This is a great buy. The game is very well designed and is a very complete system despite its brevity. Even though it is called barebones, that does not mean more work for the DM/GM. Everything you need to run a complete campaign is right in this little book.

I am running a Pathfinder campaign Rise of the Runelords while waiting for D&Dnext. That was the plan at least, but honestly, I think BBF will be our next game. Next might never be next...

Excellent system, very easy to learn and one that doesn’t hold up play. The original skill system works well, defining a character as the player wants. The magic system is very simple and quite innovative – no single spells but catch-all groups such as “offensive strike”. Here the caster chooses a direct magical assault of some sort (e.g. fire, ice, lightning) or charges a weapon / fist for extra damage. The power of the spell is determined by the casters skill. Simple. The book is well organised and very complete – comprehensive kit lists, how to do things, monsters, treasure, adventure and dungeon generation for ideas etc – it really is all here. A neat threat system keeps the game in balance too – very well thought out. Whats bad then? The only really bad thing for me was the random dungeon generator – first it is all hand-drawn (what happened to the ruler), second, well the generator is in a table format; roll a die for rows then columns and there you go. The average of a D10 is 5.5 so what is in this space of the table? A corridor, an empty room? Nope. A trap. The most common encounter generated is a trap. Hmmm. The idea is good, but the execution needs improving.
Along with the pdf, I ordered the print on demand book. I live in the UK, and it was delivered three days after ordering!! Yes, I paid extra for first class postage but even so, thats quick! The pages are slightly out of position when the book was bound but for an extra $4 I’m more than happy with it. The book and system lives up to its claims of being a complete, rules lite system, and is more than capable of keeping a group going for many, many months. A very solid 5 out of 5.

I had a great time with BareBones Fantasy. I started making a character, but I'm bad at time mgmt. and was trying too hard to think up a character concept. I had three back-to-back games to play, so I chickened out and made a character with the online NPC generator. Character Gen was easy to follow and I liked that I could pick a blend of a couple different classes from the outset, like warrior- thief-caster. Of the simple systems I've played, BBF seems best at having hybrid characters out of the gate without major penalties in first several levels.

Dungeon World, Warrior Rogue & Mage, Old School Hack, Searchers of the Unknown, are all one-shot type or simple systems I've played. I would rank BareBones Fantasy right up there with Dungeon World as being the most feature-full, simple fantasy system with lots of replay-ability or being campaign worthy.

As with any game system, it helps to have a great GM that knows the rules. I got to play with Larry Moore, one of the authors. Don't ever turn that down!! Even better is a creative GM that can turn a story hook into a fun romp with a cool quickie map. Larry did just that. Maybe that is why he and his co-author were able to create such a system, they've played a ton of games and figured out what they like and don't like in other systems.

The game comes with a well laid out character sheet and a 2-page quick start character creation guide, some nice art work and maps, B/W (printer friendly) and full color versions of the book and first adventure. There are several things that DwD Studios got right in that list, well all of them. :-) I love playing role-playing games and I like being able to pick up a game and quickly wrap my head around the math in the system. It doesn't have to be super complicated to be super fun. One thing I'd like to see is a form-fillable PDF for a character sheet. I actually spent part of my pre-game time that morning trying to make one for BareBones. I think the math is simple enough to make it easy to finish off one lazy Saturday soon.

The previous reviewer did an awesome detailed job of explaining the system and what comes with it, so I won't go on, but do know that I think the $10 is money well-spent if you are into quick OSR gaming.

I can't wait to see your BareBones SciFi. BareBones Star Frontiers? You know you want to.

You might say there are two types of rules-light games. There are those that give you the basic essentials you need to run and play a game--the briefest of outlines, so to speak. Then there are those that manage to remain simple and easy to use, but still manage to give robust support to the Game Master, and an excellent outline for creativity and expansion.

It is precisely because BareBones Fantasy falls into the latter, more elusive category that I can happily recommend it to gamers.

BareBones Fantasy (aka BBF) is by DwD Studios, and comes to you by some of the names responsible for the continued support and revival of the old Star Frontiers RPG. Fittingly enough, the rules borrow some of the conventions of that game, albeit in a neatly presented and updated format.

Let's start with the basics. This 82-page dynamo uses a roll-under percentile system, with doubles (44, 77, etc.) being treated as critical successes or failures, depending on if the roll is under or over the target number. 00-05 is always a success on a reasonable attempt, and a 95-99 always fails.

