Advanced Option: Lucky Shots

This option allows players to spend some of their 10 starting dice on something other
than Clichs. A single Clich-die can, instead, buy three Lucky Shots (spend two dice for
six Lucky Shots, and so on). Using a Lucky Shot boosts any Clich roll by a single die, for
a single die-roll. Lucky Shots reset between game-sessions. Lucky Shots can represent
random good luck, the favor of a deity, a streak of resourcefulness, etc.

Advanced Option: Hooks & Tales

With this Advanced Option, players can bargain for extra character-creation dice
by giving their character a Hook and/or a Tale. A Hook is some significant character
flaw a curse, an obsession, a weakness, a sworn vow, a permanently crippling injury
that the GM agrees is so juicy that he can use it to make the characters life more
interesting (which usually means less pleasant). A character with a Hook gets an extra
die to play with.
A Tale is a written biography of the character describing his life before the events
of the game. The Tale neednt be long (a page or two is plenty); it just needs to tell
the reader where the character is coming from, what he likes and dislikes, how he
became who he is, what his motives are. Some Tales are best written from the players
omniscient perspective; others are more fun if written as excerpts from the characters
own diary. A character with a Tale provided before gameplay begins gets an extra
die to play with.

Advanced Option: Pumps

Characters may pump their Clichs, expending extra effort
at the cost of certain injury (loss of dice). A pumped Clich
receives a dice-boost lasting a single round of combat (or
single significant roll, otherwise). After that round or roll is
resolved, the Clich returns to normal, then suffers immediate
dice-loss equal to the boost. Such loss is comparable to combat
losses, and must heal.
Example: Rudolph the Ninja (3) is attacked by a Monster (6)! Rudy doesnt have
much of a chance against such a powerful foe, so he opts for a tricky tactic: since
the Monster is attacking physically, Rudolph decides his first-round response will use
his skills as a Cajun Chef (3) a decidedly Inappropriate choice! He also opts to
pump it by two dice to Cajun Chef (5), putting his all into his cooking!
On round one, the Monster rolls six dice, and Rudy (quickly whipping up a tempting
Gumbo spiked with Ninja sleeping drug and offering it to the Monster) rolls five. If
the Ninja loses, hes instantly defeated: his Cajun Chef Clich would drop to Cajun
Chef (1) for the pump, then to Cajun Chef (zero) for losing the round. The Monster
would eat Rudolph instead of the Gumbo. If the Ninja wins, however, the Monster (6)
drops to Monster (3), and Rudys Cajun Chef (3) drops to Cajun Chef (1). In round
two, Rudolph can switch back to Ninja (3), where hell be on equal footing with the
groggy, well-fed Monster.
Pumps are legal for any kind of Clich roll, provided the GM agrees that pushing it
fits the action involved.
Double-Pump Clichs: If permitting pumps, the GM might also allow double-pump
Clichs, which take only half damage from pumping. Thus, a Sorcerer [5] could roll
eleven dice for a single combat round (six extra dice!) but take only three dice of loss
from the extra effort. Double-pump Clichs cost twice as many dice to buy during
character creation, and are especially appropriate for Clichs representing supernatural abilities (in fact, some Game Masters may require that supernatural Clichs be
purchased this way). The use of [square brackets] instead of (parentheses) indicates
a double-pump Clich.

Advanced Option: Character Advancement

At the end of each adventure, each player rolls against each Clich challenged during
the course of play (ignore lingering injuries for this purpose; roll as if the Clich were
whole). If the dice land showing only even numbers, the Clich advances by a single
die (increasing it permanently). No Clich advances past Clich (6).
A Midgame Leaps: Anytime you do something really, really, really spectacularly entertaining that wows the whole table, the GM may allow you
to roll instantly (in the middle of the game) for possible advancement,
in addition to the roll(s) at the end of the adventure.
A Adding New Clichs: There may come a time when a character has
grown and matured enough to justify adding an entirely new Clich to
his character sheet. If the player and GM agree this is the case, and agree
on what the new Clich is, the player rolls for advancement as usual, but
new dice earned for that adventure may be put toward the new Clich instead
of the ones that earned them. This can also be applied to in-game improvements,
if the situation warrants it!
A Long-Haul Variant: Instead of rolling against every challenged Clich, roll against
a single Clich of your choice.

