#18 Favorite game system
When I'm playing (or running) a game, I often think, "This would be so much easier were we playing Fate Accelerated."
I like the simplicity of Fate Accelerated. Yes, I probably play it in a more trad style than perhaps it’s supposed to be played, but I find it almost effortless to run. And yes, I accept that approaches take getting used to (I still find them a bit strange), but I’ve never had a problem explaining them to players at the table.
I prefer Accelerated to Fate Core or Fate Condensed – but that’s because I don’t really like the skills in the other two variants.
My issue with skills is that I often find skills lists problematic (I’ve discussed this before here and here). My issue with skills in Fate Core and Condensed is that they take away something from the aspects. In Accelerated, if Luke Skywalker takes the aspect “Hotshot fighter pilot”, then that’s all we need to know. If he takes the same aspect in Core or Condensed but doesn’t take the Pilot skill, then mechanically, his aspect isn’t true. I appreciate this isn’t something anyone would actually do, but it’s one of the reasons I prefer Fate Accelerated.
(And Hillfolk may now be a challenger now I've started playing that. But the two games do different things.)
#19 Favorite published adventure
I'm not sure I have a favourite, but there are a couple of published adventures I like.
I like Lady Blackbird, by John Harper. Arguably this is little more than five characters, a situation and some notes backed up by a simple system. But the five characters are marvellous (as I said in Q15, the key is getting the characters right), and the system drives great behaviours in the players (I'm a big fan of refresh scenes).
I guess you might argue that Lady Blackbird is a game system, but to me, it's an adventure with some rules.
Secrets of the Ancients by Gareth Hanrahan, is an epic campaign for Traveller. It ticks all the boxes I liked about Traveller (mainly, the Ancients) and reads well. However, I've yet to play or run it. Hopefully, one day. (I've not played or run any Traveller in years and years).
My list of published adventures I don't like is much longer...
#20 Will still play in twenty years’ time
I'll be in my late seventies in twenty years' time, so it may need to be something with large text...
That aside, I wouldn't be surprised if Fate Accelerated, Fiasco and Hillfolk are still hitting the table.
I hope I'll still be playing Cosmic Encounter and playing (and writing) freeforms.
#21 Favorite licensed RPG
I'm generally not a fan of licensed RPGs, for two reasons:
First, I don't enjoy reading RPG game setting material. I'd rather read or watch the original books. So even though I'm a fan of The Expanse, a big chunk of the book would be wasted on me because I'd resent reading it.
Second, I don't enjoy learning new rules. (I certainly don't enjoy reading new rules.) So were I to run a game set in The Expanse universe, I'd probably just use Fate Accelerated.
ALIEN
But having said all that, as an Alien fan, I do own (and enjoy) the ALIEN RPG.
I don't particularly like the system; it's crunchier than I prefer, and I can struggle with skill-based games, particularly when there are so few skills in ALIEN. But I put up with it because the stress mechanic is awesome and is the best thing about the rules.
As for the setting, I don't enjoy reading that either. The Alien extended universe has, as is the way of these things, gone a bit up its own arse. Between the later films and the comics, and the novels, it's mostly meh. (I find it helps to remember it's all fanfic...)
The RPG tries valiantly to make sense of it, but I still find it tedious to read. Worse, the published adventures make horrible design choices that make them infuriating to run.
So when I run ALIEN, I rely on my knowledge of Alien and Aliens, and I wing the rest. It works for me.
Boardgames
As for boardgames, I remember when licenced games were dire tie-ins just there to suck money out of luckless punters. (And some are still like that - I've had too many presents of tv-tie in games from friends who don't know me well enough...)
But over the last twenty years or so, that's changed, and a licenced game is often excellent. Having said that, I don't own many. Just:
- The Lord of the Rings by Reiner Knizia. The first successful cooperative game that started the genre. I got my old copy out recently and enjoyed revisiting it.
- X-Wing Miniatures Game by Jay Little. I'm not a huge fan of miniatures games, but X-Wing is quite fun. I’m not keen on the collectable aspect of it, and I haven’t played it now in a few years. I used to have several ships, but now I only have the starter set.
- Space Hulk: Death Angel by Corey Konieczka is a challenging cooperative game set in the world of Warhammer 40K.
Boardgames that I'd like to try include ALIEN: The Fate of the Nostromo and The Thing: the Boardgame, although I have limited space for more boardgames which is why I haven’t bought them.
Freeforms
Freeforms based on books, television, films and theatre (although they're not licensed) are often a lot of fun. I've played in games based on 'Allo 'Allo, Are you being served?, Dollhouse, Shogun, Broadway musicals (I've played characters from Into the Woods and Hairspray, and I'm about to play a character from Hamilton) and more. I've written games based on the books of PG Wodehouse (Midsummer Mischef), Pride and Prejudice, Buffy and Angel, and Western movies (Once Upon a Time in Tombstone) and probably more that I have forgotten.
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