Risus is a complete Role Playing Game (RPG) designed to provide an “RPG Lite” for those nights when the brain is too tired for exacting detail. Risus is especially valuable to GMs assembling a quick convention game, or any late-night beer-and-pretzels outing. While it is essentially a Universal Comedy System, it works just as well for serious play (if you insist!). Best of all, a Risus character takes about 20 seconds to create!
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
Inspiration for the nature of this game comes largely from the sadly out-of-print classic, Ghostbusters, from West End Games, sparked against an idea (Clichés) from DC Heroes. The final shape and form of the game was inspired by Over the Edge, from Atlas Games. Other RPGs (most notably GURPS, FUDGE and Tunnels and Trolls), have also provided valuable inspiration ...
For me, nothing has ever quite caught the magic of the original Dungeons and Dragons rules I picked up sometime in the 1970s. It was a single 8 1/2 x 11 blue book, and it covered only levels 1-5 or so. But it was indescribably wonderful.
Swords and Wizardry is another (I’ve seen several) attempt to recapture that magic that we had before we all became older and White Wolf cynical. The authors write:
In 1974, Gary Gygax (1938-2008) wrote the world’s first fantasy role-playing game, a simple and very flexible set of rules that launched an entirely new genre of gaming. In 1976, the first supplement to these rules was published, with Rob Kuntz as Mr. Gygax’s co-author. Many years later, in the year 2000, Wizards of the Coast allowed the use of most of the material from that game under a license called the Open Game License. What you’re reading is an approximate re-creation of the Gary Gygax original fantasy role-playing game, created using the Open Game License. The re-creation isn’t exact – it’s not allowed to be, and we have treated the original copyright with utmost respect. But while the language in this book may be a little bit less magical than in the original, we believe the rules and system are close enough to reproduce the “lightning in a bottle” of that original edition (often called 0e). In fact, we think Swords & Wizardry is actually a bit better organized and easier to learn than the original. Since the original rules were supplemented with several later books, it’s impossible to nail down any “canon” set of rules for 0e. This is our interpretation of the game, using rules and systems from only the original set of rulebooks and some selected rules-material from the later supplements.
players take on the roles of 60’s secret agents fighting the supernatural. It’s the Austin Powers meets Buffy the Vampire slayer, or the Avengers and Hammer Horror. It’s designed to be a simple, light hearted system with lots of opportunity for heroics. It’s ideal for short, minimum-prep games, for conventions.
The game uses a dice pool system for resolving actions.
A few years ago, I bought a box of Pokethulhu miniatures—little figures that look like Pokemons crossed with Cthulhuian Horrors. I had no idea that there also was a role playing game to go with it. And it’s free! Pokethulhu RPG.
I used to love Star Frontiers; in fact, I still have TWO copies on a shelf in my basement. But it, like so many early role playing games (where’s Bunnies and Burrows now?) is long out of print.
Creature Feature is an innovative role playing game in which the players collaboratively build a monster movie script and play it out to the end.
Game play is split into two phases: script-writing and filming. In script-writing you develop the elements you’ll need for filming: cast, sets, tropes and sub-plots. Filming occurs in 3 acts, and before each act, the group has a script-writing session. Each act consists of several scenes. An act is over when all the tropes for that act have been satisfied. Once all the acts are over, the movie goes into the climax, and either the monster or the cast meet their demise.
I think that there are some interesting elements in this game that could be used to create a truly memorable miniatures game experience.
The Hive is a game set in a world that has been taken over by mobs under the control of an alien mind. Sometime in the late 1960s, London Transport uncovered an alien spacecraft while excavating an extension at the Hobs Lane underground station. There was a lot of publicity about the discovery of Martians in London. However, it ended when a force in the craft awakened. The force took over the minds of those nearby, and welded them into a mob dedicated to killing any who would not join them. A few of the immune have survived.
It’s essentially a zombie scenario: mindless mobs searching out and killing a few survivors.
Simon Washbourne is offering the first edition of his Tales from the Woods RPG as a free download. The revised version you can buy at RPG Now. From the website:
In the game, you create a character who is a creature from the british countryside. Mouse, Vole, Squirrel, Hedgehog and Shrew are amongst the animals that you can choose to take your place in The Wood.
The 50 page rulebook contains the descriptions and stats for the 12 player-creatures (creatures of The Way) as well as the creatures of The Bane, whose numbers include rats, weasels, rooks and adders.
The game comes complete with character sheet and adventures to get you started.
There are many inspirations for this fabulous game including Duncton Wood, Watership Down, The Animals of Farthing Wood, Little Grey Men and so on
Miniature Wargaming is part of the "adventure games" hobby, which includes r ole p laying and board games. Wargamers recreate battles on the tabletop with toy soldiers, like a more complicated game of chess. Models range in height from 6mm to 28mm tall, with 15mm and 25mm being the most popular. There also is a growing interest in toy soldiers and military models, such as the 1/32 and 1/35 scale plastic soldiers from Conte, and Marx.
The most popular miniature wargames are fantasy and science fiction based, such as Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Warmachine and The Lord of the Rings. World War II games such as Flames of War and Axis and Allies are new favorites. Other favorite historical periods include Napoleonics, the American Civil War, and ancients, such as Romans or Greeks. Other gamers enjoy miniature naval wargames, recreating battles like Trafalgar, Jutland and the Coral Sea.
Hobbyists research historical periods and paint their tiny soldiers in accurate uniforms. Others develop "historically realistic" rules sets or build scale battlefield terrain using model railroad techniques.
For pictures, visit the gallery.
Some of the bigger hobby companies are Games Workshop, which produces Warhammer, Wargames Foundry and Old Glory Miniatures. Wizards of the Coast produces several lines of pre-painted miniatures games, such as the Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons miniatures games, and a historical game with pre-painted miniatures: The new Axis and Allies game. Wizkids produces a fantasy collectable miniatures game, such as the Mage Knight and Heroclick fantasy games, the science fiction games MechWarrior and Rocketmen, as well as the quasi-historical Pirates of the Spanish Main.
