June RPG and Board Game Days!

Hello everyone!

School is out for Summer! RPG Game Day kicks off Saturday, June 4th from 1:30 until 5:30. Feel free to bring your own game and gaming crew to take over a table, or jump into a game session if there are enough spaces available.

Stranger Things season 4 has dropped. To play forward the vibe, I'm bringing my Stranger Things starter set to Saturday's RPG Game Day. This is a 'starter' game and new / first-time players are welcome to join in!

There's a one-shot game that I'll be DM-ing meshing Will Beyer's D&D campaign with with Upside Down. Pre-generated characters will be provided! 

I'm also bringing an additional RPG-styled game for the overflow tables:

Alice is Missing (a silent, text-only RPG that is 90 minutes long)

There will be snacks and plenty of extra tables. As always, the W.J. Niederkorn is a "mask optional" site. Please remember that this is a family-oriented safe space and the library appropriate conduct rules apply.

Board Game Day will be Saturday, June 18th from 1:30 until 5:30.

This months Board Game Day's theme is: 

Excursions!

Tokaido

Tokaido | Board Game | BoardGameGeek In Tokaido, each player is a traveler crossing the "East sea road", one of the most magnificent roads of Japan.While traveling, you will meet people, taste fine meals, collect beautiful items, discover great panoramas, and visit temples and wild places but at the end of the day, when everyone has arrived at the end of the road you'll have to be the most initiated traveler – which means that ... boardgamegeek.com

 

Dr Who Fluxx

Gloom: Cthulhu / Expeditions

Gloom: Unfortunate Expeditions | Board Game | BoardGameGeek The Gloom: Unfortunate Expeditions expansion adds one player and 55 cards to the game. Here is a description of the expansion from the publisher: In the Gloom card game, you make your eccentric family of misfits suffer the greatest tragedies possible before helping them pass on to the well-deserved respite of death. Just mix the 55 transparent cards in this set together with your copy of Gloom ... boardgamegeek.com

 

Wasteland Express (for teens and older!)

Wasteland Express Delivery Service | Board Game | BoardGameGeek Wasteland Express Delivery Service is the depraved brainchild of a superstar team of acclaimed game designers: Jon Gilmour (Dead of Winter), Matt Riddle (Fleet, Morocco), and Ben Pinchback (Fleet, Morocco), brought to technicolor life by award-winning comic artist Riccardo Burchielli (DMZ, Batman Black and White) to create the perfect marriage of emergent thematic gameplay and balanced strategy. boardgamegeek.com

I'll also bring some of the old faves in as well.

RPG players welcome!

Game on!

-Dave

Family Board Game Day at the Niederkorn April 2022

 Hello gamers!

The game tables have returned.

This Grand Reopening will also include some new elements:

• Information Corner & Long-Range Planning
• Guest sign-in and contact list (if you are interested in monthly updates)

Saturday (4/30/2022) is Family Board Game Day at the W.J. Niederkorn library. The theme for this month is 

"Board Game Quests!"

We are running the standard four game spotlight:

Love Letter

Sangrada

Mice and Mystics

Village Crone

We have some returning games (as per requests):

Small World

Dwar7s Fall

Harry Potter

As normal, we will have some snacks and plenty of seating! 

The W.J. Niederkorn is currently operating as a "Mask Optional" site. This is a family-oriented safe space and as such, respectful behavior and the library rules do apply.

Game on!

-Dave

Getting the Players Together...

September 5th is the pre-prep side of 2020 / 21 Board Game Day!

This is the BGD's soft open, where everyone can get together the virtual links / contacts needed to play our games online. What I'm planning on doing is setting up a Discord site with the invite code being:

https://discord.gg/JZNpHMK

All you have to do is download the app, create a (free) account, then follow the link. From there, you will find ever-developing information about...

Board Games

The STEAM site is my go-to location for board gaming. I have also opened an account on Boardgame Arena. 

Role Play Games (RPGs)

I use the following sites:

Roll20 (primary)

D&D Beyond

Current games: 

Kids on Bikes RPG: : My Science Project meets Whiz Kids

Kids on Bikes RPG: Ulao Drifts: Labyrinth meets Something Wicked This Way Comes 

Conventions

Many conventions have gone virtual. In August, Gen Con provided FREE passes that allowed participants into the site to interact with events, shops, and conferences.

