[Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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DMMike
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[Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by DMMike »

Hey all,

Here’s a chance for listeners of “Save for Half” to chime in with your own personal “Top Five” RPGs you’d like to hear us review.

Post away!

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Treebore »

Hmmmm... Can't think of any. I quit listening to reviewers years ago. When a RPG catches my interest I pick up the Quickstart, if it has one, or buy the PDF if I catch it on sale. Otherwise, I just play the hundred or so other RPG's I already own until a sale occurs.
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Gringnr »

Well, I feel like there are a lot of reviews available of current/well-known products as it is. So, I would be interested in hearing about games that are old/obscure/weird. Either because I haven't seen them myself, and am therefore curious, or because I have, and want to hear other people's reactions. So, I doubt this is what you're looking for, and I further doubt that you'll do any of these. Nevertheless, here are 5 picks, in no particular order.

Star Rovers- unfinished sci-fi RPG by the guy responsible for Arduin. If you're not curious after seeing this cover, I don't know what to tell you. Never seen this one in real life, but I'd love to.

Image

Alma Mater- the high school role-playing game. Legend has it that this game was banned from GenCon when it came out. Was that because of the rules governing weapons, drugs and pregnancy? Or was it the hilarious, grotesque and somewhat racist art by Erol Otus? Who knows. I have this, and would play it in a heartbeat, but I've never been able to convince anyone else to try.

Albedo- either 1st or 2nd edition (but not Platinum Catalyst). Great game, great setting. I'd love to hear someone else's take on it. I am an unashamed fanboy of this game, and promote it at every opportunity.

STOCSlite and related games/supplements- universal modern roleplaying system from Ireland. Used to be shareware, now very hard to find. Has a western supplement (El Paso) that I've never seen. Also has a bit of a cult following. I've read that it's based on a more comprehensive system called STOCS, but I'm unable to find any evidence of that system ever having existed.

Golden Heroes/Squadron UK- my latest retro obsession.

I will remind you that you asked for games I'D like to hear reviewed, and not games I thought OTHERS would like to hear reviewed.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by DMMike »

Hey Gringnr,

Save for Half covers OS RPG s and the modern RPGs inspired by them. The former is obvious, but we freely admit the latter is pretty subjective...but its our show so we decide! :)

We do try for published games though, so unless Rovers was published we probably won't cover it. Same with the Irish game. The other 3 though are quite possible.
I read some Albedo BITD but never played the game.

I have a pdf of Alma Mater and have read it. IMO, its problem is that it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be HS Animal House/Ferris Bueller or Slaughter High. I don't know for sure, but I'm fairly certain AM was banned from GC because of the topless art in the book.

I don't know if he made it in time this year, but Michael Curtis was making some noises about running Alma Mater at the North Texas RPG Con this year. If not, maybe next year!

Mike
The Save for Half Podcast: Old School RPGs Reviewed
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Victorious: Steampunk Adventure in the Age of SuperMankind
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Gringnr »

Ah, I see. Star Rovers was published, but Module 2, which was to detail world creation and (I think) space travel/combat, never saw print.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Buttmonkey »

Someone wrote or called into the show to request you review Mach: The Lost Colony. I would love to have you review Mach. My dad's DM back in the 70s and early 80s created Mach. I grew up hearing stories from my dad's D&D and Mach playing sessions. Mach was always in the background of my gaming, although I never played it or even saw a copy until a couple years ago. On a lark, I tried to track down the creator (Michael Lang) and was successful. He still had about 10 copies he was willing to sell (I grabbed 2) and I think he said his business partner had a bunch more. It would be a real treat for me, anyway, if you reviewed Mach. I could get you in touch with Mike Lang if you would be interested in interviewing him.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Gringnr »

Speaking of obscure old school sci-fi RPGs, what about Justifiers? Plot wise, it's got some similarity to Mach...
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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BM, sure send the contact info over. Though one of the first q's I'll have for him is does he have any more copies. ;)

Justifiers, I remember seeing that game at CoastCon 1982 but couldn't afford it at the time. I never saw it anywhere other than that convention; though I might've seen an ad for it in Space Gamer?

Mike
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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DMMike wrote:BM, sure send the contact info over. Though one of the first q's I'll have for him is does he have any more copies. ;)

Justifiers, I remember seeing that game at CoastCon 1982 but couldn't afford it at the time. I never saw it anywhere other than that convention; though I might've seen an ad for it in Space Gamer?

