RISUS

THE ANYTHING RPG

By S. John Ross 1993-2003

Risus is a complete Role Playing Game (RPG) designed to

r those nights when the brain is too tired for exacting
lly valuable to GMs assembling a quick convention game,
nd-pretzels outing. While it is essentially a Universal
just as well for serious play (if you insist!). Best of
akes about 20 seconds to create!

provide an "RPG Lite" fo

detail. Risus is especia
or any late-night beer-a
Comedy System, it works
all, a Risus character t

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE

Inspiration for the nature of this game comes largely from the sadly out
-of-print classic, Ghostbusters, from West End Games, sparked against an idea (C
lichs) from DC Heroes. The final shape and form of the game was inspired by Over
the Edge, from Atlas Games. Other RPGs (most notably GURPS, FUDGE and Tunnels an
d Trolls), have also provided valuable inspiration. Many friends, fellow gamers,
total strangers on the street, and others have provided useful commentary as th
e game has developed, including Dan "Moose" Jasman, Frank J. Perricone, Jason Pu
ckett, David Pulver, Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch, and the gamers on the Risus interne
t mailing list.
CHARACTER CREATION!
Characters are defined by Clichs (sometimes several of them). Clichs are a
shorthand which describe what a character knows how to do. The ``character clas
ses'' of the Neolithic Period of RPGs were Clichs: Fighter and Magic-User, Space
Marine and Star Merchant. You can take Clichs like that, or choose a more contemp
orary one, such as Biker, Spy, Computer Nerd, Supermodel, or William Shatner (fo
rmerly an actor - now just a Clich). Which Clichs are permitted are up to the GM.
Clichs are defined in terms of Dice (by which we mean the ordinary six-si
ded kind you can scavenge from your old Yahtzee set). This is the number of dice
that you roll whenever your skill as a Fighter, Supermodel, or William Shatner
(for instance) is challenged. See ``Game System,'' below. Three dice is professi
onal. Six dice is mastery. One die is a putz.
Characters are created by naming and describing them, and listing their
Clichs. When designing your character, you have 10 dice with which to define his
Clichs (a Normal Schmoe would be built on anywhere from 3 to 5 dice). A straightf
orward medieval fighter character might look 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), Womanizer (2), Gambler (3), Poet (1)
A character may have any number or combination of Clichs, but more than 1
0 different Clichs would be odd, considering the number of dice you get. Characte
rs shouldn't begin their career with more than 4 dice in anything, but just beca
use you're creating a character today doesn't mean that he's beginning his caree
r! The GM will tell you if he's requiring ``beginners'' for the game. It's not o
ur business.
SOME SAMPLE CLICHS (AND WHAT THEY'RE GOOD FOR)
Astronaut (Piloting spaceships, not puking in zero-gee)
Barbarian (Beating things up, drinking, whoring, grunting, sweating)
Biker (Riding Harley, brawling, being Invisible to other motorists)

Bimbo (Available in both genders. Distracting, teasing, not teasing...)

