I confess. I am a role-play gamer. I played a variety in college although I've settled into Dungeons and Dragons lately. I don't especially enjoy D&D because the atmosphere of the game sometimes seems to stifle creative problems-solving and literary character development. (If you are a RPGamer who subscribes to game / narrative / simulation theory, I fall rather firmly under narrativist.)

I developed a fondness for Alderac's games while I was in college. Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea are both excellent RPG's. 7th Sea in particular really nails "epic, heroic fantasy." It's designed to be over the top. I've played some stinkers too, though. I was never crazy about the Doomtown RPG and Feng Shui, while a brilliant idea, had a really poor implementation.

I've been working with D&D recently, though, to try to implement some house rules that encourage deeper characters and a de-emphasis on pure mechanical efficacy. I DO like the abundance of content. I own a variety of 3.5 edition books that serve as good inspiration and source material. I'm also engaged in the ambitious project of creating my own campaign setting. I'd like to develop a realm where the the lawful/chaotic scale of alignment gets more attention than the good/evil scale.

magic tha gathering
or bust

Heh, I play that too. Just tonight, I cracked open the last booster from the Lorwyn box that I bought. In fact, I'm a general, all-around gaming geek. I like to tell people that I own a half dozen games they've never even heard of.