Your favorite pickup game?

[Umbran]

I had to cancel my gaming session this evening, due to a combination of illness and schedule conflict on the parts of a couple of players, and the fact that I didn't have a contingency plan in place.

I should have had a backup plan, a pickup game to use, something that doesn't require plot continuity or huge numbers of rules to be fun for an evening's play.

So, what's your favorite pick-up game?

 

[samursus]

Usually boardgames or watching a movie...

The group I play with are over 50% complete newbies to RPGs and couldn't pick up a new ruleset very quickly.

 

[Tharian]

What I've done in the past in those situations is pull out some pregens of the appropriate level and run the remaining players through a small one-shot of some sort, usually a small adventure (like an LFR or Pathfinder Society type of adventure).

Other times, we've done what samursus has mentioned and just pulled some DVDs or boardgames off the shelf and have a go at those. My Roar and Firefly DVD sets tend to be the most common choices.

Basically, a chance to unwind and have food and drink are the only requirements we set in place for times when not enough players are around.

 

[Nameless1]

Best. Pick-up. Evar.

 

[slwoyach]

Apples to Apples
Anything from Cheap Ass Games.
Backup campaigns.
Risk.
Etc.

 

[Aus_Snow]

In a Wicked Age, most recently. Zero prep? Yep, we gotcha covered.

A other times, a quick-start and quick-play fantasy game of choice (e.g., Dragon Warriors) + an adventure (or more than one, linked) from the intarwebs = win.

 

[ancientvaults]

Barbarians of Lemuria. Sorcery & Super Science! or Call of Cthulhu.
edit: Oh, and vs. Monsters.

 

[DragonLancer]

We usually drag out the Arkham Horror boardgame but I have a few scenarios ready for All Flesh Must Be Eaten just in case.

 

[beverson]

For a roleplaying fix, Fiasco is an awesome pickup game. For non-roleplaying, my group enjoys Cutthroat Caverns, Ninja Burger, and the Paranoia Card Game (which we need to play again soon!)

 

[TarionzCousin]

"I lost my number--can I have yours?"







... um, what?