RPG Index

Statistics

This index was last updated on 07 December, 1996, at 13:07:51 GMT, at which point it contained 2454 links to 913 sites, distributed across 208 pages.

From the previous Sunday at 05:00 AM, GMT, until that time, there were 1578 visitors to the Index, generating a total of 3261 hits.

Explanation

I make no pretense at being familiar with all of these games. At first, this was just my personal list of nifty RPG sites. then, i decided that it was just too big to keep on my home page, so i'd move it before adding my latest crop of links. at that point, i realized that there wasn't a complete and up-to-date RPG site index, so i got to feeling ambitious, and this is the result. At first this was a 4-day project. i've since updated it and reorganized a bit, made it a bit prettier, and almost completely automated it, but there may still be a few errors hanging over from the original hasty creation. (immense thanks to herkimer, without whose help that original creation might not have happened.)

while i'd be foolish to claim that this is comprehensive, i'd love your help to make it so. the majority of the links i have checked out recently, but there are a couple that i haven't been able to yet, so i'm going on others' info.

two questions have recurred, so i feel i should deal with them here: first, of course you can make a link to the index; that's what it's there for. second, it's great to know that you wish i had some sites for game XYZ, but i just index them, not create them. if it's not here, i don't know of it, so feel free to share.

Record of changes

6/11

i'm now marking new sites and pages with an obnoxious , and updated pages with an equally obvious , so that you don't have to dig just to find out if there's anything new. the next step is to start adding brief descriptions to the links, but don't hold your breath on it.

6/30

cleaned up several problems that Netscape was reading through, but which didn't work under lynx, and some other browsers. made the necessary changes to prepare for adding descriptions to the links.

7/18

added those descriptions i had received. discovered 6 new games (and new links, as usual).

8/06

scripted the updating of the index. it will now be updated almost daily. however, as a result, the "new" and "update" gifs will disappear for a while, until i figure out a time-delimited way of adding them. working on making the links searchable, so that someone can immediately determine if i've already linked their page. also working on a new form that will allow direct input of new sites.

11/20

i've redone the script. there's still a problem with at/cron, so the actual updates are once again manually initiated. the main pages are now also generated, so they should keep better up-to-date. i figured out a way to re-add the "new" and "update" tags, though they won't show up for a while on the individual pages, because awk is gakking on me. added a set of Worlds pages, and a set of Genre-sorted pages. i'm still working on the searchable list and direct form input, but these are going to require perl, which i'm learning as fast as i can. the revised pages take advantage of frames, but should work right on non-frames browsers, also.

12/20

final update before winter break. i won't be around to fix this or update it for at least 2 weeks, so i apologize ahead of time if this causes any unforgiveable delays.

2/2/96

still catching up from input over break (when i was gone). in response to some requests, i've marked those company sites that are official. added a new category for general-interest pages aimed specifically at GMs. i've started adding descriptions of the games/pages to the top of the page. if you can provide a shortish description of a game (around 200 characters) for any page that is missing one, i'd be much obliged. toying with two major changes: either replacing the current genre pages, or adding a second set that more closely reflects which games are actually likely to produce info of use for each other; and adding a small GIF/JPEG of the appropriate logo to each game's page. let me know what you think of either of these ideas. also, if i implement the new genre pages, i may need input, since i know literally nothing about some of these games.

5/8/96

my first mirror site, in Germany, just went on line <http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~black/rpg/index.html>. There's another one on the way in the UK. I'd really like to find one in Australia/New Zealand area, to avoid the trans-pacific link.

My RPG Background

In order to give people a better feel for how much to assume that i know, here's a summation of my RPG background.

I could tell you where and when most things relating to AD&D occur in the last dozen years, and can answer the vast majority of questions relating to it, 1st or 2nd ed., including SpellJammer, Al-Qadim, and Kara-Tur, most often without referring to the books. This is not meant to be a challenge, as i'm sure you can come up with a question i can't answer. I'm not particularly familiar with some of the latest stuff, but i try to at least skim it.