Computer Geek (Hacking, programming, fumbling over introductions)
Con Artist (Convincing other people to give you money, evading cops)
Cowboy (Ridin', ropin', brandin', spittin', and shootin')
Fighter Pilot (Dogfighting, not blacking out at high-Gs, bragging)
Gadgeteer (Building a radar out of a bent fork and some gum)
Gambler (Betting, cheating, winning, running very fast)
Gangster (Shooting, speaking with an accent, intimidation)
Geezer (Wheezin', cursin', bitter reminiscin', failin' to understand kids)
Hairdresser (Dressing hair. If anything.)
Kid (Being a sidekick to heroes, making friends with Giant Monsters)
Knight (Riding, lancing, sword-swinging, heraldry, being chaste)
Latin Lover (Seducing, loving, running from irate husbands)
Mad Scientist (Raving, world-domination, trying to play God, cackling)
Martial Artist (Fancy hand-to-hand combat, out-of-synch speech)
Magician (Palming things, sawing ladies in half, public speaking)
Sorcerer (Spellcasting, demon-summoning, speaking in gibberish)
Novelist (Drinking, brawling, cut-rate world traveling, introspection)
Olympic Athlete (Running, swimming, jumping, skiing, javelin-tossing)
Outdoorsman (Following tracks, building shelters, finding wild food)
Policeman (Eating donuts, writing tickets, shooting civilians)
Poltergeist (Being dead, throwing things, scaring people)
Soldier (Shooting, hiding, partying, catching venereal diseases)
Special Forces (Following orders, looking stern, following orders)
Swashbuckler (Stabbing things, swinging from ropes, sailing, romance)
Thief (Sneakin' around gaining access and objects they shouldn't have)
Vampire (Charming people, sucking blood, turning into mist or bats)
Other Kind of Vampire (Self-pity, erotic blood poetry, wearing black)
These are just examples to get you started - players should feel free to
make up their own Clichs (subject to GM approval). In particular, Note that the
GM will require the "fine tuning" of any Clich that he considers too broad. If th
e game is about sorcerers (for example), then "sorcerer" becomes too all-encompa
ssing for the game, and Clichs like necromancer, mentalist, fire-wizard and wise
woman are more the order of the day.
THE GAME SYSTEM
Whenever anybody wants to do something, and nobody is actively trying to
stop him, AND the GM doesn't think that success would be automatic, the player
rolls dice. If the total rolled beats (equals or exceeds) the Target Number the
GM sets, success! If not, failure!
Target numbers follow this scale:
5: A cinch. A snap. 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: You've GOT to be Kidding. Actual superhuman difficulty.
This can be subjective, and anybody can try anything: Crossing a chasm b
y swinging on a rope, vine or something similar would be child's play (automatic
success!) for a Swashbuckler or a Lord of the Jungle, easy (Difficulty 5) for a
Pulp Archaeologist, and challenging but definitely doable (Difficulty 10) for a
Gymnast, Barbarian, or Thief. Even a Wheelchair-Bound Eccentric Occultist could
try it (Difficulty 15, but the wheelchair is lost unless the roll beats a 30)!
PROPER TOOLS
Every character is assumed to be equipped with the Tools of His Trade (a
t least the portable ones). Warriors are wearing armor and wielding good weapons
. Cowboys have leather chaps, lasoo, a couple of pearl-handled six-guns and some

chaw. Netrunners have an expensive jack-in laptop and funny clothes.

