It seems like the MMORPG or even the single player RPG has been around in computerized form forever. But it's not so. Back in "the day", there were these little things called tabletop RPGs. In The List today, we take a fond look back at five of the best. See what you think!

Going back a long way I thought it would be fun to talk about the paper and pencil games which led us to MMOs. I remember starting Ultima Online and I get nostalgic about those old days. But lately I find myself going back to my early childhood and the game that really made me into today’s gaming self.

Read more of Garrett Fuller's The List: Five Old School Games.

I remember awful green things.

However, I get a visceral emotion when I see the old D&D art work.

I rememember pouring through the modules, imagining each encounter in my mind.

Queen of the Demonweb Pits was my favorite:

Wow. Nice dunp truck full of nostalgia. I'd add to the list

Talisman

Hacker

Feudal

Kingmaker

Squad Leader

And last but not least, Diplomacy

There are gems from the old days I still remember fondly. Gamma World, which would make a great MMO btw. Star Frontiers, Boot Hill, Car Wars, BattleTech, AD&D and many of the old TSR Mini games. Star Frontiers, with its character based systen on huge maps with chits, and DL11 were my first forays into the strategy genre, then eventually Tabletop BattleTech.

My brother and I used to spent a lot of time playing DL11, I still wish a company would recreate a RTS version with todays specs.

TSR games are why I became so interested in RPG's, especially when they teamed with SSI and made the original Gold Box series, combining my two favorite things, video games and D&D.

I can remember long nights slogging away swapping floppies to zone on my old C64 in Curse of the Azure Bonds and Pools of Radiance.

I love the posts of old games, Yes Gamma World ruled, so did Champions. I played a ton of Star Frontiers too as a kid.

I could only pick 5, these were my old favorites. But feel free to post yours!!

Now you are talking my kind of language! Here are some of my faves.

+1 to BloodBowl :)

I was more p&p dude (d&d, ad&d mostly) and some ccg's on the side, so not much in the tabletop games, but BloodBowl was great.

Has anyone ever heard of MetaScape?  My brother bought the game from an ad in the back of Dragon magazine.  It was sci/fi fantasy and had awesome classes and skills plus a cool futuristic universe.  It also had a unique 16 sided die which was used in addition to the standards.

@Sovrath  I also get a visceral emotion when looking at the old D&D and AD&D artwork.  It just capitvates me and makes me think..."that is so cool".  Unfortuneately it also made me a dork in high school because I played D&D and read Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms.

Brings back a ton of memories.

Champions/HERO game system was great for the genre.

Loved a lot of the old FGU games, like Chivalry and Sorcery, Aftermath, Flashing Blades, and Space Opera.

Then there was the old GDW Traveller and Twilight 2000 - had a lot of fun with those.

Car Wars was a hoot, as were Paranoia, Call of Cthulhu, and Stalking the Night Fantastic.

Anyone else remember the Ace of Aces or Lost Worlds picture-book based batte games?

Anyone else play Pente?

Wooden Ships and Iron Men is still one of my favorites.  As was Blue Max.

Played Tank Charts and Seapower II.

Empires in Arms was one of the best games ever for the Diplomacy crowd.

Of course there were the TSR games:  Gamma World, Star Frontiers (loved Zebulon's Guide), Boot Hill, Top Secret, and Chill,  in addition to the many flavors of AD&D.

Too many others to mention.

EDIT:  I can't believe I forgot Star Fleet Battles!

I must of been a EA junkie back then ahh, the memories on my C= Commodore 64 Computer with my 300 / 1200 baud modem and 1541 Disk Drive.

I started my gaming career in HS with the old SPI board games like Outreach, MechWar, Air War, Invasion America; Avalon Hill's Tactics II, Starship Troopers; and Flying Buffalo's PBM games.  In my senior year, I was introduced to D&D (with the original Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements), which lead to T&T,  Champions, Cthuhlu, Traveller, Twilight 2000 and countless others.  I was slow at moving into computer games because I loved personal interaction with friends around a tabletop, something comp games just can't duplicate.

Oh yeah.  I miss it.

Originally posted by tman5

I started my gaming career in HS with the old SPI board games like Outreach, MechWar, Air War, Invasion America; Avalon Hill's Tactics II, Starship Troopers; and Flying Buffalo's PBM games.  In my senior year, I was introduced to D&D (with the original Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements), which lead to T&T,  Champions, Cthuhlu, Traveller, Twilight 2000 and countless others.  I was slow at moving into computer games because I loved personal interaction with friends around a tabletop, something comp games just can't duplicate.

 

Oh yeah.  I miss it.

The social aspect really was what made those games so fun, and so memorable.  The game was almost just an excuse to get together and BS with your friends.  Granted, the games themselves were usually a hell of a lot of fun, but a lot of that was just because of the people you were playing with.

I was also slow to move into computer games, and that's a large part of the reason why.  Playing with guildies on Vent is nice, but still doesn't compare to the paper and pencil tabletop games.

Oh, forgot another old favorite - The Morrow Project!

Oh man, the nostalgia!

Bloodbowl, Warhammer and Talisman.

And Bard's Tale 3, who can forget that game, defeat the boss in the first dungeon for instant level 35 characters.

I still play Talisman with my kids, they love it as much as I did when I was their age.

I too (just about) remember Car Wars and Talisman. My personal top 5 would be

1) Runequest (skill not level based like DnD. Even back then there was a rivalry)

2) Call of Cthullu

3) MERP

4) aD&D

5) Traveller

Originally posted by different

I too (just about) remember Car Wars and Talisman. My personal top 5 would be

1) Runequest (skill not level based like DnD. Even back then there was a rivalry)

2) Call of Cthullu

3) MERP

4) aD&D

5) Traveller

Wow, I had forgotten about MERP, and the entire Rolemaster system.  GoGo "Chartmaster".

Just wanted to selfishly jam up some more room with my very fave old school pnp rules as they appeared in my games collection.

              (Def better than modern Twighlight)