I am looking for some extremely basic RPG system, on the line of Swords & Wizardry, a system that fits in less than 10 pages and one could learn in a single evening.
I am looking for an universal system, but more specifically aimed at fantasy. I was thinking about something extremely easy, where you just roll a 6-sided die for just about any resolution.
Is there something like that around?
I have heard about tri-stat, basic rp system, harp (maybe even true20?) but haven0t read anything yet. S&W looks alluring, but I would like something a bit more universal/consistent/sophisticated in its simplicity, some sort of hypoercondensed Hero System if you know what I mean.
I was always a fan of FUDGE, which is a little bigger than you want, and its 1d6-based cousin The Ladder which might be just what you're after.
You could try GURPS Lite (which is free!). It's 32 pages but the actual rules section is probably less than half of that...a lot of the document being character-building components such as advantages/disadvantages, etc.
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/
Hope that helps.
M
Microlite d20 just plain sexy.
Agreed, but it's not any more universal than Swords & Wizardry. It might even be less so.
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Microlite d20 just plain sexy.Agreed, but it's not any more universal than Swords & Wizardry. It might even be less so.
Add in Modern Microlite d20 and I guess all your missing is Sci-Fi - but based on the fantasy and modern microlite shouldn't be too hard to add in the odd thing like psionics (cheat - rename spells...) and more powerful guns.
Four page RPG. First page is character creation, second page is how to play the game. Third page is how to GM that system, 4th page is a more advanced GMing system.
Very much focused on getting players into roleplaying their characters.
Plus, it's on the donation-ware model; read it, and if you find it useful, send me a donation at the email address on the bottom of the page via PayPal.
Barbarians of Lemuria is quite good, rule light, and very interresting.
The first (free) version is still around, and the "legendary edition" you can buy on drivethrurpg is really great.
It's sword and sorcery to the core, and uses D6.
If you want a condensed "Hero" or "Gurps" you can't loose trying Savage World. For 10$, you get a very complete, easy to pick, modular, universal system.
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You could take a look at Risus. It's about as barebones as I can imagine, it's compact and it applies for any setting at all. The fact that it's free and like 8 pages or something is amazing.
The most basic RPG I've found is in X-treme Dungeon Mastery (by Tracy Hickman).
But, it requires that players trust the GM, and that the GM is comfortable thinking of rules on the fly.
Example:
ME: My warrior fires his laser pistol at the evil robot.
GM: You're a warrior, so roll a d20 and beat a 6.
OTHER PLAYER: I do the same thing!
GM: You're playing an engineer, so beat a 12.
Doesn't get much simpler than that . . . .
As far as simple systems go, one you might consider is Dogs in the Vineyard.
The system could probably be sumed up on two pages, and is pretty interesting.
Untold - so easy you can learn in minutes - literally. :)
Atomic Sock Monkey's PDQ. I think it is a little over 10 pages, but it is very rules light and free.
I like Adventure Squad. I'm using it to run a game for N00b players at a con this winter.
I'm also a fan of Explosions & Escapes.
Hiya.
What about "Advanced Fighting Fantasy" (or "Fighting Fantasy", or even "Sorcery!")? May just track down any of the core 'choose your own path' books (aka. Warlock on Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon, etc.) and you pretty much have the rules. Dirt simple. :)
Well, since we're playing thread necromancer, I'll help:
A really, really basic, bare-bones RPG system: Story Bones.
It is SUPER simple, great for a pick up game or to introduce someone to RPGs. You seriously only need scratch paper, a pencil, and dice. The dice have to have both odd and even numbers on them, that's the only requirement for what kind of dice you need.
It is a fairly universal system--not particularly suited toward fantasy than anything else and by default it starts at a low power level, but you can adapt to your needs pretty quickly.
One of the most fun games I ever ran was a Story Bones game. I came in with no plan other than a location for the game. I said to the players, "You can play whatever concept you want as long as you can come up with a reason for it being at this place (and accept you're all the same low-ish power level)." Character creation was finished in 20 minutes (with me writing up a couple NPCs on the fly while the players finished their characters) and we had a good three hour or so one-shot game that I ran by the seat of my pants and had a blast.
I have to give a +1 for Risus
http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm
Very fast to learn, I have had great success playing this game with people who've had no background in gaming/fantasy at all.
Does nobody remember TWERPS? The World's Easiest Roleplaying System? There weren't any "books", they were "pamphlets" (maybe ten pages long...in actual book format, it would have translated to maybe a page and a half of material). The only die used was a "2d10", which was actually a single 20-sided die (the old-school kind, that didn't color the numbers, but came with a wax crayon so you could color the pips yourself...I still have a gang of those things from my OD&D sets). Characters had one stat...Strength, that everything else was based upon. The pamphlets took five minutes to read, characters could be rolled up in less than five minutes, and if someone new to role playing games couldn't figure it out in fifteen minutes, then you knew that they needed to find a new hobby (like licking rocks or something).
And on top of all that, it was a generic system...StarTWERPS, CyberTWERPS, DungeonTWERPS, KungFuTWERPS, etc. All of which took an equally trivial amount of time to read and understand. In short, perfect for the RPGer on the go, or on a budget.
I never played TWERPS but I certainly remember seeing the pamphlets in my gaming store. If anyone I knew had tried it, I know I would have bought some myself. However, I wasn't gonna be first on the block. :)
Greg