Which rules-light RPG system would you recommend?

[Staffan]

Depending on their ages you could also go with Exalted, the White Wolf house system is pretty easy to wrap your head around and I have heard good things about Savage Worlds but I have never played it or even seen books for it so I can't say for certain.

Exalted is about as crunchy as D&D, really. Well, slightly less, but that's only because there aren't as many books with new crunchy stuff in them. The main difference is that where D&D has zillions of feats, Exalted instead has bajillions of charms.

 

[Chaldfont]

Try Fudge

http://www.fudgerpg.com/fudge.html

Better yet, try FATE which is built on top of Fudge. I think it would be perfect for RPG noobs.

http://www.faterpg.com/

Edit: A couple of people beat me to it. I've played this and I really like it. Its also great for those nights when half your game group doesn't show and you need to throw something together really quick.

A nice thing about FATE: The players do most of the work for you. All you have to do is read their character sheets and adventure ideas just seem to spring forth.

 

[Psion]

My favorite is probably Dream Park, an old game by R. Talsorian.

But if you want something more accessible, try FUDGE. (Never read FATE, so don't know if I could rightly second it, other than to say, adding some implicit assumptions instead of leaving it all to the GM sounds like a good step.)

 

[Animus]

I'm looking for something to use as an intro to RPGs for people who haven't played before, so my chief criteria are genre versatility and easy learning. I've looked at some samples for True20 and West End Games' D6 Fantasy - both of which I like - but I'm not very informed on what's out there.

What's your favourite rules-light system?

While the other systems out their have their own merits (SW, Fudge/FATE, C&C, Lejendary, etc.), I don't see any of those systems being head and shoulders above the others, IMHO. I'd keep it simple and go with what you already know, especially if you don't feel like spending more money on stuff. FUDGE is still free of course .

 

[The_Gneech]

I like Tunnels and Trolls, myself, although the recent anniversary edition was a mess.

-The Gneech

 

[Nomad4life]

True20 is probably my favorite overall rules-lite game, as it is can be used to run just about any setting, and it is easy to import other D20 material into it. Some may not consider it a “rules-lite” game... But it sure seems to run like one.

Savage Worlds and C&C are both excellent systems as well.

 

[HellHound]

My favorite is probably Dream Park, an old game by R. Talsorian.

But if you want something more accessible, try FUDGE. (Never read FATE, so don't know if I could rightly second it, other than to say, adding some implicit assumptions instead of leaving it all to the GM sounds like a good step.)

Weird, that's the second Dream Park love I've read today.

My players didn't like Dream Park. I did.

 

[Psion]

Weird, that's the second Dream Park love I've read today.

So, are you not aware of my username on CM?

 

[Wombat]

Over The Edge by Atlas Games.

Simple, elegant, the rules translate to dozens of other settings.

I had a very successful superhero campaign using these rules, as well as a short-run pulp game, the "core" campaign, and a generic fantasy game.

Easy to learn, easy to teach (non-gamers pick it up almost immediately), it is a dream.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

A lot of those games are really pushing the definition of "rules-lite." C&C, Exalted ( )... Is the sole criteria "lighter than the current edition of D&D?" Heck, I'm not even sure Exalted is lighter than D&D 3.5 and definitely don't see it as lighter than d20 Modern.

At the threshold of "rules-lite" used here, I'd suggest Mutants & Masterminds, which I've personally found easier and more intuitive than True20. It has supers trappings, although (like HERO) it works as a toolkit. Like HERO only much easier to work with.

Silhouette Core is my personal favorite system. Probably about as crunchy as BRP (Call of Cthulhu/Runequest) but with a clever dice pool system instead of a d% system. It may be hard to find, though.

True20 is almost as good as Mutants & Masterminds.

Feng Shui isn't really rules-lite, per say, but it's as light as some of the stuff on this thread and also a fun introductory game.

FUDGE is about as light as new players could possibly begin to handle; don't know FATE.



With all that said...

Are you SURE you want a rules-lite system with which to introduce new players? If you're not familiar with the system, you probably won't GM it terribly well. What's more, some new players are as intimidated (or confused) by the lack of rules as others are by 100+ pages of rules.

A lot of it depends on the players' backgrounds. What do they presently do for fun?