What Games DO You Like?

Surgo · Post by **Surgo** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:00 pm

Tabletop: Shadowrun 4e with Ends of the Matrix and without magic.

Video Game RPGs: Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3. One of these days I'll play the old Black Isle games and maybe like them too.

I hate JRPGs.

Other Video Games: Smash Brothers.

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:03 pm

I expected more wargamers here.

Lich-Loved · Post by **Lich-Loved** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:22 pm

PnP RPG
D&D 3.5 (houseruled with Tomes for inspiration)
Shadowrun 3 and 4
Sucks-less (a homebrew generic system written by a friend typically used for Supers)

Computer (Console and PC)
Baldur's Gate 1 & 2
Civ 1-4
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and 4
Oblivion
Call of Duty 5
Mass Effect
Diablo 2
Starcraft/Brood War
Fallout 1-3
Little Big Planet

Board games
Avalon Hill: Luftwaffe, Panzer Leader, Submarine, Wizard's Quest, Nexus
Khet
Chess
Monopoly
Backgammon
Arkham Horror
Twilight Imperium
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Pente

I am interested in learning Go. Does anyone here play? Is there an online version where I can meet other novices to learn and play?

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:22 pm

Lich-Loved:

http://playgo.to/iwtg/en/

http://gbohus.szncs.com/go/go_eng.html

Lokathor · Post by **Lokathor** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:02 am

Roughly in order:
``DnD 3.5, houserules of course. Our group plays it around the Fighter or Rogue balance point.
``Earthdawn, I've only played it a bit but it was pretty fun while it lasted.
``Mage the Awakening, houserules. Amazing setting, but the mechanics don't always stack up, and the sense of scale is usually shit.
``BFRPG (Basic DnD clone), I've never played actual basic DnD, but this one was really good, and reminded me of the good sections of the 2e feel with minimal confusing mechanics.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:05 am

Ugh, what's with you guys and liking 3.5E? 3.0E is much better. Is it because of the books they made for the edition after the revision? Honestly, unless you're getting a lot of use out of Book of Nine Swords and the Miniatures Handbook you ain't missing much.

What's BFRPG?

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:09 am

Basic Fantasy RPG. Like he/she said a BD&D clone, like OSRIC and Hackmaster are AD&D 1st edition clones.

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:10 am

Speaking for myself, other than the Haste and buff duration changes I don't know what the differences are between editions and have similar (generally warm) feelings about both; at this point its only habit.

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:13 am

Here is a working list of changes between one edition and its successor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editions_o ... 26_Dragons

It is incomplete due to some deletionists, but people are trying to give the most information on the biggest changes within the WikiRules.

Sir Neil · Post by **Sir Neil** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:04 am

Tabletop:
Beyond the Supernatural 2
D&D 3.11 for Windows
Rifts
Shadowrun 4

Video:
Dynasty Warriors 3, 4
Justice League Heroes
LEGO Star Wars
Resident Evil (2, 4, Outbreak)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 (Avengers Legends)
X-Men Legends 2

Tequila Sunrise · Post by **Tequila Sunrise** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:46 am

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Ugh, what's with you guys and liking 3.5E? 3.0E is much better. Is it because of the books they made for the edition after the revision?

When I played 3e, that was my reason. The basic rules between the two weren't different enough to matter for me or anyone I gamed with; the only noticeable advantage to 3.0 was saving $30 - $90.

One of 3e's huge advantages over previous editions was it's sheer shit ton of level-by-level character options available through all those splats. I could have theoretically used all the 3.5 splats with 3.0, but the new player's handbook also had more feats and whatnot. And besides, my most enthusiastic player bought the 3.5 PHB because the ranger was his favorite class and he liked the new styles. And I'm a sucker for a good friend.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:23 am

Starmaker wrote:I don't recall anything offensively railroading in II and III. Granted, in III, there's that peace meeting which ends in bloodshed, but it's more of a wham moment (all the good efforts were in vain) than plot induced stupidity. To think of it, the fourth game has the character hypnotized by a vampire chick's boobs for a better part of the game. (It's still the best of the series, though).

What scenario did you play through 3 as? If you did it as a Wizard, then the railroading/idiot plot becomes really obvious.

Quest for Glory 2, the thing that got me was that after a certain point in the game, about 3/5ths of the way through, you get deposited into a city where you can't really do anything. You can't explore the city, you can't go outside, you can't go back to the old city... it's mostly just killing time until the plot can advance.

