[Elektrycerze3]

Hoi!

Let me begin by saying that my gaming group loves SR5. We are playing every weekend, sometimes even on weekdays in the evening. Really great game.

In fact it's so good, we are unwilling to spoil it by playing when some players are missing. You might know the thing: you have an awesome plan for a run, but then the decker player has to work late hours and your mage is on duty that day. And playing without them just won't be the same.

Anyways, as we get together nonetheless, why not play something else, right? At first, we tried to fill the gap by playing boardgames, but soon they turned bore-games. I'm getting a bit choo-choo playing Ticket to Ride that often.

So we decided to find some RPG for such surprise Shadowrunless nights.

Can you please recommend some games that fit the following criteria?
- The game should be simple mechanics-wise. We know D&D and Pathfinder, but that won't do the trick as there is too much number-crunching involved.
- The game can be played like a TV series. The players involved will rotate quite a bit, and we want to be able to play every scenario from the beggining to an end in around 4-5 hours.

I'm entertaining an idea of playing a Star Trek RPG (I know nothing about different rulesets though) or a Doctor Who RPG (I've seen an episode about it on GameGeeks once), but I'd love to hear what you have to say =)

Thanks in advance!

[Mirikon]

You could try Mutants and Masterminds. 95% of the number crunching is front-loaded, as it is a points-based, effects-based system. After that, things run on the d20 model. Runs really smooth, and it really doesn't have as much to keep track of once you're used to the system. And since it is superheroes, I'm sure you can figure out how to do a rotating cast with that.

Alternatively, my gaming group also has board games for times when too many people are missing, or we just don't feel up to running the game that week. Settlers of Catan and Betrayal at House on the Hill are two of the favorites, though games like Munchkin, Three Dragon Ante, and such are popular too. Settlers is a classic game, so you should have someone in the group who knows it already. Betrayal is essentially every horror movie ever made. You wander around a creepy abandoned mansion that is never in the same layout twice, until suddenly someone turns Traitor, and unleashes a masked killer, a giant two-headed snake, demons, or so many other things.

[Crunch]

I cannot reccomend Fiasco enough. It's 3-5 players, no GM, no prep time, playable in a couple of hours and ridiculously fun. It's a story game that attempts to recreate black comedy caper movies like Fargo or Blood Simple.

http://www.bullypulpitgames.com/games/fiasco/

[AJCarrington]

You might want to give the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game a go...it take a session to get comfortable with the mechanics, but they're pretty fluid/intuitive once you get into it. I've been playing with my three daughters (8/12/13) and have been having a blast. You can play as a campaign (a little more paperwork) or just as one-off sessions.

[Elektrycerze3]

I cannot reccomend Fiasco enough. It's 3-5 players, no GM, no prep time, playable in a couple of hours and ridiculously fun. It's a story game that attempts to recreate black comedy caper movies like Fargo or Blood Simple.

We tried it as it is quite popular now in Russia (there is an official translation), but didn't like it much. It's more a board game than a true roleplaying game. It got boring pretty soon. But thanks anyway =)

You could try Mutants and Masterminds. 95% of the number crunching is front-loaded, as it is a points-based, effects-based system. After that, things run on the d20 model. Runs really smooth, and it really doesn't have as much to keep track of once you're used to the system. And since it is superheroes, I'm sure you can figure out how to do a rotating cast with that.

I've heard a lot about this game... Might as well give it a try now. Thanks)

Alternatively, my gaming group also has board games for times when too many people are missing, or we just don't feel up to running the game that week. Settlers of Catan and Betrayal at House on the Hill are two of the favorites, though games like Munchkin, Three Dragon Ante, and such are popular too. Settlers is a classic game, so you should have someone in the group who knows it already. Betrayal is essentially every horror movie ever made. You wander around a creepy abandoned mansion that is never in the same layout twice, until suddenly someone turns Traitor, and unleashes a masked killer, a giant two-headed snake, demons, or so many other things.

Betrayal sounds quite fun! But we've tried the others and they just didn't do the trick.

You might want to give the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game a go...it take a session to get comfortable with the mechanics, but they're pretty fluid/intuitive once you get into it. I've been playing with my three daughters (8/12/13) and have been having a blast. You can play as a campaign (a little more paperwork) or just as one-off sessions.

Never heard of it... Good chance they don't ship it to Russia( But I'll ask around. Thanks.

[Maskerade]

Icons: Superpowered Roleplaying is a 2D6-based game that uses random generation with some choices for characters.

You basically roll either 2D6-7 or roll 1D6-1D6 (which produces bell curve probability), add your stats and skills, subtract relevant opponents' stats and if you get 0 or greater, you succeed, with a degrees of success system determining whether you do anything else (like stunning an opponent or a spectacular jump).

