I've got a number of filters set on the RPG Geek and one of them tripped this morning as the rankings updated. For the first time, we had 20 D&D/AD&D 1e items ranked in the top 100 (out of 15000 items).  There were also a few AD&D 2e books in the list as well as 3e and 4e but none of those are in the list below. The rankings shift as more ratings come online but I figured this early snapshot might be of some interest here:

#29                     S1: Tomb of Horrors
#31                     Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia
#37                     D3: Vault of the Drow
#41                     B2: The Keep on the Borderlands
#45                     D1-2: Descent to the Depths of the Earth
#47                     S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
#48                     U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
#51                     S2: White Plume Mountain
#53                     I6: Ravenloft
#59                     G1-2-3: Against the Giants
#63                     Dungeons & Dragons (Woodgrain Box & White Box Sets)
#64                     I3: Pharaoh
#70                     Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (1981)
#73                     Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (Second Edition - 1981)
#74                     Dungeon Masters Guide (AD&D 1e)
#75                     Players Handbook (AD&D 1e)
#76                     T1: The Village of Hommlet
#94                     Monster Manual (AD&D 1e)
#95                     Dungeons & Dragons Set 2: Expert Rules (1983)
#100                   World of Greyhawk (2nd Edition, 1983)

And a couple of old-school RPGs with 1e feel were also on the list:

#44                     Labyrinth Lord
#98                     Old School Reference and Index Compilation

PS: I understand these rankings are a popularity contest and represent the user group that the RPG Geek has attracted. But I still found the list interesting and I hope you guys do too!

-Dave

Prufrock wrote:I think there would be interest to see the whole list - All 100.

You can always see the list at:

http://rpg.geekdo.com/browse/rpgitem

My snapshot was actually from early this morning and the rankings updated shortly after that - it looks like World of Greyhawk slipped just out of the top 100.

-Dave

Kingofpain89 wrote:Blasphemy.  

Heh... well, the rankings shift around a bit as we ramp up and people enter their collections and rate various books/adventures/products. I assume this will settle down over time as we get more participation throughout 2010.

As I love these classic books, I'll do my best to give them some ratings love (honestly, of course, inflated ratings aren't something I would partake in).

-Dave

Invincible Overlord wrote:Are Cuthulu fans that loyal to their game, or are those particular products that good, or both?

Both, I think. They are certainly loyal to CoC from what I've seen. In addition, I've read only good things about the two Delta Green sourcebooks. I own Delta Green (but not Delta Green: Countdown) and will say that it is one hell of a good read and is packed with useful RPG material on every page (with a very X-Files feel). Countdown has been harder for me to get at a reasonable price - usually selling for twice the cover price now that it has gone out of print.

-Dave

Kingofpain89 wrote:Torg's Orrosh at #15 is a bit of a surprise as is the Warhammer 3rd edition being up there.

The latter (WFRP 3rd Edition) is partially the phenomenon we call "the cult of the new". As the ranking system takes off, people tend to rate games they are currently playing which for many people are the new ones released. So there is some bias towards the new. This tends to settle out over time as more and more people rate their collection. Note - I'm not saying WFRP 3e is not deserving of that rank - but speculating that it will likely settle into a lower rank as time goes on.

In order for any game to be ranked there needs to be a minimum of 5 votes. In addition there are two algorithms at work - the Bayesian Averaging (similar but not identical to what is used at IMDB) which adds a number of dummy votes to lessen the small-vote edge case effects and a shill-busting algorithm which throws out votes of people who sign up, post a couple of 10-votes for their game and/or a few 1-votes for games they have an agenda against and do nothing else.

-Dave

Nice to see the RC that high up. I will always consider that book to be one of the best HC rule books ever written.

RaisedFromTheDead wrote:Pharaoh has no business that high up.

Somehow being number 64 doesn't seem that high  

The Holmes blue book isn't on the list. Pity.

RaisedFromTheDead wrote:Pharaoh has no business that high up.

ditto