Mike
It's from the late 80s. IIRC, the players are genetically engineered animal-people who explore hostile unknown worlds in exchange for a chance to win freedom/citizenship or something. Had a decent amount of support material.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Treebore »

Gringnr wrote:
DMMike wrote:BM, sure send the contact info over. Though one of the first q's I'll have for him is does he have any more copies. ;)

Justifiers, I remember seeing that game at CoastCon 1982 but couldn't afford it at the time. I never saw it anywhere other than that convention; though I might've seen an ad for it in Space Gamer?

Mike
It's from the late 80s. IIRC, the players are genetically engineered animal-people who explore hostile unknown worlds in exchange for a chance to win freedom/citizenship or something. Had a decent amount of support material.
Hmmmm..., I can run that premise using either Eclipse Phase or Traveller. Or Mindjammer. Think I would personally rather go with Mindjammer (Traveller Version) or Eclipse Phase. I would definitely like to see the original source material for inspiration if nothing else.
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Grand Knight Commander of the Society.

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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Treebore wrote:
Gringnr wrote:
DMMike wrote:BM, sure send the contact info over. Though one of the first q's I'll have for him is does he have any more copies. ;)

Justifiers, I remember seeing that game at CoastCon 1982 but couldn't afford it at the time. I never saw it anywhere other than that convention; though I might've seen an ad for it in Space Gamer?

Mike
It's from the late 80s. IIRC, the players are genetically engineered animal-people who explore hostile unknown worlds in exchange for a chance to win freedom/citizenship or something. Had a decent amount of support material.
Hmmmm..., I can run that premise using either Eclipse Phase or Traveller. Or Mindjammer. Think I would personally rather go with Mindjammer (Traveller Version) or Eclipse Phase. I would definitely like to see the original source material for inspiration if nothing else.
You must not be the only person to think so, as there are fan made Savage Worlds/Unisystem conversions online. But, some people prefer to run old games with their original rulesets, I guess.

As for the books/setting material, it seems pretty decent. Very detailed, with good art. Maps usually sucked, though. Basically, the characters seem to be bred for their expendability in a universe run by giant corporations, and it seems that every corporation behaves like Weyland-Yutani. The Justifiers are trying to buy themselves out of their servitude, but they owe their souls (literally) to the company store. And the company keeps finding ways to add to the justifiers' tabs (augmentations, fines for "misbehavior", etc.). To top it all off, they have to compete with other teams of justifiers, some of whom may be willing to kill in order to claim the "colony" for their own employers...
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by DMMike »

Huh...I could've sworn I saw that earlier. Maybe I'm thinking of another game. I must have, since I only went to very local ETX cons in the late 1980s. <shrug>

Of course, Traveller already have wolflike and catlike aliens (Vargr and Aslan) but the slave aspect is interesting. Though I know a lot of players who would resent shat sort of hold over the PCs. :)

Mike
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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DMMike wrote:Huh...I could've sworn I saw that earlier. Maybe I'm thinking of another game. I must have, since I only went to very local ETX cons in the late 1980s. <shrug>

Of course, Traveller already have wolflike and catlike aliens (Vargr and Aslan) but the slave aspect is interesting. Though I know a lot of players who would resent shat sort of hold over the PCs. :)

Mike
A few 80's sci-fi games had anthropomorphic cats and dogs. Space Opera did it, and Spacemaster 2e, IIRC (I think Spacemaster had all kinds of anthropomorphic animals). I have no idea why this is.

Didn't Justifiers have corporate espionage/sabotage type missions as well as "welp we gotta work for this corporation that owns us" stuff? I think there were rules for playing humans. And maybe even a rebellion or groups of runaway "betas" as the animal-people are called in the game.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Gringnr »

More on topic, I listened to Save for Half (the FASA Dr. Who episode), and liked it a lot.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by DMMike »

Thanks about SFH! We're tabulating people's interests on the What's YOUR threads and figuring what's next. #4 is Cyborg Commando, and we're thinking Castles & Crusades for #5. #6...Is starting to look like either Top Secret or the Morrow Project. We are trying to alternate between a FRPG and a Modernn-SciFi game to keep it fresh, but we'll see if we can keep it up. :)

Thanks again for the kudos, feel free to make suggestions if you've got ideas; either here or at saveforhalfpodc ast (at) gmail.com!

