Games of the Decade?

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For me specifically? The novelty of the decade for our group was getting into PbtA. Simple and fun.

I’m also glad that D&D5 came out, healed some wounds and even re-energized some friends who hadn’t been playing for years, and all in all we got to play a fair bit of it.

I’m very, very happy I got to run Traveller (Mongoose 1st edition) and WFRP (2nd Edition), even if just a tiny bit of each — two games I’d been meaning to run since forever. And that our two-year-long game, that I’ve posted about elsewhere, wrapped up.

I am also happy that I got to run quite a bit of Savage Worlds, especially Day After Ragnarok, one of my favorite settings ever, and also a bit of Godbound, another game that knocked me off my socks.

I was also thrilled to play a fairly regular game of Vampire: the Requiem (1st Edition) for some time. I adore Masquerade and the classic WoD in general, but the leaner, meaner CoD lines push so many of the right buttons to me.

I am quite miffed that I haven’t been able to get a meaningful game of ACKS or Mythras, or that some of the above games have been so short-lived, but all in all, I was happy to get any gaming done at all after 30. :smile:

Now I yearn to get back on the saddle, try some of those I didn’t get to try, and some new ones, and revisit those I did.
 
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Cepehus publisher don't market themselves as a competitor. Nor the system in competition with Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition or Marc Miller's Traveller 5.
Yes it is, whether you like it or not. It's an alternative set of core rules; it's not complimentary. Indeed, it's not as if certain people haven't tried to use these rules as a stick to beat Mongoose or T5 with in any case.

The fact that Mongoose is the official Traveller licensee at the moment gives it a prestige that no publisher using Cepheus has. They also have the right to publish for the Third Imperium which is popular in its own right. Marc Miller as the original author of Traveller has his own prestige.
Agreed.

Furthermore the world of Traveller official rulesets is already fractured. MgT 2e, T5, and the elements of past editions like the Traveller Book are available in print. Moreso each has their own distinct take on Traveller, The Traveller Book and the CD-ROMs represent the past, MgT 2e represents the expansion of the material for the Third Imperium (and soon 2300 AD as well). And T5 is Marc Miller's ultimate vision of Traveller.
Mongoose Traveller 1st and 2nd edition are broadly compatible with the 2nd edition making incremental changes to rules, an uplift in presentation and more importantly lots of new material to game with. T5 is Marc Miller's pet project, but that was always part of the licensing agreement.

Cepheus likewise has it own take, original science fiction settings for Traveller. All distinctive niches of a niche.
It's an unofficial retroclone. Mongoose's Traveller could have original settings for it, via contractual negotiation, in the manner that Traveller: Mindjammer was written, or the upcoming 2300AD that Mongoose will produce itself also under license. Cepheus, however, is not it's own take as much as it's a mechanism for third parties to sell their own settings in a loose association with the official game.

My opinion is that this a good thing because it increases the chance of an individual becoming part of the Traveller hobby by increasing the variety of material available for Traveller.
Whereas my view is indifference, because it's not really Traveller and doesn't provide anything to support it.

I don't presume to speak for everybody. Having been a Traveller hobbyist since the 80s and followed the Traveller hobby on-line since the early 90s, I do have some observations on the Traveller hobby. Separate from my opinion on how best to foster the Traveller hobby.
Your observations are no more valid than mine.

The same technology that allows Cepheus publisher to do their thing also benefits Mongoose. I have no doubt that MgT 2e will thrive as long as Matt continues to manage things well. That new material will be released on an ongoing basis.
Cepheus doesn't benefit Mongoose. It has no impact on Mongoose.
 
In a broader sense, what really impressed me this decade was:

  • D&D5 pulling out what seemed impossible — sewing back together a fractured fanbase and infusing the brand with new energy, jumping back to #1.
  • The triumphs and disasters of crowdfunding.
  • The Culture Wars spilling over the hobby.
  • The rise and fall of Google+.
  • Sine Nomine Publishing cranking out amazing games reliably on schedule as a one-man operation.
  • Palladium being still alive, and licensing out Rifts for a conversion! Still in awe of this one.
  • Other classic games getting retro-clones and third-party publishing scenes (Openquest, Mythras, Cepheus, Zweihänder).
  • DTRPG and the industry teaming up for fan publishing — DM’s Guild, Storytellers Vault and so on.
 
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Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if I've played with any depth or commitment any RPG released/created this decade. I've only started playing D&D5 within the past month. All the other newer games have just been me learning them, running a barfight or a short scenario, and then not getting back to them.

