Tedankhamen's March Madness 31 day Obscure Game Blogging Challenge (1/4)

This is the first set of posts from Tedankhamen's March Madness 31 day Obscure Game Blogging Challenge. As with last month's 40th anniversary questions, I'm opting not to do a question a day.

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1 What was the first roleplaying game other than D&D you played? Was it before or after you had played D&D?

My first non-D&D RPG was West End Games’ Star Wars. And it was several years after I started playing D&D.

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

My first character was a Han Solo type smuggler with a modified YT-1300. Original hua? It was different from anything I’d ever played in D&D, because at that point I was almost exclusively playing elven wizards.

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

Decipher’s Star Trek RPG was the most frustrating system to make a character in. The books were so terribly organized that you needed a flowchart with page numbers (that I found online from someone else who was equally frustrated) to make sure you got everything.

4 What other roleplaying author besides Gygax impressed you with their writing?

I’ve only recently become impressed with Gygax, honestly. Aside from that I’ve never been really impressed by RPG writing, except maybe for Nobilis. There are some bloggers who've impressed and inspired me, but more for the content than their style.

5 What other old school game should have become as big as D&D but didn’t? Why do you think so?

D&D made it because it was first. By no stretch of the imagination is it the “best” game out there, except that it has become the universal language of RPGs. Which game should have? I honestly have no idea.

6 What non-D&D monster do you think is as iconic as D&D ones like hook horrors or flumphs, and why do you think so?

I’m not sure there is one that doesn’t come from a licensed property. If we include them I’d say various aliens from Star Wars. Given that just about everything has been turned into a D&D monster...

7 What fantasy RPG other than D&D have you enjoyed most? Why?

I haven’t played any fantasy RPGs that aren’t D&D/D20 derived.