BareBones has 4 stats, or Abilities, which can either be rolled randomly or assigned via point buy. Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Logic (LOG), and Will (WIL), should be self-explanatory for most any gamer. These Abilities are used for checks (STR check to lift things, resist poison; DEX to jump out of the way of something, etc.), and also play an important part in class/skill, as we're about to see.

There are the 4 basic fantasy races in here (though I understand a supplement with additional races is forthcoming)--Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling. Each of these races gets a bonus to one Ability, and a few other add-ons as well.

The game uses one of my favorite, and regrettably lesser-used conventions in gaming--class as skill. There are 8 skills, which are Cleric, Enchanter, Leader, Scholar, Spellcaster, Scout, Thief and Warrior. The last three of that list can be used unskilled by all characters; the others must be trained. Each character gets a primary and secondary skill to start with, each of which get a corresponding bonus. The starting percentage (before bonuses) for a skill is half the governing Ability. A list of what each skill can do is provided--Spellcaster ties to your capacity to cast spells, Cleric links to your religious knowledge and divine gifts, and so on down the line.

A brief word on magic: there are only 17 spells in this game, which might seem like a small amount, but the spells can be customized based on desired effect. For example, the Charm spell can be used not only to magically win folks over to your side, but also to drop them into a deep sleep, intimidate them into fleeing in fear, and so on. A Spellcasting roll is required to cast--and that's the danger to the caster really, the specter of a critical failure. A lucky caster can sling spells all day long--there's no worries of Mana or Spells Per Day here.

From there, you pick out equipment from the provided list, and then derive a couple of secondary stats--your starting Body Points (yep, Hit Points), your Initiative, your Damage Reduction (adjusted by your armor choice), and your Movement (how many spaces you can move in a turn). It's all quite quick and painless.

For a rules-light game, there are some cool aspects of rounding out your character. The Alignment code reminds me of Pendragon, with players defining their character as Somewhat/Very/Totally Kind or Cruel, Focused or Unfocused, Selfless or Selfish, Honorable or Deceitful, and Brave or Cowardly. The player also specifies two Descriptors, one negative ("Drinks too much") and one positive ("Well-mannered") to further flesh out the character. I also appreciate the step-by-step examples and inclusion of sample character to help character creation along. It's all ridiculously simple, but it's still a nice, reassuring sort of feature.

Perhaps the biggest positive takeaway for me on character generation is how you can have an interesting hybrid sort of character without having a be-all and end-all sort of supreme "special snowflake". You can have a character that wears heavy armor and can still Spellcast, but he'd better have a high enough Strength to pull it off. And if you throw all your points in making that work, you're going to kick butt, yet you'll still have your weak areas. Players should have a lot of fun diversifying their characters and find the right balance between specialization, and the siren call of being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

There aren't many pages (barely two) spent explaining the basic mechanics, mainly because a) they're simple, and b) the author, one Mr. Larry Moore (along with co-designer Mr. Bill Logan), has a wonderful penchant for explaining things in a clear, succinct matter. There's a brief description of Contested Rolls between characters, Resistance checks (which are the same as doing an Ability check), and a few words on healing, and then we're ready for combat.

The combat section is short and sweet. First you roll initiative. If you have an initiative rating of 2, you roll 2d10s and pick the best d10 roll of the two. (A bit off the beaten path, but fun). Then you attack, trying to roll under either your Warrior (Melee) or Warrior (Ranged) skill. Your opponent can try to Dodge, using a DEX check. If you hit, you roll damage for your weapon, taking into account any armor worn by your foe and subtracting its rating from the total.

If you want to act more than once in a round, each additional action has a -20% penalty. So, you can try to tumble across the spiked floor, throw your dagger at the high priest, punch the guard square in the jaw, and then Dodge when he tries to headbutt you on his turn, but your chances of success grow dimmer the later in the sequence an action is. Being roll-under percentile, there's always at least a chance of success, but you're also in trouble if you get too carried away.

Leveling up is a matter of earning Development Points (DPs). There's a checklist in here for the Game Master, to reward. DPs are granted each session if the character plays to alignment and descriptors, if they are an active participant, for completing in-game goals, etc. You can spend them on bumping up Skills, learning new languages, or increasing Abilities.

Now, many rules-light RPGs might stop there. If all BareBones did was present a rules-light system, throw in a few monsters and some generic GM advice and call it quits, it would still be an attractive gaming option. But where BareBones Fantasy thrives is in making this light game feel well-supported and full of options and good material.

