Games you can pick up and play

[Wombat]

Over the Edge -- this game is great for introducing non-gamers to gaming (especially if you use a non-Al-Amarja setting). The system is simple, intuitive, and can be boiled down to about 5 pages!
Paranoia -- this is for nights when we don't want to think, just slaughter in a silly manner...

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Toon! would also be another quick pick up and play game.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Mr Samedi]

I add my support for Final Stand, easily the best free RPG on the net.

 

[RFisher]

I'd have to say Risus should be firmly added to the list; the rules are all of six pages, with illustrations, and all characters are a collection of a couple of dice pools.

I started to list Risus. But for me it took probably three encounters with it & reading the Companion before I understood Risus enough to play it.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Wushu is explicitly designed for pick-up-and-play gaming. It plays and sets up extremely fast but can be difficult to grasp.

So is FATE, especially in its Spirit of the Century incarnation. Compared to Wushu, it takes longer to set up but is probably easier to grasp.

For a more traditional experience, the D&D and especially Star Wars miniatures games are both extremely streamlined and easy to grasp for anyone who has played a d20 game, and perfectly servicable as the combat system of an RPG.

Mutants & Masterminds, provided the GM provides pregen characters, plays quite fast.

 

[francisca]

Kobolds Ate My Baby!
and of course the aforementioned Moldvay/Cook B/X

 

[buzz]

Is the primary criterion that the game be easy to use in play, or that it requires little-to-no prep? If the latter, I'd think our list might get narrowed a bit.

 

[jmucchiello]

I started to list Risus. But for me it took probably three encounters with it & reading the Companion before I understood Risus enough to play it.

RISUS does require a certain level of zen-like enlightenment on the GM's part in order to fully grok it.

Of course, most of the listed games can have long chargen if you end up with a player who doesn't understand the genre. Toon is not an "instant on" game unless you have a character made for you. Most of these games listed are like that. Heck, if chargen is eliminated, any cinematic game is pick up and play. Even HERO, GURPS or D&D3.

 

[HellHound]

Is the primary criterion that the game be easy to use in play, or that it requires little-to-no prep? If the latter, I'd think our list might get narrowed a bit.

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Mine meets all three criteria - the two you listed and the secret one too.

1. Easy to use in play - all rolls are resolved with stat + 2d10 vs a flat DC. You can adjust the DC in extreme cases, but typically it remains constant.

2. Little to no prep - if you don't have time to prep a game, the second half of the book is all about quick 'job' generation tables.

3. Quick and easy to read (24 pages including legal information, license and 2 character sheets), and free to get.

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