Down south, Dragon Con is kicking off a virtual weekend: https://www.dragoncon.org/virtual

Origins Game Fair has cancelled its plans, including the plan to open a virtual board game site in October.

Into the Maze

Along with tabletop gaming, there's all the other fun stuff that folks are into. If you are interested in one of the below items and are looking for co-creators and fellow artisans, please use this site (or a connected one) to meet and greet.

Art: Anyone into artwork or art development for games (anything tabletop)?

Board Game Design: Do you have an idea stewing around, but lack the resources / people to try it out?

Crafting / costuming: Into cosplay, foam weapons, LARP or other such stuff?

Model Painting: Paining figures, dioramas, or environments?

Shut Up & Sit Down (review site). Any other sites that you would like to have on the blog?

THIS WEEKEND:

First-Ever GEN CON Community Gaming Weekend

Gen Con is kicking off the first weekend of community gaming on Labor Day weekend, Sep 4-6. They heard your feedback from the community survey and from Gen Con Online — you want to play games, but you aren’t sure how to connect with folks, and the opening gaming area they ran during Gen Con Online didn’t accomplish what they needed to. So they’re trying something new.

If you swing by our Discord (must be 13+ to open an account), you’ll find information on running and playing games during our Community Gaming Weekend. There’s a whole calendar you can use to keep track of the games you’re playing and running and a reminder system to make sure you don’t miss something you’re scheduled for.

Gen Con08/20/2020

First time in Discord? Check out our brief Discord guide: https://www.gencon.com/gen-con-online/discord Please note that our Discord is currently undergoing some revamp while we transform into a community space. Many of the channels are Read-Only.

[2:30 PM]

START HERE #welcome-and-rules - Our Code of Conduct and rules. #news-announcements - News and announcements from the Gen Con team.

[2:31 PM]

--

DISCUSSIONS Topic-specific discussions channels. Please note that advertisements and product placement are not welcome here, but if someone is asking where they can find a specific item or want to share something cool they’ve found, that’s fine! We want to share in your excitement.

#streaming-announcements - Announcements from Gen Con's Streaming team at Gen Con. 

#gencontv - Discussion and announcements about our Gen Con TV channel. 

#genconstudio - Discussion and announcements about our Gen Con TV channel. 

That's about it for now.

Game on!

-Dave

Dusting off the site...

 Hello gamers!

The hot days of August are beginning to reach their end and school is right around the corner. The WJ Niederkorn is observing social distancing and community safety processes, including a 'no fly zone' policy for the community room.

Still, folks are beginning to ask about this season's Board Game Day.

Here's where Board Game Day stands as of this posting:

• I've taken part in some virtual game conventions this Summer and have jotted down some ideas.
• I'm looking at trying out a VIRTUAL, bi-monthly Board Game Day on Saturdays.
• I'm researching a number of hosting options
• For notifications: This blog, Podcasting, Email newsletters, and the library Facebook page.
• For gaming: Twitch, Steam, Zoom, Teams, Roll20, and D&D Beyond
• I'm jotting down conventions that are moving into the virtual realm.
• I'm also looking to YOU for suggestions, concepts, and advice.

So, with all of that, I'm going to aim for Sept 5th as a kind of 'kick off party' for the Board Game Day. This is to gather everyone together, get / share contact information, and set up whatever site accounts we will have to use to make this happen.

I'm also looking at Sept 19th as being the first 'all in' day. This is the day that we pick up the stragglers and jump into the gaming!

More to some soon!

-Dave

MORE Print and Play

Hello all!

On my last post, I introduced five or six print-and-play games that you can find (FREE!) on the Board Game Geek website. You'll need to set up an account to access the Files section of each of the games listed in order to print them out.

This post, I have even MORE print-and-play games! As before, I have to give a big 'ole shout out to the Shut Up and Sit Down podcast for introducing me to this facet of tabletop gaming.

First up, the game Agent Decker is a card building game where you work to use your skills (as reflected by the cards in hand) against the mechanisms that stand between you and your target. It might require a number of combat cards to defeat a guard, or a few stealth cards to sneak past a security camera.

