The idea of a generic roleplaying system is nothing new. There are lots of generic rule sets out there, GURPS, FUDGE, and The Window most prominently spring to mind. And rules-light games are also not a new idea either. Everway and Amber have already done that. So when MicroTactix games anounced they had created a new generic and rules-light engine, they set a rather high standard to live up to.

This game is origional in one way: It's sold online. A quick visit to www.microtactix.com and you can download the whole system all without getting off your butt. Included in the package is the rules in two formats, one in black and white for easy printing, a customizeable character sheet, a quick reference guide, and a set of weapons cards. All are in Adobe Acrobat format. The whole shebang sells for the bargain basemenmt price of $9.00

System: The claims of being simple break down almost immediately. This game is not exactly what I would call simple, but it far fom complex either. It's about the same complexity as GURPS. In fact, the similarities between Simply Roleplaying! and GURPS are remarkable. Both have 4 main attributes, both have a comparable skill system, and both use a similar basic mechanism.

Layout: One of the most glaring things I noticed as I read through the game is that, with the exception of the cover, there is no artwork. None. Nada. Zip. Although, in hindsight, this is actually a good thing, since it makes prining much less of a chore for my poor printer. So, what do we get to look at instead of pretty pictures? Quotations. Not in the style of White Wolf, but more spread out throught the book. There a nice alternative, but I would really have liked to see some artwork.

Content: 132 pages might not sound like a lot when compared to some of the bigger books out there on the market, but there is quite a lot of material in it. About 2/5 of the book is dedicated to designing and running a game using a generic engine, so it's a bit easier than GURPS to understand in that department. The rest of the game contains rules. For a system that professes to be about roleplaying and not rules and dice, that seems like an awful lot.

Overall: Simply Roleplaying! is no more simple than GURPS, and it offers just enough rules that it is possible to get hung up on them. However, it is a good generic system. At less than half the price of most systems it could possibly challenge GURPS as the best generic system. However, if you are really looking for a simple and rules-light sytem that focuses on roleplaying, you're better off with Everway or The Window.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)