If, through the course of an adventure, a character LOSES any of these v
ital totems, his Clich operates on half the normal number of dice (or not at all,
if the GM rules that the equipment was REQUIRED) until they are replaced.
A Barbarian(5), for instance, can fight without his sword as a Barbarian
(3), but a Netrunner can't run the net without his cyberdeck. If the Netrunner m
anages to find another computer to play with besides the kind he's used to, he c
an operate at half-dice.
Some special tools (magic wands, hot-off-the-line military cyberdecks, a
nd so on) may give bonus dice to your Clichs when used. Characters never begin th
e game with bonus-dice gear; they must be acquired in adventures.
THE COMBAT SYSTEM
``Combat'' in this game is defined as any contest in which opponents joc
key for position, utilize attacks, bring defenses to bear, and try to wear down
their foes to achieve victory. Either literally or metaphorically! Some examples
of combat include:
ARGUMENTS: People using whatever verbal weapons they have at hand to mak
e their points. Truth is the first casualty.
HORSE-RACING: People on horses running around and around a dirty track,
trying to get nowhere first.
DOGFIGHTS: People in airplanes or spaceships flying around and trying to
blow each other out of the sky.
ASTRAL/PSYCHIC DUELS: Mystics/psionics looking bored or asleep, but tryi
ng to rip one another's egos apart in the Otherworld.
WIZARD'S DUELS: Sorcerers using strange magics and trying to outdo the o
ther.
DUELING BANJOS: Banjo players using strange melodies and trying to outdo
the other.
SEDUCTION ATTEMPTS: One (or more) characters trying to score with one (o
r more) other character(s) who is(are) trying to resist.
COURTROOM ANTICS: Prosecution vs. Defense. The goal is victory. Justice
is incidental.
ACTUAL PHYSICAL COMBAT: People trying to injure or kill each other.
The GM decides when a combat has begun. At that point, go around the tab
le in rounds, and let each combatant make an attack in turn. What constitutes an
``attack'' depends on the sort of combat, but it should ALWAYS be roleplayed (i
f dialogue is involved) or described in entertaining detail (if it's physical an
d/or dangerous and/or normally requires contraceptives).
Attacks require rolls against character Clichs. The GM must, at the outse
t of combat, determine what TYPE of Clichs are appropriate for the fight. In a ph
ysical fight, Clichs like Viking, Barbarian, Soldier, Swashbuckler, and Novelist
are appropriate. Clichs like Hairdresser and Latin Lover are not (but may still b
e used; see next section).
An attack must be directed at a foe. Both parties in the attack (attacke
r and defender) roll against their chosen Clich. Low roll loses. Specifically, th
e low roller loses one of his Clich dice for the remainder of the fight - he's be
en weakened, worn down, or otherwise pushed one step towards defeat. In future r
ounds, he'll be rolling lower numbers.
Eventually, one side will be left standing, and another will be left wit
hout dice. At this point, the winners usually decide the fate of the losers. In
a physical fight or magical duel, the losers might be killed (or mercifully spar
ed). In Courtroom Antics, the loser gets sentenced by the judge, or fails to pro
secute. In a Seduction, the loser gets either a cold shower or a warm evening, d
epending on who wins.
You needn't use the same Clich every round. If a Viking/Swashbuckler want
s to lop heads one round, and swing on chandeliers the next, that's groovy, too.
However, anytime a character has a Clich worn down to zero dice in combat, he ha

s lost, even if he has other appropriate Clichs left to play with.

Dice lost in combat are regained when the combat ends, at a "healing" ra
te determined by the GM. If the combat was in vehicles (space fighters, mecha, w
ooden sailing ships) then the vehicles themselves are likely damaged, too, and m
ust be repaired.
INAPPROPRIATE CLICHS
As stated above, the GM determines what sort of Clichs are appropriate fo
r any given combat. An INAPPROPRIATE Clich is anything that's left . . . In a phy
sical fight, Hairdresser is inappropriate. In a Wizard's duel, Barbarian is inap
propriate.
Inappropriate Clichs may be used to make attacks, PROVIDED THE PLAYER ROL
EPLAYS OR DESCRIBES IT IN A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY ENTERTAINING MANNER. Furtherm
ore, the ``attack'' must be plausible within the context of the combat, and the
genre and tone that the GM has set for the game. This option is more valuable in
silly games than in dead-serious ones.
All combat rules apply normally, with one exception: If an inappropriate
Clich wins a combat round versus an appropriate one, the ``appropriate'' player
loses THREE dice, rather than one, from his Clich! The ``inappropriate'' player t
akes no such risk, and loses only the normal one die if he loses the round.
Thus, a skilled hairdresser is dangerous when cornered and attacked unfa
irly. Beware.
When in doubt, assume that the aggressor determines the type of combat.
If a wizard attacks a barbarian with magic, then it's a Wizard's duel! If the ba
rbarian attacks the mage with his sword, then it's Physical Combat! If the defen
der can come up with an entertaining use of his skills, then he'll have the edge
. It pays in many genres to be the defender!
Note: If the wizard and barbarian both obviously want to fight, then bot
h are aggressors, and it's "Fantasy Combat," where both swords and sorcery have
equal footing.
TEAMING UP
Two or more characters may decide to form a TEAM in combat. For the dura
tion of the team (usually the entire combat), they fight as a single unit, and a
re attacked as a single foe. There are two kinds of teams: Player-Character team
s and NPC teams ("Grunt Squads.")
Grunt-Squads: This is just special effects. When you want the heroes to
be attacked by a horde of 700 rat-skeletons inside the lair of the Wicked Necrom
ancer(5), but don't feel like keeping track of 700 little skeletal sets of dice,
just declare that they re a team, fighting as Skeletal Rat-Horde(7). Mechanically
, the Rat-Horde is the same as any other single foe - except it has more dice! G
runt-Squads can have any level of clich the GM feels is appropriate. Grunt-Squads
stick together as a team until they re defeated, at which point many survivors wi
ll scatter (though at least one will always remain to suffer whatever fate the v
ictor decides).
Player-Character Teams: When PCs (or PCs and their NPC allies) form a te
am, the Team Leader is defined by the highest-ranking Clich in the team (a title th
at must be designated if there is a tie). Everybody rolls dice, but the Team Lea
der s dice all count. Other Team Members contribute only their sixes (if the Funky
Dice option is used, Team Members may contribute their single highest die-roll
above six, or their sixes, their choice). Team members who roll nothing above fi
ve don t contribute anything to the Team Leader s total for that roll.
Clichs joined in a team need not be identical, but they all must be equal
ly appropriate or inappropriate. This means five Vikings could band together in
physical fight with no problem. It also means that a Hairdresser, a Parakeet Tra
iner, and a Career Counselor could team up in a physical fight if they have a RE
ALLY good description of how they'll use their skills in concert to take out the
Vikings!
Whenever a team loses a round of combat, a single team-member s dice is re
duced by one (or three!) as per the normal combat rules. Any team member may "st

