Battle of the RPG Systems: It all comes down to this!

[JasonStarfire]

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the champion of the first ever criticalfumble.net BotRPGS...

Call of Cthulhu!

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p100/battleofrpg/CoCBCover.jpg

After Sudden Death Elimination, we are left with a mere 8 contestants. See this thread for the previous standings, and contest history. (http://forum.criticalfumble.net/showthread.php?t=295)

For the Final 8, we're back to normal voting rules: vote for the system that you want to come out on top. Things are a little tougher this time around. Now a system needs 5 votes to move on. Only the best will move on!

Here are the rules for the final 8:
Each round, two RPGs will be selected at random to compete. You get to vote for which RPG you you wish to win. First to five votes moves on. If there are not enough votes in a particular round, the RPG with the most votes will win, at my discretion.

It all comes down to this. After 4 rounds in the final 8, we'll move on to the final 4, and then the last two systems will square off for all the marbles.

Current standings: The Final Eight

1. Call of Cthulhu (winner!)
2. Hackmaster (sent out the airlock by Alternity)
3. Paranoia (sealed in a Mi-Go brain cylinder and shipped to the moon of Yuggoth by Call of Cthulhu)
4. Ars Magica (critically fumbled against AD&D 1e)
5. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (failed its Sanity check against Call of Cthulhu)
6. AD&D 1e (vaporized by Paranoia)
7. Alternity (devoured by blasphemous shambling horrors and Call of Cthulhu)
8. Deadlands: Reloaded (reduced to a pair of smoking boots by Paranoia)

Contest History:

Round 1:
Win Paranoia
Lose Deadlands: Reloaded

Round 2:
Lose Hackmaster
Win Alternity

Round 3:
Lose Ars Magica
Win AD&D 1e

Round 4:
Lose Warhammer Fantasy
Win Call of Cthulhu

Round 5:
Lose AD&D 1e
Win Paranoia

Round 6:
Win Call of Cthulhu
Lose Alternity

FINAL ROUND:
Win Call of Cthulhu
Lose Paranoia

[JasonStarfire]

Paranoia has won this round!

Now we kick off the last stretch of the competition. Paranoia got the lucky bye spot in our elimination round, so it is in the opening round by default.

Paranoia (Mongoose Publishing, current)

TRUST THE COMPUTER! THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND!

Greetings, citizen! THE COMPUTER has made you a TROUBLESHOOTER, a protector of the underground city of ALPHA COMPLEX. You and your fellow Troubleshooters will have lots of fun rooting out Communist mutant traitors. The Computer says so.

Members of treasonous secret societies like the Frankenstein Destroyers, the Illuminati, Psion, PURGE and the Sierra Club may attack, maim or blackmail you. Treasonous mutants with powers like Electroshock, Pyrokinesis, Charm, Puppeteer and Bureaucratic Intuition may shock you, incinerate you, subvert you, control you or bury you in paperwork. But it will be fun. The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend.

Most fun of all is uncovering your fellow Troubleshooters' secret societies and mutations, accusing them of treason and persuading The Computer to terminate them -- before they do the same to you.

PARANOIA: The Roleplaying Game of a Darkly Humorous Future

vs.

Deadlands: Reloaded (Great White Games, current)

Deadlands: Reloaded is the latest incarnation of the award-winning Deadlands setting.

Powered by the Savage Worlds system, Deadlands: Reloaded takes the Weird West and gives it a Savage twist.

All the usual Western horror, all the hex-slinging, gun-toting, monster-hunting, ghost rock inspired mayhem you're used to, merged with Savage Worlds' Fast! Furious! Fun! ethos.

In Deadlands' 10th Anniversary year, strap on your six-guns and hit the high plains, pardner. The Reckoners are back - and Hell's comin' with them!

[TinSoldier]

Paranoia gets my vote.

[JasonStarfire]

I'll vote Paranoia. The Computer told me to.

