[Edit: I changed out one fantasy game for another, as I concluded that I preferred the more streamlined system of Vagabonds of Dyfed over the more complex, move-based system of Freebooters on the Frontier 2e. 4/27/21]
Recently taking a moment to reflect, I've found myself hip-deep in middle-age. It happens to a lot of us. I realized that, in a likelihood, I've probably got as many games ahead of me as I do behind me. (It's possible this is inaccurate, as I did take ~20 years off from RPGs, but in the interest of an introspective post, let's just roll with that estimate.) I looked back at past campaigns, thinking, They were numerous, but the variety of RPG systems across them was very limited. Like many RPG hobbyists, I tend to collect a lot of game systems -- but, if I'm being honest with myself, there's not a very high chance that I'll actually spend much time (if any) playing those systems.
Admittedly, it's fun to simply collect RPG rulebooks, even if you're not going to necessarily play them all. And, if you're like me, you also get enjoyment out of reading them and expanding your awareness of the variety of rules and mechanics across the hobby. But, that's not ultimately why we're here: we're here to play or run them at the table. So this pause for reflection got me reading. I decided to read through all the rulebooks that I owned (in some cases, it was a quicker read, closer to skimming) so that I might identify my personal "core" games -- those that I turn to as favorites and that I'd be most likely to enjoy running for others. I began a survey of my collection to help me wrap my brain around exactly what I had, how each worked on the simplest level, and how much I valued each personally.
Like a lot of personal projects, this one resulted in a spreadsheet. I made columns for: title; designer; genre; system of origin (if there was another game from which it was built); core resolution mechanic (this matters to me, for some reason; I respond to the tactile way that dice are used and which are used); and a final categorical rating scale (OK, Love But Never Play, and Go-To System). OK covered games that I owned but knew I'd probably never play. Love But Never Play was pretty self-explanatory, those I hold great fondness for but would likely not get to (either they're too involved or I knew they wouldn't work for my gaming groups). Go-To System covered the games that I decided were my standards, those I would actively try to run whenever I had the chance.
I recorded a total of 193 RPG systems. Most got categorized as OK, and there were a large number categorized as Love But Never Play.
Here's a breakdown of what I decided were my Go-To Systems:
For fantasy RPGs:
For horror RPGs:For sci-fi RPGs:For cyberpunk RPGs:Yeah, I realize that's still a lot of systems for the fantasy genre, but it was honestly as focused as I could get the list. (I can reconcile the sci-fi list by reminding myself that all but Mothership are variations on The Black Hack, so they kind of operate interchangeably to some degree, depending on the style/tone of scenario run.) I wanted a small spectrum of complexity so that, depending on my need, I could always hit the mark. The true go-to there is the Black Hack (more on that later). Advanced World of Dungeons and Freebooters 2e are great for lighter, more narrative-focused games. And Low Fantasy Gaming is my preferred system for a "standard" level of rules complexity. D&D 5e holds a similar spot -- though it's got much more complexity than the rest, it's a very well-designed game and it's always very popular with my players, so it's pretty hard to leave out, especially as I end up playing it so frequently.
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