21. What’s an RPG item that does a lot with few words?
There are so many mini RPGs and related items that do a lot with few or even no words: the D&D Deck of Many Things, for example; or the many 24-hour RPGs and even 100-word RPGs. Many of the favourites I keep mentioning (Roanoke, Urchin, Cat, PDQ, etc.) are quite short as well.
Let’s bring back a game I have not mentioned in a long while, vs. Outlaws by Phil Reed (Ronin Arts). It was published as a standalone game but is so small, it’s printed on a CD sleeve insert. Despite this, it does include rules with full character creation, and a setting with locations, NPCs, and plots! I reviewed it nearly a decade ago, check it out for link to actual play reports too.
The first game to use the vsM Engine was vs. Monsters, created as a 24-hour RPG and still available through Paizo (including the original, free edition and a Deluxe, more detailed version.) In recent years, Fat Goblin Games have released more games using the same engine including vs. Ghosts, vs. Moon Men, vs. Stranger Stuff, and a bevvy of small inexpensive supplements that let you play something similar to the popular Netflix show Stranger Things.
The Reef 