My Top RPG Games of All Time in the Pen and Paper Genre
I’ve posted lists that other people believe were the top RPG games of all time. However, here is my list of what I think are the top RPG games of all time in the pen and paper genre.
1 – Dungeons and Dragons – If you only know of one game, or have only played one pen and paper RPG; Dungeons & Dragons is probably it. It is the grandfather of all pen and paper roleplaying games. And it remains the top dog to this day.
2 – Shadowrun – Maybe they’ll be able to balance this game a little better in 5th edition. Other than that, the world has spawned a pen and paper RPG, a first person shooter, multiple other video games, and there are even talks of a movie. Great setting, great game.
3 – Star Wars (D6) – I think there is only way to play Star Wars and that is using the D6 system. It is simple, short, sweet, and to the point. The system gets the job done and lets you enjoy the wonderful universe that George Lucas has created for us.
4 – Call of Cthulhu – The ultimate game in providing player death. This game is the number one horror genre game ever created for pen and paper roleplaying games. The only time I’ve ever been truly scared was during a session of Call of Cthulhu.
5 – Delta Green – One of the most underrated roleplaying games ever, in my opinion. Anyone who hasn’t got this game owes it to themselves to pick it up. It’s a great conspiracy theory game with a bit of an X-Files feel towards it.
6 – Deadlands – This old weird western game was designed on the precursor to the Savage Worlds system. Eventually, it became the flagship product for that system. If nothing else, the game has a unique setting and is helping popularize a great rules-lite system.
7 – Mechwarrior (Battletech) – I rank this game so high because it was the first roleplaying game that I ever played. I loved the miniature combat in this game. The actual roleplaying rules weren’t that great, but for a newbie they worked just fine.
8 – Palladium FRPG – A great storyline and background shrouded in a horrible system. Maybe sometime before I die Palladium will upgrade and completely overhaul their rules system… but I doubt it. Regardless, the game is great even with all the rules problems.
9 – Marvel Superheroes – This game will remind you why you like random character generation. It’s so fun to randomly create superheroes and see what you come out with. Plus, you can play some of your favorite Marvel superheroes as well.
10 – Rifts – Holy overpowered classes and items. Someone needs to work on rebalancing this game, unless that is what makes it so popular. It pretty much is a kitchen-sink game that has everything in it.
Honorable mentions: Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, Paranoia, Spycraft, Gamma World, Cyberpunk 2020, Warhammer FRPG, Earthdawn, and Hackmaster.
I only put games on this list that I have played. There are some other great games that I have heard of, but if I haven’t had a chance to play them I can’t vouch for them. This is my own personal list of the top RPG games of all time in the pen and paper genre.
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Tagged With Battletech, Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk 2020, Deadlands, Delta Green, Dungeons & Dragons, Earthdawn, Gamma World, Hackmaster, Mage, Marvel Super Heroes, Mechwarrior, Palladium FRPG, Paranoia, Pen and Paper Genre, Rifts, Shadowrun, Spycraft, Star Wars, Ten Top RPG Games Ever Made, Top RPG, Top RPG Game, Top RPG Games, Vampire, Warhammer FRPG, Werewolf
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