ep forward" and voluntarily take this personal "damage" to his dice. If this hap
pens, the noble volunteer is reduced by twice the normal amount (either two dice
or six!), and the team leader gets to roll twice as many dice on his next attac
k, a temporary boost as the team avenges their heroic comrade. If no volunteer s
teps forward, then each member must roll against the Clich they're using as part
of the team: Low-roll takes the (undoubled) hit, and there is no "vengeance" bon
us.
Disbanding: A team may voluntarily disband at any time between die-rolls
. This reduces the Clich each team-member was using in the team by one, instantly
(not a permanent reduction - treat it just like "damage" taken from losing a ro
und of combat). Disbanded team-members may freely form new teams, provided the d
isbanding "damage" doesn't take them out of the fight. Individuals may also "dro
p 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!
Lost Leader: If the team leader ever leaves the team for any reason (eit
her by dropping out or by having his personal dice reduced to zero), every membe
r of the team immediately takes one die of damage as if the team had disbanded (si
nce, without a leader, they ve done exactly that). They may immediately opt to ref
orm as a new team (with a new leader) however, and if the old leader was removed
by volunteering for personal damage, the new team leader gets the double-roll v
engeance bonus to avenge his predecessor!
CONFLICTS THAT AREN'T COMBAT
Many conflicts that arise in the game cannot be defined as ``combat;'' t
hey're over too quickly, defined by a single action. A classic pistol-duel isn't
combat - the two duelists simply turn and fire, and then it's all over. Two cha
racters diving to grab the same gun from the floor isn't combat. Two cooks prepa
ring chili for a cookoff isn't combat; there's no ``wearing down of the foe'' an
d no jockeying for position.
Such ``single-action conflicts'' are settled with a single roll against
appropriate Clichs (or inappropriate Clichs, with good roleplaying). High roll win
s.
WHEN SOMEBODY CAN'T PARTICIPATE
It will often occur that characters will find themselves involved in a C
ombat or quicker conflict where they simply have no applicable Clichs, even by st
retching the imagination. Or maybe ONE character will have an appropriate Clich,
while the others feel left out. An example might be a pie-eating contest. One ch
aracter was wise (or foolish) enough to take ``Disgusting Glutton(2)'' as a Clic
h. The other characters are astronauts or accountants, neither of which tradition
ally engorge themselves on pie.
In situations like this, give everybody two free dice to play with, for
the duration of the conflict. This INCLUDES characters who already HAVE appropri
ate Clichs. In the example above, the astronauts and accountants would get Pie-Ea
ting(2), while the Disgusting Glutton would be temporarily increased to Disgusti
ng Glutton(4). The Glutton, naturally, still has the winning edge, but anyone ca
n TRY to eat lots of pie. This ``temporary promotion'' applies only in opposed c
onflicts, not in challenges based on Target Numbers.
A WORD OR TWO ABOUT SCALE
No standard time or distance scale is provided for Risus; it really depe
nds on what kind of action is happening. However, the GM should try to stay cons
istent within a single conflict. In a physical fight, each round represents a fe
w seconds. In a long-term fight between a married couple, each round might repre
sent an entire Day (Day one: Husband ``accidentally'' burns wife's favorite dres
s in the oven, Wife ``accidentally'' feeds Drano to Husband's prize goldfish, an
d so on until there is a victor).
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
At the end of each adventure, each player should roll against every Clic