[Kalzazz]

Deadlands

Filler!

[Parzival]

I vote Paranoia. And anyclone who doesn't is a commiemutanttraitor!

[Parzival]

Deadlands

Filler!
<zap> <zap> <zap> <zap> <zap> <zap>

[LagomorphPrime]

Paranoia ftw.

[JasonStarfire]

Deadlands

Filler!

So we have 4 votes for Paranoia, and one volunteer for reactor shielding duty. :p

[Wook]

Paranoia!!!!

[Cranky Dog]

Bring in the clones!

Paranoia is fun! Maybe not for a long term campaign, but fun nonetheless.


Cranky Dog
"I have an opinion who thinks everyone is against it, international!"

[hidufel]

I'll vote for deadlands...

[JasonStarfire]

Alternity has won this round!

Paranoia reduces Deadlands to a pair of smoking boots, and we move on to our next match!

Hackmaster (Kenzer & Co.)

Congratulations! In a world where there is no shortage of mediocre games, you've managed to find one of the true gems. Furthermore, if you've ever played a fantasy role-playing game based on a d20 combat roll and armor class, you already know how to play this game! And while this is the 4th edition of the HackMaster game, in another time, another edition or an alternate universe, this could easily have been called "3e." It's the 1st/2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) with new crunchy bits and a whole lot of fresh attitude.

The HackMaster roleplaying game is the game of choice for those that know the difference between ordinary and epic. This is the game for YOU. You're not ordinary; you're extraordinary. For those of us that live in a world that forces us to conform, to abide by the rules day in and day out; for those of us that suffocate in our daily routine of breakfast cereal and ham sandwiches; for those of us that slave each day in our cubicle working for the Man; those who would be heroes if it were not for the constraints of reality, we present... HackMaster.

What is HackMaster?

Quite simply, HackMaster is a fantasy role-playing game with an edge, licensed from the hallowed Advanced Dungeons & Dragons core rules. And even though we took a wrecking crane and a crowbar to those rules, we certainly didn't take this opportunity to alter the rules lightly. Players of the original AD&D game will find HackMaster comfortably familiar, yet also new and exciting! And if you've never played AD&D or HackMaster before, what are you waiting for? Come join the party!

vs.

Alternity (TSR)

What is Alternity? Written by : Starbrat (alternityrpg.net)

Alternity is a setting-generic Science Fiction game originally published by Wizards of the Coast. The game is designed for GMs to produce any kind of Modern or SF setting, from techno-thriller to cyberpunk to classic space-opera to superhero. It's even possible to run modern Horror games with this system, such is its versatility.

What you will need ..

The Alternity game, unlike many games currently available, uses a wide range of dice, rather than being fixated on a single die type. To play Alternity, you will need the Alternity Player's Handbook & Gamemaster Guide. There are other accessories available, but these core rulebooks are all you really need. You will also need the following types of dice: d4, d6, d8, d12 & d20 (the most commonly used). You can find these types of dice at any hobby games shop. Other than this, you'll also need pencils, scratch paper & a writing pad (lined would be best). You may also need squared and/or hex-printed paper (you can get squared paper at a decent stationer, and hex paper can be bought from hobby stores). Alternatively, you could download the Graph Paper Printer program from the following address: http://perso.easynet.fr/~philimar/ I have found this program invaluable.

[JasonStarfire]

Hackmaster

[Chris]

Alternity. Hands down. One of the best hard sci-fi systems EVAR! (IMO, of course...)

[Kalzazz]

So tough, hmm, hmm

Hackmaster I guess

[Detritus]

Alternity.

[Cranky Dog]

I'll go with Hackmaster.

My favorite hard sci-fi system setting has already been voted off.


Cranky Dog
"I have a game system hacking opinion, international!"

[hidufel]

Alternity  

[JasonStarfire]

We're deadlocked at 3-3!

