Suggest a system? Please?

[Epsilon Rose]

I'm thinking of suggesting a pen and paper game to my family as a sort of "family game night" type of deal and to help work on my younger brother (both getting him to read more and working on his temper issues).

I was wondering if any one could suggest any games that could do the following:

1. Good for 3 people.
2. Easy to learn (my mother's not a gamer and my brother tends to stick to halo [though he does play PSU]).
3. Possibly allow dm switching.
4. Not entirely combat focused would be nice.

Any other tips for pulling this off or making it go well would be appreciated.

Oh, and before some one suggests it, I would like something with slightly a more involved set of rules than risus.

Thank you.

[Ranos]

Everyone is john can be good for a one-off type of game. Not too serious or involved, but it can be a great deal of fun.

[wayfare]

The Fudge/Fate System is pretty basic, and it allows for a lot of narrative control for the players. Check out the Dresden Files RPG or the General fate site for more info.

[dsmiles]

Two words:

Mouse Guard

[Tengu_temp]

Risus is as simple as it gets.

[UserClone]

The Princes' Kingdom is based on the rules of the critically-acclaimed Dogs in the Vineyard, and is a lot of fun, because it features a fairly simple system (with open-ended stats, such as "I'm a Prince," "I can transform into a fox" and "I'm pretty good with a bo-staff"), but also has a little bit of bidding/gambling, a bit of resource management, morality/ethics, and buckets of imagination and quick thinking, loads of fun.

Faery's Tale Deluxe is a sweet-ass RPG. Very simple system, no character death, TONS of potential source material, bit of resource management and some player authorship thrown in for good measure. Includes bunches of tips for playing with small kids and a couple for diceless and LARP play. Three adventures included, ready to run. It's worth noting I plan to run this for my three young nieces and even younger nephew (ages 4-12) in the near future.

Ancient Oddyseys: Treasure Awaits! hearkens back to OD&D, but with rules that make things easy to resolve, and then they get out of the way. This is the one for you if you want to show 'em how to kick in the door, whack the monster, dodge the trap, and snag the treasure.

Universalis is the ultimate sandbox. There is no GM, and you don't control one particular character the whole time. Unlimited choices, conflict is encouraged, but never forced. Character ownership swaps hands from scene to scene (and possibly multiple times within a scene). Lots of freedom and imagination involved, but imagination is also REQUIRED, so beware. Still great fun, and a whole different feel from your standard RPG.

Yes, I own all 4. Yes, legally and paid for. Yes, I have read them all in their entirety. No, I have not run them all. Only Faery's Tale so far, and with great success.

EDIT: Oh, and it is worth noting that Faery's Tale is not combat heavy. The system (and the fact that your character is a couple of inches tall...) rewards cleverness and daring more than combat ability in most cases.

[Jude_H]

I like InSpectres a lot. It has very simple rules, no emphasis on fighting and a structure that really encourages fun, silly, kicked-back games. Its hard mechanics could probably be comprehensively summed up in a couple pages, so that shouldn't be a problem. It's like Ghostbusters or Men in Black: the RPG, so it's pretty thematically accessible, even to people who aren't genre nerds.

[dsmiles]

I'd also recommend the new Gamma World. It's a bit combat-heavy, but it is SO MUCH FUN! It can get expensive if you want new Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech, though. $4 per booster pack. I think they're 8 cards apiece. (I bought a box of them online for like $33, in the store it would be $64, I think.)

Alternatively, I'll also recommend Munchkin. It's a card game! It's a roleplaying game! It's more fun that you should be legally allowed to have!

[Optimator]

Mutants and Masterminds is easy to learn and DM.

[onthetown]

I've become enamored by Runequest these days. I'm not sure if DMing it is easy (our DM seems to have to prepare a lot and know a lot of rules), but he set us up and easily taught us the system.

The system seems to just be: roll d100. Is it below the number you have for what you were trying to do? Awesome, you succeeded. Put a check beside that skill/attack and you have the chance to train it up next time you rest.

[Tengu_temp]

Mutants and Masterminds is easy to learn and DM.

For a one-shot with people who never played RPGs before? I have to disagree.

[comicshorse]

Call of Cthulhu- simple rules, set in the real world (mostly) so easily explainable background, investigation not combat based

[Ravens_cry]

Mutants and Masterminds is easy to learn and DM.

