Survey Says... (Worst Game System?)
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:02 pm 
 

Nice Hantlers wrote:Yeah, they released Out in the Black, an adventure/source book, and a GM screen.  I think it died out after that.

Mike: Shame on you!  Both of those are at Generation X!

  


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Post Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:23 pm 
 

Has everyone seen this hilarious review of CYBORG COMMANDO?

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10214.phtml

"On its third dice-rolling table?" The tables in question aren't actually part of the rules, but are part of a three page section of the rulebook, which includes three tables and five graphs, showing the reader how the d10x system is the best possible dice system for a game. This tone is symptomatic of the rules. At several times the reader is lectured on how they should use the metric system in play, rather than the "archaic and unwieldy English [sic] system". The rules, of course, go on to tell you that the standard units of measurement can be either miles or kilometres; they are, apparently so similar as to be interchangeable. Rather than using a single system of measurements, the rules lecturer the reader on what they should be using, but provide poorly matching approximates in both systems and end the GMs book with a useful reference table of weights and measures, including conversion equations of troy grains to troy ounces because we're apparently playing the game of cyborg f***ing jewellers or something.

For a game with such attention to detail, character creation is remarkably simple. The player selects their character's stats and skills and then apply the modifiers imposed by the cybernetic body. There are games which elegant in their simple execution. This is one of the other games.


Fundamentally, the problem with the Cyborg Commando game is the idea that playing cyborgs shooting lasers out of their fingers, in a world overwhelmed by aliens, was in some way cool. The writers were sadly mistaken in this. The background seems ridiculously silly and contrived. The alien race has invaded earth "just because" and is virtually undefeatable despite the fact that the book points of there being only one alien for every 11,600 humans. The aliens may be tough, but, at those odds, it is hard to believe that the various world militaries shouldn't be able to defeat them.


Apologies to Gygax, Mentzer and Mohan for posting this...

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Post Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:10 am 
 

:lol: now I want a copy to have a look, and see if it is really that bad.  :D


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Post Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:39 pm 
 

The troy weight measurements are pure Gygax.  

You never know...someone might need a metrics lesson.

For instance, I first learned what an oligarchy was from the Dungeon Masters Guide.

Anyone want to know the reputed magical properties of gems?

How about the alchemical uses of various monster parts?

How about an optional potion miscability table?

For Gygax, the mixture of metrics and standard measures would have been no problem.  He probably assumed anyone smart enough to play the game would be smart enough to decide for themselves what system of measurement to use...but thought some details might help them decide, or would just be interesting.

It was what made the man brilliant, and what tended to trip him up.


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Post Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:07 pm 
 

If I owned Cyborg Commando, I would buy the novelizations as well.  Has anybody read them?

  


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Post Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:21 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:For instance, I first learned what an oligarchy was from the Dungeon Masters Guide.


I've always been partial to 'magocracy'.

This is an excellent article on the influence of Gygax on our vocabulary:

http://phrontistery.info/disq6.html

I recently received an e-mail from a correspondent who noted that my list of forms of government lacked the word magocracy. I was slightly bewildered that it was not there, for two reasons. I'd thoroughly searched the online Oxford English Dictionary and other sources for all "-cracy" and "-archy" words, so in theory, there shouldn't be any omissions. What's more, it was a word that had been familiar to me for many years. You can imagine, then, my chagrin when I determined that there is no such word - at least, not in any dictionary. That is to say, magocracy is properly *magocracy, using the linguist's convention of an asterisk to represent irregular, improper or non-existent words.

This revelation left me, if not shaken to my lexicographic foundations, then at least perplexed that I had possessed in my vocabulary for many, many years a word that simply did not exist. This admission is rather embarrassing for someone who takes great pride in his knowledge of obscure English vocabulary. How could this happen?

The answer is that for over twenty years, I have been a participant in role-playing games (RPGs), most notably Dungeons and Dragons (usually abbreviated to D&D), an extremely popular game with millions of players worldwide (mostly in their teens and twenties), and also one with its own curious jargon. If you are a non-gamer and have ever had the (mis)fortune to sit in on a game or game-related discussion, you may have been baffled by all the talk of PCs and NPCs, THAC0, non-weapon proficiencies, character alignment and hit points - and, very occasionally, a reference to *magocracy.


From its inception, Dungeons and Dragons has provided a cornucopia of new vocabulary to its mostly younger audience. As a child, I was filled with wonderment at my first encounter with electrum coins, potions of diminution, and lycanthropic foes. What joy to find treasure hoards full of sardonyxes, olivines, and my semi-eponymous favourite, chrysoprases. How delightful to slay one's imaginary foes with a halberd, guisarme or bec de corbin (this last one was particularly amusing because one of the guys in my gaming group was named Corbin, although I don't ever recall his characters using one). And without the game, thousands of youths would still be holding on to the misconception that a brazier is a support undergarment.


