Best RPG Games

This is a list of ten pen and paper RPGs that are good, but probably aren’t on most people’s top ten list. As we’ve stated, the games are good, maybe even great, but not great enough to be at the elite Top Ten level.

1. Vampire – The first game created by White Wolf for the World of Darkness system. It really brought the Vampire genre game out to roleplayers. It also reminded roleplayers that you didn’t have to play the guys killing evil creatures; you could also play the evil creatures.

2. Mage – A pretty inventive, free-flowing magic system. I remember reading this book at a bowling alley for the first time and thinking, “Dang, you could do anything with these characters?!” If you could think it, you could cast it. Provided that your character had the ability to do it, that is.

3. Werewolf – Probably one of the toughest and baddest creatures in White Wolf’s World of Darkness setting. Playing a Werewolf was badass because you could go from normal people mode to crazy killer mode in the blink of an eye.

4. Paranoia – The only game that you start out Mario style with six lives. You die once; your clone comes in later to replace you. It is also one of the few games that I think the print adventures were usually better than the adventures created by the game master.

5. Spycraft – This game advanced leaps and bounds from the 1st edition to the 2nd edition. I believe they could be poised to advance up there with WotC’s D&D and White Wolf’s World of Darkness. Only time will tell, but the game has a ton of potential.

6. Gamma World – Ever wanted to play a poisonous plant as your main character? You can in Gamma World. This game reminds you why randomly generating a character can be fun. And with half a dozen different editions to the game, you should be able to find one that works for you.

7. Cyberpunk 2020 – One of the cleanest and true cyberpunk games of all time. It has a very distinct feel and flavor to the game. And who could forget the Mr. Stud implant? Possibly the greatest and most useless roleplaying implement of all time.

8. Warhammer FRPG – I don’t know which came first, the miniatures game or the roleplaying game. But the Warhammer roleplaying game is a nice alternative to D&D. It also has a lot of backing with being the biggest miniatures game out there, as well as tons of video games and computer games further enhancing the world.

9. Earthdawn – According to FASA, it was supposed to be Shadowrun but in a fantasy setting. The game had a pretty unique system and setting, but for some reason it always felt kind of bland when you played (sometimes like 4th edition D&D). The game did pretty well, however, and still has a small following.

10. Hackmaster – Come on critical hit! This game is all about the critical hit table. There is a lot of other cool stuff about the game as well, but essentially it is just another D&D clone. Not that being a D&D clone is a bad thing.

These are some of the best RPG games of all time in the pen and paper genre.  They may not be on the top 10 best RPG games of all time, but they’re still pretty good.