[TinSoldier]

I'm not familiar with either one, but I'll vote for Alternity. It just sounds cooler.

[BlueNinja]

Alternity FTW!

I have never gotten to use it as a system, but their several pages over how to build a solar system is highly useful for other sci-fi games.

[Wook]

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I like alternatity but Hackmaster is da bomb.

[Chris]

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I like alternatity but Hackmaster is da bomb.

If it was Alternatity, I'd have voted more than once!

:grin:

[JasonStarfire]

AD&D 1e has (somehow) won this round!

Alternity ejects Hackmaster from the airlock, and we move on to our next match!

Ars Magica

Welcome to Ars Magica, and to the world of Mythic Europe. It is a place where the glories of the Classical world are dust and the promise of the Renaissance is yet to come. The time is the 13th century ?1220 to be exact. Life is a struggle: wars and plagues stalk the land, the Church and kings rule with an iron fist. Yet Mythic Europe is also a place of magical wonder, inhabited by all the creatures of folktale and myth. What the folk of the land believe holds true: faeries and rural spirits must be placated; demons corrupt everything they touch; divine power is accessible through prayer; and magic is everywhere.

Against this background, you will play a magus, a member of the mythical Order of Hermes. You and your fellow players will also portray the loyal companions and grogs that stand with the magi in their covenants. These stalwart protectors provide a buffer between the magi and the mundane world that often misunderstands their power and motives. This is the setting for Ars Magica.

vs.

AD&D 1e (TSR)

In 1978, the 1st edition Player's Handbook was released, and with it the divergence between race and class. After rolling ability scores from one of four principal methods put forth in the DMG, characters chose from among five core classes (cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief, and monk) and five sub-classes (druid, paladin, ranger, illusionist, and assassin). They also chose from among seven races (dwarf, elf, half-elf, gnome, halfling, half-orc, and of course human). Class, race, and ability scores then interacted in a complex, love-hate triangle in which each aspect restricted or promoted the others.

[Detritus]

Ars Magica.

[hidufel]

Ars magica... just becasue its a cool setting, and im unfriendly with D&D 1.0

[carmachu]

I have to say, Ars Magica hands down...

[Magnus Bergqvist]

Ars Magica.

/Magnus

[Detritus]

C'mon...

SWEEP, SWEEP, SWEEP, SWEEP!

[Wook]

1st ed for the dignity.

[Chris]

Well, since I'm not a fan of Ars Magica, and 1e is "better" than MnM (based on previous round voting), I guess by default I have to give the nod to...

AD&D 1e.

[JasonStarfire]

1e to keep it interesting

[Valdier]

1e, I am so glad Alternity won... not only is it one of the best systems ever imo (like d20 advanced with a bell curve), but now I have to help 1e win over Ars seeing as how it was the precursor to everything.

So 1e

[BlueNinja]

AD&D.

Because I am unfamiliar with Ars Magica.

[JasonStarfire]

Call of Cthulhu has won this round!

AD&D 1e makes the biggest comeback of this competition and down goes Ars Magica! Next!

Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium)

Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft

The Great Old Ones ruled the earth aeons before the rise of humankind. Originally they came from the gulfs of space and were cast down by even greater beings. Remains of their cyclopean cities and forbidden knowledge can still be found on remote islands in the Pacific, buried amid the shifting sands of vast deserts, and in the frigid recesses of the polar extremes. Now they sleep -- some deep within the enveloping earth and others beneath the eternal sea, in the drowned city of R'lyeh, preserved in the waters by the spells of mighty Cthulhu. When the stars are right they will rise, and once again walk this Earth.

Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium?s classic roleplaying game of Lovecraftian horror in which ordinary people are confronted by the terrifying and alien forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. Call of Cthulhu uses Chaosium?s Basic Roleplaying System, easy to learn and quick to play. This bestseller has won dozens of game-industry awards and is a member of the Academy of Adventure Game Design Hall of Fame. In 2001 Call of Cthulhu celebrated its 20th anniversary. In 2003 Call of Cthulhu was voted the #1 Gothic/Horror RPG of all time by the Gaming Report.com community. Call of Cthulhu is well-supported by an ever-growing line of high quality game supplements.

vs.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (Games Workshop, others)

Explore the grim fantasy world of Warhammer first-hand with the awesome new edition of the classic Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay roleplaying game. The core rulebook contains all you need to play: sections on character generation, careers, combat, magic (both divine and sorcerous), and religion, as well as extensive background information on the dark world of Warhammer. Full details on how to run a game, brand-new character sheets and maps for use in play, and a complete introductory adventure are also included.

Written by multiple-award-winning game designer Chris Pramas, the WFRP rulebook is packed with terrific artwork by David Griffith, Wayne Reynolds, Geoff Taylor, Jon Hodgson, Adrian Smith, Carl Frank, and more. Other contributors include such Warhammer stalwarts as Rick Priestley, Graeme Davis, Gav Thorpe, and Dan Abnett, making WFRP second edition a unique blend of the old and the new!

[JasonStarfire]

Gonna have to go with Call of Cthulhu

[Chris]

CoC

'nuff said.

(filler)

[carmachu]

Call of Cthulhu

no contest.

[BlueNinja]

The tentacly Old Ones, of course. They will consume Warhammer alive, and feast upon their souls.

*fails SAN check*
*gibbers*

[Detritus]

I'll give Warhammer a token vote.

[Cranky Dog]

I abstained myself in the previous vote since I couldn't decide, but this one is simpler for me.

My soul has been devoured by CoC and I keep asking for more.


Cranky Dog
"I have an eternal evil opinion, international!"

[Wook]

Gratuitious vote for Cthulu.

[Baelfyre]

Cthulhu for the win... because if you nuke him he comes back, but he glows!

[David Argall]

Warhammer deserves this

[Parzival]

CoC
fillerfillerfiller

[Magnus Bergqvist]

Call of Cthulhu for the win.

/Magnus

[JasonStarfire]

Paranoia has won this round!

Call of Cthulhu devours Warhammer, and we mourn and move on!

AD&D 1e (TSR)

In 1978, the 1st edition Player's Handbook was released, and with it the divergence between race and class. After rolling ability scores from one of four principal methods put forth in the DMG, characters chose from among five core classes (cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief, and monk) and five sub-classes (druid, paladin, ranger, illusionist, and assassin). They also chose from among seven races (dwarf, elf, half-elf, gnome, halfling, half-orc, and of course human). Class, race, and ability scores then interacted in a complex, love-hate triangle in which each aspect restricted or promoted the others.

vs.

Paranoia (Mongoose Publishing, current)

TRUST THE COMPUTER! THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND!

Greetings, citizen! THE COMPUTER has made you a TROUBLESHOOTER, a protector of the underground city of ALPHA COMPLEX. You and your fellow Troubleshooters will have lots of fun rooting out Communist mutant traitors. The Computer says so.

Members of treasonous secret societies like the Frankenstein Destroyers, the Illuminati, Psion, PURGE and the Sierra Club may attack, maim or blackmail you. Treasonous mutants with powers like Electroshock, Pyrokinesis, Charm, Puppeteer and Bureaucratic Intuition may shock you, incinerate you, subvert you, control you or bury you in paperwork. But it will be fun. The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend.

Most fun of all is uncovering your fellow Troubleshooters' secret societies and mutations, accusing them of treason and persuading The Computer to terminate them -- before they do the same to you.

PARANOIA: The Roleplaying Game of a Darkly Humorous Future

[Cranky Dog]

I'll go with AD&D 1st ed because it's simpler to make a campaign out of it.


Cranky Dog
"I have a paranoid opinion, international!"

[carmachu]

Man thats a tough one. It'll probably lose, but avote for D&D 1st edition.

