For the last several years at AmberCon NorthWest, I've been running a game scenario I called "Stop Those Kids!" The premise is that each player character is a TOP government scientist, and they've been brought in by the government to deal with a paranormal emergency in a small town.

It's a satirical inversion of the "kids on bikes" trope from E.T., Stranger Things, etc.  The PCs have to deal with a strange, seemingly paranormal event going on in town -- but they not only have to deal with the weird phenomenon, they also have to deal with troublesome kids on bikes who keep messing everything up.

At AmberCon NorthWest, players are used to diceless resolution -- so I've just rated the PCs on some standard Psyche/Endurance/Strength/Warfare - but mostly those aren't relevant, and their most important trait is their science specialty. It is mostly a mystery and investigation scenario - where the players get information based on their science specialty, and they have to figure out the paranormal mystery going on, while also dealing with meddlesome kids.

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I'm thinking of running this elsewhere, though, where players will be less open to diceless. I'm pondering what system would be best. I want something pretty minimalist, and quick to resolve, but not very story-gamey (since there is a pre-existing mystery to solve).

1) I could use a homebrew hack of the "Kids on Bikes" RPG for theme. I played the system once at a convention, and didn't like it, but it is simple and a few hacks could make it good enough for my purposes.

2) I could use Basic Roleplaying to be ubiquitous.  familiar to Call of Cthulhu players, been around for decades, ...  It's not very minimalist, but it is familiar and simple.

3) I could use a minimalist RPG system like Tiny D6 or Index Card RPG or maybe Fudge. I don't have a favorite among these and haven't used them much, but it might be appropriate.


Anyone have a favorite for modern-day, minimalist, investigative systems?  I tried the GUMSHOE system a bit and hated it.

My favorite for one-shots is Stellagama's Quantum line. Maybe a tweak of the Lightning League or base Quantum Engine rules?

The only investigative specific game we've done, which worked great as a one-shot (especially since creating relationships between party members is part of the game), was Monster of the Week. That might require a lot less work on your part.

Quote from: Tod13 on July 24, 2023, 07:32:11 PM
My favorite for one-shots is Stellagama's Quantum line. Maybe a tweak of the Lightning League or base Quantum Engine rules?

The only investigative specific game we've done, which worked great as a one-shot (especially since creating relationships between party members is part of the game), was Monster of the Week. That might require a lot less work on your part.

Thanks, Tod13.

I love Monster of the Week, but I don't think the role books make sense when all the PCs are all top government scientists. I feel like the tone is quite different. The focus is on solving the mystery using their scientific specialties, rather than monster fighting.

I haven't seen Quantum Engine before, but looking over the free version, I would lean more towards Basic Roleplaying. I feel like Call of Cthulhu and the percentile skills are more familiar to modern-day gaming. (I also enjoy Traveller, but a non-combative, investigation-heavy game isn't its strongest area.)

I'd go with BRP/Call of Cthulu. With pregens it's extremely intuitive and you can have some skill variety.

Atomic Robo has Action Scientists and is powered by the Fate Core engine.  Fate uses narrative character aspects that allow PCs to leverage their experience to grant themselves bonuses. 

I like the scenario premise.

I've used Tiny d6 with Tiny Dungeon - you may know they have many variants, like Tiny Frontiers, Tiny Spies, etc.  DriveThru has a Christmas in July sale for a couple more days. 

It might be a good system if you are not relying too much on combat.  Tiny Dungeon lacks attribute scores - since you said the 4 you use aren't very relevant, it should be fine.

My crunchy days are over, but I find the system's combat a bit too simplistic.  Adding a house rule or two fixes that, though.

Good luck

Quote from: Vic99 on July 27, 2023, 08:16:04 AM
I like the scenario premise.

I've used Tiny d6 with Tiny Dungeon - you may know they have many variants, like Tiny Frontiers, Tiny Spies, etc.  DriveThru has a Christmas in July sale for a couple more days. 

It might be a good system if you are not relying too much on combat.  Tiny Dungeon lacks attribute scores - since you said the 4 you use aren't very relevant, it should be fine.

My crunchy days are over, but I find the system's combat a bit too simplistic.  Adding a house rule or two fixes that, though.

Good luck

You made me think of another. I wonder if there is a OneDice Cakebread and Walton that would work?

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4595/Cakebread--Walton

Maybe Universal or Hauntaway?