Simple Game Systems

[Rel]

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.

 

[Oni]

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.

 

[darjr]

This thread inspired me to go and read the Sherpa RPG the hiking game. One of these days I'm going to play it as intended, while hiking.

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.

 

[Glyfair]

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!

 

[Brad Hindman]

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!