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I agree -- games should be fun, and if you came of age as a role-player more than 20 years ago, you'll find lots of rules-light and retro-clone games to scratch that itch much better than more recent tactics-heavy editions.

Try this: http://members.dsl-only.net/~bing/frp/fudge/calypso/calypso.html There are also several conversions of "Star Trek" into FATE, which is derived from Fudge.

I like FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment): http://evilhat.wikidot.com/fate-rpg http://www.ukroleplayers.com/downloads/free-fate/ http://www.faterpg.com/ http://www.evilhat.com/home/fate-core/ It's based on FUDGE and relies on shared narration. There are crunchier variants...

Back when I ran and played earlier editions of D&D, each party had a "caller" who was designated to both speak for the adventuring party to Non-Player Characters and to call out tactics during combat. More recently, party functions depend on each Player Character's temperament, and yes, the...

It could also be that the D.M. is planning overly specific encounters -- i.e., this obstacle/opponent can be overcome only with X. It's nice to have multiple sourcebooks to draw from, but I agree that role-players can just provide the relevant character records and spell lists, and that D.M.s...

I've been running the same homebrew setting for the past 30 years, but I've also incorporated lots from published settings. Whether it's the Temple of Elemental Evil, an item from Greyhawk, a creature from Krynn, or an N.P.C. from Golarion, there's always room for more inspiration!

I like the following current SFRPGs: -FATE 3e Bulldogs (compatible with Diaspora, Starblazer Adventures, Mindjammer, and Strands of FATE; it's what I'm using for my homebrew campaign) -Stars Without Number (retro-style game) -Eclipse Phase (transhumanist) -Gumshoe: Ashen Stars...

I have dozens, if not hundreds, of PDFs for various systems, and I've used several online utilities for game preparation. I also run virtual sessions on a weekly basis. Like other posters, however, I've had to discourage the use of laptops and smartphones at the face-to-face table because of the...

I think that D&D Next needs to do the following things to be successful: -Win back lapsed fans with flavorful materials and relatively easy conversions. PDFs releases of past editions are a step in the right direction. -Bring new people into tabletop role-playing games. Easy-to-learn, modular...

Dual parties I'd be careful not to overplan. Let each party find its own motivation, as long as you describe the setting consistently and provide plot threads that will lead them to each other. The Game Masters should meet or talk regularly between sessions. For example, in my homebrew space...

Glad you like the list. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a main download link for the latest "Star Wars" RPG either -- strange, but it looks like the beta version is only available in print....

Some of these RPGs can be downloaded for free or bought in hardcopy: Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG Beta GURPS 4e Lite (Steve Jackson Games' Generic Universal Role-Playing Game) Star Frontiers Digitally Remastered (classic space opera) Eclipse Phase (transhuman...

Favorite D&D books by edition oD&D/BECMI: Rules Cyclopedia -- Kind of a cheat as a compilation, but still a very nice repackaging of this edition. AD&D1: Wilderness Survival Guide -- For showing me how to approach sandbox-style worldbuilding. AD&D2: Vikings Campaign Sourcebook -- Before I...

Currently watching: Sundays: Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Masterpiece Mystery, Leverage Mondays: Warehouse 13, Grimm, Alphas Tuesdays: White Collar Wednesdays: Bitchin' Kitchen Thursdays: Motor City, Tron Uprising Saturdays: The Nerdist, That Metal Show Returning...

If your role-players are most comfortable with D20, there's D20 Modern: Future and Star Wars: Saga Edition, plus other D20/OGL science fiction games that you can mine for ideas -- Wars, Stargate, Farscape, Traveller/"T20," to name a few. I'm sure there are utilities online for them. I can...

Women and role-playing I agree that there are some cultural factors and styles that may affect the participation of female role-players. However, it's best to approach promoting your game to individual women and groups. Is there a lot of locker-room, sexist humor? Some of the women I've gamed...

Women and role-playing I agree that there are some cultural factors and styles that may affect the participation of female role-players. However, it's best to approach promoting your game to individual women and groups. Is there a lot of locker-room, sexist humor? Some of the women I've gamed...

30 years of RPGs Congratulations! I've also been role-playing for 30 years, but even though I've been running the same homebrew campaign settings for most of that time, I've moved around (New York to Virginia to Massachusetts) and had more gamer turnover as people go off to school, start or...

Latest RPG purchases -Latest issues of Kobold and Game Trade Magazine -Marvel Heroic Roleplaying -Traveller 2300 -The Avengers HeroClix

D&D and the next generation I'm 43, and I've been role-playing for 30 years. I've been fortunate enough to run and play games with people decades older and younger than me, and I hope that our hobby can thrive without generational conflict. Most of my current players are younger than me...