The game The Cleaner is just that: you are a 'cleaner' for a mob family who is attempting to clear up a crime scene before the police arrive. The funny thing about this little gem is that you don't always have to get the place spotless, as each remaining crime scene element that is left may be overlooked by the police (there is a dice roll that the police make against each element that is left behind).

In Sprawlopolis, you build a city and attempt to create a winning score based upon how many 'linked' card elements you have managed to put together.

Finally, Under Falling Skies is a soon-to-be-released board game that is currently a free print and play! The mother ship is coming down and it is dropping drone ships like the Space Invader that it is! Meanwhile, you are building up the Earth's defenses and shooting those pesky drones out of the sky!

Game on!

-Dave

Print and Play Games!

Hello everyone!

Hope you are fairing well during this time of isolation. I've been bumping around some of the other sites and have found the below FREE, PRINT & PLAY board games. The primary location for these games is the Board Game Geek (B.G.G.) site. To find the files attached to each game, you will have to create an account (it's free).

These are SOLO games, although multiple print-off's can provide a table-full of gaming!

If you are a bit of a crafting gamer, then you might find a craft project in these games. Hand-craft boards, create play pieces, embellish cards, and card stock some 3-D landscapes.

The attached files are suggested from the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast on print and play games.

First up is RAGING BULLS from Nicolas Guibert and Mark Tuck.

• Here's the link to the 2-page play sheets
• Here's the link to the Raging Bulls Rulebook (1 page)

Next is DEEP SPACE D-6 by Tony Go / Tau Leader Games.

• Here's the link to the 4-page play sheets
• Here's the link to the Deep Space D-6 Rulebook (2 pages)

Pinball is the game and Super-Skill Pinball 4-Cade is the name, by Geoff Engelstein / WizKids.

• Here's the link to the Carniball rules and playsheet (4 pages)

In BARGAIN BASEMENT BATHYSPHERE, it's not if you make it to the bottom, it's if you know when to turn around! By Scott Slomiany.

• Chapters 1-3 (38 pages)
• Chapters 4-7 + bonus unlock-able maps (29 pages)

If you build a grocery store, customers may show up in SUPERMARCHE by Ryan Mayes.

• Instructions (12 pages)
• Game Boards (2 pages)
• Tokens (1 page)
• Cards (8 pages, card fronts and backs)

You play as the artificer Isodoros attempting to prevent doomsday in UTOPIA ENGINE by Nick Hayes.

• Game sheets (3 pages)
• Official Rules (12 pages)
• Full Color Adventure Sheet 1 (1 page) You MAY have to right click / save for this sheet to work
• Adventure Sheet 2 (1 page)You MAY have to right click / save for this sheet to work
• Playsheet with Charts (1 page)

Mr CABBAGEHEADS GARDEN, where you play Mr. Vernon Cabbagehead who just wants to be left alone to grow a blue-ribbon garden! Created by Todd Sanders (with some very retro art!)

•  Card File 1 (6 pages)
•  Card File 2 (6 pages)
• Rules and Tokens (5 pages)
• Compact Score Sheet (1 page)
• NOTE: MANY more files at the above Mr Cabbageheads Garden B.G.G. page for expansions! Just check the Files tab and log into your account.

Get hypnotized into the mythical card game of CRYSTALLO by Liberty Kifer.
Note that this is BOTH a free print-and-play game and also a purchasable card / crystal game.

• 8-card layout ( pages)
• 9-card layout ( pages)
• Rulebook ( pages)

Game on!

-Dave

Family Board Game Day at Niederkorn, Feb 2020

Hello gamers!

This Saturday (2/15/2020) is Family Board Game Day at the W.J. Niederkorn library. The theme for this month is "Courtly intrigue and noble pursuits".

We are running the standard four game in this months spotlight:

Love Letter
Sangrada
Dominion
Kingdomino

We have some returning games (as per requests):

Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle 

(planning on doing Year 2)

Dwar7s Fall

Dwar7s Winter

As normal, we will have some snacks and plenty of seating!

Game on!

-Dave

November Game Day at the Niederkorn!

