Okay, lately, I've been very pressed for time which has basically made playing RPG that require a large time investment in terms of prep impossible. Also lately, I've found myself wanting to get away from structured plots and lofty 'introspective' roleplay. And, oh yes, I get paid this coming Tuesday. . . so. . . please help me buy stuff! Basically I'm looking for RPGs that require little in the way of time investment to play and that get right to the adventure with little in the form of dramatic pretensions. So far, I'm looking at. . .

• Forward to Adventure -- Though I'm skeptical of the quality control, it otherwise seems to aim for (in design) the same things that I am currently aiming for in terms of actual play. Also, it is sold through Lulu, which has become my online storefront as of late.
  
  
  
• Hack and Slash -- I like Fudge. This looks like Fudge "Kill Things and Take Stuff" which could be a lot of fun. Also, it comes in hardcover from Lulu, which again, wins big points with me.
  
  
  
• Dungeon Bash -- It looks like WarhammerQuest with a d20 System foundation and print-it-yourself components, from what I gather. Effectively, it's more a boardgame with RPG elements, but I wonder if this won't be an plus given my limited schedule. Only available as a PDF, so far as I know.
  
  
  
• Hackmaster -- Much more involved than any of the above games and not available through Lulu, but the most 'old school' choice with plenty of canned adventure modules and guilty pleasure, no prep, hack and slay fun (yes, I've actually played this one).
  
  
  
• Mars -- Okay, so this game might entail more prep and deep thought than I technically have time for. That said, I gather that it's a fully self-contained game (no d20 Modern core rule book required), comes in hardcover, and is available through Lulu.
  
  
  
• RIFTS -- Yeah, it's mechanically inconsistent. Yeah, the setting is just a lot of cool thrown together without much thought. That said, it meets all of my requirements, is fairly easy to find players for, and has a great deal of easy to find support.

And that's my list. . . feel free to add anything that you think I may be overlooking. I have a roughly $200 spending cap, though, so keep that in mind! Aaaaaaaaaaand. . . go!

[Edit: Added RIFTS to the list.]

Of these lots, the only one I own is Hack and Slash (though I've flicked through Hackmaster a few times).  It's not bad.  Cheap and cheerful... and being Fudge, very extensible when you want to start adding some more sophisticated elements to your game.

Having found myself in your shoes, jdrakeh, I've looked around a lot and would add Castles & Crusades to yo' list --- unless you left it off for a reason.

All of those look pretty good, to be honest...

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Having found myself in your shoes, jdrakeh, I've looked around a lot and would add Castles & Crusades to yo' list --- unless you left it off for a reason.

It's off the list for two reasons:

1. Locals don't much like it.
2. I already own the BFRPG which does essentially the same thing but with a Basic D&D (rather than AD&D) bent, which I vastly prefer.

Quote from: jdrakeh1. Locals don't much like it.

"Yew git on out' here wi'tchoor Cassles an' Crew-saydes, boah,"  the man in the hat said, and waved me away with his copy of Suzerain in hand.  "Ain't no room in this here town fer yur kind."

That's a funny image, even though it's not true at all.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!. . . even though it's not true at all.

Well, it's not quite that extreme, though it is true. There have only been three copies of the C&C PHB ordered at the big FLGS here -- and two of them were ordered by my former play group. The other C&C material has collected dust since early 2005, which has pretty much negated the need for the FLGS to order any more of it. It's not that it's hated, it's simply not liked well enough to justify people purchasing it, apparently (I think my used C&C books are still down there in the discount bin, as well).

I bet we could get a Mars game going in town. I just picked that one up myself. Get some of that red Martian grit in your teeth.

Personally, I like running Rifts when I have no prep time; if I'm going to be making everything up, it's a game that'll tumble along happily, usually with all the players happy to be along for the ride.

Quote from: stu2000I bet we could get a Mars game going in town. I just picked that one up myself. Get some of that red Martian grit in your teeth.

Hmm. . . that sounds very good. Very good, indeed

[Edit: I guess I should ask. . . was I right in my assumption that Mars is a standalone game that doesn't require any other products (e.g., d20 Modern core book) to qualify as complete?]

Quote from: LeSquidePersonally, I like running Rifts when I have no prep time; if I'm going to be making everything up, it's a game that'll tumble along happily, usually with all the players happy to be along for the ride.

That has almost been my experience as well -- I'd replace the word "happily" with "screwily" That said, in RIFTS, "screwy" seems to be the default, so it's not an issue at all.

Mars is, in fact, completely standalone. So far (from a single read-through and no play), it seems to me that it benefits greatly from that. I don't think I would want anyone to bring anything else to the table at first. I would have to ponder and play before I would staple on any of my favorite Grim Tales dohickies. Or any other stuff. It seems like a coherent package as is, and I'd hate to screw with that without a specific reason.

Quote from: stu2000Mars is, in fact, completely standalone. So far (from a single read-through and no play), it seems to me that it benefits greatly from that. I don't think I would want anyone to bring anything else to the table at first. I would have to ponder and play before I would staple on any of my favorite Grim Tales dohickies. Or any other stuff. It seems like a coherent package as is, and I'd hate to screw with that without a specific reason.

Very cool. . . I have been thinking of picking this up for a while now. Honestly, the issue of whether or not it was truly standalone has been holding me back -- many publishers play fast and loose this claim, selling supplements as full-fledged games. Good to see that Adamant isn't one of them