I guess I was doing a lot of Fantasy Trip earlier in the year, but that never quite coalesced into full on RPG gaming. I ended up preferring to play it as a skirmish game. But does that really count since it's a re-release of a game from the late 70s?

I guess the ones I've thought were the coolest and most interesting were Cypher System and Genesys, but I haven't put any real playtime into either.
 
Well I wanna say Savage Worlds... but I got into it late in the Explorer's Edition lifecycle (and it came out in 2004) - no game has occupied my table more in the last ten years than that system. SWADE is still too new... so I feel like it's cheating.

True about Explorer's Edition, but Deluxe Explorer's Edition came out in 2012, which is the version I've mostly used, so I voted for it.
 
I've just remembered it's nearly the End of the Decade!?! What are your favorite games, published in the last 10 years, and why?

D&D 5th edition
An excellent edition of D&D that give options for character creation, tactical combat, but also easily configured to be played in a straight forward manner similar to classic edition. And because of it design classic edition adventures can be easily played by subbing the 5e version of creatures.

The Age System
A excellent 3d6 based system that is not overally detailed. Fantasy Age works well as a fantasy RPG. Character customization and tactical detail are supported but again not by being overly detailed.

Cepheus
A traveller clone, the core of which is based on Mongoose Traveller 1st edition. It has the strength of MgT 1e combined with being open content. Currently supported by 350+ products with more being released every month.

Dungeon Fantasy RPG
GURPS with everything not relevant to D&D style fantasy cut out. Much more approachable than toolkit oriented GURPS core books. The only major downside is that it use of 250 pts for character creation means there more than the usual number of options to manage for each creatures. But since it still point based this can be easily toned down.

The Fantasy Trip RPG
The return of a classic but in a new edition accompanied by lot of fun physical products to fiddle with. The core system is still possesses the brilliants simplicity of the original.

Fate Core
While I never did get the hang of it, it is a well presented, well design alternative to the usual design of RPGs. Made open content it is support by it own community of hobbyists.

Legends RPG and D100 RPGs
While not Runequest Classic or Basic Roleplaying, this close relative has an expansive line of supplement and open content to support a variety of different types of campaigns using the D100 mechanics. It author also wrote a successor RPG, Mythras, that is worthy in it own right. Plus Chaosium actively reviving the main pillars of the Runequest hobby; Glorantha, Runequest Classic, Basic Roleplaying, and Runequest in Glorantha.

Genesys and Stars War Roleplaying
Fantasy Flight has made a series of well recieved Star Wars RPGs and has recently release the core system as it own system, Genesys. Ensuring that it will survive when the Star Wars License sunsets.

Finally

Adventures in Middle Earth and The One Ring
While one is a 5th edition variant and the other it own unique system. They both share the same line of supplements and adventures. A line that I currently consider to be the best Middle Earth RPG to be released to date. Sadly the license has sunset for Cublicle 7 however The One Ring RPG may live on.
 
The new rpg product that has most influenced my gaming is the Legacy Edition of The Fantasy Trip. I would understand if people didn't want to recognize it as a new game because 90 % of the text of the core system books is based directly on things published ca. 1980. But the product line as a whole is totally refreshed, particularly the components you use at the table during play (maps, 'megahex' tiles, character markers). If you asked me to grab one think off my gaming shelf as I ran out of a house fire, this would be it.
 
For videogames, I haven't been that active in the last few years, but here would be my picks:
  • Minecraft is probably the purest and finest example of sandbox play in a videogame - it practically defines the term
  • I suck at it and don't play anymore, but Fortnite has mastered the art of gaming as an event and perfected the formula of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  • DayZ created the genre of "surival shooters," and still represents the purest form of the style
  • Rocket League is a perfect e-sport game
  • FTL is such a perfect example and popularization of the "roguelike" genre
  • The Binding of Isaac is just such a great example of addictive roguelike play
Those are the ones I'm familiar with that seemed noteworthy to me. I'd have listed League of Legends, except (a) I never played it, and (b) it came out in 2009. But it's obviously cast a huge shadow over a certain sector of gaming in the last decade. I'd have listed Dark Souls, but I really feel like Demon's Souls deserves more credit as the first of From's Souls games, and it came out in 2009. They helped to popularize the resurgence of punishing difficulty in single-player games, which has dovetailed with the whole roguelike movement.
 
For me specifically? The novelty of the decade for our group this decade was getting into PbtA. Simple and fun.

I’m also glad that D&D5 came out, healed some and even re-energized some friends who hadn’t been playing for years, and all in all we got to play a fair bit of it.

