Risus - The anything RPG ▶️💡✨
Risus is a game full of cliches, both literally and figuratively. Designed for when you just need a system at a moments notice, this slim, rules-lite system would feel home in a modern discussion of Indie RPGs, which meake it even more fascinating that it was first published over 20 years ago.
Name: Risus - The anything RPG
Contributor/s: S. John Ross, Big Dice Games
URL: Publication date: 1993, republished in 2013, then 2021
Price: Free
Risus is a game full of cliches, both literally and figuratively. Designed for when you just need a system at a moments notice, this slim, rules-lite system would feel home in a modern discussion of Indie RPGs, which meake it even more fascinating that it was first published over 20 years ago. Mostly aimed at fun, pulpy action, the core mechanic has the Player characters stats being made up of cliches, with their job being to convince their GM how and why these cliches apply to whatever crazy situation they find themselves in this time. Evoking a feel of action films, high drama and heroic fantasy, Risus does exactly what it sets out to do. The game comes as four dense pages, with cartoony, stick figure illustrations throughout. While the core rules are free, the publisher, Big Dice Games, has a ton of supplements and the larger Risus Companion book available for those that fall in love with the system.