Last year I dutifully posted a single post dedicated to this topic daily, even during my trip to Gen Con 2014. Well, last year’s Kevin apparently had time on his hands because it didn’t even register as a possibility this year. No worries though, I’m feeding you all the info you need today. I know you’ve been waiting for this with baited breath (my answers to this…not who won the contest right?). So let’s get to it!
AUGUST 1ST: FORTHCOMING GAME YOU’RE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO
That would be Phoenix Dawn Command by Keith Baker. The premise excites me the most, player characters expected to die heroically and return from the dead to fight once more. It’s been kickstarted and I for one can’t wait for the final product!
AUGUST 2ND: KICKSTARTED GAME YOU’RE MOST PLEASED YOU BACKED
I actually missed out on Phoenix Dawn Command so I can’t reiterate that campaign. However, it’d be hard pressed to out-due my love for Spirit of ’77 anyway! I’ve had some immense fun reading through the rule-book ever since it arrived. Easily the most groovy Kickstarted I’ve ever been a part of.
AUGUST 3RD: FAVORITE NEW GAME OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS
Has to be Unleashed. I wrote about it extensively here on the blog, and you should certainly check it out for yourself. The game uniquely places its players in the boots of some of the most savage “heroes” you could muster up. The concept works on all levels, and I can’t wait to run more of it at my table.
AUGUST 4TH: MOST SURPRISING GAME
I’d go with Gamma World, the version made with a hack of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition rule-set. What surprises me the most is how well it actually works. I’ve always been a fan of 4th Edition but I think some of the gaming concepts the edition brings to the table actually work best in Gamma World. A really fun, quick to set up, game. Still a go-to for me when I need something last minute.
AUGUST 5TH: MOST RECENT RPG PURCHASE
I don’t purchase a lot of RPG’s from the established companies these days, perk of being a blogger. I do back some of the Kickstarters I believe in the most though as they don’t have the resources to simply gift me a review copy. Some of the Kickstarters I’ve back recently have been Spirit of ’77, BattleBards, Of Dreams and Magic, Feng Shui 2, Karthun, & Fae Nightmares. I realize BattleBards isn’t preceisely an RPG but I like them enough to put them on the list.
AUGUST 6TH: MOST RECENT RPG PLAYED
I took a jaunt over to Illinois recently to hang out with some of my buddies over at the Gamerstable Podcast to… help with something I’m not at liberty to discuss. Anyway, I got to play Pathfinder for the first time. I played a ton of D&D 3.X back in the day so it wasn’t anything I found myself being “introduced to”, it’s the same game really. I did get to play Greyhawk for the first time ever though. It was a huge pleasure playing games with those folks, always a good time.
AUGUST 7TH: FAVORITE FREE RPG
Nothing has changed from last year, my favorite free RPG continues to be Old School Hack. A fantastic little pick up game with some great support on it’s website. An honorable mention does go out to FATE though. I need to dig into that a bit more.
AUGUST 8TH: FAVORITE APPEARANCE OF RPG’S IN THE MEDIA
I imagine this was meant to be “popular media” and I generally don’t care for how it’s portrayed honestly. I think Role-Play Gaming is just too personal a thing for me and any time I see someone trying to portray it they just get it wrong somehow. It can be the smallest quirk in how they decide to play and I’m out. I don’t get angry though, a poor portrayal isn’t going to ruin the game for me anyway.
AUGUST 9TH: FAVORITE MEDIA YOU WISH WAS AN RPG
I kindof just let my brain leap to the first thing I’d love to play and I think I’d love an expanded world of Steven Universe to play around in. For those not familiar with the show I’d check it out. Has a great mix of comedy and an utterly intriguing world. Would be awesome to play a character as some form of Gem. I’d also love to play a crazed Rick and Morty RPG.
AUGUST 10TH: FAVORITE RPG PUBLISHER
I’d have to go with Pinnacle Entertainment Group. They make Savage Worlds and a number of the Campaign Settings I love from the rule-set. I’m also a huge fan of Privateer Press these days, I mean Iron Kingdoms and Unleashed are amazing.
AUGUST 11TH: FAVORITE RPG WRITER
This one’s tough but I’ll go with Keith Baker. The guy is just so friendly to fans and he made my favorite D&D setting of all time, Eberron.
AUGUST 12TH: FAVORITE RPG ILLUSTRATION
Currently I’m digging the bar fight from the cover of the Unleashed book.
AUGUST 13TH: FAVORITE RPG PRODUCT
My most go-to RPG Product would be my dice I guess.
My three strongest sets of rollers!
AUGUST 14TH: FAVORITE RPG ACCESSORY
I’ve always been really excited by the prospect of what the folks at Trapdoor Technologies keeps trying to bring us and they seem to have found their place lately with their app Playbook. It’s a soft launch of the product with more to come but go check it out!
AUGUST 15TH: LONGEST CAMPAIGN PLAYED
Back in high school our main DM Mike “The Meatfist” ran a D&D 3.5 game set in the Forgotten Realms that lasted years and took us from level 1 to level 18. Solidly long game. Wish we’d actually tied it up with a true ending.
AUGUST 16TH: LONGEST GAME SESSION PLAYED
Honestly this could be represented by any number of games I played back in college. There were times we’d start in the afternoon and leave the house with the sun peeking out for sunrise. I can’t name one single time that was the longest though.
AUGUST 17TH: FAVORITE FANTASY RPG
It’s Dungeons and Dragons, it will probably always be.