Credit Where Its Due

Risus grew from inspirations provided by the sadly out-of-print classic, Ghostbusters (1st
Edition, West End Games), sparked against an idea from Mayfairs DC Heroes. Other
noteworthy influences have included GURPS, TWERPS, Fudge, Tunnels & Trolls, Over
the Edge, and DragonQuest. The list of people on whom Risus depends is too long
to even contemplate in a space so tiny, but Id be remiss if I didnt mention a few of
them: Guy Hoyle, Dan Moose Jasman, Spike Y. Jones, Frank J. Perricone, Jason Puckett,
David Pulver, Sean Dr. Kromm Punch, Liz Rich, Dan Suptic, Brent Wolke, Ren Vernon,
and the thousands of cool gamers, old and new, whove populated and enlivened
the Risus community.
Risus: The Anything RPG is S. John Ross trademark for his Anything RPG.
This is Risus Version 2.01, Copyright 1993-2013 by S. John Ross, All Rights
Reserved. Permission granted to make unlimited copies for private, noncommercial use, and remember: Theres No Wrong Way To Play!

Welcome to Risus: The Anything RPG,

a complete pen-and-paper roleplaying
game! For some, Risus is a handy emergency RPG for spur-of-the-moment
one-shots and rapid character creation.
For others, its a reliable campaign
system supporting years of play. For
others still, its a strange little pamphlet with stick figures. For me, its all three, and with
this edition, Risus celebrates not only two decades of existence,
but two decades of life, bolstered by an enthusiastic global
community devoted to expanding it, celebrating it, sharing
it, and gaming with it.

Character Creation
The character Clich is the heart of Risus. Clichs are
shorthand for a kind of person, implying their skills,
background, social role and more. The character
classes of the oldest RPGs are enduring Clichs: Wizard,
Detective, Starpilot, Superspy. You can choose Clichs like
those for your character, or devise something more outr,
like Ghostly Pirate Cook, Fairy Godmother, Bruce Lee (for a
character who does Bruce Lee stuff) or Giant Monster Who Just
Wants To Be Loved For His Macrame anything you can talk your GM into. With a very
permissive GM, you could be all these at once. Each Clich has a rating in dice (the
ordinary six-sided kind). When your characters prowess as a Wizard, Starpilot or Bruce
Lee is challenged, roll dice equal to the rating. Three dice is professional. One die is
a putz. Six dice is ultimate mastery. A complete Risus character looks like this:

Grolfnar Vainsson the Viking

Description: Tall, blond, and grinning. Likes to drink and fight and drink and
chase Viking women and fight and sail the high seas and raid. Wants to write
great sagas about himself.
Clichs: Viking (4), Gambler (3), Womanizer (2), Poet (1)
To create Grolfnar, all we had to do was name him, describe him, and assign his Clichs.
You get 10 dice to spend on Clichs, distributed however you like, on as many or few
Clichs as you decide (but more than 10 would be odd, considering). The first Clich
listed for your character (Viking, in Grolfnars case) is his Primary Clich the Clich
that most clearly expresses how your character sees himself. In general, new characters
may not have Clichs rated higher than 4 dice, so Grolfnars Viking is maxed out for a
beginning PC. Your GM might choose to expand, relax, or otherwise transmogrify such
parameters for his game (ask if youre not sure).

