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The Best Free Versions of GM-less RPGs
Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Cheapskates exploring indie role-playing games (RPGs) will find GM-less play to be one of the few indie innovations lacking from Primetime Adventures, Dogs in the Vineyard, and the Shadow of Yesterday, as discussed in my other GeekList. Therefore, I have endeavored to find the best free versions of such games and then rate them based on a scoring method that aggregates a number of factors into a single number, noted after the game's title below (see Scoring Sheet). These ratings could be used to seed a tournament or taken as a final assessment of the best free GM-less RPGs of the last decade!
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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11 Points
For the top spot, we have a tie, and your own preference will likely come down to whether you favor popular or expert opinion. The popular choice is the Shab-al-Hiri Roach, which has the highest rating of any of these games on RPG.net. As with Shooting the Moon, the free version of the Shab-al-Hiri Roach is a few steps removed from the final one, but it is still quite playable and fun.
Winner of the Outie Sui Generis Award in 2006 and a nominee for two other awards, the Shab-al-Hiri Roach is more decorated than any of the other games ranked below it, but still not quite as recognized as Bacchanal, which won the Outie Sui Generis Award the year prior and was nominated for one more award than the Shab-al-Hiri Roach. Although its popular ratings on RPG.net do not fare as well as other games', in Bacchanal's favor is that its free version is almost exactly the same as the final, published version. You probably can't go wrong with either of these games.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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11 Points
See Bacchanal above.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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9 Points
I might be too chicken to want to play this goofy dancing game very often, but there is no denying Sea Dracula's greatness. Winning the Free Indie Game of the Year Award in 2008, Sea Dracula is the only game in this ranking whose free version is the final version. You too can experience all the rave reviews without worrying that you are missing some critical change in the rules.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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7 Points
Contenders is about "the pain, hope, love and loss of boxers." Winner of a High Ronny in its initial draft, the published version of Contenders actually changes few of the game rules, meaning that the free version is almost as good as it gets. Although it has not been up for any awards in its final form, Contenders has nonetheless racked up quite a fan base giving it an above average rating on RPG.net and stellar ratings here on GeekDo.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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6 Points
A game in which you play out a love triangle, Shooting the Moon perhaps suffers a bit among award-givers due to its similarity to its older sibling, Breaking the Ice, which has won multiple recognitions. The free version is also a second playtest version, a step or two removed from the final published version. That said, it was a Grog d'Or nominee for Best RPG in 2007 and receives a warm review on RPG.net as well as solid ratings from all but one contributor who seems to loathe most indie games in the first place. This is a solid, well-respected game, and the free version is probably almost as good.
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