So many games to choose from.

[Clepto]

My regular group just started the Call of Cthulhu module, Mask of Nyarlathotep. That's probably going to take several month, then we start Day of the Beasts. As a favor to our GM, I offered to run a quick(ish) game in between so everyone can get a break. And, he hasn't played in anything in at least five years (always the GM).

Does anyone have any recommendations? Here's a list of games/supplements that I either own, or have access to, in no particular order:

*D&D (3.5/4/Pathfinder)
*Iron Kingdoms (D&D supplement)
nWoD
Exalted
D20 Modern (probably play something futurish if we do this one)
*Star Wars (D20 and SAGA, and I can possibly score the old d6 version as well)
M&M
*Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch
Spycraft
Savage Worlds
Shadowrun
*Paranoia
*Men in Black (don't judge me)
TMNT (I own just this one book, I was young, and not into roleplaying yet, and didn't really know what I was buying. I mean c'mon it had Ninja Turtles in it. I don't own any of the other Palladium books from this era.)

* The asterisk next to a name means I've run this before.


Anyway, any help you guys and gals could provide would be greatly appreciated.

[arguskos]

What's he like? Run whatever he wants to play, it's for him, after all.

[WitchSlayer]

Quick game? You can't go wrong with Gamma World.

[Kuma Kode]

Depends on everyone's familiarity with the systems. If everyone knows D&D pretty well but has never played anything else, you're probably better off with sticking to D&D/d20 Modern even if it may not perfectly fit the idea.

The time taken to learn a new system will not be paid back over the short-term.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Dark Heresy or Paranoia are two good ones for one-shots (The Computer/Inquisitor commands that you kill/crush/maim/investigate the mutants/heretics/xenos!). Both are high-lethality, fun, not too hard to play, and again, you have a ready-made excuse for a quick one-shot campaign.

Paranoia is probably better if you want to do something more silly, Dark Heresy if you want to do something more serious.

[rayne_dragon]

If you've been playing Call of Cthulhu, then I think your best bet is to run Paranoia and to do it as campily and sillily as you can. Nothing relaxes one from fighting to delay the inevitable end of the world by Eldritch Horrors like shooting up clones of your friends for fun, profit, and Friend Computer's whims.

[Clepto]

If you've been playing Call of Cthulhu, then I think your best bet is to run Paranoia and to do it as campily and sillily as you can. Nothing relaxes one from fighting to delay the inevitable end of the world by Eldritch Horrors like shooting up clones of your friends for fun, profit, and Friend Computer's whims.

Dark Heresy or Paranoia are two good ones for one-shots (The Computer/Inquisitor commands that you kill/crush/maim/investigate the mutants/heretics/xenos!). Both are high-lethality, fun, not too hard to play, and again, you have a ready-made excuse for a quick one-shot campaign.

Paranoia is probably better if you want to do something more silly, Dark Heresy if you want to do something more serious.

I perhaps should have explained better. By quick campaign, I really mean four to six sessions. We usually play every week or two weeks, so ideally it should take a month to two months. By comparison, our usual D&D and Cthulhu campaigns are typically six months or more.

I would LOVE to run Paranoia. It's been a long time, and I think our GM would have a blast. Unfortunately, I don't think it would be received well by a couple of the players. Two of the players are still relatively new to roleplaying (with no prior gaming experience to speak of), and I'm not sure PVP would be very well received.

Dark Heresy might be doable though. Even the non-gamers in the group have at least a passing familiarity with the 40k universe thanks to my near-obsession, and the other two used to play 40k. That one definitely goes on the list.

Depends on everyone's familiarity with the systems. If everyone knows D&D pretty well but has never played anything else, you're probably better off with sticking to D&D/d20 Modern even if it may not perfectly fit the idea.

The time taken to learn a new system will not be paid back over the short-term.

I completely agree with you about taking too long to learn a new system. D20 Modern might be the way to go. I have access to most of the supplements, so running a tech level 7 or so shouldn't be a problem.

Some other systems might be simple enough to teach quickly without people getting overwhelmed, so I'll keep an eye out.

Quick game? You can't go wrong with Gamma World.

Heh. For a party game, I'd definitely agree, but I can't see stretching that out very far. It'd be like playing a game of Munchkin that lasts four sessions.

What's he like? Run whatever he wants to play, it's for him, after all.

He's pretty laid back. He's already told me he's down to play pretty much anything. The problem is trying to come up with something that the whole group is okay with playing.