Risus

Overview

Risus: The Anything RPG is a universal, rules-light tabletop role-playing game designed by S. John Ross and published by Cumberland Games & Diversions. Originally released in 1993, with its definitive version 2.0 published in 2013, the system was created as a high-velocity framework to run casual, humorous, or completely impromptu gaming sessions across any narrative genre.

Description

Risus prioritizes improvisational storytelling and minimalist mechanics over granular simulation or tactical grid combat. Instead of tracking traditional numeric attributes, skills, or rigid character classes, characters are defined entirely by broad cultural or narrative tropes called "Clichés." The game operates on a high degree of system abstraction, utilizing a completely unified conflict engine where physical combat, intense debates, artistic competitions, and legal battles are resolved using the exact same mathematical pipeline. While frequently utilized for comedic play due to its loose restrictions, the system's structural logic allows it to be scaled for serious or dramatic campaigns.

Links

drivethrurpg.com https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/170294/risus-the-anything-rpg - DriveThruRPG store page (Free) risusiverse.com https://www.risusiverse.com/ - Risusverse, a community wiki

Other entries

Nimble
Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Nimble

TTRPG
English
Rules-light
Nimble is a fast, tactical (and 5e compatible), TTRPG. Your game nights are too precious to waste with slow or fiddly rules! Slay the slog using the best elements from the greatest RPGs around. Nimble empowers players and GMs with more interesting choices, less waiting around, and have more fun playing epic stories Description Nimble RPG is designed to prioritize speed, tactical decision-making, and reduced administrative tracking for both players and Game Masters. The system condenses character sheets and streamlines the action economy to prevent long waiting periods between player turns. Its primary design philosophy centers on accelerating combat encounters without sacrificing strategic depth, utilizing highly lethal weapon mechanics and dynamic monster behaviors. The game is offered both as a complete standalone system and as a modular "rules hack" booklet that can be integrated directly into an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign. System Overview & Key Features Fast Combat Don’t waste your time rolling to see if you can deal damage, just roll your damage dice! You deal that much damage. Attacks miss on a 1, but rolling the maximum is an EXPLODING Critical Hit! Exploding critical hits Roll the die again and add it to the total. There is no limit to how many times this damage can stack, except your luck! Instant Initiative Get RIGHT into combat with Improved Initiative rules that get players immediately into combat in a way that serves the story without breaking up the flow. Quick to prep Nimble is quick to prep and easy to run. You've got enough going on while GMing—Mechanics are all designed to be easy to manage and track at the table. You can be ready to run an adventure in as little as 5 minutes! And there's no need to for new players to read though endless pages of rules, teach new players as you play. Easy to balance Easy Encounter Creation. No matter the size of your party—whether you play in a cozy group with just 1 or 2 heroes, or a huge group of 8 or more—Encounters are easy and intuitive to build and balance for just the right level of challenge you like. Craft massive scale combat encounters, down to legendary solo encounters. Strategic Weapon System A subtly DEEP weapon system that rewards thoughtful play. No more, “I guess I’ll pick the bigger one...” Every weapon is balanced to have interesting strengths & weaknesses in combat. Additional links nimblerpg.com - Official website and rules repository

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Nobody Wake the Bugbear
Actual Play & Podcasts

Nobody Wake the Bugbear

English
Actual Play
Mothership
Nobody Wake The Bugbear is a finely crafted actual play experience for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG. We are NOT a live stream, each episode is expertly edited for maximum audio quality and clarity so you can join us in the excitement and passion of a group of friends at the table, all the while aiming for the best listening experience. Links youtube.com - Youtube channel nwtb.podbean.com - Podbean feed

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Total Party Chill
Actual Play & Podcasts

Total Party Chill

English
Dungeons & Dragons
Actual Play
Total Party Chill, a San Francisco-based TTRPG studio, specializes in producing a diverse array of content, including Actual Plays, Gaming News Podcasts, D&D Game Shows, and more. Established in 2018, TPC is driven by its mission to craft innovative TTRPG content and products that inspire enthusiasm for gameplay. Campaigns Bad Luck Club A group of failed adventurers get the opportunity to pull cards from the Deck of Many Things. What could possibly go wrong? This Game is Cursef "This Game is Cursed" is a D&D Podcast that follows 4 friends who sat around the table to play a game of D&D. After finding an old fantasy roleplaying game stashed away in a secondhand bookstore, Devon (Dungeon Master) and his four friends sat down to play D&D. After the players chose from the pre-made characters, and began to roll the dice, they were ripped from our reality and Jumanji'd into the game. Now they have to find a way to return home. Treasure Hunt Treasure Hunt is a new D&D actual-play podcast set in a world forever changed by the Age of Dragons. Over a thousand years ago, mortals rose up to slay their draconic overlords, founding dynasties upon the spoils of dragon hoards. Now, long after dragons have faded into legend, whispers emerge of a forgotten lair belonging to one of the most fearsome wyrms, its vast fortune untouched, its location lost to time... Until now. Links totalpartychill.com - Official website youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts feed discord.gg - Discord channel patreon.com - Patreon page

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