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S. John Ross describes Risus as an "RPG Lite," designed for times when detail isn't important. It's also supposed to be a universal comedy system. He's definitely hit the mark he aimed for, and provided a remarkably useful system in the process.

Character creation in Risus is based on simple description. This is done by means of cliches, brief descriptions of jobs, hobbies and other things that define the character. Each cliche is assigned a number of six-sided dice, with the total matching some GM-set value (10 by default). Regardless, no more than six dice can go into a single cliche.

According to the introduction. this takes about 20 seconds. A few minutes is closer to the truth. Even if the players aren't trying to optimize their characters (a difficult process in this game anyway), they tend to trade cliches around until the character matches conception as closely as possible. It's a minor quibble at best.

After character creation, there are only a few mechanics to learn. The primary ones are target numbers and combat. Target numbers are for non-automatic unopposed actions, like grabbing a flagpole as the PC falls off a building. Some guidelines are presented to help GMs set them.

"Combat" covers any activity requiring opponents to maneuver and wear each other down, not just people trying to kill each other. In this case, high roll wins the round. Some of the included examples are arguments, horse races and seduction.

The best thing about the combat rules is that the winner decides what happens to the loser, within reason. In a fencing duel, for instance, the winner could simply kill his opponent. Or the loser could be left disarmed and humiliated, with the letter M carved on his cheek.

There are a few other rules. It's possible for characters with similar cliches to join forces, gaining more dice as a group than any has individually. Opposed rolls that aren't combat (like cook-offs) are covered, as are situations where it's possible to act without an appropriate cliche. (This last turned up in one game when a couple of the PCs decided to shoot some pool.)

The universal comedy system comes into play in situations that require a cliche, but the character chooses to use one that isn't appropriate. In that case, a completely inappropriate cliche can be used instead, "provided the player roleplays or describes it in a really, really, really entertaining manner." It has to match the GM's idea of plausible, too, given the genre and tone of the game. If it works, though, it does a lot more "damage" to the opponent.

Character advancement is accomplished by rolling existing cliche dice. The more dice a character has, the harder it is to advance, and the limit of six dice still applies.

Rounding out the system are a few optional rules. "Pumping" and "double-pumping" allow the player to use more dice than are in the cliche, by borrowing against future rolls. Blowing these rolls can be very detrimental.

There are also rules for using all the usual dice, from six-siders to 30-siders. It's a bit more time-consuming, as each size die costs a different number of points. This rule is provided for higher-powered games, such as superheroes.

There are a couple of rules I wish the game included. There is no way to add new cliches. The GM can make something up, of course, but the rules don't cover it.

Also, nothing requires the characters to have any flaws at all. A decent player will think of a few anyway, and they're pretty much required if the setting is humorous. (Otherwise, it wouldn't be any fun.) But in a more serious setting, certain players may be tempted to create a character who's too good to be true to the genre.

Risus is available in four different online formats at http://www.io.com/~sjohn/risus.htm. It's well worth the few seconds to download.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Risus
Author: S. John Ross Category: game Company/Publisher: S. John Ross Cost: free Page count: 6 Playtest Review by Patrick Clark on 10/26/98. Genre tags: Generic	S. John Ross describes Risus as an "RPG Lite," designed for times when detail isn't important. It's also supposed to be a universal comedy system. He's definitely hit the mark he aimed for, and provided a remarkably useful system in the process. Character creation in Risus is based on simple description. This is done by means of cliches, brief descriptions of jobs, hobbies and other things that define the character. Each cliche is assigned a number of six-sided dice, with the total matching some GM-set value (10 by default). Regardless, no more than six dice can go into a single cliche. According to the introduction. this takes about 20 seconds. A few minutes is closer to the truth. Even if the players aren't trying to optimize their characters (a difficult process in this game anyway), they tend to trade cliches around until the character matches conception as closely as possible. It's a minor quibble at best. After character creation, there are only a few mechanics to learn. The primary ones are target numbers and combat. Target numbers are for non-automatic unopposed actions, like grabbing a flagpole as the PC falls off a building. Some guidelines are presented to help GMs set them. "Combat" covers any activity requiring opponents to maneuver and wear each other down, not just people trying to kill each other. In this case, high roll wins the round. Some of the included examples are arguments, horse races and seduction. The best thing about the combat rules is that the winner decides what happens to the loser, within reason. In a fencing duel, for instance, the winner could simply kill his opponent. Or the loser could be left disarmed and humiliated, with the letter M carved on his cheek. There are a few other rules. It's possible for characters with similar cliches to join forces, gaining more dice as a group than any has individually. Opposed rolls that aren't combat (like cook-offs) are covered, as are situations where it's possible to act without an appropriate cliche. (This last turned up in one game when a couple of the PCs decided to shoot some pool.) The universal comedy system comes into play in situations that require a cliche, but the character chooses to use one that isn't appropriate. In that case, a completely inappropriate cliche can be used instead, "provided the player roleplays or describes it in a really, really, really entertaining manner." It has to match the GM's idea of plausible, too, given the genre and tone of the game. If it works, though, it does a lot more "damage" to the opponent. Character advancement is accomplished by rolling existing cliche dice. The more dice a character has, the harder it is to advance, and the limit of six dice still applies. Rounding out the system are a few optional rules. "Pumping" and "double-pumping" allow the player to use more dice than are in the cliche, by borrowing against future rolls. Blowing these rolls can be very detrimental. There are also rules for using all the usual dice, from six-siders to 30-siders. It's a bit more time-consuming, as each size die costs a different number of points. This rule is provided for higher-powered games, such as superheroes. There are a couple of rules I wish the game included. There is no way to add new cliches. The GM can make something up, of course, but the rules don't cover it. Also, nothing requires the characters to have any flaws at all. A decent player will think of a few anyway, and they're pretty much required if the setting is humorous. (Otherwise, it wouldn't be any fun.) But in a more serious setting, certain players may be tempted to create a character who's too good to be true to the genre. Risus is available in four different online formats at http://www.io.com/~sjohn/risus.htm. It's well worth the few seconds to download. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)