March Madness Obscure Game Blogging Challenge Part One

I am participating in the March Madness Obscure Game Blogging Challenge but I am not devoting a post a day to it throughout the entire month.  I will post several times throughout the month and each one will have several days worth of posting.  Here is part one...

1. What was the first role-playing game other than D&D you played? Was it before or after you had played D&D?

I am not absolutely certain which role-playing game was the first one I played other than D&D.  It has been a lot of years since the early 1980s so I can only make a best guess on this one.  I know my brother got Star Frontiers soon after I got started with D&D.  I do recall not being thrilled about the game.  I thought one or more of the races were kind of silly and I was hoping for something more in line with Star Trek at the time. The other possibility is the second edition of the Villains & Vigilantes superhero role-playing game.  I was absolutely thrilled about playing this game.  In fact, V&V was one of the most played games in my group of friends.  I started with D&D and moved on to other games; I played one of these games after playing D&D.

2. What was the first character you played in an RPG other than D&D? How was playing it different from playing a D&D character?

I can not answer this question because I do not remember; it occurred 24 years ago. 

3. Which game had the least or most enjoyable character generation?

I am sure I will get some heat from this one but I find the least enjoyable character generation process in games such as GURPS or Hero System products.  Both of these systems offer a wide variety of customization and you can truly build just about whatever character concept you imagine.  While I think it is great and I am astonished at the selection, it tends to overwhelm me.  I will get bogged down in the character generation process and it will grind to a halt.  Maybe if I get more experience with one of these systems…   

I think Traveller provides the most enjoyable character generation process.  The mustering out tables generate a somewhat realistic set of bonuses and what other game has the option of dying during the character generation process?

4. What other role-playing author besides Gygax impressed you with their writing?

I have always enjoyed the writing of Steve Jackson whether it was in the old microgames, magazine articles, GURPS, and his Game Design: Theory and Practice manual.  The manuals never seemed like another set of boring rules and his personal recollections are something I always find interesting.  I have to give kudos for the writing style of GURPS because it could have easily turned into something textbook-like in nature.  I always get the feeling that he is still thrilled with the hobby and being in the business of providing games for the hobby.