Best free RPG?

[crash2455]

So as I keep just throwing around the forums, I ran a Wushu game last night.  I had wanted to run a game for awhile, but was sorta nervous about it because I like to be able to pad out my games with combat, and Wushu combat lasts for maybe 2 rounds.  I liked the system, as did everyone else, but it's a pretty solid mental strain to play that game for more than 2 hours.  I think the last time I felt that drained after a game was a M&M session that ended up going on for like 6 hours.

[clockworkjoe]

running a good rules light game is more mentally taxing than one would initially think. Since less time is spent on game mechanics, you have to make up for it with story and role playing.

[Kroack]

oh rly?

"I need work"

[crash2455]

running a good rules light game is more mentally taxing than one would initially think. Since less time is spent on game mechanics, you have to make up for it with story and role playing.

better?

[clockworkjoe]

oh rly?

"I need work"

what

[crash2455]

I believe he's calling shenanigans on your "story and roleplaying argument" by citing your Cinco De Mayo game.

[clockworkjoe]

I believe he's calling shenanigans on your "story and roleplaying argument" by citing your Cinco De Mayo game.

there were margaritas involved

also in rules light games, you can't pad out sessions with long fights - you have to have more content because the players will chew through fights quickly.

[Addled GM]

   I find rules light games to be much, much harder to run than that of a more structured game.  This is simply a result of the limited amount of time that a GM has to respond to the players being coupled with the limited amount of dice rolls to determine failure and success.

Take this 3.5 example:  

    A thief is leading the party down a hallway with a trap in the middle and a door at the end.

     A thief first needs to find a trap.  Time for a roll.  Time for calculations.  Then if the trap is found, a second roll to disable it.  Time for roll. Time for calculation.  If he doesn't find the trap. Time for GM to roll damage. Time for calculation and determination of effects. Time for player to subtract hitpoints and call GM asshole.
      
The thief then goes to the door.  Looks at the door for traps.  Rolls.  Calculates.  Listens at the door.  Rolls.  Calculates.  Picks lock.  Rolls calculates.  Then opens or has the fighter bust down the door.  More rolls.  More calculation.

     All in all that's about five wasted minutes of game time to go down a hallway.  A rules light game cuts that number of rolls down to less than half or none at all. This means that if the time it takes to do things like this are cut down, then the amount of content must also be doubled so that the same amount of time can be filled.  This in turn means the GM must work twice as hard on the game to keep it flowing.

     In my experience, running a rules light game is less math intensive than a more structured game so it takes more ability to roleplay and come up with ideas on the fly.  A rules light game focuses on narrative and roleplaying (even if Mr. T is eating Gremlins) whereas a structured game  focuses on die rolls in order to create a game with a sense of fairness.

     I find that rules light games tend to fall prey to the "nuh-uh.  No way you do that" problem and structured games fall prey to the "well the book says it works like that" conundrum, so nothing's perfect.  

  



    

[VampireVladd]

I tried to pick up the Risus but the site looked down. Where can I get the PDF?

[crash2455]

The site's working fine for me.  Try again.