h that was used significantly during the game (using their current number of dice
). If the dice land showing only even numbers, this indicates an increase by one
die for that Clich. Thus, advancement slows down as you go. No Clich may go highe
r than Clich(6), although if Pumping is allowed (see below), they can be pumped p
ast (6).
Anytime you do something really, really, really spectacularly entertaini
ng that wows the whole table, the GM may rule that you may roll instantly (in th
e middle of the game!) for possible improvement, in addition to the roll at the
end of the adventure.
Adding New Clichs: There may come a time when a character has grown and m
atured 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 Character Advancement as usual, but any of the new dice earned
may be put toward the new Clich instead of the ones that earned them. This can a
lso be applied to "in-game" improvements, if the situation warrants it!
ADVANCED OPTION: HOOKS and TALES
Normally, a character is created using 10 dice. With this Advanced Optio
n, players can bargain for extra beginning dice by giving their character a Hook
and/or a Tale.
A Hook is some signifigant character flaw - 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 bef
ore the events of the game begin. The Tale needn't be long (two or three pages i
s usually just fine); it just needs to tell the reader where the character is co
ming from, what he likes and dislikes, how he became who he is, what his motives
are. Some Tales are best written from the player's omniscient perspective; othe
rs are more fun if written as excerpts from the character's own diary. A charact
er with a Tale provided before gameplay begins gets an extra die to play with.
ADVANCED OPTION II: PUMPING CLICHS
In an emergency, any character may pump his Clichs. If the Ninja(3) comes
face to face with a Monster(6), it might be necessary.
When a Clich is pumped, it receives a temporary boost in dice. This boost
lasts for a single round of combat, or a single significant roll otherwise. How
ever, after that round or roll is resolved, the character loses a number of dice
equal to the number he gave himself in the pump. This is treated like "injury"
to the Clichs sustained in combat, and must "heal" in the same fashion.
Example: Rudolph the Ninja has come face to face with a Monster, who attacks him
. Rudy doesn't 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 as a Cajun Chef(3) - a decidedly In
appropriate choice! He also opts to pump it by two dice up to five . . . He's RE
ALLY putting his all into his cooking for this fight.
So, the first round happens. The Monster rolls six dice, and the Ninja (
quickly whipping up a tempting Gumbo spiked with Ninja sleeping drug and offerin
g it to the monster) rolls five dice.
If the Ninja loses, then he is instantly defeated. His Cajun Chef Clichs
drops by two to Cajun Chef(1) just for the pump, plus another die for losing the
round. The Monster decides to eat Rudolph instead of the Gumbo.
If the Ninja WINS, however, the Monster(6) is dropped to Monster(3), and
his Cajun Chef(3) drops to Cajun Chef(1). In Rudolph's responding attack, he'll
will switch back to ordinary Ninja tactics - and be on equal footing with the s
leepy Monster!
A risky maneuver, but worth it.
Pumped Clichs are legal in any situation except single-action conflicts.

