Like comets, they keep on coming back after a long period in the outer darkness.
About ten years ago I got rid of several complete game systems that I didn't think that I'd be playing again any time soon. Much as I loved them, I just couldn't see them getting to the table fast.
They were:
- Blue Planet v2
- Fading Suns 2e
- Transhuman Space
Blue Planet I quickly got buyers regret and bought it all back after a couple of years, although that's in the 'to sell' pile again. I absolutely love the setting, and the first version of the Synergy system was okay, albeit very 1990s and fiddly. I mentioned previously my excitement at the upcoming release of Blue Planet Recontact, excitement driven by having play tested and enjoyed the new edition. So why am I selling the previous edition again? Quite simply because I have all the books in PDF, need the space and realise that I don't actually need hard copies. I plan to run this and Dr Mitch will hold me to that!
Fading Suns was always the slightly dark not-Dune, not-Warhammer and very different. I'd always struggled to get people to table for it, but I liked the setting. When I was doing the cold hard take on things, I sold it on. However, recently First Age and I were talking and I ended up picking up pretty much everything that is in print for the new fourth edition at a steal on eBay. Unfortunately for First Age, I pulled the trigger on the 'buy-it-now' before he did, although he's regularly reminding me that he will take the books off my hands. That may well be an opportunity that he gets if I don't really get on with what I'm reading at the moment.
Transhuman Space was the odd one out. A standalone GURPS game, it explores transhumanism in the near future when humanity has spread across the solar system. It's packed with decent writing and loads of ideas but I could never grok how to run it. Unlike a lot of other games, ideas didn't spring up easily, the issue being the setting not the mechanics. It was one of those rare games that I liked (well, aside from GURPS* as an engine) but just couldn't work out what to do with. I don't think that I was the only person who had that issue with it. Anyway, it came up for a steal on the Bundle of Holding so I snagged all the PDFs. Skimming them, I may use them for a source of ideas, but I can't quite see myself using it as is.
So there's a trio of games that I've stepped away from, which have come back to me over the last year. Have you ever stepped away from a game but then regretted it?
18 December 2024
* I don't mind the point design or 3D6 mechanic in GURPS but the use of American Imperial measurements does my head in...
No comments:
Post a Comment