I’m very, very happy I got to run Traveller (Mongoose 1st edition) and WFRP (2nd Edition), even if just a tiny bit of each — two games I’d been meaning to run since forever. And that our two-year-long game, that I’ve posted about elsewhere, wrapped up.

I am also happy that I got to run quite a bit of Savage Worlds, especially Day After Ragnarok, one of my favorite settings ever, and also a bit of Godbound, another game that knocked me off my socks.

I was also thrilled to play a fairly regular game of Vampire: the Requiem (1st Edition) for some time. I adore Masquerade and the classic WoD in general, but the leaner, meaner CoD lines push so many of the right buttons to me.

I am quite miffed that I haven’t been able to get a meaningful game of ACKS or Mythras, or that some of the above games have been so short-lived, but all in all, I was happy to get any gaming done at all after 30. :smile:

Now I yearn to get back on the saddle, try some of those I didn’t get to try, and some new ones, and revisit those I did.
Can we just all agree now on what retirement home and to go to so we can get some good gaming in? It has to have nice amenities so our wives can commiserate about being gaming widows.
 
Can we just all agree now on what retirement home and to go to so we can get some good gaming in? It has to have nice amenities so our wives can commiserate about being gaming widows.

It has allow scotch or I’m out.

And I hate to say it, but when that time comes, they’ll probably worry more about being, you know, actual widows.
 
If I was to base this on "impartial" criteria like impact, and success it's no contest: D&D 5e.

I think D&D 5e is great. It's accessible, clean and fun. D&D is not my favorite RPG, it's a game I "end up" playing rather then the one I would go to on my own. It's "not my favorite" for things D&D should not ever change (Classes, levels, etc.), but I'm happy to play it and incredibly excited for it's success.


For my personal game of the decade, it's pretty easy: Fate Core

It's approach to balance based on narrative power, rather than relevance or physical power really jives with how my brain thinks about RPGs. It took some practice to get the best way to design Aspects, and now it is one of my favorite mechanics of all time.


My honorable mention is Blades in the Dark

Blades in the Dark showed me how interesting an RPG experience can be when it is heavily directed by the ruleset. Blades in the Dark delivers a very specific experience in a masterful way. No other game has delivered such memorable heists, politics and conspiracy as Blades in the Dark did for me. After a months long campaign, the heavy formula made game sessions feel rote and predictable, but I would happily play Blades in the Dark for a few months out of every year.
 
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Fun thread!
  • The One Ring. Easily my favourite rpg of all time. Brilliant, evocative, and fairly easy to run. You roll the dice and Tolkien comes out. Incredible.
  • FFG Star Wars. The Narrative Dice system works like a treat. Again, you roll the dice and Star Wars comes out. Admittedly, my preference is for the Warhammer version, but that was 2009.
  • RuneQuest Glorantha. The reboot of one of gaming’s most celebrated settings. Some flaws in execution, but overall inspired and flavourful.
  • D&D 5e: the gaming equivalent of the Miracle on Ice. I was frankly shocked at how good it was. Even though my preference is for OSR D&D, I’ve had lots of fun with it. The game catapulted itself into the public consciousness in a way undreamed of, and now D&D is more popular than ever.
  • Shadow of the Demon Lord. The game I initially had no interest in. I didn’t want yet another D&D, but wow, does it deliver. I have run it for three different groups, all of which loved it. It’s just D&D meets Warhammer, but it’s also much more than that. That one book has outperformed any other for me.





 
So, for me, Mythras, no contest for the #1. Made me think about systems, what I like, what I want, gave me good melee combat, good magic systems, the level of crunch i like without the level I don't want. My masters will like this thread.. oh wait. ;)

5e - while it's not my favorite to play, it is built for new folks and for running the kinds of stories they will like. it has completely changed the face of the industry. I am happy that it has brought so many people to the hobby, and so many of them branch out from 5e. Truly a boon for everything.

Cortex Plus - I came at this via marvel, and am so happy I found it. A great light game, when I don't want so much nitty gritty, and I want whatever craziness to cross. It does a lot of things very well, and made me think about emphasizing what is important and leave out what is not.

Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok 2e - So novel and unique. tactile, complex, thematic, gorgeous art. The rules are a bit of a mess on occasion, but I still love it. The use of runes and playmats is quite novel.
 
Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok 2e - So novel and unique. tactile, complex, thematic, gorgeous art. The rules are a bit of a mess on occasion, but I still love it. The use of runes and playmats is quite novel.


I'm seriously eying that Celtic expansion KS, but boy is it spendy - at least at this time of year, after so much other purchases this year.

