Last year I asked RP Open to name their top 5 favorite indie games. The fantastic Vasco Brown, with assistance from others, put together the results. Well, it's been a year and I'd like to know what <b>you</b> think are the Top 5 Best Indie RPGs!
Indie is self defined, for the purposes of this thread. It generally means small press games, such as those found at www.indiepressrevolution.com, but not necessarily. Take your best guess and have at it! The same goes for the word "best." List the best, your favorite, or just five indie games you think are darned nifty!
If you can tell us a little bit about why you like that game, that's extra awesome!
Artesia: Amazing, detailed, immensely flavorful setting, solid mechanics, and the most absofrigglutely beautiful art/design I've ever seen in a RPG.
Hollow Earth Expedition: The cover alone revs me up for crazy pulp exploration adventure, and everything inside only heightens that sensation.
Arrowflight: A fun, interesting little fantasy game, with a setting that is much more interesting than it looks on first glance. Add in the Island Nations supplement and it really brings a smile to my face.
FATE 2E: Incredible system, a joy to play. I can't wait for 3E, and I'm dying to see SOTC.
HeroQuest: I don't care for Glorantha at all, but again, brilliant system. Nothing scales nearly so well, and I'm eager to see the stand-alone edition, though apprehensive given that it's not Laws and company tweaking it.
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"There's nothing with mega-damage that giga-damage can't set right, son." - Bill Coffin
Donjon -- Despite some typos, it's a fun (if slightly unintuitive) game. I play games for fun. Donjon gives me that in spades.
Conspiracy of Shadows -- I'm not all hot and bothered by the mechanics but the premise and themes are fucking brilliant. If you like conspiratorial horror, you need this game.
Otherkind -- It's a free-press game but it puts many commerical games to shame with its clear, concise, focus and easy to grok mechanics. It's like Changeling but sensible. And fun.
vs. Monsters -- This is the best thing ever to happen to a deck of cards in a roleplaying game. And it makes Washington Irving move like John Wu. How can you not like that?
There is No Spoon -- Another freebie. When it comes to The Matrix, nobody does it better than Steve Darlington. As I've said before, there is no other Matrix RPG.
Dictionary of Mu (not an actual game itself, but damn it's good)
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"You know, it used to be, any time that someone said my name, I'd visit them in a burst of godly vengeance. But now, so many damn people keep saying my name, I decided it wasn't worth my time, you know?"
- Hastur (by way of Chris Camfield)
Primetime Adventures - for the simplicity of rules, the built-in story structure, and the ease of understanding the underlying premise ("it's like a television show") Mortal Coil - the magic system is basically perfect. Plus, it's a diceless game that actually demonstrates how strategic resource management can be. Spirit of the Century - I absolutely love Aspects. Invoking, compelling, and tagging. Especially tagging, which gives a solid mechanical representation to the results of any roll you can imagine.
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Well, I've got some games in the "to play" queue. Hero's Banner and Agon both look cool, but I can't vote for them in good conscience if I haven't played.
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Spirit of the Century - Love the preview of Fate 3 in there. And you can't beat the supprot of the Evil Hat guys. It's all good. JAGS Wonderland - This was the best read of an RPG I have had in a long time.
Well, I've got some games in the "to play" queue. Hero's Banner and Agon both look cool, but I can't vote for them in good conscience if I haven't played.
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