Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?

I’ve posted quite often about the fun I’m having developing my own world for my D&D 5E campaigns. Whether it was planned or not, I think it was smart for WotC to launch the new edition without a defined campaign setting, as it allowed DMs to decide for themselves where they wanted the game set. And while they did eventually release material set in the Forgotten Realms, that hasn’t been so obtrusive as to overshadow the game’s use in other settings.

I’ll get back to posting about my campaign setting, Cotterell, over the next few months. There have been changes and additions to the setting which have come through game play with my two campaign groups. As well, as I’ve had time to think more about the world, I’ve changed aspects of it which neither group has encountered yet, so the surprise will still be intact.

Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?

There is no RPG I’ve ever played or game-mastered that I haven’t modified in some way, so the honest answer is none. The Pathfinder RPG, however, comes as close as I get to playing/running a game without heavy modding or house-ruling. The Golarion setting is so rich and well-detailed, I rarely have to do anything beyond adjusting details to fit a particular group of characters. As well, there are just so many character options that I have rarely had to mod the rules to get a particular character build.

I’ll admit that Pathfinder isn’t for everyone, and I’ll also admit it sometimes deserves its nickname of “Mathfinder”. It is definitely a game which appeals to the players who loved D&D 3.5 (I was one) and want to keep that kind of game going. I still enjoy running and playing it; I have never succumbed to the need to decry a game once it fell out of heavy rotation for me. While the new D&D and several other indie games have caught me eye of late, I keep coming back to Pathfinder for the rich setting. And I’m excited to see what Starfinder holds in store.

Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?

There is no one RPG which can claim this title, as I collect RPG material new and old. So I have shelves of games I have picked up to read, but have never made it to the table. I used to have a low-level anxiety about that fact, but I’ve since sorted that out. Because I collect and somewhat study tabletop games, my purchasing drives and habits are different from most gamers, who tend to purchase only what they’ll immediately use. And the material I buy certainly sees use, even if I don’t play it all the time.

That said, when my local RPG convention rolls around I try to dust off some games I haven’t looked at in a while, and sign up to run those. So if you’re in Edmonton and coming to IntrigueCon (and you should), I’ll be running sessions for The Laundry RPG as well as an Indian-Jones inspired scenario for Kobolds Ate My Baby!. I might add a third session, but I’ll wait and see what everyone else is running first; I might find I want to play more than I want to GM for a third time.