There's the section on magic items, and magic item creation. There are charts and tables--in abundance, I should say. For the chart-o-phile as well as the harried GM, this game has you covered. There are charts for adventure creations, charts for dungeon creation. There are treasure charts, magic item tables, and even a fun one for alternate rewards--how about a noble title or deific blessing, if your quest was epic enough?

The best part is, none of the above feels hand-wavey or an afterthought. This game is easy, true, but that does not mean it doesn't give the Game Master tons of toys to play with.

A long list of magic items, a very stripped-down, "broad brushstrokes" setting (Keranak Kingdoms, which also has a book all its own), a bestiary, a glossary, and the all-important index round this work out. It's amazing just how much is in this book. I've read 200-page RPGs that offer less and are more impenetrable in doing so. If you want to talk about top page count value, this one just might be it.

If I've heard one complaint, it's that the monster section is too short--there are about 45 creatures presented--but that is mitigated somewhat by a template system to make your own baddies. It's quick, it's smart, and it works. Really, a lot of the game supports tinkering, whether you like running games right out of the box, or tweaking them until they're juuuuust right, BBF has you covered.

Presentation of the product is logical, orderly, with clear writing and a well-considered layout. If you were going to give a clinic on how to present an RPG, you could do far worse than to start here. I have no doubt other RPGs offer much of what BareBones does, but BBF just makes it all so concise and straightforward. Mr. Moore and company should be congratulated for what is an all-too-rare feat in gaming on that account.

BareBones Fantasy is available in both pdf and softcover from RPGNow, and I would recommend gamers looking for a smart, rules-light fantasy RPG that manages to be different, clever, and surprisingly thorough start here. I've seen it mentioned in the same breath as neoclassical and Old School Renaissance rulesets, and I suppose there's something to it, given this game's lineage. Yet I think pigeonholing it as such would be a disservice to the game, as it occupies its own ground somewhere in the middle. I've used it with Keep On The Borderlands, but I daresay a group raised on Pathfinder looking for something lighter would find just as much utility here, as well.

This game should appeal to groups without the time to chew through 400-page rulebooks, those who want something light yet robust, fans of good percentile-based systems, and even novice gamers just jumping into a system. I plan on running my 8 year-old daughter through a game of BBF quite soon, and I doubt she'll have any issues with it. For parents, I'd recommend checking into this one, too.

I'm not one to always trust reviews from any site trying to sell me stuff, but BareBones has over 20+ reviews on RPGNow/DriveThruRPG, and they're almost all wildly positive. In this instance, they're right on the money. So is BareBones Fantasy when it comes to delivering a lot of smart fantasy gaming at a good price. Consider this an enthusiastic endorsement of the product, start to finish.

Looking for a rules-light fantasy RPG but the flood of OSR games does not exactly blow up your skirt? You have come to the right place. BareBones Fantasy presents a straightforward percentile-based system with a clever 'class as your skill' mechanic and a flexible magic system. The slim volume (or PDF) contains everything you need under one cover; races, skills, magic, combat rules, bestiary, magic items, GM guidelines, random dungeon generation tables - it's all here.

To top it off, the package contains a short adventure, player aid, character sheets and more! Did I mention it also included prinnt friendly versions of everything? And that it was only $10? How can you go wrong?

Fast and Simple System that Allows for Broad Range of Character Types

Hard to beat this system for low cost but still more than enough materials to run a full campaign using the system. Ordered the PDF and print copies both of which more than met my expectations. Was debating between this and Dungeon World but felt the production quality and support for BareBones Fantasy was far superior.

Not a prefect book in that some situations are not covered such as if a character wants to use two weapons or rules for disengaging from melee but for the price point that could be expected. Over all the rules are solid enough to handle most events that will come up during play.

The campaign world is basic and open-ended with nice cartography on the maps. Comes with a dungeon crawl style adventure.

For 16 pages, there sure is a lot of packed in here! I really enjoyed the two-weapon fighting article, in particular, which illustrates just how nicely tweakable BareBones Fantasy is. I also loved Matt Jackson's map and short adventure, both of which are top notch.

The "Creature Corner" is interesting, offering a new monster for your game, and the random tables are right up my alley--the authors are right--they are lots of fun!

Best of all, this product got me even more excited about making my own creations for BareBones Fantasy. This is a small gaming magazine, but the quality is absolutely top-notch.

