* I can not take credit for coming up with the idea for this entry. I was checking out Grognardia earlier and catching up on earlier posts I had missed. I ran across the series of posts for the ads of Dragon magazine and browsed through all of them. The post on 7-28-2011 about FGU caught my eye because I remember it so well from when I had a subscription and it is still one of my favorities. This is basically a chance for me to say "me too" on the Grognardia post.*
I have no idea how many times I have glanced at this ad while browsing through old issues of Dragon magazine. I do, however, remember wanting to play every one of these games back in the 80's. I have only owned or played one of these games. That in itself is somewhat strange because I would buy just about any RPG I ran across when I was a teenager. A few thoughts on each of these games is presented below.
Aftermath: I did want to buy this game to compare it to Gamma World. I was a huge Gamma World fan but I also was interested in a more serious approach to the same genre. It looked like Aftermath was more serious and realistic from looking at the box and ads. I've actually seen this at one of the local gaming stores as recent as 3 years ago. I never did buy it but maybe I should order it from the FGU website?
Bushido: I tried out Oriental Adventures once or twice back in my AD&D days. I had mixed feelings about the rules. I just didn't feel like the setting and AD&D rules were the best match. I would have like to have had a better set of oriental fantasy rpg rules. I wonder if Bushido would have satisfied that itch?
Chivalry & Sorcery: I never saw a copy of C&S in the store until 3E was out. I purchased it because I recognized the game. I did a little research online and found out it was far removed from the FGU version. I'm starting to think I should have done more mail order business back in those days.
Space Opera: Another FGU game I never saw in the store back in the day. I imagine I would have liked it. I was a big time Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who and still am. I got Star Frontiers and was pretty disappointed by what I felt was a lack of substance. I got the impression that it was much more detailed the Star Frontiers and would have gotten a fair amount of play in my group.
Villains & Vigilantes: I still remember buying the boxed set of V&V with the rulebook and the Crisis at Crusader Citadel module included. Once I made my first character and played V&V, I was hooked from that point on. I bought several V&V supplements - mainly the bad guy books like Most Wanted - and we even made some ourselves. It is still my favorite supers RPG and I am definitely going to get the new version from Monkey House Games. V&V was the only game to be played as much as or more than D&D in my group. The thing I remember most about V&V is the fact that it seemed to emphasize fun in a way that other games did not.
I think I'm going to take a break and visit the FGU website now...
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