Ok, here are the most notable:

Rifts
Middle-Earth
GURPS
Cyberpunk
Vampire: TM
D&D 3rd
BESM
Paranoia
Aris Magica

I''ve also played several "home-brew" games, some with unique systems other just new environments.

Ummm, let´s see:

AD&D 2º Edition
Star Wars
Paranoia
Call of Cthulu
Vampire The Masquerade

and some others I cannot remember.

I´ve had a look at most of the more common ones, really played (for a longer while) only DSA, Shadowrun and some AD&D ... and Paranoia.

DragonQuest
DarkSword
AD&D
MERP
Warhammer
Rolemaster

Best of the lot would have to be Rolemaster, although Warhammer was fun and fast-paced. Rolemaster has a great character creation and development system, and the combat system is fairly decent once you get the hang of it.

Has anyone played any of the "Hero System" games? "Champions" was the one that I started with (superhero RPG), but there are also some other books from various other genres. The Hero System is much like GURPS in that it is a generic RPG that can be used for any genre from fantasy to sci-fi to superhero to old west to whatever. I personally enjoyed it more than GURPS because I felt it was easier to create exactly the feel you wanted. GURPS seemed to lean much more heavily towards fantasy role playing or low powered role-playing in other genres. Champions/Hero System ranged from low-powered to super high powered depending on how many points the GM let you use to make a character.

Am I the only person here that has tried that system? I didn''t see it listed so far.

Jaxson - I played Champians...listed it above, too

That RPG had a really cool charater system, as you said...most fun character I created for that super-hero game was named the "Witness"...he looked like a normal guy, normal strength, no poweres beyond being immortal...couldn''t be hurt or killed at all...additionaly he was unable to directly effect a situation...couldn''t get directly involved...so I would have to quickly develop some Rugoldburg type ''increadable machines'' from stuff lying around just to open doors, beat up the bad guys, and do other crap...lots of fun!

Rifts. I''ve probably played like 15 different campaigns, and am currently gearing up for my own Australia campaign (should be ready in about 10 to 15 years). Sometimes we even played four sessions before forgetting what we were doing and have to start over (hey, its hard getting everyone together at the same time). I really do like Rifts though.

__________________________________________
We get signal.
There are bombs exploding all around us!!

Actually played, or just know forwards and backwards?

Here''s what I know:

D&D 3e: The old masters made a simple and rigorous system to power escapist hack and slash. This is the game everyone should try first, because it''s easy to learn, easy to play, easy to GM, and well-supported with a giant and venerable community. The gateway RPG, and whether for good or ill the paradigm that all RPGs either follow or intentionally break.

GURPS: Steve Jackson''s grand ambition was to make the RPG system that covers everything. It does, but not well. I like giant humanoid armored vehicles. On the up side, there are rules for them (GURPS Mecha, GURPS Robots, GURPS Vehicles). On the down side, the rules, which are stretched beyond capacity to cover every technology at every era with total cross-compatibility, fail to work in my particular instance. Well, darn.

Big Eyes Small Mouth: Simple is good. Unfortunately the rules allow for major power gaming. For just one character point, I can buy a magical artifact that can level buildings. Ooooops... Further, the game mechanics lead to odd and counterintuitive results quite often. Still, it''s an easy and clever game.

Heavy Gear: Hard SF, an excellent gameworld, and mechanics which make sense at every level. Plus, it''s two games in one: get out of the Gear and roleplay, get in and do tactical combat. A pity nobody I know plays it...

Mechwarrior: Like Heavy Gear, but dumber. Next!

Vampire: The Masquerade: More fun as a LARP. Does that count?

Basically, any system will do OK, with a good GM at the helm. The real masterworks are the games that you can learn to GM on the fly. Learn the basic rules of D&D with a good ol'' dungeon delve, then start thinking about more elaborate plots. Learn Heavy Gear by starting your PCs as grunts, so they have to obey orders, then move them up the ranks when you''re ready for political intrigues to go with your smashing. Ah, the GM... the element that no computer will replace.

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-SpittingTrashcan

You can''t have "civilization" without "civil".

Hârn !

Love it''s world.

quote: Original post by SpittingTrashcan
Mechwarrior: Like Heavy Gear, but dumber. Next!

hrmpf... Heavy Gear is just a Mech Clone...