I like BareBones Fantasy. If DwD can maintain their production values, you'll be getting in on the ground floor of something special. I'm certainly rooting for them. I'd recommend this product to anyone looking for a simplified-but-deep-enough approach to fantasy. I'd also recommend it to anyone looking to learn a thing or two in preparation for their own publishing adventure. I wouldn't recommend this book if your interests lie primarily in the truly crunchy and/or complex.

This product is top notch and well worth the full price, much less on sale. I found it clearly written, well organized and imaginative. There are several strong points to this sandbox setting. The first was that it is clear and easy to follow. The second is convenient stat blocks and encounter tables. Together they allow a DM to quicky absorb and use the adventure, even someone inexperienced. The third strong point are the NPCs. They are sufficiently drawn to make them interesting, but not so much that it would waste time. Fourth are the in town encounters. They are useful for building heroes and role playing. Lastly the dungeon itself was nicely done. Overall, this is a simple, straightforward and enjoyable setting and scenario. It can easily be added to a campaign or used as a starter for one. Five Stars in my opinion!

TL;DR version: if you need a solid, well designed, decorated and illustrated traditional-fantasy world to build your campaigns, write novels or to hack and tailor to your needs, BUY THIS BOOK. (No one single rule has been harmed during book writing, so you can use it with your favorite fantasy game with no effort)

Long version: it's a while that I thinker with the idea of building my own world to accommodate a great campaign of Fantasy Dice. While "Crimson Exodus" depicts a great world, full of interesting things to do, I don't like each and every aspect of the setting: too gloomy and magic is far too disconnected from the world, there is a lot of details about its mechanic but it's not clear "how it works" and from where it comes.

Enters Keranak Kingdoms. I bought this book as a source for my own work, since it had very good ratings and reviews, with the idea of using it as a mere blueprint on "how to depict a world in broad lines". But after having read it I'm really in doubt. I'd like to have two days a day so that I can run two games, one on Kernanak, the other on my homebrewed setting.

As for the content, I think this bulleted list can give you an idea if this is good for you:

• Every setting has a "bottom line": what's peculiar here? Here you are: "The kingdom, comprising all the known world, was founded by the gods and given to a single, gifted bloodline. The lask king died with no heir. The kingdom is still there, governed by the aging queen, but soon it will need a new king... or eventually fall apart." As dull as it seems, this creates a great scenario for mature adventures: will you take part in defending the kingdom? Will you reclaim your province and advocate secession? Will you try to be king? Exciting :)

• This is a well designed but very "standard" fantasy settings: it has human, dwarves, elfs and halflings (which really behaves like hobbits). When it comes to races, Tolkien is lurking pretty everywhere, from races characterization to idividual names, BUT this is not a mere clone. Starting from classic taste they evolved with good ideas and great characters, so the result is something "familiar but new". "New" don't get in the way here, you won't find anything "strange". Just a deeper characterization compared to other pretty silly settings (next bullet).

• Cultures are very well-designed: not just races but also location and local history contribute to form a culture. So we'll got stout dwarves, as always, but not all are "blindly" grumpy or fierce, it depends from where they grew, in which culture, etc. Elves in particular are interesting as both PCs and NPCs, divided in separated clans which developed pretty different cultures and histories.

• There is room for all, but it's not a kitchen sink. Mountains and oceans are the evergreen solution when it comes to create separation between what's "home" and what's "exotic", but the setting always have to adopt a geographical/cultural point of views to pinpoint "home" concept. Here home is the Keranak province, the heart of the kingdom. Far away provinces or territories used to be part of the kingdom, but retained their aura of mystery and unfamiliarity to common people. This creates a world full of different cultures and places but not messy like FR or similar.

• All is readable by your players: this handbook depicts all that a knowledgable keranakian commoner can know about the world. No more info is given. GM can decide what's real, what's legend, how things work, etc. It's hard to find something so detailed and so tailorable at the same time.

• Little but dense boxes are scattered around and labeled "Dungeon master advices". You could also let your players read them: they offer some ideas worth developing for GMs but more in form of questions: "what happened in this region? Why X and Y are fighting? Maybe thay know something valuable is hidden there and there?" Actually I'd argue that making your players read that boxes will help you disseminating your campaign with red-harrings :D

Summing all up, the product is worth all the money it costs, and more. Five stars :)

Normally I'd not give 5 stars, as I find the system lacking compared to Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord or a couple more retro clones I've tried. And not that much easier for new players than any of those, either. But it's got brand new concepts and the best DM section I've seen. It needs serious balancing, as Spellcasters even from level 1 outshadow each and every other class (combat included); each combat became just a turn grinding until the spellcaster could cast offensive strikes to all enemies... It could be the group I DMed (they were very much apprentices in the rpg scene), but still...