It's playable on maps or free-form, and you can run it either as a one-shot or episodic, which would suit your group as you could have characters called away, and each meeting would be a single "book", as it's ripped off of based on DC comics. Having each meeting be a self-contained adventure within the context of a wider plot would also mean that different groups wouldn't interfere with each others' sessions.

It can be as serious or silly as you like, though it generally tends towards the amusement end of the spectrum.
If you can scrounge a few models, Brewhouse Bash is always a good laugh, if it only good for 10-20 minutes per session.

[AJCarrington]

You might want to give the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game a go...it take a session to get comfortable with the mechanics, but they're pretty fluid/intuitive once you get into it. I've been playing with my three daughters (8/12/13) and have been having a blast. You can play as a campaign (a little more paperwork) or just as one-off sessions.

Never heard of it... Good chance they don't ship it to Russia( But I'll ask around. Thanks.

If you can get Pathfinder, you "should" be able to get this...published by Paizo. However, shipping costs to Russia may be prohibitive...

[Noble Drake]

The older editions of D&D play a lot faster than modern D&D and Pathfinder, and have tons less number crunching if you stay away from various "optional rules" - perhaps getting a PDF of the D&D Basic and Expert sets would work for you.

If you can run Pathfinder, then I would expect you have no problems pop up throwing together a set of roughly 5th level (non-advanced) D&D characters and numerous short, episodic adventures (more accurately, small dungeons or single monster lairs) to run them through.

...it's what I keep on hand for emergency games anyways.

[Dracain]

Corporation is quite fun, and in a similar vein as Shadowrun, theme-wise.  Another simple game is Bounty Head Bebop, which is heavily inspired by Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star and the like, it's quite fun.  Outside that a quick, pick-me-up Pathfinder game can be fun, as can a quick Shadowrun game (just use premades...they aren't good but they can suffice for a one-shot)- 

[Silence]

And this is the point where my gaming geek comes through.  Mekton's a good, simple system.  Mostly out of print now.  Paranoia's great for mindless silliness.  Over The Edge is another good one.

[Elektrycerze3]

Wow, thanks everyone) I'll be looking through most of the games you've listed: it's always fun to explore new games, and it seems that for every game I learn there are three games I've never heard of.

Although no D&D and Pathfinder. I excluded them in the first post for a reson: my group and I have been playing D&D for years now (AD&D and everything after that, including some Next testing) and it just doesn't do the trick any more. But thanks anyway =)

[Yogi]

Toon.  Be a cartoon character.

Man am I showing my age. 

[farothel]

If you don't mind some number crunching to start with (character creation), Alternity Dark Matter might be an option.

Otherwise Scion is very much fun.  Made by White Wolf, you are the son or daughter of one of the ancient gods (Zeus, Freya, Baron Samedi,...) and you're called up to fight against the titans.  We use it as our game when not everybody can show, and it works great.

[Wolfboy]

battletech takes a little number crunching but not so much i think with the new "Alpha" table top setup since its supposed to be for convention play

Paranoia, (as someone suggested): any game where you can die during character creation is fun

Dead Reign: Who's ready for a zombie appocalypse, suggest reading John Ringo's "Under a Graveyard Sky" before running a game for inspiration

Net Runner: Newish TCG that has you playing deckers, our decker plays it and uses it to sharpen his skills

[Tallyrand]

A few games that I've enjoyed that are super simple and very TVish.

1) Prime Time Adventures: This is a super straight forward universal RPG that uses playing cards to resolve conflict.  The characters are in a TV show that is generally pitched at the beginning of the campaign (Season) and gain bonuses through Fan Mail.  This is a very narrativist game.

2) InSpectors: The premiss of this game is that you are the new owners of a non-trademark infringing organization for the busting of ghosts within a mockumentary, The Office, style format.  This game requires very little prep from the GM as much of the story is written by the players with the GM adjudicating failure.  One of my favorite mechanics of this game is The Confession Booth, in which players can define parts of the story by stepping aside and explaining to camera what happened next.

3) Leverage: Based on the TV so this is more complicated but may feel more comfortable if your group is used to games like D&D.  You players are a group of master criminals trying to do good by Robinhooding.  The players get to be super bad asses and the GM gets to have a lot of practice in failing forward.  One very neat part of this game is the Flashback mechanic.  Like a Heist Movie this game doesn't spend over much time on planning the crime and jumps right in, allowing the players to go back and define how they already solved the problems they are faced with before they even started the job.  It sound confusing, and it's awkward at first, but once you get the flow of it it really feels like you're playing Ocean's Eleven.