Good RPG Games for Pen and Paper Roleplayers
One of the things I wanted to talk about was good RPG games for pen and paper roleplayers. In the past, I’ve talked about both good RPG PC games and good RPG online games. But, I’ve played pen and paper roleplaying games for a long time and I know a lot about them, probably more than I know about the best PC RPG games or best console RPG games. So, here is a list of some good RPG games for pen and paper roleplayers.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition – Despite all the negativity from old-school nostalgic players, D&D 4th Edition is a great roleplaying game, especially for new gamers just getting into the hobby. It is the longest running and most popular fantasy RPG ever. D&D 4e dominates the roleplaying market share right now. They’ve mixed elements from classic roleplaying with elements from good MMORPG games to create a great roleplaying game. D&D 4e is widely considered to be the best RPG game out right now.
Shadowrun 4th Edition – Even though this game has a system that can be difficult to play sometimes, the world of Shadowrun is fantastic. You can play a human, elf, dwarf, ork, or troll in a world of magic and cyberware. Corporate espionage abounds and magic flows through the world in both positive and negative ways. Shadowrun is where magic and cyberpunk meet in the years 2050+.
Star Wars Saga Edition – SWSE is definitely one of the good RPG games available out there right now. It is the most recent incarnation of the Star Wars universe in a roleplaying game. Saga Edition is based off of the D20 system with a few rule modifications to fit the Star Wars universe better. The game is a great combination of the most popular sci-fi setting ever with one of the most popular pen and paper gaming systems ever.
World of Darkness – World of Darkness is not specifically its own game, but more of a collection of good RPG games by White Wolf. Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Changling, Wraith, and a host of other individual games make up the World of Darkness. In these games, the players get to play the types of characters that normal folks would consider to be their worst nightmares.
Call of Cthulhu – There is a host of systems and versions that call themselves a Call of Cthulhu game. Each one is a good example of a good RPG game. The overriding premise on all of them is that you take the place of mortal characters who often investigates strange and unusual occurrences. During those investigations, you often uncover aliens, monsters, or demons that you could never have imagined. These creates usually cause you to go crazy or kill you, thus ending the game! Sounds dumb, but man it is incredibly fun.
Rifts – Although the Palladium system is widely considered a clunky and archaic system, the actual world of Rifts is a spectacular setting that really contains everything but the kitchen sink. Futuristic cyborgs, aliens, magical creatures, magical spell casters, psychics, and many more unusual creatures makeup this world that is full of literally anything you could think of.
These are just a few good RPG games that for both new and experienced players to try out. I think for newer players that are used to playing good MMORPG games, Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition is the easiest to start out with. But, there are definitely many more that I haven’t mentioned here. Savage Worlds has a great system overall. Pathfinder is really bringing something old, but new, to the gaming table. And there are a host of other smaller games and gaming companies bringing out great RPG games all the time.
What do you think are good RPG games for pen and paper roleplayers?