Saturday, November 16th is our next Family Board Game day!

This month I'll bring along games that celebrate country-wide gatherings. These games will be focused on trade, commerce, development, and harvesting!

Alhambra

Puerto Rico

Seven Wonders

Dwar7s Fall

(We might be able to get a copy of Sheriff of Nottingham  AND Wingspan as well!)

The game tables are open to everyone. We just want the players to understand that this is going to have an 'all ages' theme to it. I will also have the room 'partitioned' (by game age-ranges) to the different age groups.

Also, if you have one of those games laying around the house that you have not had a chance to try, BRING IT IN! We'll work through the instructions and figure it out. I have access to a number of gaming websites that also provide 'how-to-play' videos.

Please come in through the lower level / street side. We will meet in the lower level Community Room from 1:30 pm until 5:30 pm. Note that this is an 'after closing' event. The rest of the library will be closed, although we will have access to restrooms.

With that being said, we do have limitations of space. The plan at this time is to have at least 8 tables set up for gaming. 4 of these tables will be (initially) dedicated to games brought in by me. If there is no interest in the games on hand, then we will happily pack them up to make room for other games. There will also be access to the WJN game library. Participants are invited to bring favorite games as well, with the understanding play space will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

This group is designed to be a family-friendly atmosphere, with the expectations that we will have younger members of the community involved as well. Please note that this is NOT a daycare service. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. We fully expect all participants to uphold the atmosphere of kind respectfulness and fair play for all the age groups who will be involved.

RPG and miniature wargamers are invited as well, but we ask that you keep in mind to keep it family-friendly, as well as the 4-hour time period.

Game on!

-Dave

October's Saturday Board Game Day!

Hello everyone!

One question that keeps popping up is:

"If we don't have kids, can we still come?"

OF COURSE! The game tables are open to everyone. We just want the players to understand that this is going to have an 'all ages' theme to it. I will also have the room 'partitioned' (by game age-ranges) to the different age groups.

Also, if you have one of those games laying around the house that you have not had a chance to try, BRING IT IN! We'll work through the instructions and figure it out. I have access to a number of gaming websites that also provide 'how-to-play' videos.

As the leaves are turning and the air is cooling, I find that I am drawn to the more Halloween-themed games. The four featured games for October will be:

Mysterium

Lucidity

Gloom

King of Tokyo

Please come in through the lower level / street side. We will meet in the lower level Community Room from 1:30 pm until 5:30 pm. Note that this is an 'after closing' event. The rest of the library will be closed, although we will have access to restrooms.

With that being said, we do have limitations of space. The plan at this time is to have at least 8 tables set up for gaming. 4 of these tables will be (initially) dedicated to games brought in by me. If there is no interest in the games on hand, then we will happily pack them up to make room for other games. There will also be access to the WJN game library. Participants are invited to bring favorite games as well, with the understanding play space will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

This group is designed to be a family-friendly atmosphere, with the expectations that we will have younger members of the community involved as well. Please note that this is NOT a daycare service. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. We fully expect all participants to uphold the atmosphere of kind respectfulness and fair play for all the age groups who will be involved.

RPG and miniature wargamers are invited as well, but we ask that you keep in mind to keep it family-friendly, as well as the 4-hour time period.

Game on!

-Dave

September's Saturday Tabletop at the WJN!

Welcome!

The W.J. Niederkorn library will kick off it's first day of hosting a tabletop gaming meet on September 21st 2019!

We will meet in the lower level Community Room from 1:30 pm until 5:30 pm. Note that this is an 'after closing' event and participants will have to enter the building at the street side. Those doors will be unlocked. The rest of the library will be closed for this event, although we will have access to restrooms.

The overall plan for this tabletop meet is to have a 

FAMILY TABLETOP GAME DAY!

With that being said, we do have limitations of space. The plan at this time is to have at least 8 tables set up for gaming. 4 of these tables will be (initially) dedicated to games brought in by me. If there is no interest in the games on hand, then we will happily pack them up to make room for other games. There will also be access to the WJN game library. Participants are invited to bring favorite games as well, with the understanding play space will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

September's games will be:

Fluxx (various)

Quirkle

Robo Rally

Blokus

This group is designed to be a family-friendly atmosphere, with the expectations that we will have younger members of the community involved as well. Please note that this is NOT a daycare service. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. We fully expect all participants to uphold the atmosphere of kind respectfulness and fair play for all the age groups who will be involved.