Powers, Tools, and Power Tools

Each Clich implies a lot about a character, most crucially
including his likely abilities and equipment. If youre playing
a Hirsute Barbarian (3), we can assume your character is
comfortable with blades and battle. Hes probably a climber, a
runner, and all-night reveler. He probably owns at least one sturdy
hand-weapon and (hopefully, mercifully) a complete loincloth.
If youre playing a Psychic Schoolgirl (3), you probably have
the power to sense (and be freaked-out by) the psychometric
residue lingering at a murder scene, and might own a cute plushy
backpack filled with school supplies. If youre playing a Roguish Space Pirate (3), you
can do all kinds of piratey roguey space-things, and you probably own a raygun, and
maybe a secondhand star freighter. When theres any doubt about your characters
abilities or Tools of the Trade, discuss it with your GM.
Tools of the Trade come free as part of each Clich, but theyre vulnerable to loss or
damage, which can (sometimes) cripple or limit the power of the Clich. A Roguish
Space Pirate, stripped of his star freighter, loses all ability to haul booty to distant suns
while a Psychic Schoolgirl loses none of her ability to be freaked out by murder scenes
if her plushy backpack is stolen. A Hirsute Barbarian (3), forced into a pit-fight without
his trusty blade, can still rely on his bare hands, but hell operate at half-dice a mere
Hirsute Barbarian (2) until hes once again properly armed. The backpack-deprived
Schoolgirl might face similar penalties when its time to do her homework.
In the course of adventuring life, lucky explorers may discover enchanted and/or
cutting-edge and/or otherwise special equipment. The most basic sort is called BonusDice Gear (such items let you roll an extra die, or more, when using them) but there are
other kinds of special to be found, in the form of alternate game mechanics (With
this experimental piloting software, you can reroll any 1s), in-world powers (Only a
Stradivarius can be used to seduce a Vampire Prince) or even mixed benefits and
restrictions (While wielding the Sword of Mercy, you always roll dice at least equal to
your foe, but you must spare his life if you win.)

The Game System

Whenever anybody wants to do anything, and nobodys actively opposing it, and the
GM doesnt think success would be automatic, the player rolls dice. If the total rolled
beats (equals or exceeds) the Target Number set by the GM, success! If not, failure!
Target numbers follow this scale:
5: A cinch. A challenge for a schmuck. Routine for a pro.
10: A challenge for a professional.
15: An Heroic challenge. For really inventive or tricky stunts.
20: A challenge for a Master. Nearly superhuman difficulty.
30: Youve GOT to be kidding. Actual superhuman difficulty.
The Target Number depends on the Clich, and anyone can try anything. Crossing a
chasm by swinging on a rope or vine would be childs play (automatic success!) for
a Swashbuckler or a Lord of the Jungle, easy (Target 5) for a Pulp Archaeologist, and
challenging but definitely doable (Target 10) for a Gymnast, Barbarian, or Cat-Burglar.
Even a Wheelchair-Bound Eccentric Occultist could try it (Difficulty 15, but the wheelchair
is lost unless the roll beats a 30)!

