Digging Up My Top Ten

1. Iron Kingdoms (by me for the TBS Clan)
2. Abyssal Exalted (me for the Torry Village People)
3. GURPS Marvel Super Heroes (Glen)
4. Firefly (Matt)
5. Planescape (me for the Torry Village People)
6. Solar Exalted/Rathess (me for the Torry Village People)
7. Star Wars (Glen)
8. All Flesh Must Be Eaten (Dragon*Con)
9. Warhammer Fantasy RP (Ed)
10. Eberron (Bob)

*Special Late Runner Up: Savage Worlds Pulp Adventure (Ed) Remembered at last minute.

I'm not sure of the years. All took place within a four year period after my First College Experience (2003-2007), after I came home to Pensacola and started hanging out at the local comic book shop. Halcyon times, friend.

I doubt this is a perfect list. My memory is nothing if not flawed. I know there were a great deal of games that were bandied about during this relatively short period, but most quickly petered out. These are the ones that stick out the most . . . which, I guess, is the point of the exercise.

First thing I notice is that almost half of the games have me as the GM. I apparently have quite the opinion of myself. I have come to discover that I prefer running games to playing in them. As a former actor, GMing allows me to play bunches of roles instead of just one. Indeed, the power of creation is a euphoric experience. Maybe one of these days I'll go over how I look at table top gaming as a form of theater. Back on point, there's also the issue that, as a player, I'm prone to being a wallflower.

Yet, in those five games I played in, two were awkward guys in the background. My character in the super hero game was quiet, but by no means a bystander. The Dragon*Con game had me hamming up the table. My engineer in Firefly was . . . a lunatic. What this is telling me is that I really, really don't like being a wallflower. I want to have my moments center stage. Games where I create some forgettable nobody are forgettable. Huh. Hadn't really thought of that.

Four d20/D&D games, three Exalted games, one GURPS, one WHFRP, one AFMBE. 

I like d20 (3.5) games. Flawed though the system may be, I find it to have a somewhat natural flow. It's easy to pick up, easy to roll with. Something everyone knew how to play. It's still my preferred iteration of the D&D game, though I may borrow some material from 4e to make the older game more hearty.

Exalted is fantastic. Though fourteen dozen jokes could be made about the fistfuls of dice, the world is a pure delight. Mixing Greek and Asian myth and history into an over the top anime world works incredibly well. You are a big damned hero (or big double-damned villain) dealing with big damned deals. The setting is and feel truly epic. I regret leaving my pounds and pounds of books back in Florida. I'd be nice to run another game. Or be in one.

GURPS. I...yeah. That one was character and plot driven. I don't like the system.  Savage Worlds is mostly light and simple, whereas GURPS strives to be simulationist. I found the rules to be clunky. Next time, when it comes to generics, make mine Savage Worlds.

I have nothing for or against All Flesh Must Be Eaten. It's a specific system for a very specific genre. Again, I'd just assume use Savage Worlds for a zombie apocalypse.

Firefly was almost similar to a proto-Savage Worlds. To be honest, I hadn't even seen the series, yet.

Warhammer Fantasy holds a special place in my heart. It's like a ye typical fantasy game, but . . . dirty. Grimy. Unhealthy. The setting waxes from filthy, gritty, and horrific all the way to a jolly goofiness (read: Orcs) and gallows humor. As a history major, I like how it takes a version of the Holy Roman Empire and makes no attempt to "High Fantasy Up" the setting so that you, the player, are fully aware that the middle ages were a time of disease, brutally quick death, and people dumping their effluvia out into the streets.  

What I see about these games that really made the really special ones special were the great characters, the people that played them, and how people worked together to create a feeling of life within the setting. I ran with two separate groups, mostly, and both groups could work like well oiled machines of plotting and playing. The GM/Player contract was well observed.

Also, as a final note, two of these were evil games. Both of those were with the Torry Village People; the most sadistic bunch of hooligans with whom I've ever rolled dice. They are the only folks I've ever had play evil and not only play it well, but have the group work together like a true syndicate. No real backstabbing. No traitorous intent. Everyone worked together for the Greater Bad. They took the premises they were presented with, grasped the reins and propelled their story forward without me having to step in. I think a good evil game should be proactive (instead of reactive, like most heroic games), and blackest hell were they effective at coming up with their own plots. I salute you guys. You horrible, horrible people, you.