There's also a very obvious railroady bit involving Zayisha, but only if you get a Game Over then continue the way the game wants you: which wouldn't be bad, but you get a game over if you don't do what the guard suspects you of doing but the game continues if you actually go through with it. It's not really too bad since you're supposed to be a hero anyway but it was at that point where I realized that the game was firmly on the rails.

Even Quest 4 Glory 4's plot shrinkage moment happened near the end of the game--and there aren't any consequences for ignoring it even though the game makes you think there will be.

Lokathor · Post by **Lokathor** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:52 am

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Ugh, what's with you guys and liking 3.5E? 3.0E is much better. Is it because of the books they made for the edition after the revision? Honestly, unless you're getting a lot of use out of Book of Nine Swords and the Miniatures Handbook you ain't missing much.

Actually I've used Nine Swords in nearly every 3.5 DnD game I've played since it came out. I also like 3.5 psionics quite a bit. My standard 3.5 "book list" is PHB, ToB, XPH, MIC, SC, MM1. Sure there's broken and silly stuff mixed into those books, but you can always cut anything that becomes disruptive. Most of our games are in the level 1 to 6 range anyways.

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:09 am

Godlike | It is way to easy to break that game, but I read the world events outline and talent dossiers like a child, enraptured.

I have to say "ditto" here...I wish I could get a crew together to play this game.

Aside from that...

Paper-and-dice:

AD&D...a heavily house-ruled combo of 1st and 2nd was what I've had the most fun with for the past 15-20 years or so.

TMNT from Palladium...a little kooky, but a lot of fun (where else can you play a couple of weightlifting walruses from Venice Beach who drive a sports car?). Especially good if you combine it with Ninjas & Superspies for the variety of martial arts styles.

Iron Kingdoms...great setting, even if the d20 rules need some tweaking.

Song of Ice and Fire RPG from Green Ronin...my latest discovery, I haven't yet played it, but I'm enjoying the rules so far (much better than the d20 version).

Tabletop:

Stratego...fairly simple, but enjoyable, and easy enough for my 8-year-old to grasp. I want to find Ultimate Stratego, but I haven't seen it in years.

Iron Dragon...fantasy railroad building.

The Order of the Stick boardgame...takes a long time to play, but pretty fun.

BANG!...the best cardgame I've found for fast, enjoyable play that doesn't take a long time to learn the rules.

Guillotine...another quick, easy card game that's fun, and can accomodate a large number of players.

Star Wars CCG by Decipher...before power creep killed it, I enjoyed it most of the CCGs I played. Though I am learning to play Pokemon now that my son has discovered it...

Scrabble...this game speaks for itself.

Catch Phrase...my wife and I play this for kicks all the time.

Euchre...probably my favorite "standard" card game. Unfortunately it does require 4.

Video Games:

Shining Force
Final Fantasy (I, II, VI, and especially Final Fantasy Tactics)
Ogre Battle
Ghost Recon (I had the most fun with Island Thunder)
Fable

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:10 am

Lokathor wrote:I also like 3.5 psionics quite a bit.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:16 am

Lago wrote:Ugh, what's with you guys and liking 3.5E? 3.0E is much better. Is it because of the books they made for the edition after the revision? Honestly, unless you're getting a lot of use out of Book of Nine Swords and the Miniatures Handbook you ain't missing much.

I'm with you. By the time 3.5 was out, the credibility of WotC books as being quality material was shot (they were tanking before 3.5), so the idea of esteeming WotC products over other books was just a way of limiting inspiration. We ended up with a lot of cool ideas from 3rd party books, and it's sort of ended up that most D&D games we play these days are with the basic 3.0 rule set, but with a classless point-buy system.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:29 am

Maj wrote: By the time 3.5 was out, the credibility of WotC books as being quality material was shot (they were tanking before 3.5), so the idea of esteeming WotC products over other books was just a way of limiting inspiration.

I have both Relics and Rituals books. They're not all that great but they're a degree better than junk like Compete Warrior and Book of Exalted Deeds. So I can see where you're coming from. Also Quintessential Monk is still one of my favorite 3E sourcebooks. It's cool as hell and despite all of the other crap Mongoose shat out I'll always hold a soft spot for this book.

I'd say that probably the book most damaging to 3E's credibility, aside from the 3.5E books, would have to be Magic of Faerun. Like I said in another thread, before that book came out DMs would pretty much let people use any non-psionic material from a WotC-published book wholesale. This includes Defenders of the Faith. After that it became a line-item veto.

Lokathor · Post by **Lokathor** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:38 am

Well I only had OA and the 3.0 PHB, so getting a 3.5 PHB wasn't any huge investment or switch over. Then I picked up MM, CW, SC, ToB, FC1, and MIC. At a later point, my friend swiped a bunch of books from the local books and music shop when they fired him and gave them all to me, so I got XPH, CA, CV, FC2, Eberron, and Cityscape for free.