Yet...so tempting...
 
  1. OSR/5E. I'm putting these together as over here in my experience they've both been part of a general trend in bringing D&D back to Weird Sandbox Fantasy and away from essentially reflecting a computer game style build culture and railroad adventures. People tend to run stuff written for one with the system of another. Plenty of people introduced to the hobby over the last four years by either DCC, LotFP, 5E or Labyrinth Lord.

  2. Savage Worlds. Complex enough combat and an engaging build system that I have found retains the interests of people not normally interested in those thing from just the sheer fun of it. Match these with a ton of action packed settings delivered in a format, the plot point, that strikes a good balance between sandbox and overarching narrative for many people. And again just out and out fun. A Savage Worlds night has always been a laugh for the groups I've been in.

  3. Vampire 5E. The rules finally reflect the setting intent.

  4. The Fantasy Trip/Mythras/Fate of the Norns. The return and enhancement of combat that is crunchy due to tactical decisions during the fight, not purely character stats that determine the outcome in advance.

  5. The One Ring. I'll echo what Spartan Spartan said about Tolkien flowing out of the rules and also that it has spawned a campaign to stand alongside the Great Pendragon Campaign with The Darkening of Mirkwood.

  6. BRP resurgence. Mythras belongs here as well. Pendragon, Call of Cthulhu and Runequest coming back with full support and gorgeous art. One of my hopes for the 2020s is a truly impressive Gloranthan campaign.

Also I feel the 2020s might be something similar for Traveller as the 2010s were for D&D. An indie scene being set up with Cepheus and a well supported official edition coming out with new products that try to do something different (e.g. The Deepnight Revelation)
 
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  1. One of my hopes for the 2020s is a truly impressive Gloranthan campaign.
I think that's a certainty, once they get a few other supplements and maybe some rules tweaks* on the way. It's just not something I think Chaosium wants to rush towards - which is a good thing, I'd argue. RuneQuest: Glorantha, as it stands, is basically built for epic campaign play.

I'd also say that King Arthur Pendragon will hopefully get round to doing a new edition of The Great Pendragon Campaign, in the same manner they did Masks of Nyarlathotep for Call of Cthulhu. That is, with updated art, lots of handouts and other materials and all put together into a slipcase. One can hope, at least. l know that at least two or three other spinoff games are coming, based on the Pendragon rules (one for Magicians, one for Ancient Greece and one for Samurai Japan), so there is quite a lot to look forward to.

* One of the snags in the new RQ:G rules seems to be the redundancy of using Shields now. The Classic rules had separate scores for attack or parry on any given weapon or shield, so investing in a weapon attack and a shield parry, separately, was a worthwhile thing. Now, each weapon or shield has a single score for both attack or parry, meaning you can just parry with your Sword skill, and forget about spending any extra points on an extra Shield skill. Personally, I'd prefer to take the Mythras method of making skills out of combat styles - so you could have a single score in 'Sword and Shield' as a single skill.

Y'know, I might start a new thread on what we want for the next decade of gaming.....
 
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I've got a soft spot for FATE and narrative-centric gaming in general, so I'd say that was the major innovation of the last decade.

In terms of video gaming, I've not done a lot of new games but my standout experience would have to be Kerbal Space Program. It's more intellectual than visceral but one does learn quite a bit about orbital mechanics and actual space flight in the process. I think Werhner Von Braun would blush at some of the Heath-Robinson contraptions I've managed to get into orbit.
 
BRP resurgence. Mythras belongs here as well. Pendragon, Call of Cthulhu and Runequest coming back with full support and gorgeous art. One of my hopes for the 2020s is a truly impressive Gloranthan campaign.
RQII is my fave fantasy system of all time. Count me in for a RQ campaign.
[ . . . ]
Savage Worlds. Complex enough combat and an engaging build system that I have found retains the interests of people not normally interested in those thing from just the sheer fun of it. Match these with a ton of action packed settings delivered in a format, the plot point, that strikes a good balance between sandbox and overarching narrative for many people. And again just out and out fun. A Savage Worlds night has always been a laugh for the groups I've been in.
[ . . . ]
Also I feel the 2020s might be something similar for Traveller as the 2010s were for D&D. An indie scene being set up with Cepheus and a well supported official edition coming out with new products that try to do something different (e.g. The Deepnight Revelation)
The Tannhauser-verse setting I've been working on has maybe half a dozen short-list options for systems to support, which needn't be mutually exclusive. I originally started with FATE, and the content trivially ported to Forged in the Dark for my current S&V campaign; I'd also like to try Savage Worlds at some point with it. The other options I've considered are SWN, Cepheus or some sort of homebrew system, perhaps one optimised for PbP or VTT play.

