This is a list of the ten pen and paper roleplaying games. They are widely considered the best RPG games ever. As you can see, the list is a little bit skewed towards older games. But all of these games have huge fan bases and have been time-tested. Without further ado, here is the ten best pen and paper RPG games ever.
10 - Gamma World - The original post-apocalyptic game. This game is also classified as a science fantasy roleplaying game. It was one of the first roleplaying games where you could play a plant that shoots poison, a monumental achievement in itself.
9 - Vampire the Masquerade - This was the flagship product of White Wolf's World of Darkness setting. Since its inception, the game has spawned numerous other similar games, such as Werewolf, Mage, Changeling, and many others.
8 - RuneQuest - Although not as popular as it used to be, RuneQuest is commonly considered by fans as one of the 'original' fantasy roleplaying games. It was created in the same genre as Dungeons & Dragons and Tunnels & Trolls, but with a slightly different campaign setting and game system.
7 - Champions - Although it may no longer be the most popular comic-themed roleplaying game ever, this game has been around a long time since it was first published in 1981. The game set the stage for many other comic book and super hero related roleplaying games.
6 - Tunnels & Trolls - Right after D&D was T&T. Tunnels & Trolls was the second roleplaying game ever created. The game was created as an alternate, and hopefully easier to play, version of Dungeons & Dragons.
5 - GURPs - With the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPs), you can create a game for any setting. You use the GURPs system and find a sourcebook that has the campaign type you like. Once you do that, you're pretty much ready to rock.
4 - Star Wars - May perhaps be the most popular roleplaying setting of all time. It definitely is the most popular setting that was derived from a movie and placed into roleplaying game form. You have to pick which edition you like though! There is d6, d20, and Saga Edition.
3 - Traveller - Not as famous as its other space opera buddy, Star Wars. This game, however, did come out as a roleplaying system before George Lucas's creation did. Traveller was first created in 1977 and has been going strong ever since. The game is definitely considered one of the 'original' RPGs.
2 - Call of Cthulhu - The only horror-based roleplaying game on the list. The campaign setting comes from the terrifying work of author H.P. Lovecraft. The roleplaying version has seen many different companies build the game under different systems. But they all share the one same element, horror.
1 - Dungeons & Dragons - Love it or hate it. If you've gamed, odds are you've played it. There are editions wars over rapid roleplaying fans. But one thing they can all agree on is that Dungeons & Dragons is the grandfather of all roleplaying games. Even people that have never roleplayed in their life have heard of Dungeons & Dragons.
This list tends to be a little bit more biased towards older games. If you split up the different editions and counted each edition, for each game, as a separate game, this list would look very different. Overall, it gives you a good idea of the general popularity of specific pen and paper roleplaying games since the creation of pen and paper roleplaying games many years ago. - 29852
10 - Gamma World - The original post-apocalyptic game. This game is also classified as a science fantasy roleplaying game. It was one of the first roleplaying games where you could play a plant that shoots poison, a monumental achievement in itself.
9 - Vampire the Masquerade - This was the flagship product of White Wolf's World of Darkness setting. Since its inception, the game has spawned numerous other similar games, such as Werewolf, Mage, Changeling, and many others.
8 - RuneQuest - Although not as popular as it used to be, RuneQuest is commonly considered by fans as one of the 'original' fantasy roleplaying games. It was created in the same genre as Dungeons & Dragons and Tunnels & Trolls, but with a slightly different campaign setting and game system.
7 - Champions - Although it may no longer be the most popular comic-themed roleplaying game ever, this game has been around a long time since it was first published in 1981. The game set the stage for many other comic book and super hero related roleplaying games.
6 - Tunnels & Trolls - Right after D&D was T&T. Tunnels & Trolls was the second roleplaying game ever created. The game was created as an alternate, and hopefully easier to play, version of Dungeons & Dragons.
5 - GURPs - With the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPs), you can create a game for any setting. You use the GURPs system and find a sourcebook that has the campaign type you like. Once you do that, you're pretty much ready to rock.
4 - Star Wars - May perhaps be the most popular roleplaying setting of all time. It definitely is the most popular setting that was derived from a movie and placed into roleplaying game form. You have to pick which edition you like though! There is d6, d20, and Saga Edition.
3 - Traveller - Not as famous as its other space opera buddy, Star Wars. This game, however, did come out as a roleplaying system before George Lucas's creation did. Traveller was first created in 1977 and has been going strong ever since. The game is definitely considered one of the 'original' RPGs.
2 - Call of Cthulhu - The only horror-based roleplaying game on the list. The campaign setting comes from the terrifying work of author H.P. Lovecraft. The roleplaying version has seen many different companies build the game under different systems. But they all share the one same element, horror.
1 - Dungeons & Dragons - Love it or hate it. If you've gamed, odds are you've played it. There are editions wars over rapid roleplaying fans. But one thing they can all agree on is that Dungeons & Dragons is the grandfather of all roleplaying games. Even people that have never roleplayed in their life have heard of Dungeons & Dragons.
This list tends to be a little bit more biased towards older games. If you split up the different editions and counted each edition, for each game, as a separate game, this list would look very different. Overall, it gives you a good idea of the general popularity of specific pen and paper roleplaying games since the creation of pen and paper roleplaying games many years ago. - 29852
