I've never cared for Dungeons and Dragons. I've played it over the years, but it's always been too crowded for me. Too many books, too many people who claim to be experts in the game, too willing to tell you how should play, and too many rules.

I picked up Shadowrun in the fall of 1989 and I've never looked back. Other than a brief time when I first joined the Marine Corps (Boot Camp, MCT and SOI) I have always gamed.

I haven't always been as active because I've seen my interest in the established game setting wane over the years, as they try harder and harder to cater to a crowd I pretty much could care less about. I never liked the punk elements of Shadowrun, and pretty much never will. Same goes for the addition of furry, and anime to the game. Now obviously it still sells, but I'm not buying my four copies of each book anymore.

I used to buy a lot of games just to see what they were about-Tales from the Floating Vagabond/Bar Wars, Palladium stuff, Bunnies and Burrows, Top Secret, you name it. But I just don't have much interest in any of those.

In the end I guess it's my players who keep me in the game. They really love the setting, and I like creating the games we play.

Quote from: StuartThat's very interesting! What software do you use?  How is it working for you?

One of my players works for a firm that produces professional web-conferencing software, so we use his account to play our games.  The package is called ScribeStudio, and enables cam and microphone use; we can also keep important files (maps, sound files) in the workspace and pull them up as needed during play.  We've had a few issues with lag, but nothing horrible.

I've run campaigns in the past using OpenRPG and IRC, and this just blows them away.  It's not the same as when we used to sit around the table and yell at one another for getting pizza grease on the character sheets, but it's close.

The AD&D group I'm in has one player (long-time friend of the DM and a few others in the group) who connects from the Midwest via Skype.  It seems to work well, but the software seems to disconnect an awful lot.

Chronologically...

Fighting Fantasy (The RPG, via the solo gamebooks).
MERP (No, not kidding).
Dragon Warriors
RuneQuest (I forget which edition).
MegaTraveller
Call of Cthulu
Cyberpunk 2013
Cyberpunk 2020
Vampire (oWoD)
Mage (oWod)
Legend of the Five Rings
Unknown Armies
HeroQuest

Currently looking for something new and inspiring.

Honourable Mentions
-------------------
Blood!
Fading Suns
Iron Kingdoms
WHFRP
Heavy Gear

For me, it was Tribe 8 and then, later Exalted. When Tribe 8 came out, I hadn't done any serious gaming in years. The novelty of mecha anime campaigns using Mekton was wearing off; cyberpunk was cliche and uninteresting; straight fantasy wasn't doing it for me. Tribe 8 made me sit up and say, "I want to play this game" and that's exactly what I did. Exalted was very similar, only in that there wasn't a lack of games that interested or excited me, just that Exalted did it more than the others.

I'd have to say Burning Wheel revived my interest in RPGs.  Rules Cyclopedia D&D and Marvel (FASERIP) maintained my interest.

I'd say I was almost almost done with RPGs until D&D3 came out in 2000.  

In fact, in the Army I had dumped off 75% of my old collection. I grew to regret this later- I was able to recover a nice collection of my old Torg stuff. But my 1st Ed. AD&D stuff is all long gone.

If you told me in 1996 that in 4 years I would have a weekly gaming group I would not have believed you. The idea that It's 2007, and I not only GM a weekly group but I also revolve between two infrequent RPGA campaigns on a monthly basis -- it amazes me. I game now more than I did in college by far. Higher quality too.

3E D&D brought me back to the fold after a few years away.  Then Exalted drew me back in through exposure at the same shop in which I played Magic.  

That short list is so white-bread and mainstream I feel I should be ashamed or something.

Quote from: fonkaygarry3E D&D brought me back to the fold after a few years away.  Then Exalted drew me back in through exposure at the same shop in which I played Magic.  

That short list is so white-bread and mainstream I feel I should be ashamed or something.

Sometimes things are mainstream because they are good and accessible enough that almost everyone can see that they are good.

It's funny, in our culture we are somewhat taught that things which are popular lack depth or quality, but it ain't necessarily so.  3E and Exalted are popular because they're good, what's funny is when one sees people trying to explain why they remain popular while arguing that they are in fact shite.

Shadowrun 3rd, D&D 3E, and Amber.

I don't know that it drew me back in, but after being away for years I came back to find D&D at 3.5 - and it was nice to see how the rules had evolved.  I suppose if they had been crap rules, I would not have started gaming again, much less get interested, again, in design.

AD&D pushed me out.  3.0 brought me back, and 3.5 is my thing.  Exalted is the only WWGS game left for me, and primarily because it's got mecha rules that don't suck and a high-action aesthetic that really works for me.  (I am all about warstriders, Alchemicals, beam sabers and plasma tongue repeaters backed with wicked martial arts- I love my Jedi Valkyrie Pilot-Clerics; sorcery/necromancy, by comparison, doesn't interest me as much.)  The d20 version of Conan has my respect, and I have some affection for True 20, HERO 5, M&M and GURPS 4 even if I know that I'll not play any game using those rulesets anytime soon.