HOL: Human Occupied Landfill (And other weird RPGs)

[Ben Rostoker]

Hey I just recently found out about this RPG and I really want to try it out as it seems to match the favoured 'style' of game some of my friends like.

Does anyone know where I can get a PDF or DOC or something of it's 2e rules and the supplement?

And while we're here any other really weird RPGs you guys have liked in the past?

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

I've never heard of HOL, but i have come across, from time to time, some really out there rpgs. I'll have to get back to this thread with some obscure rpg goodies.

I looked up HOL on google. Seems there is alot to written about said rpg.

Here's a link describing the rpg:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hol_(role-playing_game)

Here's a link to order some of the material:

http://www.orcsnest.com/productsbysy...syst=HOL%20RPG

Think i will be perusing this material later tonight.

Thoth-Amon

[Webhead]

I've only known one player who owned a copy of HOL but, sadly, we never did get to play it. I always wanted to. Not sure where you could find copies of it, electronic or otherwise.

Other weird games worth looking into:

Tales of the Floating Vagabond: A game about a bar at the center of the universe that is connected to any kind of bar-like establishment throughout space and time by a random portal generator. Characters are really goofy and have special "schticks" that make them unique. Like the "Rambo" effect. You never run out of ammo and when you are charging carelessly at your enemies, you are less likely to be shot. Or the "Ed Wood" effect. The special effects of the world around you are incredibly cheap and hokey. Environments are made out of cardboard and plaster, "aliens" are just guys with bad makeup slapped on them, and spaceships dangle from visible wires (that you can actually cut to make the ship fall).

Paranoia: You are a valued citizen of Alpha Complex and a trouble shooter for the Computer. Being a trouble shooter is easy...you find trouble...and you shoot it! The Computer is your friend. The Computer wants you to be happy. The Computer gave you 5 clones of yourself so that you could be happy. As long as you serve the Computer by killing or uncovering citizens who are mutants, communists or members of secret societies, the Computer will make you happy. Unfortunately, the Computer doesn't know that you have a mutant power and joined a secret society. Don't tell anyone, okay? If the Computer (or another trouble shooter, aka, player character) finds out, you're as good as dead. Trust the Computer. Serve the Computer. The Computer is your friend. It has your best interests in mind.

Kobolds Ate My Baby: You are a kobold citizen of the caves in the wilderness just a short distance from a human village. Your favorite thing in the world to do is eat. Your second favorite thing to do is cook. And a kobold's favorite food is...human babies. Yum! You've got a brain the size of a walnut and a backbone the size of Kentucky. King Torg (All Hail King Torg) demands another meal of baby stew before bed time, and it's your job to supply the babies. Shirk your responsibilities and if King Torg (All Hail King Torg) doesn't have you roasted and eaten, then the almighty kobold god Vor will surely smite you for your cowardice...he hates cowards...and kobolds. You're a fluffly little ball of chaos, stumbling around in a world that's just waiting to inflict a horrible, violent death upon you...but you're not afraid! You're a kobold! And kobolds aren't smart enough to understand fear!

[kirksmithicus]

HOL

Very funny game, my friend had a copy.

[nijineko]

i found "teenagers from outer space" to be tolerably amusing. and "munchkin" is always good for a laugh.

[gdmcbride]

Weird RPGs I know and love

Monsters and Other Childish Things: The RPG of unspeakable, world-shattering transdimensional horrors and the children that they love. You get to play the kids. Easily one of the funniest RPGs I have ever read.

Baron Munchasen: Arguably an RPG (no character creation, no combat, no dice or random element at all), this is the incredibly simple and fun game of competive lying. It may also be the one and only RPG that is also a drinking game. And ... also a blast to read.

De Profundis: The game of horror letter writing. I am not making this up. Perhaps the single weirdest RPG I own.

Paranoia: Everything you think you know about Paranoia is wrong. Your enemies may all already be playing Paranoia. Can you afford not to?

The Computer is your friend.
Trust no one.
Keep your laser handy.

I don't know if Paranoia counts as a weird RPG, but it definitely counts as a great one.

Gary

[fmitchell]

Others I own, but (as usual) haven't played:

Don't Rest Your Head: Chronic insomnia has led you to the Mad City, where you must tap your exhaustion and madness to elude clockwork policemen and bad-news paperboys ... but go too far, and you'll become permanently unhinged ... or pass out as the horrors of the Mad City close in on you.

The Shab-Al-Hiri Roach: A GM-less scenario in a Lovecraftian college which asks if you're willing to abandon your will to an ancient roach god ... even if it gets you tenure.

[Webhead]

Don't Rest Your Head: Chronic insomnia has led you to the Mad City, where you must tap your exhaustion and madness to elude clockwork policemen and bad-news paperboys ... but go too far, and you'll become permanently unhinged ... or pass out as the horrors of the Mad City close in on you.

DRYH is one of those games that I have convinced myself I absolutely have to get my group to play at least once. Just the concept of the game alone oozes creepy, atmospheric fun of the highest degree.

When I think about it, I'm certain that I could convince my brother to try it one-on-one with me. That kind of game is right up his alley. Hmmm...

[boulet]

I'm looking forward to join any game in the vein of DRYH. It's not just the setting or the weirdness, the game systems of those games (Dogs in the Vineyard, Prime Time Adventure...) are really different. Fortunately Webhead is running a PbP game of Wushu, which has similar elements to it (like the Narrative Truth principle).

[Webhead]

I'm looking forward to join any game in the vein of DRYH. It's not just the setting or the weirdness, the game systems of those games (Dogs in the Vineyard, Prime Time Adventure...) are really different. Fortunately Webhead is running a PbP game of Wushu, which has similar elements to it (like the Narrative Truth principle).

Yes, I like striking out into the unfamiliar territory of games with unique systems that harbor different styles of play. I'm glad you're enjoying Wushu, Boulet, because it is one of my favorites in that category. But yet, Prime Time Adventures is another game that I've been curious about (and nearly picked up a time or two) and I hear people rave about Dogs in the Vineyard, but I don't know enough about it to form an opinion. Spirit of the Century is another one of those gems that just comes from a very different design philosophy than "traditional" RPG systems like d20. It takes getting used to because it requires you to think differently than you would in other game systems, but it is a refreshingly robust way to play once you get into it. Games like Wushu and SotC focus more on your character's ability to shape the narrative of the game more so than "cool powers and gear".

Great games all that don't see nearly enough "table-time" as far as I'm concerned.

[nijineko]

... and I hear people rave about Dogs in the Vineyard, but I don't know enough about it to form an opinion.

i did not enjoy this game, partially due to concept and partially due to the people. but i had no issues with the mechanical structure of the game. ^^

Baron Munchasen: Arguably an RPG (no character creation, no combat, no dice or random element at all), this is the incredibly simple and fun game of competive lying. It may also be the one and only RPG that is also a drinking game. And ... also a blast to read.

not to mention a great movie! =D though i hear the novel is also quite entertaining, if long-winded.

[Mindbomb]

Anyone play Grimm? The twisted fairytales RPG. I've always wondered about it and couldn't find a good player/GM review just the usual marketing/scene reviews. But it looks like a lot of fun.