But I'll give it the five stars, because it's also extremely good priced for what it offers!

Overview: PDF, 84 pages

Includes everything you need to run a game in 84 pages! Chapters are as follows: Introduction, Character Creation, Gameplay, GM Guidelines, Setting Overview.

This book assumes that you know what an RPG is and how to roleplay a character. So, not a whole lot of long-winded explanations. That being said, this would be a great RPG to start new players in.

The good: Some people have derided BBF as a 'beer and pretels' game. I disagree with that assessment. It is decidedly rules-light, but in a good way. More time is spent rolling dice than looking up obscure rules scattered over a dozen books. I call that a positive.

The bad: It could use a few more monsters. More monsters are showing up in the modules, so I guess they are working on this issue.

Bottom line: Best money you will spend on a basic RPG this year.

A very good game, all you need for great rpg fun is packed here ! Try it you cant be wrong with it.

Originally posted on: http://www.rollenspiel-almanach.de/rezension-barebones-fantasy-rpg/

Die vollmundige Ankündigung des „BareBones Fantasy RPGs“ (im Folgenden BB) beschreibt es als flexibles und einfaches Fantasysystem mit den typischen Rassen, einem einzigartigen Magiesystem mit Zaubersprüchen und einer Menge Spielleiterhilfen, das alles liefert, was eine Spielgruppe benötigt. Mit anderen Worten, es will das bieten, was schon viele Systeme vor ihm versprochen haben, einschließlich Dungeonslayers oder auch Savage Worlds. Als es bei DrivethruRPG auftauchte, sah ich zunächst keinen Grund, ihm einen zweiten Blick zu gönnen. Die Versprechungen sind schon zu häufig gemacht und unzureichend eingehalten worden. In der späteren Zeit las ich aber immer wieder von Leuten, die das Spiel sehr mochten und wurde selbst neugierig. Vielleicht ist das der Beweis, dass virales Marketing funktioniert. So oder so wurde ich nicht enttäuscht.

Das Design von BB liegt ziemlich genau in der Mitte zwischen „Dungeonslayers“ und „Barbarians of Lemuria“. Wie bei „Barbarians of Lemuria“ werden Archetypen wie Fertigkeiten in verschiedenen Stufen erlernt und gehandhabt. Eine Figur könnte also die Fertigkeiten „Thief“ Stufe 3 und „Cleric“ Stufe 5 haben. Die Stufen erhöhen nicht nur die Chance eine Fertigkeit erfolgreich anzuwenden (ein Kundschafter, der schleicht oder ein Gelehrter, der etwas über die Welt wissen will), sondern haben auch andere Auswirkungen. So kann ein Magier beispielsweise einen bzw. zwei Zaubersprüche pro Stufe erlernen. Gewürfelt wird generell mit 10-seitigen Würfeln, Proben erfolgen auf dem Prinzip von Prozentwürfen. Die Chance, eine Fertigkeit erfolgreich anzuwenden. errechnet sich aus einer der Grundeigenschaften (z. B. Geschick bei „Dieb“) und der Stufe der jeweiligen Fertigkeit. Auf einfache Weise ermöglich BB so, verschiedenste Charaktere zu spielen, indem der Spieler unterschiedliche Fertigkeiten miteinander kombiniert. Den oben erwähnten Diebeskleriker stelle ich mir beispielsweise recht interessant vor. Für Leute, die Dungeonslayers mit seinen fünf Charaktertypen als zu eingeschränkt und Barbarians of Lemuria als zu frei und zu wenig geregelt empfinden ist das ein schöner Mittelweg.

Der Kampf funktioniert wie erwartet: Es gibt Angriffs- und Verteidigungswerte, und wird eine Figur getroffen, erhält sie Schaden, der von einem Wert mit dem Namen „Body Points“ abgezogen wird. Zauberei ist auch sehr einfach, denn es gibt die überschaubare Anzahl von 17 Zaubersprüchen, die von Klerikern und Zauberwirkern erlernt werden können. Die Zauber sind allgemein gehalten (z. B. Telekinese oder Offensivschlag) und decken mit dieser kleinen Liste so ziemlich alles ab, was ein Zauberer normalerweise können will.

