Simple Game Systems

[TarionzCousin]

I am shopping around for the simplest game systems in existence.

What are some basic, easy-to-prep, can-be-learned-in-minutes games out there?

As an aside, what is the minimum for a simple game? Character generation and conflict resolution? More? Less? Other?

/needs-more-hyphens

 

[Herobizkit]

d02: Know No Limit!​

It sounds silly (and it is), but you cannot get any simpler than this system.

 

[Rel]

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.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Beat by Rel to Risus.

It's one of the simplest on the market. I'm a fan of simple mechanics, even if I also love to make them more complex. Actually, I'm just a fan of mechanics - I love simple and complex mechanics.

 

[Glyfair]

Greg Stafford's Prince Valiant is very simple. It doesn't even use dice for randomization, rather coins to toss.

I was considering using the system to start a RPG for my friend's kid who is under 10.

 

[Aus_Snow]

In A Wicked Age is quite simple, if not necessarily straightforward first time around. Plus, it all but sets up your campaign for you, with the aid of a humble deck of playing cards. You still use dice for resolution at times, so it's semi-traditional in some ways, maybe. Still pretty 'out there' if you're coming from D&D, however. Worth a look, if you like the sound of rules light, story-oriented, character-driven sword & sorcery.

Microlite20 is a traditional RPG, and a neat one at that. I believe the basic rules fit on one page! Based on d20, as you might expect, but *woah*, is it quicker and simpler. Variants exist, from sci-fi to modern, to OD&D-style (Microlite74) and so on.

I've heard some good things about PDQ, or PDQ# these days I think. Prose descriptive qualities? Something like that. Anyway, might want to check that out.

Similarly, Heroquest? Could be coming out with a new edition and all, IIRC.

Not so familiar with very rules light games, myself, so I'll leave it there.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Good stuff so far. Microlite d20 and Risus are both already on my short list to investigate.

d02 was amusing.

I'll look for Prince Valiant and In a Wicked Age.

Has anyone ever played or heard of "SWIFT" by Doyce Testerman?

 

[jdrakeh]

Any of these, though bear in mind that they're always subject to revision when the mood strikes me.

[Edit: Oh! And Game in a Jar designed by Rel's 7-year-old daughter.]

 

[Asmor]

Back in middle school, my friends and I just made one person the "GM" and everyone else players. The players said what they did, the GM described what happened. No rules, no dice, no anything. Completely freeform roleplaying.

Doesn't get much simpler and faster to learn than that.

 

[Betote]

Risus is one of the simplest and best systems I've ever seen.

Hidden Invasion is very simple too, and it comes with an X-Filesque setting.

Fudge or BRP can be made simple, although I tend to see them more as toolboxes than as proper systems.