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As a counterpoint to the other thread - what are some of the lesser known or underappreciated gems in the hobby that you like?
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I've only heard of Noumenon, and don't remember what I heard about itAll the weird little games that Abstract Nova put out... Noumenon, Exquisite Replicas, Heaven & Earth, Alethia, Angakkuit...
Noumenon is by far their oddest duck, and only kindasortof a game unto itself. IMO it's more like a dungeon with its own set of rules... because it's a strange dungeon and the PCs are made strange by being there.I've only heard of Noumenon, and don't remember what I heard about it
Noumenon is by far their oddest duck, and only kindasortof a game unto itself. IMO it's more like a dungeon with its own set of rules... because it's a strange dungeon and the PCs are made strange by being there.
Each room in the place was written by different authors... each is its own puzzle, a bit of divination/mystery for the PCs to interpret or solve... or not. An interesting place to send PCs who fall into a crack between worlds, or engage in some mystical transition to a different state of being (such as becoming demigods or archmages)... like visiting the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks.
It did however win the Origins Award for best RPG of 1993.I wonder how 'lesser known' a game has to be to count. At the time Traveller: The New Era probably wasn't 'lesser known', though 'under appreciated' understates a fair number of Traveller fans' view of it at the time. It's one of my favourite games ever.
Is it time for me to plug the Lone Wolf Adventure Game again? I believe so.
This is the RPG version and it's as good an entry point as the original. One of the reasons I think it's massively underrated is how well it introduces new GMs to the concepts gradually without being patronising.I'd wager more than half of the gamers in my generation got into RPGs through Lone Wolf adventure books
Totally agree. Jaws of the Six Serpents and Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies remain favorites to this day.I think the PDQ system was very under-rated for a rules-lite 'narrative' set of rpg mechanics, and was probably overshadowed by the spotlight on the Fate rpg at that time
For PDQ I really like Questers of the Middle Realm, Zorcerer of Zo, and Legend of the Six Serpents
The White Dwarf support for that was excellent. Everything from full scenarios to rules for playing Perps to an article on accountancy.Judge Dredd - the original Games Workshop version - was well ahead of its time too. This was a game that managed to focus solely on playing Judges and make it interesting and varied in gameplay - almost comparable to playing Knights in Pendragon in a way. There was a decent amount of support for a while, in terms of scenario seeds - but it was actually really easy just to pick up and play with zero prep. It also had a strong underlying system, without excessive skill or trait lists and was arguably the first game that could be nominally described as ‘cyberpunk’. The only thing the current version of Judge Dredd (and the Worlds of 2000AD) has got is that it opens up other game worlds from the comics - the actual game design is clunky and convoluted by comparison to the original.
I wonder how 'lesser known' a game has to be to count. At the time Traveller: The New Era probably wasn't 'lesser known', though 'under appreciated' understates a fair number of Traveller fans' view of it at the time. It's one of my favourite games ever.
Well, in that case, Mongoose's Traveller.I'm pretty sure a game can be very well-known and still lack critical acclaim.
We differ in our perception on this one. I think Mongoose's Traveller is very highly acclaimed. Particularly 2e.Well, in that case, Mongoose's Traveller.
Well, in that case, good. It deserves it.We differ in our perception on this one. I think Mongoose's Traveller is very highly acclaimed. Particularly 2e.
Yeah I agree. PoD is one of the best campaigns written for any game, imo.Well, in that case, good. It deserves it.
On a mildly more serious note, I do think it tends to get overlooked in things like Origin or ENnie awards, for example. Pirates of Drinax, by Gareth Hanrahan should have won something as a fantastic campaign - as good as Masks of Nyalathotep in my view - while the box sets like the (now sadly out of print) Starter Set, Elemental Cruiser, The Great Rift and lately Deepnight Revelation are magnificently well produced resources. The whole Third Imperium setting has never looked so good.
Also, Jovian Chronicles. I'm not sure how "critically acclaimed" it was at the time, but pretty much the only people I hear talking about it much nowadays are me, Justin Alexander, and CRK (probably the only thing all three of us universally agree on :B )
Absolutely. There were other changes as well, but that was the big thing that was a step too far for many.I think TNE generates mixed feelings because of the Virus, which was pretty love-or-hate.
I know it was The Big Purple's darling for a good while there.Is Reign critically acclaimed? Love that game.
I suspect the one-two punch of Virus and the switch to a different system is responsible for much of the ire thar TNE seemed to attract.I think TNE generates mixed feelings because of the Virus, which was pretty love-or-hate.