Really weird RPG's out there.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

I actually only clicked on this topic to see if someone mentioned Continuum and said it was unplayable, because someone always does.

I didn't say it was unplayable, I said I was not sure.

Thanks for the link. Many games are best learned from people who have done it before rather than the official rules.

[Stormcrow]

Another favorite of mine is Rune. This is the RPG by Robin Laws wherein everyone plays Viking warriors, the person running the adventure changes with every encounter, every element of an encounter has to be paid for with encounter points, and everyone is competing for victory points, to be declared the winner at the end of the adventure. I've got a few items for this game up on my website as well.

[thrash]

Originally Posted by ckosacranoid

Teenagers from outer space are hilarious.

Has been moved and seconded. All in favor? Aye!

Originally Posted by ericthered

Lasers and Feelings: 1 stat, which can be either good or bad depending on what you're trying to do. Its a free 1 page print out. Never played.

I played the Tactical Waifu re-skin at a con. It was remarkably apt for a quick-and-easy one shot. Choosing the right axis for the genre is key, though.

I'll add:

Monsters! Monsters! the original reverse dungeon game.

Bunnies & Burrows: playing as rabbits on Watership Down. I still quote the "one, two, three, four, many" rule (because rabbits can count only on their paws, naturally) from time to time.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen: in which I expound on the virtues of "narrative" entertainments, though (being authentic in every respect) they can hardly be called "games."

Nobilis: the ultimate answer to Jean Maguire's "Games as Art and Literature" article in the Illuminator. Never tempted to play it, though.

Starships and Spacemen: a very early Star Trek TOS pastiche with rules cribbed from OD&D. Much weirder in execution than this sounds.

Universalis: a tract on game design masquerading as a game. I don't see how every session doesn't turn into Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by thrash

The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen: in which I expound on the virtues of "narrative" entertainments, though (being authentic in every respect) they can hardly be called "games."

I would call Baron Munchausen a game, but not an RPG.

[Irish Wolf]

Yeah, the unplayable weirdness was HOL: Human Occupied Landfill (and its "expansion", Buttery HOLsomeness). It was a wild read, but I don't believe its author(s) ever expected anyone to play it.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by thrash

Nobilis: the ultimate answer to Jean Maguire's "Games as Art and Literature" article in the Illuminator. Never tempted to play it, though.

It's a remarkably beautiful game book, and I'm keeping it on my shelves for aesthetic reasons. But I have to agree: I don't really feel inclined to play it. Its mythos rather puts me off. And if I want that kind of mechanics I'm more inclined to dust off Amber Diceless.

[Pmandrekar]

Originally Posted by J. Edward Tremlett

Empire of the Petal Throne: Weird and exotic, and very lavish. Nothing has ever quite been like it. (A pity about the author, but thankfully he's dead so no more $$$ flows into his coffers)

It was a shock to the others involved in the IP. One of my close personal friends is the President of the Tekumel Society and has retired from his teaching job at a local college to develop more materials for the gameworld. He and his wife (who I work with, and sits about 20 feet from me in the cubicle farm) were regulars at the author's dinner table and didn't have an inkling.

[thrash]

Originally Posted by Anthony

I would call Baron Munchausen a game, but not an RPG.

... repeated claims in the text to the contrary not withstanding, yes. More like the games used to train improv theater.

Useful as an edge case, though.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Anthony

I would call Baron Munchausen a game, but not an RPG.

I'd argue most tabletop RPGs aren't games because you can't win them.

--

Anyway, I'll throw in Violence by Greg Costikyan Designer X. It comes out and just says the thing is a joke near the beginning, but it's a funny read.

[ericthered]

Oh, the Wendy's RPG. Its not weird mechanics, by any means, but the whole concept is half-way between a joke and a marketing gimmick.