General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Gamers Online Now: 1,297
309 members and 988 guests
Most users ever online was 4,029, 8th April 2009 at 06:04 PM.
Disclaimer: I helped generate a portion of the material for this text, providing a few derro items and one of the monsters. However, I did buy my print copy of this book. My PDF was provided by... [Read More]
Disclaimer: I contributed a bit of material (Some monsters and one background option) for this book by virtue of working on _Halls of the Mountain King_. I was not otherwise directly involved in its... [Read More]
The first thing that grabs you about the Imperial Gazetteer is the cover. Malcolm McClinton has once again put together a gorgeous image that wraps around to the back. It's fantastic piece of art and... [Read More]
This is not the first Doctor Who RPG. The first one published was a system created by FASA back in the mid 1980s, which used a similar system to their Star Trek RPG. I used to run that game back in... [Read More]
I find Risus to be both simple and fairly useful. It's free too. Very easy to make up stuff on the fly for it.
I think Risus hits a sweet spot for simple and generic, but still viable and useful.
__________________ "You want to play "Semantics and Lawyers"? Go ahead. We'll be busy kickin' ass and chewing Stygian Black Lotus- the best!" - Predavolk
If only Dungeon Squad! had character levels...although adding them would probably kill the elegance of simplicity thing it has going on.
Risus and Fudge struck me as too open-ended, as if "nailing whispers to the wall", as someone put it. They seem less actual games than game design kits for tinkerers.
__________________ "They've taken all the fun out of slaying things and stealing treasure!" - Bolt
Copy, paste and redesign your way to your own ideal custom game with the Swords & Wizardry.doc file. Renovate the elf, build a rogue or thief, and make all your favourite rules and splat core.
Last edited by rounser; 26th May 2009 at 09:25 AM..
Scroll down to the Crappiest RPG on Earth and UCrap.
Not sure if it counts, but it's definitely simple.
__________________ --neuronphaser
http://dungeon-crawl.blogspot.com
Tools & tips you can apply immediately to your D&D game! Encounters inspired by the movies, suggestions to speed up your game and reduce bookkeeping, and more!
Well, OD&D is pretty simple. Since you can't get the PDF any more, Swords & Wizardry: White Box, while a lot more verbose, is close to it.
1st edition Gamma World is quite simple, and succinct. Each later edition moved it away from its initial simplicity, though.
Classic Traveller (still in print!) is also quite simple, and excellent, but I admit that I've never figured out how to prep it easily. For me, a civilized high tech settings just have a lot of contingencies that I feel the need to plan for. I've played it less than other games, though, so maybe I just haven't hit upon the golden mean.
Having played Savage Worlds, I do not find it to be simple. It has some fun elements, but simple it ain't. "Simplicity" does have a relative component, though... MERP will seem simple after RoleMaster and Savage Worlds will seem simple after GURPS. Neither will be that simple to a non-gamer, I think.
__________________ "I despise all weavers of the black arts. Speaking of which, can you pass the gravy?"
I'm not keen on the probability spreads in Risus, but apparently a lot of folks make 'em work. Maybe there's more complexity in actual play than in the "rules as written" -- something that could be said of OD&D as well. Preference might depend on which kind of complexity and set of rules (for text is never the sum of rules in an RPG) one finds easier to employ.
I'm not a fan of them either, but they work better there than they did in Over the Edge. Risus works best for short-term games, IMO.
I've mostly used it in one shots that were fairly silly (Stuporheroes). But I also had good success with it in running a solo modern/horror game for my wife.
You know, I thought of a few more. Attached are Diminutive d20, Cat, and Red Box Hack (Version 2). Do note that, despite being named "Red Box Hack" the game doesn't actually have much to do with Red Box D&D past the basic premise. It's still crazy fun, though.
I just finished reading Red Box Hack, and I have to say it looks like a few evenings of fun for sure. Glad I checked it out.
__________________ Oni
"Each man, one way.
Each horse, one stance.
Each church, one buddha.
Each master to his own technique."
Another pretty simple RPG is Toon. The catch is that it is a tricky game. It requires the right mood, and a particular type of gamemaster to pull off. However, when it's right, it's great!
__________________ David A. Blizzard
"The only constant I am sure of is this accelerating rate of change" - Downside Up by Peter Gabriel
Then there is Faery's Tale which is intended for young children.
I've only run it for my kids, but I've been in games with older kids and adults and it is still fun.
I used Faery's Tale to run a Christmas one-shot (everyone played Christmas elves, tin soldiers, reindeer, etc.) for a group of adults and it played beautifully. For a game with more story than combat, I think it works admirably.
You might also consider Dread, which is designed as a horror game, but works well for any game where dramatic tension is the goal. Character generation consists of filling out a questionaire and the mechanic for uncertain actions is pulling tiles from a Jenga tower (instead of using dice or cards, etc.). Fun!
__________________ Hit the dusty trail, capture the excitement of your favorite western movie or novel and head back to the days of the Wild West. Sidewinder: Recoiled recreates the cinematic high action feel of the popular western genre with the d20 Modern rules.
Gamers Online Now: 1,297
I'd play it! 
Also, it reminded me a bit of 
Linear Mode
