I should start by mentioning that I plan to change the blog to every other week on the weeks opposite my podcast episode releases. I have tried that before and ended up not limiting my podcast releases but for my sanity and the well being of my home life I am going to try harder this time.
With that bit of administrative news out of the way let's get on to this week's post. I recent watched a YouTube video on the Books, Bricks, and Boards channel called Five Games to Start an RPG Collection (Where I'd Start if I Had to Start Over) ( https://youtu.be/CLi7WxhCBAw?si=Nz2D9uTuwHX8h0Nw ). Justin explains these aren't necessarily his favorite games or most valued games but if he found himself with nothing tomorrow these are the first five games he would purchase. I am going to work off that same premise.
I have to do a bit of make believe here. In reality if I lost everything today I would still have my massive digital library of games both backed up to the cloud and on DrivethruRPG. Since I almost exclusively play RPGs online losing my entire physical collection really wouldn't impact me much for weekly games, pick up games, and online conventions. So we almost need to pretend I have to go into hiding and am unable to access anything under my current identity. So for the purposes of this blog post we'll assume I had to go into the witness protection program and am starting over in an undisclosed location with a physical game group.
The First Purchase, a Universal System
Savage Worlds ( https://shop.peginc.com/collections/savage-worlds-adventure-edition ) specifically the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE) is where I would start. I would also pick up a deck of cards, some poker chips and lots of dice but this is a complete game that you can do anything with. The bent is towards pulpy, heroic action but you can scale that down if you really want to. There are other universal systems out there that I like, I'll mention them in a minute, but honestly Savage Worlds is such a crowd pleaser that it is hard not to pick it first. Between the exploding dice and the bennies you will be hard pressed to find a better game for an in person group. You can obviously get tons of settings for the game, including Ken Hite's amazing The Day After Ragnarok ( https://atomicovermind.com/the-day-after-ragnarok/ ) as well as Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, and Super Powers Companions. I have played it theater of the mind as well as with minis and it works either way. I have played modern action, sword & sorcery, gangsters (think Goodfellas & Casino), Ghostbusters, horror, Rifts, weird west and I'm not sure what else with Savage Worlds. It really is that versatile.
My second choice would be Barbarians of Lemuria ( https://studio2publishing.com/products/barbarians-of-lemuria-mythic-edition-print-pdf ) which is perhaps my favorite sword & sorcery game. You start the game as big damn heroes and it really emulates S&S fiction and the movies from the 1980s. That said it will take a little tinkering, or the buying of a couple other books like Dicey Tales ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/394414/dicey-tales ), Barbarians of the Aftermath ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/64387/barbarians-of-the-aftermath ), and perhaps the Honor + Intrigue Bundle ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/427399/honor-intrigue-bundle-bundle ) to really unlock its potential for being a universal system. I dearly love this game but Savage Worlds is just a better all in one game unless you are going to really roll up your sleeves to make resources for your players.
Index Card RPG (ICRPG) ( https://www.runehammer.online/online-store/Index-Card-RPG-Collectors-Edition-p613134553 ) is my third choice but that isn't because I don't love it. It is very versatile and it is hard to think of a genre you can't play with it. That said it is really designed for games where the players stay under time pressure and are kept on their toes. I love the author's energy but honestly prefer the 2nd Edition to the current Master Edition. You can still get the 2nd edition in print from Amazon and in PDF from DrivethruRPG. While I don't think ICRPG is less capable than Savage Worlds the latter is just an easier buy in unless you are already a fan of ICRPG.
While there are other games that could do these things such as GURPS, HERO, the Palladium ecosystem of games, I think the above are the very first three I would pick up and try to run.
To be clear I could stop here, Savage Worlds (or one of the above alternatives) can do everything I would want. That said sometimes it is nice to have games designed for the genre you are playing. So let's explore what that looks like.
Fantasy
The Black Hack 2E boxed set. ( https://www.squarehex.co.uk/collections/the-black-hack/products/the-black-hack-2nd-edition-level-5-preorder ) This will not be cheap to get but it is my favorite NSR game and very easy to run so I would splurge. If I couldn't afford the boxed set you can make do with just the rulebook and print it out yourself ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/255088/the-black-hack-second-edition ). There is even a cheaper players guide to give out to your group ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/263552/the-black-hack-booklet-second-edition ). If you want to play D&D style fantasy but want it to be lighter weight and play faster this is a great way to go. The boxed set, some extra dice, paper and pencils are all you really need to get an in person group up and going.
