What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

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Terrex
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Terrex »

1. AD&D (probably makes up better than 95% of my RPG time)
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2. Marvel Super Heroes RPG (played w/ mixed Marvel, DC, and homebrew heroes)
3. Top Secret
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by bobjester »

AD&D, Gamma World & Traveller. 0e, Paranoia & Top Secret are close 4th placers too.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Benoist »

AD&D
Call of Cthulhu/RuneQuest/BRP
Vampire: the Masquerade/WoD
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by BlackBat242 »

AD&D (first & still best edition); Traveller (first & still best edition); Champions (first/second edition blend).

A very close 4th is Gamma World (first/second edition blend)... but it is closing fast, as I have run it recently and haven't touched Champions since 1988.

Other games are (in order of play total): Twilight 2000 (first edition); Boot Hill (second edition); Top Secret (pre-S.I.); Car Wars; Paranoia (first & still best edition); Dragonquest (first/second edition blend); Star Trek (FASA TOS era); Arduin (Grimoire era); other early Hero-system games (Fantasy Hero, Western Hero, Espionage, Danger International, Justice Inc); Atlantean Trilogy; Tales from the Floating Vagabond.

No play at all are: Mythus, D&D (little tan books); Star Frontiers; Ogre G.E.V.; The Complete Arduin.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Kellri »

AD&D 1e, LBB Traveller, and Runequest. Everything else is just commentary.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by grodog »

Historically, TSR/D&D was always the #1 seller, and from the later '80s and into the '90s, Palladium/RIFTS was usually #3. #2 swapped around over those years: usually White Wolf, but sometimes Steve Jackson, WEG, or others. I don't recall Chaosium's products ever consistently appearing in the top 20 sellers by the time that that data was being tracked.

From a "what I like" POV, I'd go with these for my top 3:

1. D&D
2. Call of Cthulhu
3. Ars Magica
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Juju EyeBall »

grodog wrote:
From a "what I like" POV, I'd go with these for my top 3:

1. D&D
2. Call of Cthulhu
3. Ars Magica

From a "what we played the most" POV these are my top 3:

1. AD&D/D&D homebrew/mashup
2. Warhammer
3. Shadowrun
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Matthew »

1. AD&D
2. WHFRP
3. ?

If I had to guess what we played the most after these it would probably be Star Wars D6.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by AxeMental »

1E AD&D (still 100 light years away from anything else), Top Secret, CoC (I consider 0E with supplements so similar to 1E they are basically the same game).
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by blackprinceofmuncie »

1. D&D
2. WHFRP
3. Star Frontiers (a distant 3rd)
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by JDJarvis »

In the wider world I was aware of in the olden days the Big Three RPGs were: D&D, Traveler and Champions

Champions was eventually bumped by RuneQuest and Traveler fell to Call of Cthulhu.

GURPS, Rolemaster, other BRP games and TSR games yapped at the heels throguhut the 80's.

Eventually it was D&D, Vampire the Misery and CoC in the 90's.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Deogolf »

1ed AD&D, Runequest, and Gamma World
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by robertsconley »

AD&D, GURPS, Traveller with the addition of a little three of FASA Star Trek, Harnmaster, and Champions.

I did get to referee Runequest in the past year. It was an interesting experience. Never realized how many limbs got severed in that game.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by ThirstyStirge »

BitD, I was only aware of D&D. Compared to D&D no other game had a profile that was even remotely on the radar. I had never heard of any others until I started researching OS games starting in 2000 or so.
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Re: What are “The Big Three” RPGs?

Post by Bard »

In the 90s the big three were D&D, Vampire, Cyberpunk2020...

Now, it is D&D, Call of Cthulhu, and I'm not sure about the third...
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