a game system for ad-hoc gm-less play

[devp]

Actual thread title: "That Feel When The GM Doesn't Show Up But You Play Anyway". I read about a con where the game didn't happen because of the DM's car was melted or something similar. Of course, it's no big deal to scrub the game and chill out, but consider the following:

* You have perhaps 1-3 people who are interested in playing Game X in Genre Y. You're probably 85% on the same page.

* You all have some time to play a game.

* You have no GM, but...

* You have a light, GM-less game in your back pocket that riffs off the themes that everyone knows, and is a good way to spend two hours.

So, what game? Universalis seems like a clear choice, though I don't think all of its rules (e.g. the conflict rules) are totally necessary. I've seen PTA reworked into an engine for rules-light one-shots, and the Pool is easily memorized.

[devp]

<-- just remembered that PTA and The Pool both have a GM
<-- no longer allowed to post after midnight

[Chris Chinn]

So, basically looking for alternatives to Universalis?

If it's romance themed, Hot Guys Making Out works with 2-4 players and a deck of cards. There's no character sheets, no stats, and it plays in 90 minutes.

Mechanically, Capes is genreless, that said, it'd still be a little work to come up with some reskinning for whatever Powers/Personality/etc fit with your Genre. Mostly, the hard part comes in explaining how Capes works.

1001 Nights reskins pretty easy, though, it really is a game of "Rotating GM" rather than no GM per se.

Chris

[judd]

With a full 3, I might go for Shock: Social Science Fiction.

[labmouse]

Maybe Fiasco work in this instance, if you had 3 people at least. No GM needed and you can play it in 2 hours or so.