Mike
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by GatewayTodd »

Here's MY Top 5 Want List for the Save for Half Podcast:

1. Marvel Super Heroes (TSR)
2. James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service (Victory)
3. DC Heroes (Mayfair)
4. MERP - Middle-Earth Role Playing (I.C.E.)
5. Star Frontiers (TSR)

I figured Champions and Traveller were already clearly on your radar, so I left them off!

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Treebore »

Why would anyone need to review MArvel Super Heroes or Star Frontiers when their entire product lines, or at least almost all, is free and legally available online? Just tell people to go to the respective websites and check them out.

http://www.classicmarvelforever.com/cms/


http://www.starfrontiers.com/
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by DMMike »

I don't know about most other folks, but I always prefer a quick rundown before I try to read an RPG I dont' know about. Its why my suggested readings section in Victorious provides a paragraph annotating each product; it helps people to make a quick decision before going in deep and only when halfway through the book realizing its not to taste. ;)

Everyone has different tastes. That's why a review Is useful, as if someone says they hate Castles & Crusades...well, that doesn't tell me much. If they say they hate it because they can't stand D20, or OSR, or any games written by people from Arkansas; well that gives some detail that I can use to make a decision! :)

Mike
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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I love reading or hearing well thought reviews of pop culture items. Why do we discuss literature, film or any art form? This kind of conversation can be simply about evaluating a consumer good. Is it worth my time? But great criticism includes so much more: who we are as people; how we experience our culture and how culture reflects on us. Roger Ebert is a good example of a critic who not only wrote beautifully (turning criticism itself into an art) but also provoked thought and discussion. The best criticism can lead to better art (in this case games) and better players. Sadly these days a lot of PR people masquerade as critics. Their sole intent is to sell product. The need for genuine reviews and critical thought has never been more important.

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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I have played both Star Frontiers and Marvel Super Heroes many, many times. I'm just curious to hear Mike and Liz's take on things. It would also be interesting to hear what DM Corbett has to say about it since I'm much less familiar with his tastes. Hearing what he thinks about games that I am very familiar with will help me gauge other reviews and opinions that he might have on future episodes.

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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GatewayTodd's list is aces, I would love to hear reviews of any of those. I almost added James Bond 007 to my list.

Also, this:
Penny-Whistle wrote:I love reading or hearing well thought reviews of pop culture items. Why do we discuss literature, film or any art form? This kind of conversation can be simply about evaluating a consumer good. Is it worth my time? But great criticism includes so much more: who we are as people; how we experience our culture and how culture reflects on us. Roger Ebert is a good example of a critic who not only wrote beautifully (turning criticism itself into an art) but also provoked thought and discussion. The best criticism can lead to better art (in this case games) and better players. Sadly these days a lot of PR people masquerade as critics. Their sole intent is to sell product. The need for genuine reviews and critical thought has never been more important.

Sometimes, hearing others' input or observations can help me to see things I may have missed. They can perhaps change my opinion of something I've seen, or serve to validate it.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by alcyone »

Lately I have wanted to know more about

d6 Fantasy/Space/Adventure/d6 Bloodshadows/ (d6 system)
BareBones Fantasy, Covert Ops, FrontierSpace (not out yet but same system, d00Lite)
Basic Roleplaying Classic Fantasy supplement
ACKS Heroic Fantasy/Barbarian Conquerors (not out yet, Kickstarter)
AS&SH (with a focus on the combat sequence)

That's already more than 5 I guess, but also Ghostbusters from West End Games, Adventures Dark and Deep (also has an interesting combat sequence), An old school perspective on 5e would be welcome too.

Apologies if SoDCast already covered any of those. I should go back and look.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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Ghostbusters
Toon
Paranoia 1st edition
Lace and Steel
Pirates of Dark Water

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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Okay, lemme make one change to my list. I didn't understand the decidedly old-school thrust of your podcast. My new list is the same, except with Justifiers instead of STOCSlite.
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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Good call on Ghostbusters and Paranoia serleran. I wholeheartedly agree!

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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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GatewayTodd wrote:Good call on Ghostbusters and Paranoia serleran. I wholeheartedly agree!

Same. I dig Ghostbusters from a historical perspective. Early the d6 system and all that. In a similar vein, maybe Pacesetter's Action Table system might be worth looking at. Not just Chill, but Star Ace and Timemaster as well (maybe even Sandman: Map of Halaal).
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

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c
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Re: [Save for Half Podcast] What's YOUR Top 5?

Post by Treebore »

I can see that. I guess I've not bothered with reviews for so many years now I have an easier time dismissing them than thinking they are of use.
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Grand Knight Commander of the Society.

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