Not that I am going to do this

[james_davis_nicoll]

But if someone ran "Young People Play Old RPGs", which RPGs should they pick.

Note if you select RPGs published in the 21st century, I will be very, very sad.

The first 20 years look like this:

1970s
1974

Dungeons & Dragons

1975

Boot Hill
Empire of the Petal Throne
En Garde!
Tunnels & Trolls

1976

Bunnies & Burrows
Knights of the Round Table (role-playing game)
Metamorphosis Alpha
Monsters! Monsters!
Starfaring

1977

Chivalry & Sorcery
Flash Gordon & the Warriors of Mongo
Space Patrol, later renamed Star Patrol
Space Quest
Superhero: 2044
The Realm of Yolmi
Traveller

1978

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Bifrost (role-playing game)
Gamma World
High Fantasy
John Carter, Warlord of Mars (role-playing game)
Legacy (role-playing game)
RuneQuest
Starships & Spacemen
Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier
What Price Glory?!

1979

Adventures in Fantasy
Buccaneer
Bushido
Commando (role-playing game)
Gangster!
Heroes (role-playing game)
Ironhedge
Villains and Vigilantes
Ysgarth

1980s
1980

Archaeron
Basic Role-Playing
Castle Perilous
Dallas (role-playing game)
DragonQuest
Land of the Rising Sun (role-playing game)
Melanda
Odysseus
Skull and Crossbones
Space Opera
Supergame
The Fantasy Trip
The Morrow Project
Thieves' Guild (role-playing game)
Top Secret

1981

Aftermath!
Arduin
Call of Cthulhu
Champions
Crimefighters
Fantasy Wargaming
Heroes of Olympus (role-playing game)
Merc
Midgard (German RPG)
Star Rovers (role-playing game)
Stormbringer
The Mechanoid Invasion
The Spawn of Fashan
Universe
Wild West (role-playing game)
Wizards' Realm

1982

Alma Mater
Behind Enemy Lines by FASA
Daredevils
Drakar och Demoner (Trudvang Chronicles)
Fringeworthy
FTL:2448
Gangbusters
Inner City
Knights and Berserkers and Legerdemain
Man, Myth and Magic
Middle-earth Role Playing
Pirates and Plunder
Recon
Rolemaster
Space Infantry
Starfleet Voyages
Star Frontiers
Star Trek: The Role Playing Game
Swordbearer
Worlds of Wonder

1983

Droids (role-playing game)
Element Masters
Espionage!, later renamed Danger International
James Bond 007
Lands of Adventure
Légendes (French RPG)
Lords of Creation
L'Ultime Épreuve (French RPG)
Mach: The First Colony
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes
Other Suns by FGU
Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game
Powers and Perils
Privateers and Gentlemen
Stalking the Night Fantastic
Star Quest
Super Squadron
Superworld
The Valley of the Pharaohs
Timeship
To Challenge Tomorrow
Victorian Adventure
Warhammer The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game
Witch Hunt by StatCom Simulations

1984

Chill
Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye)
DragonRaid
Elfquest
Fighting Fantasy - The Introductory Role-Playing Game
Flashing Blades
Golden Heroes
Heroes Unlimited
Justice, Inc. (role-playing game)
Kata Kumbas
Maelstrom
Marvel Super Heroes
Mega (French RPG)
Mutant (role-playing game)
Paranoia
Phantasy Conclave
Psi World
Ringworld
Skyrealms of Jorune
Star Ace
Swords & Glory
The Adventures of Indiana Jones
The Arcanum
Time & Time Again
Timemaster
Toon (role-playing game)
Twilight 2000

1985

Challengers
Conan Role-Playing Game
DC Heroes
Dinky Dungeons
The Doctor Who Role Playing Game
Dragon Warriors
Dragonroar
Fantasy Hero
Hawkmoon
Hidden Kingdom (role-playing game)
Judge Dredd: The Role-Playing Game
Maléfices
Mekton
Midnight at the Well of Souls Role-Playing System
Pendragon
Sandman - Map of Halaal
Space Master
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness

