Looking for a short, rules lite family RPG

[Staffan]

The Troubleshooters is rules medium-to-light (substantially lighter than D&D5, but heavier than e.g. FATE), and set in an alternate 60s and inspired by Franco-Belgian comics like Tintin or Spirou & Fantasio (I think it leans a bit more toward Spirou than Tintin, as it has a bit more of a fantastical touch). It has more focus on investigation and exploration than combat (though it's not a "pacifist" game by any means). You can find a number of demo/quickplay scenarios at the Troubleshooters Archive, which come with pregenerated characters and pared-down rules.

For those interested in this, Helmgast just added two more quickplay scenarios.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Board games might be a better solution. A lot of them share many aspects of RPGs, including storytelling, character advancement, and campaign play. Here's one of my favorites designed for families and younger children:

Mice & Mystics: Sorrow and Remembrance

Adventure Awaits Living in the wallsLurk things that aren’t nice,That nobody knows ofExcept for the mice. In Mice & Mystics, take on the roles of loyal, adventuring mice and embark on a quest to warn the king and save your imperiled kingdom! Work together in this cooperative, story-driven...

www.zmangames.com

Mice and Mystics is a cooperative adventure game in which players work together to save an imperiled kingdom. They will face countless adversaries such as rats, cockroaches, and spiders, and of course the greatest of all horrors: the castle's housecat, Brodie. Mice and Mystics is a boldly innovative game that thrusts players into an ever-changing, interactive environment, and features a rich storyline that the players create as they play the game!