Microlite20

[randalls]

The more I fiddle with Microlite20, the more I like it. It's an extreme simplification of the 3.5 edition fantasy system that lets one use most of the interesting material (adventures, monsters, etc.) with little effort, but without all the work or most of the annoying features like battle mat combat and feat chains from hell. The basic rules are 2 pages. Microlite20 is VERY easy to modify to fit your view or your campaign world -- much like Original D&D was.

Combats are abstract and fast so they don't get in the way of the adventure. Combat-oriented adventures can fit in many more combats in a 4 to 6 hour session and non-combat-oriented adventures can still have a few battles without taking up lots of time needed for roleplaying. Like older versions of D&D, Microlite20 does not have long lists of skills and feats. Instead, players are free to have their characters try just about anything the DM considers reasonable without needing to have a specific skill or feat. It's a very nice system.  The main Microlite20 site (which is unfortunately down a lot) has a large number of user-written options and alternative rules. This site has copies of the core rules and early/major expansions if the main site is down.

There are several interesting threads at EnWorld (long original thread, second thread) and at RPGnet. These threads show how easy the system is to use and modify.

I think I'm in love with a set of RPG rules for the first time since the Mentzer boxed sets of D&D came out in the 1980s. (Before that it was Original D&D in 1975).

[Greyharp]

I was fascinated by this game and most especially the pocketmod version. I printed off all the "books" and even made a slipcase to put them in. I would love to give M20 a go one day, but as my gaming group is new to rpg's and madly in love with 1e (who can blame them?    ), it may be some years before we do so.

[randalls]

I would love to give M20 a go one day, but as my gaming group is new to rpg's and madly in love with 1e (who can blame them?    ), it may be some years before we do so.

LOL. Although I prefer CD&D and OD&D to 1e, I'd be very happy to find some people in Waco madly in love with 1e as I could run that. It beats being madly in love with 3.5e and/or waiting with wallets open for 4e -- which describes all the roleplayers I've met here.

[randalls]

Microlite20 now has it's own reliable web site: http://microlite20.net/ -- Greywulf (Microlite's designer) has done a great job in getting this site up and running in less that a week. More is coming, too. I'm really happy to see Microlite20 getting a permanent home on the web.

[brianm]

I was sorely tempted to use Microlite20 as my testbed for some of the ideas I'm kicking around for my own homebrew fantasy RPG.  Like Labyrinth Lord, it's free, which is always a good thing.  However, LL also came with completed spell lists and monsters, which meant I could plug in the changes I wanted to test without having to practically build a game from scratch anyway, so it won.  (Well, that and my love for those old Moldvay/Cook books.  )

That said, it was still a narrow victory, and it's cool to see so many neat things being done with Microlite20.

- Brian

[randalls]

However, LL also came with completed spell lists and monsters, which meant I could plug in the changes I wanted to test without having to practically build a game from scratch anyway, so it won. 

Microlite20 has monster lists and spell lists, they just get there own (usually) 2 page rules sets instead of being in the core rules. However, they aren't nearly as complete as those in LL or BFRPG.  The current versions of microlite20 are designed for folks who already know how to play (and probably have access to the D20 spells and monsters).

I'd love to see a set of complete rules for M20 designed for new players who have never seen a set of RPG rules. I suspect quite a bit of game could be packed into 16 to 24 pages with reasonable "how-to" descriptions, examples, spell and treasure lists, and monsters. The short rules could be included as a summary sheet.