What are the best single-session tabletop RPGs?

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GamingTabletop

What are the best single-session tabletop RPGs?

3

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Considered

8

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Jul 21, 2020

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Updated

3 Games Considered

Best single-session tabletop RPGs	Price	16 Pages of Rules	Form Fill-able Character Sheets
-- Risus	-	-	-
-- GRIN	-	-	-
-- GATEWAY RPG	$0.00	0.00	0.00

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score 4 · Answer 1

Risus

Top Pro

A large following that provides a lot of content

A large amount of adventures, artwork, characters, clichés as well as optional rules can be found for Risus. An excellent resource for all aforementioned things as well as many others is Risusiverse, a fan-made website of all things Risus. See More

Top Con

Little guidance can be found for GMs and players

Some prior understanding of how an RPG is played and what is the role of the GM is required as the rules cover only the very core of the system. See More

Top Pro

Very flexible rules

Risus is not confined to a selection of pre-defined character-classes, settings or abilities. Characters are described via clichés such as Witch Doctor, Gambler, Musician with a number of dice assigned to each cliché that are then used in challenges that relate to the appropriate cliché. See More

Top Pro

Can be taught in less than 10 minutes

Risus has a very minimalist rule system that breaks down all actions to their core function. Risus comes with a super short, four page rulebook (available in many forms and formats) that's easy to read, includes examples and has a bit of humor thrown in to make the process or learning more enjoyable. See More

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score 2 · Answer 2

GRIN

Top Pro

Easy to pick up

The game has just one page of rules. It can be explained in a minute -- even to people who have no rpg experience. See More

Top Con

Can be seen as too simple for some

Because each encounter has just two possible outcomes - success or death - there's little wiggle room in terms of roleplaying. See More

Top Pro

Zero dice required

GRIN uses a a standard deck of playing cards instead of dice. See More

Top Pro

Great for short single-session games

Like any horror film, characters will die. Grin lends itself to deadly games and rally shines with 4-6 players and narrative arcs lasting 3-4 hours. See More

Top Pro

Creates excellent tension

GRIN uses a a standard deck of playing cards to create a fast paced and deadly feel that evokes modern horror films. One of the best horror games mad... See More

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score 2 · Answer 3

GATEWAY RPG

Top Pro

Rule-Lite

Curt Simcox's Experience

Great for One-Off sessions and introducing new players to d20 Tabletop Games. Being that it works for any setting or theme, you can do pretty much anything you and players come up with. I have run High Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Attack on Titan (anime), Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars, and Zombie Horror games with this so far. See More

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What are the best single-session tabletop RPGs?

3 Games Considered

Risus

My Recommendation for Risus

My Recommendation for Risus

A large following that provides a lot of content

Little guidance can be found for GMs and players

Very flexible rules

Can be taught in less than 10 minutes

GRIN

My Recommendation for GRIN

My Recommendation for GRIN

Easy to pick up

Can be seen as too simple for some

Zero dice required

Great for short single-session games

Creates excellent tension

GATEWAY RPG

My Recommendation for GATEWAY RPG

My Recommendation for GATEWAY RPG

Rule-Lite

Free

Works for any setting or theme

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