I’ve never been a smoker, but I think I understand some of the addiction–because I’ve been a Dungeons & Dragons player.
Smokers tell me that the addiction isn’t so much about the taste or the chemical stimulation; it’s the ritual and the social aspects that are harder to shake off.
So it is with D&D. I can go for years without playing, but like with smoking, you’re always in recovery. Every time I step in a comic book store, there’s the risk that a group will be playing in a side room.
Call of Cthulhu is one of those games that I always wanted to play or GM, but it never seemed like the right time. Either it was out of print, or just going out of print, or about to be revamped for a new version… Well, a single copy of d20 CoC was in Pandemonium yesterday. I picked it up with some trepidation…
This version of Call of Cthulhu is the latest d20 role-playing game rulebook from Wizards of the Coast.
T20 is out.
I’ve always been more interested in SF RPGs than fantasy. The only fantasy RPG I’ve bought is D&D, and that’s because everyone plays it. I’ve never had good luck with SF RPGs, though; for some reason they always seem to do badly in the marketplace, usually just after I get interested in them. Plus, I’m picky—I like “rules light-to-moderate”, hard SF.
My favorite SF RPG was the second edition of Star Frontiers.