Risus

Overview

Risus: The Anything RPG is a universal, rules-light tabletop role-playing game designed by S. John Ross and published by Cumberland Games & Diversions. Originally released in 1993, with its definitive version 2.0 published in 2013, the system was created as a high-velocity framework to run casual, humorous, or completely impromptu gaming sessions across any narrative genre.

Description

Risus prioritizes improvisational storytelling and minimalist mechanics over granular simulation or tactical grid combat. Instead of tracking traditional numeric attributes, skills, or rigid character classes, characters are defined entirely by broad cultural or narrative tropes called "Clichés." The game operates on a high degree of system abstraction, utilizing a completely unified conflict engine where physical combat, intense debates, artistic competitions, and legal battles are resolved using the exact same mathematical pipeline. While frequently utilized for comedic play due to its loose restrictions, the system's structural logic allows it to be scaled for serious or dramatic campaigns.

Links

drivethrurpg.com https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/170294/risus-the-anything-rpg - DriveThruRPG store page (Free) risusiverse.com https://www.risusiverse.com/ - Risusverse, a community wiki

Active games and players

en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Online
Michelle
The storyteller Narrative minimalist
Let’s go on an adventure together! I'm looking for a free, cooperative, consent-based, story-focused TTRPG table. I enjoy character-driven games with party relationships, meaningful combat, exploration, mystery, downtime, and earned emotional moments. Ideal balance: about 40% roleplay, 20% combat, 40% exploration. I like sincere games with humor, but not constant bits, edgelord behavior, or main character syndrome. I fit best with players who share spotlight, cooperate, respect boundaries, and care about everyone’s character mattering. Consent and safety are important to me. Heavy themes, PvP, romance/flirting, sexual content, intense character conflict, or major effects on another PC should be discussed first. Lines and veils should be respected. I’m in Hawaiʻi Time / UTC-10. Weekends are best, and I prefer 2–3 hour sessions. I’m open to voice, PBP, or hybrid formats. Not a good fit for bigotry, disruptive rules-lawyering, non-cooperative play, unconsented PvP/romance/sexual content, trauma dumping, or using RPGs as therapy.
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en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Pittsburgh
Online
Curt
43 yr old male from Pittsburgh PA. I have been playing tabletop roleplaying games off and on since 2014. I started out in Rules Lite systems such as Risus and Dread before moving more into heavier games such as D&D3.5, 5e, 5.5. I have also dabbled a bit in other games such as Cyberpunk Red/2020, Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars AEG, etc. I do prefer to play games in more rules lite one shots or campaigns as I don't always have the time now to read a bunch of rulebooks or spend hours crafting a character. I am also a Solo Indie RPG designer of a game called GATEWAY RPG - https://gatewayrpg.itch.io/.  GATEWAY RPG is a free, rules-lite d20 framework engineered for speed, simplicity, and total creative freedom. Built upon the familiar chassis of 5th Edition mechanics, it serves as the ultimate bridge to the world of tabletop gaming. Whether you are introducing friends to their first session or running a high-octane one-shot for seasoned veterans, GATEWAY gets you playing in minutes, not hours. From neon-soaked Cyberpunk streets to grit-filled Noir alleys, if you can imagine it, GATEWAY can run it. I look forward to meeting new people on here and diving into a game or two. And possibly GM-ing a bit along the way in GATEWAY RPG to introduce it to newbies.
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