or many newer games? Well, they weren’t. This list was created by veteran gamers and apparently they had a little nostalgia in them. So what do you think of the list?
Hans Verbeck writes about Role-Playing and the Best Online RPGs.
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