Friday, April 21, 2006

New term: Gamecrush

A gamecrush is defined as that feeling of deep enthusiasm you have for a game on the first pass through the book. Perhaps actually playing the game with dowse this flame or perhaps it will fan that fire into a raging inferno of truefandom. Here are some games I am currently crushing on:

  • Mazes & Minotaurs - Olivier Legrand hit one out of the ballpark with this retro rpg of high adventure in the Greek age of heroes.
  • Pokethulhu - Although a Pokemon parody isn't normally my thing, I see this game as the third in the S. John Ross Freebie Comedy RPG Trifecta, alongside Risus and Encounter Critical. I figure I ought to run it at least once.
  • Castles & Crusades - Sometimes I think the crunch of D&D 3.5 is getting in the way of crazy dungeoneering hijinks. C&C is my lifeline to an earlier design ethos where the rules were simpler, allowing more freeform exploration of the joy of fanatsy adventure.
  • Arcana Evolved - To me AE is the flip side of the C&C coin, taking D&D to new places by tweaking the fluff while keeping most of the mechanics intact. I love many of new races and most of the new classes.
  • Boot Hill - I think I might have played this game once around 83 or 84, but I can't remember. Although I like the sparse, deadly mechanics of Boot Hill, I'm probably really in love with the idea of running a Western.
  • Spaceship Zero - The rules are tweaked BRP with a couple of nice touches. Nifty, but nothing to write home about. But the setting is totally awesome, combining pulpy adventure sci-fi, Lovecraft horror, and Phillip K. Dick style creepiness.
  • FUDGE - Call it a toolkit. Call it incomplete. I don't care. Like Savage Worlds it looks like a good way to quickly develop oddball ideas into working games.
What are your gamecrushes?

4 comments:

  1. I was crushing on Secret of Zir'an for quite a bit of time. I still might be.

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  2. Engel - the book's been with me for the longest time, and the setting is fantastic, but I've never played it. I'm almost afraid to because it just might dispel the magic.

    Werewolf: the Wild West - Werewolves and Six Shooters. Again I've never been able to gather a group to play it but now I'm wondering if I should stick to hypothetical pining rather than actual play.

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  3. I'm currently crushing on Fading Suns, Weapons of the Gods, and obilis.

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  4. Anonymous5:31 PM

    Arcana Evolved, I really like Monte's stuff.

    Exalted: Autocthonians. I like the idea of a game which is inspired by Metropolis.

    Tekumel : GOO has done the impossible and made Tekumel playable. or it appears to be so.

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