"Casual" RPGs

[Tun Kai Poh]

Any game for no-prep casual play has to have very short rules (1-4 pages), and hybrid roleplaying/card games are great for this by providing rules, prompts and play structure on cards.

Like Fiasco:

Fiasco

Fiasco is an award-winning, GM-less game for 3-5 players, designed to be played in a few hours with no preparation. During a game you engineer and play out stupid, disastrous situations, usually at the intersection of greed, fear, and lust. It’s like making your own Coen brothers movie, in about...

bullypulpitgames.com

Or For The Queen:

For the Queen - Evil Hat Productions

The land you live in has been at war for as long as any of you have been alive.The queen is under attack. Will you defend her?

www.evilhat.com

And in an act of pure self-promotion I'll drop in my micro-RPGs on itch. They're both very short, have very few mechanics, and require no prep.

ECH0 by Role Over Play Dead

Peace. Kids playing in mech wreckage. A ghost. One last journey to find a final resting place.

roleoverplaydead.itch.io

The Ech0 Consultation by Role Over Play Dead

2 doctors in 1 body. Complicated collaborations. Risky medicine.

roleoverplaydead.itch.io

 

[aramis erak]

One thing I have noticed in some RPG communities -- particularly those with a high population of new players -- is a desire for more "casual" RPGs. This usually means minimal prep, easy to comprehend and without a huge time commitment (either for a given session or over a long period). What comes to my mind is: try this cool board game! But obviously that is dismissive and doesn't answer the need for those people.

So I was wondering what game folks might label as "casual" with that definition in mind, and how you would go about engaging with a "casual" RPG.

When it comes to running it off the cuff, with a GM who knows the rules and players who don't, here's my list of such games:

• TSR Advanced Marvel Super Heroes
• GW Judge Dredd
• 9th Level's Kobolds Ate My Baby
• Any of the FFG Beginner Boxes
• Atlas Games' Feng Shui 2
• Cosmic Patrol- but only if the group doesn't include my wife.. (she dislikes it)
• Tunnels and Trolls any edition.
• River Horse's MLP: Tails of Equestria
• 9th Level's Ninja Burger
• Og: Unearthed
• WEG Star Wars d6
• WEG D6 Adventure, D6 Space, or D6 Fantasy

For GM Unfamiliar, I honestly don't know any I'd consider doable.