Interestingly, the setting is descended from two campaigns I prepped/did historically. The first was a series of campaigns I did some years ago (nearly 30 now) with a homebrew system based on Twilight:2000 1e. The second was a campaign for Traveller that never got run. Cepheus is perhaps the biggest innovation in Traveller, moreso than T5 or Mgt2, as it makes the system accessible to third party content in a way that was not previously possible while Marc Miller was gatekeeping it. It's certainly a candidate for something I might run the setting on.
 
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I don't pay much attention to when exactly a particular game was published. I'll have to study the list on Wikipedia and hope everything I own is on there. I'll also refer to RPGG and get back to you later.

Edit: I compiled a quick txt-file of all the games I own that were published 2010-2019. You may have forgotten about some of these!

And now to choose...
I'm still deliberating, but surely Shadow of the Demon Lord is one of them!
 
I'm seriously eying that Celtic expansion KS, but boy is it spendy - at least at this time of year, after so much other purchases this year.

Yet...so tempting...

all of his stuff is spendy. all of it is also gorgeous stuff. I got his illuminated edda just as a coffee table book.
 
The best things to happen this decade:

1. The rise of PDF distribution and DTRPG. I don’t really like buying physical books any longer for RPGs because they take up so much space. If boxed sets were still a thing I would think differently. Maybe that will be a trend in the 2020s but I doubt it.

2. D&D5. Other people in this thread have talked about it and probably better than I could. It’s a damn fine rule set and a major comeback for Wizards after the disaster of marketing during the last edition. They should be smart and never release a sixth edition.

3. My favorite game is probably either The One Ring, D&D5, or Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. I usually can’t pick one game.

4, Narrative style games. I’m not really huge into them but it is great to expand tabletop games into all directions and adding new innovations or bringing back old ones that nobody paid attention to years ago.

5. The Pub. This place has been my gaming home for almost three years now and I wouldn’t be posting anywhere else much if it didn’t exist. It’s been a delight to run this place and even better to talk about all kinds of things both personal and gaming related with so many of my online friends.
 
The best things to happen this decade:

1. The rise of PDF distribution and DTRPG. I don’t really like buying physical books any longer for RPGs because they take up so much space. If boxed sets were still a thing I would think differently. Maybe that will be a trend in the 2020s but I doubt it.

2. D&D5. Other people in this thread have talked about it and probably better than I could. It’s a damn fine rule set and a major comeback for Wizards after the disaster of marketing during the last edition. They should be smart and never release a sixth edition.

3. My favorite game is probably either The One Ring, D&D5, or Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. I usually can’t pick one game.

4, Narrative style games. I’m not really huge into them but it is great to expand tabletop games into all directions and adding new innovations or bringing back old ones that nobody paid attention to years ago.

5. The Pub. This place has been my gaming home for almost three years now and I wouldn’t be posting anywhere else much if it didn’t exist. It’s been a delight to run this place and even better to talk about all kinds of things both personal and gaming related with so many of my online friends.
Way suck up to the admin....
 
I'm kind of curious what they're going to do with Werewolf 5E. I read somewhere it's set for 2021.

that he's using a different definition of what constitutes a Narrative game
A different and uncommon definition. We played a lot of VtM and had great fun but grew tired of it by the end of the nineties. Only thing different from other games we were familiar with at the time was its pretentious tone and the fact that your character was a Vampire, which was fun for a while.

At least in our experience, there was nothing particularly "narrative" about it. Same for the other WoD lines that we dabbled in: the GM controlled the setting and NPCs, each of the players controlled their character from an IC viewpoint.
 
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What happened to this wonderful thread?
 
OK,Trippy's tangent has been moved to a new thread. Anyone interested can feel free to go roll around in the mud there.


Trippy? Feel free not to post in this thread again unless it's about the original topic, capiche?

(that's not a question, it's rehtorical, just so we understand each other)
 
while not specifically this decade or rpgs, I think it's close enough and important enough to merit a mention. Kickstarter started in 2009 and launched many many many rpgs, and so many other things that are in the halo. It is difficult to overstate the impact of this.
 
while not specifically this decade or rpgs, I think it's close enough and important enough to merit a mention. Kickstarter started in 2009 and launched many many many rpgs, and so many other things that are in the halo. It is difficult to overstate the impact of this.


Yeah, I think it's changed the landscape of the gaming hobby significantly
 
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