[net.games.frp] Looking for better FRP's

toml@oliveb.UUCP (07/29/83)

    Does anyone out there know of a rpg that satisfies these points?

    1]  pretty much classless
    2]  magic system without specific spells (if not frp, scrap)
    3]  realistic combat without lack of playability
    4]  lack of very large "level" gaps
    5]  anything else that might endear one to the game

				    Thanks in Advance,
					Dave Long
				{ucbvax|decvax}!decwr!ios!oliveb!toml

steven@qubix.UUCP (Steven Mauer) (08/11/83)

Here is a list of the (in my opinion) best FRP games which
meet your criteria:

    Runequest :  By far the best Fantasy RP game that is out
	on the market today.  It is so good, referees rarely
	have to resort to kludges to make the game work.  It
	works  mainly by listing all  skills a character may
	be capable of seprately, and keeping track of them
	seprately.  (This is a job that each player has, not
	the referee, so the game does not slow down unless a
	referee is unprepared).

	Scenario Packs Available: Snakepipe Hollow (20 pages),
	Apple Lane (20 pgs), Broken Tree Inn (20 pgs), Griffian
	Mountain (160 pgs), Questworld (120 pgs), Borderlands
	(130 pgs), Trollpak (200 pgs), Duck Tower (100 pgs),
	have I missed any??

	Cost $20.00 from the Chaosium.



    Champions :  The only Superhero FRP worth considering. (At
	least until Superworld comes out).  It has a complete
	list of skills, powers, power modifiers, and character
	advantages and disadvantages from which you build your
	character.  (You don't roll up your character in this
	game, you make him or her up).

	Scenario Packs Available: Island of Dr. Destroyer, and
	a two more I can't think of right now.

	Cost $16.00 from Hero Games
    


    Call of Cthluhu :  A brand new type of FRP, based upon the
	works of HP Lovecraft (father of ALL modern day horror
	stories/movies/etc).  In this game, you play charac-
	ters from the 1920's.  You are trying to do only one
	thing: survive.  This isn't as easy as it sounds because
	in the game (and in Lovecraft's stories), the world is
	being taken over by the Old Ones: Slime filled monstrosities
	which put ALIEN to shame.  (Call of Cthuluhu won a whole
	bunch of designers awards).

	Cost $20.00 from the Chaosium


    Espionage : Basically a toned down Champions.  This one is in
	"very very good" category, instead of my "the best" category
	because it lacks the Scenario Packs that Top Secret has.
	Other than that, Espionage has a better combat system, a
	better description on how to run agencies, no character
	classifications, is actually readable and understandable,
	and is better than any other Secret Agent FRP game.
	In 2-3 years it will have more SP's, written for it just
	because the people who write them like playing this game
	better than Top Secret.


Well, thats it.   Any other opinions??
Please feel free to write.


    Steven (Captain Hyperspace) Maurer