I know the following games extremely well, and could run them without the books: Ars Magica, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Wraith: the Oblivion, Over the Edge.

I know the following games well: Aria, SkyRealms of Jorune, Lost Souls, Mage: the Ascension, Gamma World (the last three editions), Legacy: War of Ages, Immortal, Castle Falkenstein, UnderGround, Kult.

I also have on my shelves: Fantasy Wargaming, Everway, Empire of the Petal Throne, The Primal Order, Amazing Engine (For Faerie, Queen, and Country and Once and Future King), Rapture: the Second Coming, Hârn, Cyberpunk, Traveller: the New Era, Amber, Dreampark, Changeling: the Dreaming, Pirates of Darkwater, Living Legends, Cyberpunk 2020.

Games i would like to try, off of the top of my head: Bushido, Call of Cthulhu, Chill, Darkurthe Legends, FUDGE, MERP, Nephilim, Nexus: the Infinite City, Pendragon, Persona, Phantasm, Space 1889, Star Wars, Whispering Vault, Theatrix, Bunnies & Burrows (and probably others i've forgotten about).

My favorite games are (in approximate order): Over the Edge, it has the best system i've ever seen, and the setting and premise are godsends; Ars Magica has a beautiful feel to the setting, and a system that ties with Everway for intuitiveness and flexibility; Aria, the perfect meta-system for a meta-gamer; SkyRealms of Jorune has such a real setting, brought off in large part by its art, that i can forgive the mediocre system (except for Isho: i've rarely seen a system better worked into the setting); Kult, the only horror game i've ever tried that's worthy of the name; SpellJammer; Immortal, whose re-interpretation and use of music, both literally and metaphorically, is the best modern "magic" system i've ever seen; FUDGE, the best universal system i've found, and well worth the effort to customize to your favorite setting; UnderGround, i never thought that i'd see a game that made sociology fun; Lost Souls, the only game of the afterlife- if you've seen Wraith, try Lost Souls. There are quite a few others that are close runners-up: Everway is the second-most-beautiful system i've ever met (after Over the Edge), and has delightful setting, tone, and mood. I just haven't had a chance to actually play it yet, so i can't judge very well. Hârn is an even more "realistic" setting than Ars Magica, and as soon as the rules are published, i intend to give it a try (i want to try their system before using it with another). The majority of the World of Darkness is wonderful (i still can't suspend disbelief sufficiently to handle the Camarilla), but it's hobbled by one of the worst systems i've ever seen. AD&D doesn't make it onto my list not because i don't play it, but because what i play is just barely AD&D any more. It's my own setting, and most of the rules are my own. see my writings page for info. Traveller is the closest i've found to a hard-SF game, and the rules aren't too bad, but it's missing something in the realm of feel. Legacy: War of Ages and Rapture: the Second Coming have wonderful settings, coupled with respectable rules, though i haven't had a chance to play either yet. Gamma World is wonderful, and the rules are OK, but i've yet to figure out how to have a long-running game. ;-)

I have tried and won't touch with a ten-foot pole: Dangerous Journeys, a system that just doesn't make sense. i spent 4 hours with one of the head designers making a character, and i still didn't understand in the least bit how anything worked. with every other system i've ever seen, once i'd created a character, most of the rules had explained themselves. and don't even get me started on the setting. Vampire: the Masquerade shares the kludgey rules of the rest of the Storyteller series, but without the redeeming settings of the others. Rolemaster and Aliens both have just too many rules for me. unlike the first two, these i would still recommend if you like rules (and calculators).

Finally, based on my experiences and desires, and the worlds within me, i'm working on two worlds of my own, one of which uses my own system. at the moment, i don't want to advertise them yet, but i'll be sure and let the world know once they're ready to be shared.

The Disclaimer

(at a readable size) The names of all or most of the games on this and subsequent pages are trademarks or registered trademarks of the owning company. Any use on this or subsequent pages should not be misconstrued as a challenge to said trademarks, nor as an attempt to infringe upon any copyrights that may be owned by said companies.

created by woodelf@yar.cs.wisc.edu