I am sorry, but I really, really do not see that. Maybe if you are using pre-generated characters at low power levels, but for first timers to pick up that book and try and tease a character they would like to play from that tangled skien of a quicksand box? No offence meant, but I just can't see how you could recommend that in all seriousness for absolute newbies.
Maybe try Fourth Edition D&D? I fonud it fairly easy to follow.

[serok42]

If your family is into Doctor Who at all I would suggest Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space.

It is a fairly simple system 2d6 is all you will ever roll. Lots of role play opportunity. Can have as much or as little combat as you would like.

[Yora]

Two words:

Mouse Guard

Exactly: Is the new box set out yet?

[Dan2]

Two words:

Mouse Guard

I also have to recommend this. It isn't quite as good as Burning Wheel in dealing with small groups, but it's pretty slimmed down in comparison.
It's also definitely not entirely combat focused.

That said, I'd also have to recommend D&D 4th edition. The game is definitely geared in the direction of combat, but it's not terribly hard to learn and you can always emphasize the non-combat part of the game.
The very "board-game feel" that bothers so many people can be used to your advantage.

[UserClone]

That said, I'd also have to recommend D&D 4th edition. The game is definitely geared in the direction of combat, but it's not terribly hard to learn and you can always emphasize the non-combat part of the game.
The very "board-game feel" that bothers so many people can be used to your advantage.

I would not recommend this at all. Adults who have played tabletop games before have sometimes had trouble grokking this game at first. Just no.

That said, forgot all about Mouse Guard. Cool game. Haven't really considered using it with kids though...while the subject matter seems kid-like, in reality, the game is more Watership Down than it is Secret of NIMH.

So in order, I'd most likely recommend:

1. Faery's Tale. It's easy to learn, easy to run, and the subject is very fun and kid-friendly.
2. The Princes' Kingdom. Easy and open-ended skill/relationship/gear system. Subject matter is as light or heavy as you want it to be.
3. Mouse Guard. System is slightly trickier than the other two, and you get a lot more battered (and eaten). Still very fun to be a mouse hero!)

[Kurald Galain]

That said, I'd also have to recommend D&D 4th edition. The game is definitely geared in the direction of combat, but it's not terribly hard to learn

Not hard to learn? You're talking about one of the most complex RPGs on the market. I would most definitely not recommend this to any kind of beginner, except if they're heavily into gaming already. Seriously, any game with more than a couple dozen pages of rules in its main book is not good to get anyone into the hobby.

I'd recommend to go with any rules-light system. Several good ones have already been suggested above.

[dsmiles]

Exactly: Is the new box set out yet?

Amazon.com has it's release date as July 2011. That's as specific as they get.

I also have to recommend this. It isn't quite as good as Burning Wheel in dealing with small groups, but it's pretty slimmed down in comparison.
It's also definitely not entirely combat focused.

Waitwaitwaitwait. Doesn't deal well with small groups?

It's designed for small groups.

@UserClone: It's funny you should mention those. I plan on running Secret of NIMH for my kids this summer in MG.

[Totally Guy]

Amazon.com has it's release date as July 2011. That's as specific as they get.

They've had it for next month since the box set was announced in october...

But in better news the creators twittered this picture of the map markers the other day.

[UserClone]

@UserClone: It's funny you should mention those. I plan on running Secret of NIMH for my kids this summer in MG.

Oh, don't get me wrong, you CAN do that with it. You can do whatever you want with it. I was referring to the default setting, as opposed to 'everything that is possible.'

[Marillion]

If your family is a fan of swashbuckling, I would recommend 7th Sea. The setting is very fun, basically 18th century Europe with the names changed, and the system greatly encourages roleplaying. It's not terribly rules-heavy, and only uses one size of dice: basically, you add up how many ranks you have in a trait (Brawn, Finesse, Wits, etc) plus how many ranks you have in a skill (Lifting, Attack, Diplomacy, etc), and roll that many dice. You count however many dice as you have in that trait towards your total, re-rolling 10s. For example, if the total you need to lift something is 20, and you have 3 ranks in Brawn and 2 in Lifting, you roll 5 dice and keep the highest three of them. If you roll 4, 3, and 10, you re-roll that ten and add that number (5) to the total as well, giving you a total of 22. It doesn't really get much more complicated than that, and I picked up the system easily the first time I played.