1986

2300 AD
9th Generation
By the Gods
Delta Force: America Strikes Back!
Eternal Soldier
Ghostbusters
Freedom Fighters (role-playing game)
GURPS
HârnMaster
Hunter Planet: The All Australian Role Playing Game
MechWarrior
Mythworld
Phoenix Command
Robotech
Robot Warriors
The Price of Freedom
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Year of the Phoenix

1987

Ars Magica
Beyond the Supernatural
Cyborg Commando
Enforcers
Expendables (role-playing game)
Future Worlds
Living Steel
MEGA Role-Playing System
Miekka ja magia
Night of the Ninja
Ninjas & Superspies
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games
Talislanta
Teenagers from Outer Space (role-playing game)
Robotech II: The Sentinels
Timelords
TWERPS

1988

Animonde
Albedo (role-playing game)
Bullwinkle and Rocky Role-Playing Party Game
Cyberpunk 2013
High Colonies
Justifiers RPG
Macho Women with Guns
Manhunter (role-playing game)
Phantasia (role-playing game)
Second Dawn
Space: 1889
SpaceTime
Woof Meow

1989

Advanced Fighting Fantasy
Adventurers of the North - Kalevala Heroes
Batman Role-Playing Game
Blackwatch
The Confederate Rangers
Cyberspace
HeroQuest
In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas
It Came From the Late, Late, Late Show
Lace & Steel
Mutazoids
Omnigon
Prince Valiant: The Story-Telling Game
Shadowrun
Star Hero
Sword World RPG

1990s
1990

Age of Ruin by Cutting Edge Games
Aquelarre (Spanish RPG)
Attack of the Humans
Battlelords of the 23rd Century
Buck Rogers XXVC
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (role-playing game)
CORPS
Fifth Cycle
Hero System
Morpheus (role-playing game)
Nightlife
Reich Star
Rifts
Ruf des Warlock (German RPG)
Torg
Worlds Beyond

1991

Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game
Aliens Adventure Game
Dark Conspiracy
Kult
Lord of the Rings Adventure Game
Lost Souls
Millennium's End
Tales from the Floating Vagabond
The World of Synnibarr
Time Lord: Adventures through Time and Space
Vampire: The Masquerade
Warp World

1992

Dangerous Journeys
Dream Park: The Roleplaying Game
Duel by Nightshift Games
Fanhunter, el juego de rol épicodecadente
Fudge
Fuzzy Heroes by Inner City Games Designs
Nephilim
Over the Edge
Werewolf: The Apocalypse

1993

Amazing Engine
Earthdawn
Fate of the Norns
Forgotten Futures
High Adventure Cliffhangers Buck Rogers Adventure Game
Kryształy Czasu
Macross II: The Role-Playing Game
Mage: The Ascension
Manhunter
Mutant Chronicles
Nexus: The Infinite City
Pandemonium!
Prime Directive
Risus
Shatterzone
SLA Industries
Space Gothic (German RPG)
The Beast Within
The Whispering Vault
Theatrix (role-playing game)
Underground

1994

3D&T
Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth
Castle Falkenstein
Don't Look Back (role-playing game)
Gardásiyal: Adventures on Tékumel
GateWar by Escape Ventures
HoL
Immortal: The Invisible War
Inferno by Death's Edge Games
Masterbook
Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game
The World of Bloodshadows
The World of Indiana Jones
Wraith: The Oblivion

Comments

[rdm]

Huh. A couple of surprises in that list for me.

First, I am amazed that Metamorphosis Alpha pre-dates Traveller by a year - I always thought it came after!

Second is that Twilight 2000 is post 1982 - for some reason I keep thinking it came out while I was in highschool!

All that aside, you should include Tunnels & Trolls, for the sheer silliness of some of the rules. And Macho Women With Guns for the aged pop-culture references.

[viktor_haag]

I know some folks who swear that T&T and it's follow-on game Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes are actually really fun, solid game designs and good for long-term play. I have other options in my toolkit now, but there is a small community playing these games as a first option.