Back in the Dark Ages -- before everyone had a computer and high-speed 'Net access -- we used to play RPGs with pencils, paper, and loads of dice. If you're one of those dinosaurs, it's time to 'fess up!

I started AD&D when I was 10 years old, with the classic module "Keep on the Borderlands." In addition to AD&D, I have also played:
  • Shadowrun
  • GURPS
  • Toon
  • Car Wars (not precisely an RPG, but it had some character development)
  • Torg
  • Paranoia
  • Marvel Superheroes RPG
  • Call of Cthulhu
  • Earthdawn
  • Vampire: The Masquerade
  • NightLife (an obscure RPG about supernatural creatures, but much more like Clive Barker than like Anne Rice)
  • and a few other RPGs, even more obscure than any of those....

Of the lot, I think that GURPS was my favorite. It's a generic system that can be tailored to anything you want to play. Swords-and-sorcery? GURPS will do that. Sci-fi? GURPS will do that. Kung-Fu? GURPS will do that. Cavemen at the dawn of mankind? GURPS will ... you get the idea!

Shadowrun was my second-favorite. I spent much of my free time during college on Shadowrun. It's a nice fusion of cyberpunk with magic. Well, I like cyberpunk, so I was hooked right away....