Pathfinder vs Risus
When comparing Pathfinder vs Risus, the Slant community recommends Risus for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” Risus is ranked 12th while Pathfinder is ranked 26th. The most important reason people chose Risus is:
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.
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Pros
Pro Open gaming with lots of options
The base world is detailed but still open and there are tons of options.
Pro Compatible with D&D 3.x material
The D&D v3.x family was published under an Open Game License which encouraged third-party material and as a result provided an enormous pool of resources. And two D&D editions later, there is still a thriving market creating new 3.5-compatible resources.
Pro Modular system encourages creativity
The Dsystem is designed around building characters, monsters, magic items, etc., from small simple pieces. For each piece, any of countless others can be substituted, allowing near-infinite customization and variety.
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.
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.
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.
Cons
Con Encourages character optimization outside of play
With so many options available to the player, and the almost unlimited ability to combine them, certain "character builds" are patently superior to others. Players who spend a lot of personal time poring over the rules can often create characters so powerful that players who don't optimize feel useless in games with those who do.
Con Detailed combat simulation slows down gameplay
Due to countless situational modifiers, players and DM alike have to put a great deal of thought into decisions about position, order of actions, etc., to the point that six seconds (one combat round) of "in-game time" frequently takes half an hour or more of play time.
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.