AUGUST 18TH: FAVORITE SF RPG
I love the concepts in Numenera, and would love to play it more, I just can’t run the game. I have a mind built for fantasy and Numenera is too weird for me there!
AUGUST 19TH: FAVORITE SUPERS RPG
Eh, never been a huge fan. Maybe I just need a GM who can introduce me to a game where I actually enjoy it.
AUGUST 20TH: FAVORITE HORROR RPG
Dread. I love the added thrill of the Jenga tower. I do need more exposure to other horror games though.
AUGUST 21ST: FAVORITE RPG SETTING
EBERRON!
AUGUST 22ND: PERFECT GAMING ENVIRONMENT
With friends. Cheesy as Hell, but there it is. I do prefer an in person game to one over the net.
AUGUST 23RD: PERFECT GAME FOR YOU
One where everyone is involved with only slight distraction for cutting a few jokes. Plenty of role-play with characters that everyone wants to play, and interesting combat.
AUGUST 24TH: FAVORITE HOUSE RULE
Not worrying about stuff like arrows or food and water.
AUGUST 25TH: FAVORITE REVOLUTIONARY GAME MECHANIC
The 20 sided die.
AUGUST 26TH: FAVORITE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR GAME
Conversations with friends and colleagues. I love tapping into resources like The RPG Academy Network I’m a part of or The Vagabond Gamers G+ group I helped start. We are all gifted creatives and bouncing ideas off one another rocks.
AUGUST 27TH: FAVORITE IDEA FOR MERGING TWO GAMES INTO ONE
Can’t say I have tons of experience with this one but I do enjoy taking a gaming style from on area and making it work in Savage Worlds. For example when Gamerstable took Conan and used Savage Worlds to run it.
AUGUST 28TH: FAVORITE GAME YOU NO LONGER PLAY
My Eberron game from a few years back. Loved the players’ characters, my NPC’s, and where the story was headed. Sadly it fell apart. Non-Revivable.
AUGUST 29TH: FAVORITE RPG WEBSITE/BLOG
You mean other than Melvin Smif’s Geekery? I’m a huge fan of everyone in the RPG Academy Network, you should certainly check them out. Other than that I like The Angry GM‘s stuff, Gamerstable Podcast, Monkey in the Cage, and Dyvers.
AUGUST 30TH: FAVORITE RPG PLAYING CELEBRITY
Probably Steven Colbert. He wears it on his sleeve pretty heavily and I think the more you see that the more likely others are going to want to try the games.
AUGUST 31ST: FAVORITE NON-RPG THING TO COME OUT OF RPG’ING
Video Games. Without RPG’s most of the things people really dig in video games would have been less likely to ever show up. Hit Points, Experience, Levels. You can thank RPGs for that.
There you have it folks! Let me know some of you answers below! As an added note, I’ll have the winners of my contest posted by Friday September 11th! Don’t forget about the AcadeCon Kickstarter either! It’s winding down but there are still badges to pick up. Would love to see you there.
-Melvs.
Melvin Smif's Geekery 
That favorite campaign you no longer play wouldn’t happen to be the Eberron campaign in which I participated, would it? Because holy crap was that an awesome journey. I still have fond memories of it to this day; and likely will for some time.
Oh and kudos on the impressive website by the way. Google sent me an e-mail saying: “Don’t you know this guy? ‘Cause he’s doing things and stuff online.” And that led me to your blog. Good to see your’re still active in the hobby–much more so than when we gamed together, actually. You’ve done some fantastic things here, color me impressed.
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Hey Brian! Yes, the Eberron game I mention here was the one you were in. Always lamented the fact I never got to take you all to it’s completion (I had plans man, I had PLANS!). Of course, 4e combat just started to become way too complicated. Good to hear from you dude!
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Combat length was definitely an issue. I still love how dynamic combat was in 4E; but when we got to Paragon tier and it took almost the entire night to resolve one fight . . . that left little time for roleplaying.
Have you taken a look at 13th Age? It’s from former 4E designers and is suppose to have the dynamic combat of that game but the simplicity and quickness of traditional RPGs. I haven’t gotten around to playing it yet. But it’s certainly on my to-do list.
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I own 13th Age, I’ve read the book, I’ve not run or played it. Seems like a fine system but I’ve kind of moved on a bit to 5th Edition and games like Savage Worlds and Iron Kingdoms. However, 4e (or 13th Age) is something I’d like to revisit someday unlike 3.5/Pathfinder. 5th Edition D&D has everything from that generation I enjoyed and very little of what I didn’t so I’m solid there.
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Hmm . . . perhaps I should give 5E or Next or whatever it’s called a more serious look. My group moved on from D&D in general, sticking to more rules light and narrative friendly systems like Dragon Age and Numenera–even playing some extremely rules light games that we just improvised on the spot. It’s part of the reason I haven’t tried 13th Age yet. But if 5E has the good without the bad of past D&D iterations, that sounds very appealing.
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By the way, are you on Twitter? If so I’m @SharnDM out there.
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Nah, I’m an old man and not into that whole social networking thing all the kids are doing these days. I prefer to maintain a small group of close friends. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail any time, though. Gmail should have my address save in it’s memory bank or whatever; I just checked and it remembered yours.
Also, I’m always looking for more people to game with, if you’re interested in hanging out again sometime. Regulars, one-offs, video games; anything really, you name it. Assuming of course you have the time. If this blog is any indication, you’re an incredibly busy man.
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