Der Spielleiterteil ist so übersichtlich und gut organisiert wie der Rest des Buches. Die beiden Listen mit Monstern und magischen Gegenständen sind für ein Rollenspiel dieser Größe erstaunlich lang. Herausragend ist ein relativ langes Kapitel über die Erstellung von Abenteuern, das hauptsächlich aus Tabellen besteht, die ein schönes Skelett liefern, das der SL anschließend mit Fleisch versieht. Es erinnert stark an die Abenteuergeneratoren aus Savage-Worlds-Büchern. Schön ist auch der Dungeongenerator, bei dem mit Hilfe einer einfachen Tabelle das Layout des Dungeons erwürfelt werden kann, um es anschließend zu füllen.

Schluss des Buches ist die grobe Beschreibung des Keranak-Königreichs: eine Seite Geschichte, eine doppelseitige Karte und vier Seiten mit Erklärungen zu den Namen auf der Karte, jeweils nur zwei bis sechs Zeilen lang. Das ist genug, um erst einmal loszuspielen, wer aber seine Welt nicht selbst erschaffen will, benötigt mehr. Eine detailiertere Beschreibung des Königreichs wird bereits als PDF angeboten.

Zusätzlich zum Regelwerk ist dem Download das Abenteuer „Maidens of Moordoth“ beigefügt. Es ist ein kurzes Old-School-Abenteuer mit einem witzigen Hintergrund, der Dungeon, in dem der Hauptteil des Abenteuers spielt, ist allerdings etwas fade. Als Einführung in das System ist es aber gut zu gebrauchen und sollte Spaß machen. Die Dungeonkarte gibt es auch in einer Spielerversion, in der allerdings etwas eingezeichnet ist, das die Spieler nicht sehen dürfen, und somit als Handout erst dann zu gebrauchen, wenn sie es entdeckt haben.

Das Cover ist sehr gelungen, und auch das Layout ist hübsch und übersichtlich und die Innenillustrationen sind überdurchschnittlich gut. Das Format ist für Tablet-PCs optimiert. Beeindruckend ist auch die Anzahl an Files, die nach Bezahlen freigeschaltet werden: druckerfreundliche Versionen, das Abenteuer in separater Datei, diverse Bögen und sogar eine Weltkarte mit und ohne Hexfelder. Das Regelwerk hat 84 Seiten, das Abenteuer 16. Der Preis von 9,99$ ist für die gelieferte Menge an Text im oberen Durchschnitt vieler professioneller Produkte, aber nicht zu teuer, wenn man die Qualität von Inhalt und Aussehen bedenkt.

Es ist schade, dass „BareBones“ droht in der Masse der generischen Fantasy-Rollenspiele unterzugehen, die versprechen einfach und trotzdem flexibel zu sein. Es trifft für mich den optimalen Punkt zwischen Einfachheit und Detail. Es liefert klassische Regeln mit bekannten Elementen wie Charakterklassen, Lebenspunkten, Angriffen, Paraden und Zaubersprüchen arbeiten, zeigt aber gerade genug Innovation, um interessant zu sein. Es ist außerdem so einfach, dass es auch der zeitlich eingeschränkte Erwachsene neu erlernen und spielen kann, ohne allzu viel seiner kostbaren Freizeit einzubüßen. Wer auf der Suche nach etwas in dieser Art ist, sollte es sich ansehen.

BareBones Fantasy is a great option for those that enjoy rules lite systems, for one I really like that the DWD studio's rules lite system is really rules lite. There are many systems out there that claim to be rules lite and still have 100+ pages of rules to go through. Some have combat systems longer than the entire BareBones Fantasy book!

Here are the three things I like most...

1. Rules are easy to remember and made for "on the fly" gamemastering. I can jury rig a rule on the fly and a rules lawyer won't dig out the book and tell me why I'm wrong. It's very easy to remember the basic rules for skills and combat so there will be far less book-diving than in some other games.

I've always wanted a fantasy or sci-fi game that could be run off the cuff without needing a separate notebook for the rules. The story and speed of action are the most important things to me in a RPG and this system supplies that.

1. Fully contained system. You don't need anything other than the BareBones fantasy core rules to play, 1 book for the whole game.

A ten dollar pdf for the whole game system. You can't get much better than that unless you get it free.

1. The setting is open ended. You are not forced to conform to any predetermined outcome for your setting and since the setting is "lite" anything goes creatively. You can create an iconic character for the setting and they will fit in perfectly.

In other words you can create your own version of the wise ole' wizard with your own twist, and have him be the greatest wizard of the land instead of having to accept another systems established character.