Which RPG do you think deserves greater recognition?

Where to start? ~ This is a niche hobby to begin with. Then consider that the lion’s share of attention is given to one or two games. Zoom out a bit more and you still see that a handful of games dominate most discussion and apparent play. (I say apparent, because one can never assume that how things appear to be is an accurate reflection of what is really going on). Step back still further, and you might find 20-40 RPGs getting the most spotlight time.

As you observe this dynamic, keep in mind that there are thousands of RPGs out there. There is no way that one person could play them all, or even know what they all are. ~ Sure, some are well designed & well written, while others fall short. Some are innovative, while others are less exciting. But even if only ten or twenty percent of the RPGs out there are worth the candle for you, that’s still a lot of games.

When I first saw this question, I realized just how limited my exposure to the myriad of games out there has been. In many ways I’m playing “catch up” due to my periods of inactivity in the hobby and my original tendency to stick to a particular set of RPGs. ~ I look at my shelf & I could honestly say that most of the games I’ve bought in the last two years qualify as deserving greater recognition. Hollow Earth Expedition & Leagues of Adventure may have greater fan bases than Circle of Hands or Broken Rooms, but all of them are worthy of play. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So, I’ll answer this question a little differently. ~ The game that deserves greater recognition is the one that your friend has discovered and has been trying to get you to play. It’s the RPG that you have seen a review of by someone that you have come to respect or trust or identify with. It’s the game that is outside of your comfort zone or preference or experience. It’s the game that will allow you to explore sides of the hobby that you haven’t before, and it’s the RPG that supports the play experience that you like, but does it even better than the last one.

The RPG that deserves greater recognition isn’t just the one that you’re excited about. It’s the one that you discover quite by accident, when your friend shows up and says something like ~ “Hey guys, anyone want to play Blue Planet with me?”