Rowan Tree and Red Thread

judd_sonofbert flagged a meme going round certain gaming circles. The original post at Gnome Stew had one take on it, and there's a thread on Story Games running with the idea.

I, lemming-like, present my own list here.

1. Dungeons & Dragons, any variety, so long as you're about 12-14 years old when you play it.


2. Runequest, specifically scrabbling in the dust in Pavis, wondering where your next cult tithe is coming from.


3. Amber Diceless RPG, because it opens your eyes at the right time.


4. Paranoia, for those times when the GM needs to sit back and watch the PCs really fuck each other over.


5. Call of Cthulhu, because it turns the original RPG standard on its head. The most experienced investigators are the timid ones with the running shoes on, after all.


6. Everway, because the Fortune Deck and the character generation are works of genius. It even plays well too.


7. The Pool, because it just works and doesn't get in the way.


8. Dogs in the Vineyard, so you can say yes or roll the dice.


9. Pendragon, particularly a long game, so you can experience an almost-perfect marriage of mechanics to setting and worry about your kids surviving the winter.


10. Over the Edge so you can meet yourself and change the future. If you avoid a horseshoe crab up the arse, that is.


11. The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen, because brandy and lies are so too roleplaying.


12. Any game at all played by email, to learn that the long game is valuable too, and that there is always another way.

And to round out my baker's dozen: Any game at all, played beyond the gaming table, so that you can stand in a queue at the chipper talking about murdering your siblings 'before they do it you', and admiring the looks from the other folks waiting for their batter-burger and chips.

ETA: Hmm, I really should have included Ghostbusters and Prince Valiant too, but then the shoehorning urge gets too great and I'm thinking of Primetime Adventures, Fudge, Trollbabe, and lots more.