The alternative to this would be Basic Fantasy RPG. ( https://www.basicfantasy.org/ ) This is a more traditional OSR game although not a retroclone of any specific edition. It is a community project and is free digitally and available in print from Amazon for cost. For not a lot of money you get a lot of game and you can easily run any OSR or TSR adventure with it. There are also a number of adventures written for Basic Fantasy that again are available free in PDF or at cost in print.
My third choice for D&D fantasy would be the Print on Demand (PoD) editions of TSR's D&D Basic and Expert sets. ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic ) & ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic ) while these are great games they are more expensive than Basic Fantasy RPG and honestly I'm not sure they justify the extra cost if you are buying books to support an in person group.
Modern & Science Fiction
Cyberpunk 2020 ( https://talsorianstore.com/products/cyberpunk-2020 ) is by far my favorite cyberpunk system and I think with some house rules it is well suited for any setting from the mid 19th century to near future. Check out https://datafortress2020.com/InterlockUnlimited.html although you need to beware the 1990s style website! This game's Friday Night Firefight combat rules are my hands down favorite followed by Boot Hill. This game may be a hard sell as there is a newer edition out, Cyberpunk Red, which is ok but in my opinion inferior to 2020. I think if you are ok skipping or narrating space battles and don't need to generate planets and star systems Cyberpunk 2020 will probably give you all you need to run adventures in space stations, space ships, or science fiction cities.
Alternative choice would be Savage Worlds which does space fantasy better than hard science fiction but could do either. The reason I put Savage Worlds above my third choice is that I think it is a funner game to play mechanically and that can matter at the table.
The third choice is The Traveller Book ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/80192/ct-ttb-the-traveller-book ) for me and I would give the players the Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355200/classic-traveller-facsimile-edition ). Traveller is a classic game and there is a ton of material out there but I don't know that it has the broad appeal of Savage Worlds.
Superhero
SUPERS! Revised Edition, also called Supers! RED, PoD. ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/130108/supers-revised-edition ) I will admit that I haven't played this yet but I look forward to doing so soon and it really looks like it will check most of the boxes, such as allowing you to mix power levels and using any power to defend with, at a reasonable price.
My alternative choice is a PoD of BASH! Ultimate Edition. ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/65882/bash-ultimate-edition ) It is more expensive and a little more math heavy but is also a solid system.
TSR's Marvel Super Heroes is my favorite system but tracking down used copies can be expensive and while you can find PDFs online you would still need to print them yourself. For those reasons I chose to pick games that I can just point players towards a retail store if they want their own copies.
Wild West
Boot Hill 2E PoD. ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/240118/boot-hill-wild-west-role-playing-game-2nd-edition ) The first wild west RPG is still a great game and like The Black Hack is light weight and fast playing. It is easy to teach and most people know enough western tropes that they will start to speak in character before the end of the first session. Add in some plastic cowboy minis and you will have a barrel of fun.
I dont really have other suggestions here. I think Savage Worlds or a house ruled Cyberpunk 2020 handles this genre very well if you don't want to use Boot Hill. I am a big fan of Aces & Eights ( https://kenzerco.com/product/aces-eights-reloaded/ ) but it is a hard sell as all players really need to have system mastery for it to flow well. If you are running an open table I don't consider it a great choice.
So to recap for me the first game I would buy is the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition core book. That would let me run any genre I wanted. The next four games I bought would probably be Boot Hill, Cyberpunk 2020, Supers! RED, & The Black Hack 2E. The order I bought them would depend on what games I have coming up or what deals I could get on them. Barbarians of Lemuria, ICRPG, and The Traveller Book wouldn't be far behind.
Notice I didn't include horror but I think you can do that with any of these games, I don't think you need a dedicated horror RPG, you can just add horror to the game you are using already. Savage Worlds handles it well. Same with espionage, I think Savage Worlds is fine although I'd probably use Cyberpunk 2020. Post Apocalyptic would be covered by Savage Worlds or after the initial five purchases by Barbarians of Lemuria with the Barbarians of the Aftermath sourcebook.
Ok, what are your picks? I would love to read or hear them. I'll be back in two weeks with the first in an intermittent series of posts on my quest to cull and consolidate my collection. Please be excellent to each other!