The Combat System

In Risus,combat is any contest in which opponents jockey for position, make
attacks, bring defenses to bear, and wear down their opponent to achieve
victory. Literally or metaphorically. Examples of combat include:
A Arguments: Combatants wielding logic, stubbornness and cheap
rhetorical tricks to make their point.
A Horse-Racing: People on horses running around a dirty track, trying
to get nowhere first.
A Dogfights: Pilots in airplanes or spaceships trying to blow each other
out of the sky.
A Astral/Psychic Duels: Mystics/psionics looking bored or sleepy, but trying
to rip each others ego apart in the Otherworld.
A Wizards Duels: Sorcerers using strange magics, trying to outdo one another.
A Dueling Banjos: Banjo players using strange melodies, trying to outdo one
another.
A Seduction: One (or more) characters trying to score with one (or more) other
character(s) who is(are) trying to resist.
A Courtroom Antics: Prosecution vs. Defense. The goal is victory. Justice is
incidental.
A Actual Regular Combat: People trying to injure or kill each other.
The GM decides when a combat has begun. At that point, go around the table in rounds,
and let each combatant make an attack in turn. What constitutes an attack depends
on the nature of the fight, but it should always be roleplayed (if dialogue is involved) or
described in entertaining detail (if its physical and/or dangerous and/or does/should
involve contraceptives). The GM will determine what type of Clich is appropriate for
the fight. In a straightforward physical brawl, Clichs like Viking, Soldier, Swashbuckler,
and Ernest Hemingway are equally appropriate, while Clichs like Hairdresser and
Latin Lover are not.
Attacks must be directed at an opponent. Both parties in the attack (attacker and
defender) roll against their chosen Clich. Low roll loses. Specifically, the low roller loses
one of his Clich dice for the remainder of the fight hes been weakened, worn down,
demoralized or otherwise pushed one step towards defeat.
Eventually, one side will be left standing, and another will be left
without dice. At this point, the winners decide the fate of the losers.
In a physical fight or magical duel, the losers might be killed (or
mercifully spared). In Courtroom Antics, the loser is sentenced
by the judge, or fails to prosecute. In a Seduction, the loser gets
either a cold shower or a warm evening, depending. While the GM
will reject combat outcomes that make no sense in context (if you
beat someone at tennis, you arent normally allowed to decapitate
them and drag their corpse through the city square), the spoils of
victory are otherwise down to the choice of the victor.
You neednt use the same Clich every round. If a Viking/Swashbuckler wants to lop
heads one round, and switch to swinging on chandeliers the next, thats groovy, too.
However, anytime a character has a Clich worn down to zero dice in combat, hes
been defeated, even if he has other Clichs left to play with.
Dice lost in combat are regained when the combat ends, at a healing rate determined
by the GM (based on the nature of the attacks involved). If the combat was in vehicles
(space fighters, mecha, wooden sailing ships) then the vehicles themselves are likely
damaged, too, and must be repaired. Sometimes, healing takes not only time, but
conditions specified by the GM (now that youve been soundly defeated, you cant
even look at your banjo until your girlfriend assuages your ego).
Theres no standard time or distance scale in Risus; everything depends on context.
In a physical brawl, each round might represent just a few seconds while in a
long-term fight between a married couple, each round might represent an entire
day (Day One: Husband accidentally burns Wifes favorite dress in the oven, Wife
accidentally feeds Drano to Husbands prize goldfish, and so on).

Inappropriate Clichs
As stated above, the GM determines what sort of Clichs are appropriate for the
fight. Any Clichs left over are inappropriate. In a physical fight, Hairdresser is inappropriate. In a magical duel, Barbarian is inappropriate.
Inappropriate Clichs arent forbidden from the fight. They can still be used to make
attacks, provided the player roleplays or describes it in a really, really, really
entertaining manner. Furthermore, the attack must be plausible within the context of
the combat, and the genre and tone that the GM has set for the game (making this kind
of attack more often useful in very pulpy/swashbuckly games, or very silly ones).
All combat rules apply normally, with one exception: if an inappropriate Clich wins
a combat round versus an appropriate one, the losing player loses three dice, rather
than one, from his Clich! The inappropriate player takes no such risk, and loses only
one die if he loses the round. Thus, a creative hairdresser is dangerous when cornered
and attacked unfairly. Beware.
When in doubt, assume the aggressor determines the type of combat. If a wizard
attacks a barbarian with magic, then its
a magical duel! If the barbarian attacks
the mage with his sword, then its physical
combat! If the defender can come up
with an entertaining use of his skills, hell
have the edge. It pays in many genres to
be the defender! But if the wizard and
barbarian both obviously want to fight,
then both are aggressors, and its fantasy
combat, where both swords and sorcery
have equal footing.