I admit that I probably play a wildly weakened down version of DnD compared to a Tome game or anything like that. Most of my players play beatstick fighters and healing clerics and blasting wizards, so that's what I cater to.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:42 am

I love Magic of Faerun. We call it Cheeseburst because it bursts with cheesiness. Yeah, we can't use all of it, but on wild and crazy days, it sure is fun.

As much as a lot of people say they sucked, I was always a big fan of Fantasy Flight books. They gave me some of the best ideas.

RandomCasualty2 · Post by **RandomCasualty2** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 6:07 am

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Ugh, what's with you guys and liking 3.5E? 3.0E is much better.

I honestly don't even understand the 3.0 appeal. 3.0 had a lot of undesireable things and was just a total spellcaster edition.

You got the insane DCs from triple empowered fox's cunnings and bullshit like that. The game was totally about hasting yourself, meaning everyone got two standard actions, making it even worse rocket launcher tag than 3.5. Power attack was weaker, and really a lot of the time, not even worth the feat slot.

Spellcasters in 3.0 were pretty much pure gods. What little magic item dependency they have in 3.5 is pretty much gone, given you can animal buff your way to true awesome (especially when you start empowering them). Fly had a 10 minute/level duration, meaning one spell lasts the entire adventure. A lot of other awesome spells just lasted longer, and you had a series of no brainers that ever wizard tended to take in 3.0.

There wasn't much in 3.0 that was better. I know there's something about the weapon sizing rules in 3.5 being screwy, but to be honest, that's never even really come up in any 3.5 game I've run, so I never considered it a big deal.

Really I never saw any of the positives of 3.0, it just made casters even more powerful than 3.5 did, a boost they totally didn't need.

Josh_Kablack · Post by **Josh_Kablack** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 6:16 am

Uh, guys this is a thread for games we like.

Could we perhaps take the 3.0 vs 3.5 argument to its own thread?

Wesley Street · Post by **Wesley Street** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:11 pm

P&P RPG
Shadowrun 4e
Dungeons and Dragons 4e
Spycraft 2.0
2300AD...
haven't made up my mind on Eclipse Phase yet.

Board Games
Risk 2210
Carcassone
Twilight Imperium 3e
Talisman
Battlestar Galactica

Video Games
The Grand Theft Auto franchise and a few other Rockstar games like Bully. And Dead Rising from Namco. Everything is boring or repetitive for me.

Red_Rob · Post by **Red_Rob** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:12 pm

Okay, RPG wise most recently its been a 2nd edition campaign for nostalgia and lulz.

Shadowrun 2nd gives me warm fuzzies because we played a campaign for 4 years through high school that had a shit-ton of cool moments and ended with one of the characters become a living magical juggernaut and DESTROYING NEO-TOKYO!

JAGS Wonderland looks amazing and i'm planning a campaign of that next.

Other than RPG's:
Wargames:
Uncharted Sea's - Fantasy Naval wargame with a neat shot resolution system
Necromunda - Haven't played this for a while but we played the absolute shit out of it for about 4 years straight when it came out.
Blood Bowl - One of the most tense games i've ever played. The Turnover rule means there are no boring dice rolls.
Battletech - Its old, its clunky, but i loves me some giant robots!

Card Games:
Magic: The Gathering - Just never gets old. Been playing for 14 years and still find new and interesting decks to build.

Computer Games
Guitar Hero - Nuff Said
Baldur's Gate 2 - Best RPG Evar!
The Total War series - The best strategy series available
UFO - Enemy Unknown - X-COM strategy still amazing after 16(?) years
Half life + Half life 2 - The best shooters games on any system. So much gameplay variety you never get bored.

Well, thats my faves anyway. I usually find myself playing other things but always going back for "one more run through of BG2"

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:24 pm

Ooo, I forgot Bloodbowl. That's on my list. One of my treasured gaming memories came from an extended series of fixed-schedule seasons between a group of serious BB hardcores.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:37 pm

mean_liar wrote:I expected more wargamers here.

Oh, I used to be, before my PC days. The last time was around fifteen years ago, playing the Battle of Ligny for 3 months in a guy's basement, on a scale of one tiny (but pretty) square cardboard piece represented a few hundred men, on a board large enough to have rain on one side, but not the other (bit of a big deal in Napoleonic warfare).

I reckon the time of such games are over, although Matrixgames does a fine job of making computer versions well enough (and Paradox too, from time to time).