Time for bed. We already missed the 23:00 deadline. Noooo! How can we be so weak willed?
Does anybody have a link to a list of 2d6 based role-playing games shorter than 30 pages? I often see them and nod and think that’s cool, and then I forget them and that’s not cool. I feel like collecting them on a wiki page or something like that. The page limit is there so I don’t have to list all the straight Traveller and Cepheus systems, to be honest. I like my games short, these days. The Traveller Book is 160 pages. Cepheus Engine V1 is 172 pages. So: I’m looking for shorter games!
I have Halberts, by @kensanata, @frotz, @phf, 16 pages.
The one that set me on this track was perhaps World of Dungeons by @johnharper, 3 pages.
I just discovered this one by accident, also by @johnharper: World of Dungeons: Turbo—Breakers. Sounds interesting, in 4 pages.
World of Dungeons: Turbo—Breakers
Yesterday's Tomorrow by @stras is “a retro cyberpunk RPG Powered by the Apocalypse” in 23 pages.
I recent saw Simple Fantasy Adventure by @audreygwinter, 16 pages.
If I find a lot more, I’m going to make a table. 😄
(I’m only going to list pages of games I actually have a copy of – and for the moment that means that I have an electronic copy and I’m not going to spend money just to verify that the game qualifies. So that explains why the games that got published in Codex or don’t have a free copy for download somewhere aren’t listed.)
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I realised that this is not the first time I’m interested in these games: 2019-08-28 How about 2d6. But Fenris 2d6 by Gregory B. MacKenzie is 178 pages; Pits & Perils by James & Robyn George is 80 pages; Troika! Numinous Edition by Daniel Sell is 120 pages.
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@soypunk suggested the following:
Lamplight Fantasy Roleplaying game – Core Rules Third Edition, by Craig Cartmell, 2 pages. Lots more to find on the Dead Simple Roleplaying Rules Downloads page.
Lamplight Fantasy Roleplaying game – Core Rules Third Edition
Dead Simple Roleplaying Rules Downloads
PDQ, by Chad Underkoffler, 13 pages.
Tunnel Goons, by Nate Treme, 4 pages.
The HODAG RPG, 22 pages.
World of Dungeons & hacks & iterations, which in turn list the following:
World of Dungeons & hacks & iterations
Streets of Mos Eisley, by Zach Wolf, 21 pages. Mos Eisley is a spaceport on Tatooine, from Star Wars.
World of Shadows, by Zack Wolf, 3 pages. I’m assuming “running the shadows in Seattle” is a reference to Shadowrun.
Rovers, by Catherine Ramen, 7 pages. “A retro Space Opera hack of World of Dungeons: Turbo”
Offworlders, Chris P. Wolf and Olivia Gulin, a very close call with 33 pages but that page count includes cover and all that. Sounds like Traveller: “a science fiction roleplaying game about adventurers, outlaws, and guns for hire making their fortune on the rough end of the galaxy.”
Mass Effect SR-X, unknown authors, 21 pages.
WoDu Gamma 7.1, by Wayne Peacock, 8 pages. The “World of Dungeons & hacks & iterations” thread linked above has links to different formats.
Phasers + Photons, by Qwo, 5 pages. Everything you need for Star Trek: “special abilities for 36 Star Trek species, a unique item random table, and a ’forehead alien’ generation table.” More games on the Qwo page, like Salt & Strife, by Qwo, 27 pages, “set in the early modern period, c. 1400s-1800s … fight the villains of the age: hijack empires & kidnap societies, the vile upper classes, soldiers, and the so-called ’Great Men’ who command them.” This is more “More Powered by the Apocalypse”, I guess.
Beasts & Barrows, by brine, 15 pages.
#RPG #2d6
(Please contact me if you want to remove your comment.)
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Barbarians of Lemuria and its offspring are 2d6-based and most are under 200 pages, particularly the earlier versions of the game, which are at around 40 and 100 pages. https://barbariansoflemuria.webs.com/earlier-editions
https://barbariansoflemuria.webs.com/earlier-editions
– 2023-04-29 22:23 UTC
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“Reavers and Rogues” is a new 2d6 game where you basically create a Conan-style character and play out a sword-and-sorcery short story. It’s under 30 pages, I think.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/430916
– Joseph Lewis 2023-04-30 00:05 UTC
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Yeah, with 40 or more pages, Barbarians of Lemuria definitely does not qualify for “30 pages or less”.