And while there can be a lot of time spent in combat (although it's not a requirement, there's plenty of fun to be had without fighting) it's still family-friendly because when you win, the enemy doesn't immediately die; they're just knocked out or can't fight anymore.

It really is great fun.

[Lord Vampyre]

First you need to decide which genre you want to start your family playing. There are generic systems that don't focus on genre, but they tend to be fairly complex and require a lot of work from the GM.

Now, you mentioned that your brother plays Halo. By this I'm assuming he'd probably be capable of moderate level complexity in rules mechanics. Considering this, I would suggest White Wolf's World of Darkness system. You can either go with the new or the old system. Both have their pros and cons. If you want something lighter, go with Changeling or Mage. They are both set in the World of Darkness.

If you want a more fantasy genre, D&D 4e is easy for new players to pick up, but doesn't have the versatility that the D20 system has.

Now, if you want to play more of a science fiction setting, I would suggest the non-D20 version of Star Wars. That is if you can find it. Otherwise, just go with the D20 version.

Horror/Mystery campaign - Call of Cthulhu works pretty well.

Super Hero game - I'd probably go with Heroes Unlimited.

A system that will let you do everything: GURPS. It will require a lot of extra effort on your part however.

[The Rose Dragon]

Faery's Tale Deluxe. For both new roleplayers and teaching people lessons, accept no substitutes. Side effects may include a penchant for overly cute things, clapping your hands because you believe and having ungodly amounts of fun.

[UserClone]

Faery's Tale Deluxe. For both new roleplayers and teaching people lessons, accept no substitutes. Side effects may include a penchant for overly cute things, clapping your hands because you believe and having ungodly amounts of fun.

Wow. Well put.

[Magnema]

Kobolds Ate My Baby (Super Deluxx Edition) is fun. You die a lot, and that is an inherent part of the game. This is OK because it takes almost no time whatsoever to create a new character. The rulebook is funny and fun to read, and you can get playing within a session. Furthermore, there is a pregenerated adventure in the back of the book, so you can play without even having to pick it up. Oh, and did I mention that the rulebook is really small, too? It's one of my favorite systems to play short and funny adventures, and so I heartily recommend it.

TL;DR: Kobolds Ate My Baby (Super Deluxx Edition) is easy and fun-to-learn, quick, and funny, and I recommend it.

[kyoryu]

I've become enamored by Runequest these days. I'm not sure if DMing it is easy (our DM seems to have to prepare a lot and know a lot of rules), but he set us up and easily taught us the system.

The system seems to just be: roll d100. Is it below the number you have for what you were trying to do? Awesome, you succeeded. Put a check beside that skill/attack and you have the chance to train it up next time you rest.

I have to second this, just because Steve's a friend of mine.

[Lord Loss]

I'm thinking of suggesting a pen and paper game to my family as a sort of "family game night" type of deal and to help work on my younger brother (both getting him to read more and working on his temper issues).

I was wondering if any one could suggest any games that could do the following:

1. Good for 3 people.
2. Easy to learn (my mother's not a gamer and my brother tends to stick to halo [though he does play PSU]).
3. Possibly allow dm switching.
4. Not entirely combat focused would be nice.

Any other tips for pulling this off or making it go well would be appreciated.

Oh, and before some one suggests it, I would like something with slightly a more involved set of rules than risus.

Thank you.

I'm currently running an excellent game of Crimes People Play a rules light detective RPG that can be learnt in a few minutes. My friend hates D&D cause it's rules heavy but loves this system. There's also little to no combat, and I'm running a 4-player game (3 + me, the GM) with it. As long as you like mysteries, it's great and flavorful. I've used it for detective RPGs and, now, a Call of Cthulhu campaign, and it could work well with a few other genres (although it's designed for mysteries of some sort). Character creation can be sorta complex if you,ve never gamed, but it's ridiculously simple once you get through that. And best of all, it's free!

PDF

[LibraryOgre]

Risus is a good starting point. It's free, very flexible, and character creation is a snap (Pick 3 or more things about your character. Rate them 1-4, with no more than 10 points in total). It's downside is that it's a bit freeform... if you need structure to work with, it doesn't support you.

[Knaight]

The Fudge/Fate System is pretty basic, and it allows for a lot of narrative control for the players. Check out the Dresden Files RPG or the General fate site for more info.

This. Incidentally both Fudge and Fate are free, and they are two very different systems, and as such both are worth looking at.