#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 19

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 19th) Which RPG features the best writing?

Hmm... let's say this is writing of setting. I'd have to say I really enjoy the way Shadowrun details the turbulent lead up to the Sixth World. Also of note is Numenera for the way that it present information for easy consumption, including notes in margins, page cross references, and the like. It's a great presentation method. 

For rules I'd have to look at things like how easy the rules are to grasp based on presentation, and how enjoyable the reading of said rules is. While I can't say as I'm a huge fan of FATE for various issues (mostly with regard to it just not aligning to my sensibilities) the Atomic Robo RPG by Evil Hat using the FATE engine is fantastic because it uses panels out of the comics as examples of the rules in action. It's both a brilliant tie-in to the source IP and a fantastic way to showcase how rules and dice translate to story. 

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 18

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 18th) Which RPG have you played the most in your life?

This one is tough. I can literally break up my RPG playing "career" into three phases. My first games through college were dominated by Palladium more so than any other. While even then I found the rules clunky in spots I loved the settings and the sort of "pick and play" aspects. After college I had no local group and no luck in finding one. Thankfully I found online play via play-by-post forums. I played a great deal of White Wolf games during those years from Aberrant and Trinity and Adventure! to the new World of Darkness titles and Scion. With time the community at the site I played on began to dissolve and I stepped away as I reformed a local group and found my way into online play via Hangouts and other video calling means. Mostly I have played Cypher System and Dungeon Crawl Classics in this medium, though I did try many an indie game or story game early on. Overall though I suspect that the Palladium games still have an edge in terms of hours of game play. Being that I started in middle school I obviously had a great deal more free time to play than I do now as an adult. 

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 17

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 17th) Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?

Reaching into the way back of my dim memory I can come up with a handful that I've owned for more than 20 years and not played, but I cannot recall which I acquired first. Back when I first started playing RPGs I played a lot of Palladium's games and I picked up a copy of Beyond the Supernatural that has never been used as anything other than reference for other games. Likewise when Palladium reprinted their Mechanoids games I got the book but never found time to try it out. While I don't regret never playing either of them, I do think that the Mechanoids probably has the most potential for me to one day use. 

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 16

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 16th) Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?

Dungeon Crawl Classics is one of my favorite games right now and works amazingly well out of the book. There's a few things that seem largely GM preference in terms of how players gain information and how frequently Luck is awarded (and commensurately how quickly players spend Luck), but these are not hacks as much as they are interpretations of the rules as written.

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 15

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 15th) Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?

At the moment I'd have to say the Cypher System. It's surprisingly robust with regard to its adaptability to genre. Tonally it is more heavily skewed to a sort of pulpy level of action and character capability so it's not truly "universal," but that's fine as I seldom want to run grim and gritty or horror focused games. If I want to run something more "street level" there's plenty of other games out there, and there's a few tricks I could employ for Cypher as well. 

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 14

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 14th) Which RPG do you prefer for open-ended campaign play?

For open ended play I suppose I'd have to say Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC). DCC has a wonderful mix of old school mentality & feel but with somewhat modernized mechanics "under the hood." DCC is a game where the players are likely to see characters die if they don't play smart. At the same time it's a game where, without laundry lists of feats and character powers, a Warrior can keep up with a Wizard at high level. But you must survive, and earn your power and prestige.

#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 13

As found on: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

August 13th) Describe a game experience that changed how you play.

The first time I ran Numenera, well before the "generic" Cypher System Rulebook was out, it was my first time GMing where I didn't have to deal with dice. Where I had a clear mechanic for throwing disastrous curve-balls at the PCs. It changed how I looked at RPGs and changed how I wanted to run games. I no longer needed to fudge dice, or use a big GM shield. The system was so simple that I rarely need the book for anything other than reference for creatures or PC abilities. While I do GM other games, Cypher System may well be my favorite system to GM in because it gets out of my way and let's me focus on giving the players a good game.