RPG and miniature wargamers are invited as well, but we ask that you keep in mind to keep it family-friendly, as well as the 4-hour time period.

-Dave

Wow. This Blog Still LIVES!

Just a quick note...

I'm working with the good folks over at the Illusionists Magazine on a new gaming project! Yep, it looks like my writing will include terrain design, sculpting and some interesting gaming cohorts from distances far beyond the winter reaches of the Great Lakes.

More to come as things develop...

-Dave

Mice and Mystics at Fire and Ice!

Throughout the long ages

One lesson is well-learned,

Nothing's half as dang'rous

As a sorceress spurred.

Taking my gamer girl to Fire and Ice to play some Mice and Mystics! This will be her first foray into dad's world of gaming. She's already scampering around the house, looking for the right cosplay gear to wear.

Yep, dad's smiling.

Living in the walls

Lurk things that aren't nice,

That nobody knows of

Except for the mice...

TTB and into Nythera

   A few years ago, I decided to try out one new RPG each year. I figured that the best way to jump in was at Gen Con. Two years ago it was D&D 5. The slow release dates of the core books allowed me to drift away from the game until it became little more than casual one-shots. Last year, it wasn't a single game, but a type of game system: fast, one-shot games that blurred the line between RPG and board games. Story telling card games like GLOOM and Once Upon A Time were popular. I've seen a few board games that looked good (Dread and Betrayal at House on the Hill). Then there are pure creative fare such as Fiasco and Driver (where you play it in a car, RPG-ing the parts of a heist gone bad). In the end, I created a board game / RPG with my daughter and we had fun with it for a month or so.

   Sooooooo, this year I decided to let myself get hooked into Wyrd Games' Through the Breach RPG this Gen Con.

   In a nutshell, this is wild west meets steampunk meets Clive Barker. The game world itself began a number of years ago as the setting for small army skirmish battles set in an otherworldly realm. Last year, the TTB RPG dropped as an expansion from tactical battle games into the storytelling world.

   It's been an interesting read. I am a complete noob in this game system. It follows a card mechanic (draw cards instead of rolling dice) that also involves the suits in the drawn result. Like cards, you can 'cheat' at the draws as well (as long as the 'cheat' follows the cheat rules). For whatever reason, the mechanic is throwing me for a loop. Reading through the players handbook (The Fated Almanac); where the heart of most of the game's rules may be found, has left me somewhat disillusioned. The trick is reading it 'in the spirit of the rules' and not letting myself get bogged down in the (often) generalized technical language of the rules themselves. The Fatemaster's Almanac (the DM guide) is more of a bestiary that expands on some of the rules mentioned in the Fated Almanac.

   I've set out to create a handful of characters. The method follows a simplified Tarot draw of 5 cards. This got me hooked into the game in a big way. Each card results in two elements: first is a character creation mechanic that provides numbers / slots for skills or abilities for the character archetype that has been chosen. Second, a literal fortune is told from each card. When the 5 fortunes (eventually) play out for the character, then the character is retired / slain / returns to the masses. This makes for episodic games that focus upon one or two of the players each session.

   Lastly, there is the NYTHERA event that begins this month. This is an in-game world building / history building event that will allow the players to determine how the game will evolve in the coming years. There are two even types: the skirmish battles and the TTB RPG games. My copy of the first (of three) RPG games (Title: Penny Dreadful: Nythera) has downloaded just last night.

   More to come as I read and jump into the world of Wyrd-ness!

...and now for something completely different.

Greetings from the aether!

Wow. It has been a while since I've posted on the RD. Gaming has been more of a memory of clacking dice and less of a reality at this end (lately). However; that has changed as of this weekend. I've been contacted by a number of folks from the realm of Gen Con to help out in various arenas.