ADVANCED OPTION III: DOUBLE-PUMPS

If this option is used, characters may be created with double-pump Clichs
. These Clichs, when pumped, give you TWO dice in the pumped roll for every die y
ou'll lose at the end of it. Thus, a Sorcerer(5) could be a Sorcerer(11) for a s
ingle combat round, at a cost of three dice. This option is appropriate for any
Clichs based on supernatural powers, such as wizards, telepaths, and humanoid-tor
ch style superheroes. They're also appropriate for any other Clichs the GM approv
es them for.
Double-pump Clichs cost twice as many starting dice to buy. Thus, the fol
lowing would be a legal starting character:
Sinsibilus the Sorcerer
Description: Thin, spindly and mysterious, with a tired
cat on his shoulder. Likes to poke around
where Man Ought Not, turn people in to toads
and the like. Likes the woods.
Clichs: Sorcerer [3], Alchemist (2), Outdoorsman (2)
The hard [square brackets] indicate a double-pump Clichs. Since it costs
double, Sinsibilus is effectively a 10-dice character.
If the GM considers any clichs to be too universally powerful, he may REQ
UIRE that it be purchased in this way, to insure some sort of balance. Overall,
double-pump dice are less useful than ordinary dice at the beginning, but since
they improve at the same rate as ordinary dice, they are a good "investment." Do
uble-pump clichs must be purchased at character creation.
ADVANCED OPTION IV: FUNKY DICE
Okay, this is the LAST advanced option.
With the Funky Dice option, we move beyond the standard six-sided cubica
l dice, and enter the world of the d8, d10, d12, d20 and (heavens preserve us) d
30.
These dice allow Risus to represent, say, superheroes or demigods, witho
ut resorting to large numbers of dice. Under this system, characters are given p
oints to create their characters with, and each type of die costs points. Specif
ically:
d6: 6 points
d8: 8 points

d10: 10 points d20: 20 points

d12: 12 points d30: 30 points

Normal characters are created with 60 points to spend. Superheroes and g

odlings may be created with more (200 is a good number), if the GM wants a highpowered game. Double-pump dice cost double, of course, and 4 dice is still the l
imit for beginning PCs . . . but they can be 4 big dice. Points not spent when c
haracters are created are lost. Six-sided dice are the smallest permitted, and t
hirty-sided dice are the largest (and also loopy).
When using this option, a character with Clich(6) may still roll to impro
ve! If the roll is successful, he drops to (5) dice, but of the NEXT HIGHER TYPE
. So, your Astronaut(6) becomes an Astronaut(5d8).
If the GM is allowing Hooks and Tales, either one will increase availabl
e starting points by 10 percent (so, normal Risus characters will get six extra
points each for a Hook or Tale).
When characters with different kinds of dice form a Team in combat, the
Team Leader is still the one with the highest-ranking Clich: Swordsman(4) "ranks"
higher than Swordsman(3d10), for example.
Those are the only rule-changes. Dice are still dice - if a Viking(3) wi
ns a combat round against a Swashbuckler(3d10), the Swashbuckler loses a whole d
10. Conversely, at the end of the game, the Swashbuckler has the same odds of ad
ding a d10 to his Clichs as the Viking has of adding a d6 to his.
A sample superhero, built on 200 points (4 were left over, and lost):

Burning Rubber
Description: Disguised as Barry Parker, a mild-mannered
NASCAR driver, Burning Rubber can run really
really fast, burst into flame, and stretch his
body into funky shapes.
Clichs: Speedster [2d10], On-Fire Guy [2d20], Stretching
Guy (4d10), Stock-Car Driver(3), Football Fan(3)
An expanded Target Number list for superhumans, compared to feats of phy
sical strength:
30: Throwing a motorcycle.
50: Throwing a tank.
70: Throwing a loaded train.
85: Throwing a pile of 15,000 loaded trains . . .
100: Kicking the Earth five feet out of orbit.
Note the nonlinearity! This ain't rocket science.
Email: [email protected]
http://www.cumberlandgames.com
Risus is S. John Ross' trademark for his Anything RPG.