My German edition of Barbarians of Lemuria in my bookshelf is about 160 A5 pages so it definitely does not qualify. 😅
– Alex 2023-04-30 06:53 UTC
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No list, but Maze Rats (12 pages) and Tunnel Goons (can easily fit on 1 page) are 2d6-based and brilliant:
– Dodorian 2023-04-30 10:27 UTC
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@soypunk also recommended stuff that cost money which I didn’t want to spend, so I can’t verify page counts.
Adventurers! Revised 2Pages Edition by Umberto Pignatelli, for less than $1. The name says “2Pages” so I’m guessing it’s 2 pages long. 😀
Adventurers! Revised 2Pages Edition
FIST! (”Freelance Infantry Strike Team”) by CLAYMORE, page count unknown, for $10. There’s an amazing number of compatible products.
Freebies by Two Hour Wargames have “a bit of a skirmish game flair but room for roleplaying”. I wonder what that means? Would Chainmail qualify? There are two products: Chain Reaction and Swordplay.
Champions of Wrath & Sorrow, by @trollishdelver, pay what you want, suggested $2, 11 pages.
Gorgon Rot, by @trollishdelver, for $1.
Blood in the Roots by @trollishdelver, for $2.
Somnium Void - USR Space Opera Setting by @trollishdelver, pay what you want, suggested $1, is based on USR 2.0 (”Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying”), also pay what you want, suggested $1.
Somnium Void - USR Space Opera Setting
Scherzo, by @tam, pay what you want, “a story-first OSR-compatible solo retroclone”. I’m not too interested in solo games. This one also says: “It can also be run as a duet or with several players, with or without a GM.” I wonder how that works at the table. Like a solo game with oracles that allow players to play-tell a story, together? I’m usually interested in the exploration of fictional spaces that have a kind of independent existence, so GM-less games don’t have a lot of appeal, to me. But then again, any GM-less game could be played with a GM? Unless it’s a journaling game?
D6xD6 Dungeons RPG - Zine Edition, by @lestersmith, 48 pages, for $10. What can I say? @soypunk says the extra pages are “bestiary and some adventure building ideas” but I still think that’s too long.
D6xD6 Dungeons RPG - Zine Edition
Action Dice, by Zozer Games, for $3.90. “Like the solo game books that inspired it, the game is rules-light, easy to understand and lightning fast at the table.”
I think I’m starting to see a pattern in my own preferences.
An interesting question, though. A 2d6 system is a game where you roll two six sided dice and add them together. But one of the games listed above is a 1d6×1d6 system. And what about Fate games that you play with 1d6-1d6? At least 1d6-1d6 > 0 is the equivalent of 2d6 ≥ 8, no?
– Alex 2023-04-30 11:30 UTC
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@nickwedig recommends Swords Without Master, by @Epidiah, for $3.99.
– Alex 2023-04-30 11:32 UTC
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@ofdiceandmen recommends “one-page one-shots” by Grant Howitt such as Honey Heist and The Witch is Dead. When I looked at Honey Heist it wasn’t a strict 2d6 system by a 1d6 system with advantages and disadvantages. That in turn reminded me of all the Lasers & Feelings and related games like Sorcerers & Sellswords. A different category, for sure!
See 2019-01-05 Lasers & Feelings for more.
– Alex 2023-04-30 11:37 UTC
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@bluetyson also recommends Maze Rats, by Questing Beast Games, for $4.99.
– Alex 2023-04-30 11:39 UTC
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@ng76 reviewed Sherwood on Sherwood: A review and custom character sheet for a Robin Hood RPG, by Richard Ruane, for $4.50.
Sherwood: A review and custom character sheet for a Robin Hood RPG
– Alex 2023-04-30 11:43 UTC
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I’d love to suggest my game Sunset Kills – it’s a Powered by the Apocalypse game (2d6-based) in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s short, and it’s free!
– Jesse Ross 2023-04-30 14:27 UTC