I double post this from reddit RPG group:
So I like what Powered by Apocalypse (PbA) games bring to the table – they are rules light, low prep RPG out of the box. It is exactly what I am looking for. I would think this would work great with a non-gamer group.
When I first read the original Apocalypse World, I was very confused. I was bothered with the “slang” used in the book and explanation of the rules and the whole attitude in the book (I know, artistically it was well made). To me it was hard to understand the phrases “when you do it, do it”, “go aggro” – especially because English is foreign language to me.
Now looking other PbA games out there, I find them too niche. For a totally new group, the “sex moves” and some other very genre specific content is not that accessible.
So what I would want is to find as bland and generic PbA game as possible. I want the qualities of rules light, player driven sandbox. I also want it accessible for GM – I want the rules to be explained in simple and understandable way.
I think the #1 recommendation would be Dungeon World, but even though D&D is considered accessible among gamers, it is not for new people in the hobby. It has all the “culture” of D&D as a base to understand it. And it’s what, 400 pages? Yeah, not light at all.
I would like this game to be able to play a scenario of one of those examples:
– regular people in a haunted house (horror)
– historical people fighting a monster (low-fantasy)
– in space encountering aliens (traveller) (simple space opera)
And all that as rules light as possible. I think there is none of that 🙁
I am wondering how these games would suit to me:
– Life Among the Ruins http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151507/Legacy-Life-Among-the-Ruins
– Uncharted Worlds http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162122/Uncharted-Worlds?hot60=1&src=hgrs&filters=0_0_44825_0_0
– Fellowship – A Tabletop Adventure Game http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/177662/Fellowship–A-Tabletop-Adventure-Game?hot60=1&src=hgrs&filters=0_0_44825_0_0