Teaming Up
Two or more characters may form a team in combat. For the duration of the team
(usually the entire fight), they battle as a single unit, and may only be attacked as
a single foe. There are two kinds of team: full-on Character Teams (for PCs, and
sufficiently interesting NPCs) and Grunt-Squads (for nameless NPC hordes).
Grunt-Squads: This is just special effects. When a horde of 700 rat-skeletons
attacks the PCs within the lair of the Wicked Necromancer (5), the GM probably
wont feel like keeping track of 700 tiny skeletal sets of dice. Instead, he can declare
them a Grunt Squad, fighting as a single foe: a Skeletal Rat-Horde (7). Mechanically,
the Rat-Horde is the same as any single foe except it sometimes has more dice
(as many as the GM cares to assign it). Grunt-Squads stick together as a team until
theyre defeated, at which point some survivors may scatter (though at least one will
always remain to suffer whatever fate the victor decides). Taken to logical (or whimsical)
extremes, an entire ships crew, or even whole forests, dungeons, cities or nations might
be represented by a single Clich.
Character Teams: When PCs (and/or NPCs worth the attention) form a team, the
Team Leader is the character with the highest-ranking applicable Clich (if theres a
tie, the team must designate a Team Leader). Everybody rolls dice, but only the Team
Leaders dice completely count. Other team-members contribute only their sixes, when
they roll any.
Clichs joined in a team need not be identical,
and (provided the GM can be convinced)
they can even be a mix of appropriate and
inappropriate for the fight (a group of warriors might be aided by their able minstrel, for
example). However, they dont triple enemy
dice-loss unless the entire team is equally
inappropriate (which means the players get to
explain to the GM exactly how a Hairdresser, a
Parakeet Trainer, and a Life Coach are coordinating
their talents to take Darth Viraxis to the mat)!
Whenever a team loses a round of combat, a single team-members Clich is reduced.
Any team-member (Team Leader included) may step forward and voluntarily suffer
this loss. If so, the noble volunteer is reduced by twice the normal amount (either two
dice or six, depending), but the Team Leader gets to roll twice as many dice on his next
attack, a temporary boost as the team avenges their heroic comrade. If no volunteer
steps forward, the Team Leader must assign the (undoubled) hit to a team-member,
and there is no vengeance bonus.
A Victory & Defeat: With teams as with individuals, the victor determines the fate of
the loser but when the loser is part of a team, his fate is generally reserved until
the end of the teams existence (even if hes defeated while the fight rages on). So, if
his team wins, his team not their opponent gets to decide. There are some fights
where this wont be so, where the PCs are under such precarious circumstance that
their fates must be resolved immediately. But, in most cases, being part of a team
especially a winning team is excellent insurance.
A Disbanding: A team may voluntarily disband at any time between die-rolls. When
disbanding, each team-member instantly loses a single die from the Clich theyd
been contributing to the team (equal to damage suffered in the fight itself).
Disbanded team-members may freely form new teams, provided the die-loss from
disbanding doesnt defeat them. Individuals may also drop out of a team, but this
reduces them to zero dice immediately as they scamper for the rear. Their fates rest
on the mercy of whoever wins the fight!
A Lost Leader: If the Team Leader ever leaves the team for any reason (either by
dropping out or having his own Clich dropped to zero), the team must disband
immediately, with consequences as above. They may immediately opt to reform
as a new team (with a new leader) however, and if the old leader
was removed by having volunteered for personal damage, the new
Team Leader gets the double-roll vengeance bonus to avenge his
predecessor!

When Somebody Cant Participate

Sometimes, characters find themselves facing a Combat or Single-Action
Conflict where they simply have no applicable Clich, even by stretching
the imagination. Perhaps one character in the party enters a pie-eating
contest with his Disgusting Glutton (2) Clich, but the rest of the characters are
astronauts or accountants, neither of whom traditionally engorge themselves
on pie. In situations like this, the GM might grant everybody two free brevet
dice to play with for the duration of the conflict. This means the Disgusting
Glutton (2) would become, temporarily, a Disgusting Glutton (4), while everyone
else would get a Regular Person Talked Into a Pie-Eating Contest (2) Clich on
loan until the last crumb burps forth. The Glutton, naturally, retains his winning edge,
but everyone else can still bury their noses in pie. This rule applies only to Combats
and SACs, never to rolls against Target Numbers (since, with Target Numbers, the TN
itself simply moves wherever it needs to, for any Clich attempting any action).

Single-Action Conflicts
Combat depends on multi-round jockeying and wearing each other down
but many conflicts are too sudden to be played that way (two characters grabbing for the same gun, for example). Such Single-Action Conflicts (SACs) are
settled with a single roll against appropriate Clichs (or inappropriate Clichs,
with good roleplaying). High roll wins. Note that, in nearly any case, the Game
Master may jump between the three resolution methods (Target Number, Combat,
Single-Action Conflict) to suit the pacing and mood. Sometimes, an arm-wrestling
match works best as a combat sometimes it works best as a Single-Action
Conflict, and sometimes (preferably if its against some kind of coin-operated
arm-wrestling machine) even as a simple Target Number.