The first occurrence of *magocracy in print, anywhere, as far as I have been able to determine, is on page 89 of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide (1979), by Gary Gygax, in a list of forms of government. Many of the terms on my own list of governmental types are found there, naturally, such as gynarchy, oligarchy, and theocracy. But also included on the list are five neologisms:
*geriatocracy: government reserved to the elderly or very old
*militocracy: government headed by the military leaders and the armed forces in general
*pedocracy: government by the learned, savants and scholars
*syndicracy: government by a body of syndics, each representing some business interest
*magocracy: government by professional magic-users only


:salut: :salut: :salut:

:bigsmurf:    (<--closest to an emoticon I can find to represent Gygax)

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Post Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:55 am 
 

Thanks for the link, Zhowar

I have noticed the linguistic impact of D&D on young people.  As a teacher in a private, Christian school, I sometimes pretended that my arcane vocabulary came from my study of history....when students who played RPG's would ask me (for instance) about pole arms or types of armor.

Lycanthrope is my favorite D&D word.

D&D has also crept into a number of pop culture realms...becoming the standard way to think about and depict dragons, for instance.

I like the term, "Gygaxism."  One day, someone might remember that one wargamer had such a wide cultural influence.  We'll see.


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Post Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:32 am 
 

The 90s RPG for Ralph Bakshi's Wizards must hold some kind of award for the worst presentation of source material. The whole selling point is this visually lush movie it's supposed to be based upon, but includes no movie art & cruddy line drawings. Why bother to make a licensed product at all & skimp on using the existing art?

  

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Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:48 pm 
 

I found a copy of World of Synnibarr today, so I had to bump this thread. Funny stuff.

Anyone have anything to add after nearly six years???

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:42 am 
 

Badmike wrote:Anyone have anything to add after nearly six years???


Only that the thread is a good example of nostalgia's effects. In 2007 & before, everyone was still talking about how horrible 3e was.

  

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:01 am 
 

No kidding...4e turned out to be 10x worse.

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:40 am 
 

I think the sillest rpg book I have come across is Robotech:  Lancer's Rockers.  The weapons are the musical instruments of a band.  I understand Palladium had this available as a free download, but not sure if that is still true.  Through the pig-in-a-poke method of buying rpg lots, I am the proud owner of two copies.  And although I have had one listed for sale for a while, am very much afraid that status will remain unchanged.


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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:41 am 
 

Well World of Synnibarr,   I just had to buy it because I had never looked through a copy before.  It's everything they say, and more, much much more.

Still would go with original Top Secret as one of the most unnecessarily complicated games ever, but it's not a bad game per se. And, having finally seen KABAL in the last few years, it should be on the list. Also Powers and Perils.

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Worst_RPGs_ever

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:59 pm 
 

F.A.T.A.L. is the correct answer.

Despite anyone's dislike of a particular system mentioned in this thread (d20, Harnmaster, Synnibar, etc.), we'd have to admit that there is some population of players who are using the system and enjoying it.  Nobody is playing F.A.T.A.L., and if they are, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THEM!

Forget unplayable, I challenge anyone to even read the whole thing.  Other than the two guys who wrote the legendary review over at rpg.net, and I suppose the author, I doubt anyone actually has read the whole thing.  Despite valiant efforts to bring humor into how repulsed and offended they were through the entire process, even the review is likely to offend, because it necessarily has to discuss what's in this misogynistic, evil, puerile, "game."


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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:33 pm 
 

Badmike wrote:
Still would go with original Top Secret as one of the most unnecessarily complicated games ever, but it's not a bad game per se.

Mike B.


Them's fighting words! Top Secret is my second favorite RPG of all time (behind D&D). PDT_Armataz_01_27

:lol:  :lol:

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:44 pm 
 

Badmike wrote:
Still would go with original Top Secret ....

Mike B.


Looks like I need to do some ass-whuppin' when I get to Texas in June. Blasphemer shall pay!


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:39 pm 
 

Top secret is a great game and we played it quite a bit. But the number crunching required all players to have a calculator at hand and gun battles slowed to a crawl...making the most exciting part of the game into doing math problems. Some of the same complaints about 3e as I recall  :D

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Post Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:50 am 
 

Badmike wrote:Top secret is a great game and we played it quite a bit. But the number crunching required all players to have a calculator at hand and gun battles slowed to a crawl...making the most exciting part of the game into doing math problems. Some of the same complaints about 3e as I recall  :D

Mike B


The blasphemer now compares Top Secret to TETSNBN!!!!! 8O   I am now scheduling an earlier flight :D

(regardless of the fact that he speaks the truth that TS is very "math" heavy. Still, a blasphemy is a blasphemy.)


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

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