[Detritus]

Two volunteers for reactor shielding duty, I see.

Paranoia.

[Valdier]

I have to go with Paranoia on this one

[Wook]

1st ed.
.

[IFMU]

1st ed all the way

[Parzival]

Paranoia.
yaddayaddayadda

[JasonStarfire]

Paranoia !

[BlueNinja]

Paranoia !

[Kalzazz]

ADnD 1e

Filler

[Baelfyre]

AD & D 1e

I love Paranoia, but campaigns tend to be really, really, really short.

[JasonStarfire]

Call of Cthulhu has won this round!

Paranoia uses AD&D 1e for reactor shielding, and we mourn and move on!

Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium)

Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft

The Great Old Ones ruled the earth aeons before the rise of humankind. Originally they came from the gulfs of space and were cast down by even greater beings. Remains of their cyclopean cities and forbidden knowledge can still be found on remote islands in the Pacific, buried amid the shifting sands of vast deserts, and in the frigid recesses of the polar extremes. Now they sleep -- some deep within the enveloping earth and others beneath the eternal sea, in the drowned city of R'lyeh, preserved in the waters by the spells of mighty Cthulhu. When the stars are right they will rise, and once again walk this Earth.

Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium?s classic roleplaying game of Lovecraftian horror in which ordinary people are confronted by the terrifying and alien forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. Call of Cthulhu uses Chaosium?s Basic Roleplaying System, easy to learn and quick to play. This bestseller has won dozens of game-industry awards and is a member of the Academy of Adventure Game Design Hall of Fame. In 2001 Call of Cthulhu celebrated its 20th anniversary. In 2003 Call of Cthulhu was voted the #1 Gothic/Horror RPG of all time by the Gaming Report.com community. Call of Cthulhu is well-supported by an ever-growing line of high quality game supplements.

vs.

Alternity (TSR)

What is Alternity? Written by : Starbrat (alternityrpg.net)

Alternity is a setting-generic Science Fiction game originally published by Wizards of the Coast. The game is designed for GMs to produce any kind of Modern or SF setting, from techno-thriller to cyberpunk to classic space-opera to superhero. It's even possible to run modern Horror games with this system, such is its versatility.

What you will need ..

The Alternity game, unlike many games currently available, uses a wide range of dice, rather than being fixated on a single die type. To play Alternity, you will need the Alternity Player's Handbook & Gamemaster Guide. There are other accessories available, but these core rulebooks are all you really need. You will also need the following types of dice: d4, d6, d8, d12 & d20 (the most commonly used). You can find these types of dice at any hobby games shop. Other than this, you'll also need pencils, scratch paper & a writing pad (lined would be best). You may also need squared and/or hex-printed paper (you can get squared paper at a decent stationer, and hex paper can be bought from hobby stores). Alternatively, you could download the Graph Paper Printer program from the following address: http://perso.easynet.fr/~philimar/ I have found this program invaluable.

[Detritus]

Gotta go with CoC on this one.

[Kalzazz]

Alternity I think

[JasonStarfire]

Call of Cthulhu. Fhtagn.

[Cranky Dog]

Call of Cthulu.


Cranky Dog
"I have an Old One game system opinion, international!"

[Parzival]

CoC. Duh.

[David Argall]

CoC does seem the easy choice

[JasonStarfire]

Call of Cthulhu has won the final round!

Call of Cthulhu rises from the depths of R'lyeh to devour alternity. Now, for our final round!

Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium)

Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft

The Great Old Ones ruled the earth aeons before the rise of humankind. Originally they came from the gulfs of space and were cast down by even greater beings. Remains of their cyclopean cities and forbidden knowledge can still be found on remote islands in the Pacific, buried amid the shifting sands of vast deserts, and in the frigid recesses of the polar extremes. Now they sleep -- some deep within the enveloping earth and others beneath the eternal sea, in the drowned city of R'lyeh, preserved in the waters by the spells of mighty Cthulhu. When the stars are right they will rise, and once again walk this Earth.

Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium?s classic roleplaying game of Lovecraftian horror in which ordinary people are confronted by the terrifying and alien forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. Call of Cthulhu uses Chaosium?s Basic Roleplaying System, easy to learn and quick to play. This bestseller has won dozens of game-industry awards and is a member of the Academy of Adventure Game Design Hall of Fame. In 2001 Call of Cthulhu celebrated its 20th anniversary. In 2003 Call of Cthulhu was voted the #1 Gothic/Horror RPG of all time by the Gaming Report.com community. Call of Cthulhu is well-supported by an ever-growing line of high quality game supplements.


vs.

Paranoia (Mongoose Publishing, current)

TRUST THE COMPUTER! THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND!

Greetings, citizen! THE COMPUTER has made you a TROUBLESHOOTER, a protector of the underground city of ALPHA COMPLEX. You and your fellow Troubleshooters will have lots of fun rooting out Communist mutant traitors. The Computer says so.

Members of treasonous secret societies like the Frankenstein Destroyers, the Illuminati, Psion, PURGE and the Sierra Club may attack, maim or blackmail you. Treasonous mutants with powers like Electroshock, Pyrokinesis, Charm, Puppeteer and Bureaucratic Intuition may shock you, incinerate you, subvert you, control you or bury you in paperwork. But it will be fun. The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend.

Most fun of all is uncovering your fellow Troubleshooters' secret societies and mutations, accusing them of treason and persuading The Computer to terminate them -- before they do the same to you.

PARANOIA: The Roleplaying Game of a Darkly Humorous Future

[JasonStarfire]

I guess that makes Call of Computer (http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=22) the single greatest crossover of all times? :D

[Kalzazz]

Call of Cthulhu

[Detritus]

Paranoia!!

[carmachu]

Call of C....

[David Argall]

I'll go with Paranoia

[Cranky Dog]

Final round already?!?

Still, I'll choose Call of Cthulu, even if it is Christmas Day.

Hey, CoC had a much bigger impact on society than Paranoia.

Can Paranoia boast this: Blue Solstice (http://www.cthulhulives.org/Solstice/bluesolsticeplayer.html) or the Carol of the Old Ones (http://www.cthulhulives.org/solsticecarol.html) and other Christmas horror songs in honor of everyones favorite Deep One? :sagrin:


Cranky Dog
"I have a nightmare giving game system opinion, international!"

[Parzival]

CoC

(But honorable mention to Call of the Computer.)

[hidufel]

CoC FTW!  

[JasonStarfire]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Call of Cthulhu!

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p100/battleofrpg/CoCBCover.jpg

WARNING: You are in error. Paranoia has not been eliminated. The Computer thanks you for your cooperation.

Seriously, though, Call of Cthulhu is our champion.

[Cranky Dog]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Call of Cthulhu!
Was there ever any doubt?

Ok, maybe a few, but it's a worthy winner.


Cranky Dog
"Evil wins when it comes to game system opinions, international!"

[LagomorphPrime]

That Carol of the Old Ones is really good. It's very creepy. :)

[David Argall]

Was there ever any doubt?

Ok, maybe a few, but it's a worthy winner.

Well, in the sense there are a long list of worse ones. In the sense of deserving the title, no.

[Magnus Bergqvist]

Wee. Cthulhu is a great game and well deserving of winning.

/Magnus

[TinSoldier]

Interesting. I will have to check out CoC since I am almost wholly unfamiliar with either it or Lovecraftian stories.

[Magnus Bergqvist]

I strongly suggest you check out the normal version of CoC, and not the discontinued D20-version.

CoC is a game that builds very heavily on the feeling. It is NOT hack'n'slash...

/Magnus

[JasonStarfire]

Agreed. The d20 version left a LOT to be desired.