<Insane, toothy grin>

First off, I've been invited to provide DM duties at the True Dungeon on Saturday! That's eight straight hours of LARP-esque interaction, a tee shirt, ultra-rare coin, and other goodies. This is a bit of a dream come true, as I have always wanted to peek 'behind the curtain' of one of these events and see how the nuts and bolts of the event fit together. Hopefully, I will not regret what I have wished for.

Second on the roster is Feng Shui 2! Atlas Games is working me into their DM-ing rotation so that I can do some world-saving-pulpy-sci-fi-weird-magic game of guns and explosions to life!

Third; on the subject of Atlas Games, is the newly dropped card game: Three Cheers for Master! This is a nifty little game where each player builds cheerleader towers with whatever little black minions they are dealt; in the hope that when master returns, they will bring master joy (or at least not get eaten).

Finally, Gen Con event sign-up unlocks today around noon. Time to lock down those schedules!

Ten weeks to go.
Ten weeks to go.
Ten weeks to go.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy...

Sooooooo What Has Come Out For D&D5 as of Today?

With Ars Magica 5 being what it is, I was considering jumping into the D&D world once again. Fifth ed, of course. I have a feeling it is going to be around for at least a decade. With that, this would be the system my daughter is going to grow up with...

 



Core Books:

Dungeon Master's Guide
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Hardcover)
Monster Manual
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Hardcover)
Player's Handbook
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Hardcover)
D&D Basic Rules
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 PDF)
D&D Starter Set
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Box)

Adventures:

The Rise of Tiamat
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Hardcover)
Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 Hardcover)
Dreams of the Red Wizards: Dead in Thay
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 PDF)
Dreams of the Red Wizards: Scourge of the Sword Coast
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 PDF)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2013 )
Legacy of the Crystal Shard
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2013 )
Murder in Baldur's Gate
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2013 )
Vault of the Dracolich
Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2013 )

 

Accessory Cards:

Spellbook Cards - Arcane
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )
Spellbook Cards - Bard
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )
Spellbook Cards - Cleric
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )
Spellbook Cards - Druid
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )
Spellbook Cards - Paladin
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )
Spellbook Cards - Ranger
Gale Force Nine: Dungeons & Dragons 5 (2014 )

Thrice Told Tales is coming to a close.

After a couple of years of revision, FOUR playtests, and countless hours of analyzing every word in every sentence; it is looking like my writing for Ars Magica 5's 'Sequels' book is coming to a close.

WOOT!

Looking back on the first draft to this current version, it is amazing how many changes have been made. To put it simply, I started writing something in the spirit of Indian Jones and closed with something in the spirit of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

It's been a fun, wild ride.

Everything in this book has changed. Even the title. Until yesterday, it was known as 'Sequels'. As of today, it is now being published as 'Thrice Told Tales". I'm looking forward to seeing this one in print. Now that the wordsmithing is complete, only the artwork remains. This was a pleasant reality check when I cracked open my 'Hooks' book and found Jenna Fowler's interpretations of the story.

I loved 'em! The images gave the story a real breath of life. This current story takes place in the form of three individual adventures. I'm looking forward to the artistic renderings of the maps and concepts for this one.

That's it for me. Time to get a room for Gen Con!

-DM

Era V: 2014: A Giant Steps Back…

This is the year of Dungeons & Dragons rebirth ala Hasbro and WotC. Personally, I have a feeling that this is the point in time where folks are going to buy the core books and a lot of multi-system generic accessories, but the core additions will flounder. Only time will tell what will come…

Segue-ing off from that idea comes the fact that I’ve hit the end of what began as a ‘ten best’ type of list. Instead, I’ve looked at over 1,500 core rules spanning five decades of gaming. The crazy thing is that there is easily twice that number. I was only hitting the more or less common titles for each year!

Wow. 50 years of this nutty d20 stuff and still going strong with no end in sight. I’m wondering when the ‘new’ core rules will begin to taper off and folks will simply begin authoring more content for the already existing rule sets. Like dice and cards, there are only x-number of combo’s that one can manipulate before settling into a routine of “play genre ‘x’ in system ‘y’ for a ‘z’ type of game”. In this example, the GURPS and d20 rules fit nicely…

Horror / Thriller

Dead Teenager RPG by Creepy Doll Studios using a generic system. Play the victims in a card-based RPG horror genre game.
Legacy of the Slayer by The Game Crafter using the Legacy Game system. This card-based rpg is set in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer knockoff universe.

Punk

Lowell Was Right! - A Very Different Now by Flying Mice. Lowell Was Right! is an alt-universe SF game set in a universe where western science as of 1880 was basically correct, and all newer changes were wrong, brought up to the present day, like a Hard SF sort of Steampunk.
Neon Sacntum Playtest Kit by Grenade Punch Games. A dystopian cyberpunk post-cyberpocalypse card-based RPG… featuring cyborgs!

Sci Fi

Firefly RPG by Margaret Weis Productions. Out run Alliance cruisers and deal with bounty hunters as only a star gun slinger can.
The Gaean Reach by Pelgrane Press. Enter the interstellar challenges of Jack Vance classics.
Mindjammer: The RPG by Modiphius Entertianment.  Newly updated to Fate Core rules for the transhuman sci-fi RPG setting.
Warriors of the Red Planet by StudioDenmark. This is a planetary romance set on a Burroughs-esque Mars.
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion by Fantasy Flight Games. This is the hardcover to last year’s box set.
Atomic Robo: By Evil Hat Productions. A sci-fi Fate Core game where you play as a two-fisted action scientist, immortal robot, super spy, etc. Multi-era and pick-up-play oriented.
Dr. Who: Adventures in Time and Space by Cubical 7 Entertainment.  Third edition of this exploration into the Whoverse!
Myriad Song by Santuine Productions Ltd. Play as an adventurer travelling in the strange reaches of an alien empire.
Second Coming 2e by Modern Paradise using a custom d20 system. Aliens have attacked and humanity has spread across the spiral arm.

Modern / Last Century

High Strung being developed by Flying Mice. a game set in the 1970s, where the player characters are rock musicians.
AMP: Year One by Third Eye Games. Set in 2015, when supers begin to become publicly known.
Heroine by Ginger Goat. A coming of age game where the singular Heroine is surrounded by her Companions to bring closure to the story arc and personal issues.
Out of Dodge by Bully Pulpit Games. Designed to be played literally on a road trip, where the passengers in a car take on the roles of fugitives fleeing a botched crime scene, with little swag to divide between the lot of ‘em.
Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games. Second edition of the 2012 game.
Corporia by Brabblemark Press using the GRAIL 0 system. Knights of the round table battling the magic of chaos… in contemporary, corporate 2014!

Historic-esque

Building, Talking Playing: A Beginner’s Guide to Bleake Rebellion by Houseless Hills. A low fantasy, simplified version of the 2013 Bleake Rebellion game.

Humor / Toon

Fantasy Heartbreaker RPG 2e by Subcellar Games. Featuring 111% fewer typos! This is a fantasy / humor d20 system.

Fantasy

The One Ring RPG by Cubicle 7 Entertainment. Based on the LotR beginning in the region of Mirkwood. This is the hardcover of the box set released in 2011.
Castles & Crusades Collectors Edition: Black Box by Troll Lord Games. Abbreviated core rules books in a box.
D&D Next, or 5e; whichever you choose to call it! It has been whispered that this is the edition that will make or break its presence under the Hasbro umbrella. So far, the hype has been strong and most of the reviews have been ‘average’ or ‘a little above average’.
D&D PDF (free) Basic rules for play.
D&D Starter Set a box set with stripped down rules.
East Mark by eXtra-Dimensional Publishing. OK, bear with me on this one: This box set is the English translation of the Spanish-language retro-clone that was inspired by Menzter’s red box D&D.
The Clay That Woke by Paul Czege. Play as a minotaur upholding the stoic minotaur philosophy of silence.

Parallel Worlds

Qalidar by Peryton Publishing. Where there is a hole in time, there are cracks called Qalidar. Adventure in the cracks of broken reality and seek alien worlds.

Generic / Non-genre

P.E.R.K. by Dire Ninja Media. A simple, generic-setting / genre RPG system.
Insight RPG by NEVR using a generic system. This is a universal game world using a d10 system.
Simple System RPG by Dashing Inventor Games. Using a generic system that employs cards, this is a genre neutral system.