Recommend on: Hotel stay RPG

hamdingers

All - have to stay at a hotel for a few days/nights with the family. My son (16) was talking about how it would be cool to do a pen-and-paper RPG.

Any recommendations on something we could pretty much pick up, maybe read an hour and play? All-you-need-included box sets are nice. D&D (haven't played in many rule changes) is an option. The Dragon Age RPG sounds cool but can't find it anywhere... so availability is key too.

Any help?

Thanks!!!!

El Skid

Is it just going to be your son and yourself, or are there going to be other people involved?

hamdingers

3-4 peeps (other son, 19, and RPG-savvy Mom/wife) ... I'll GM. Pre-made adventures a plus!!

Thanks for the response

El Skid

No problem

So you want something relatively simple for 3 players plus a DM. I'd say D&D4E would be pretty ideal. If you have pre-made characters, then each character has:

- a set number of types of action per turn
- a number of abilities they can use (some more than once)
- a small number of skills they can attempt (each character will only be really good at a few things, so minimum amounts of rules lookup)
- a number of general actions that can be made (charge, double-move, first aid etc).

So yeah, they could easily pick all that up in an hour, and there are modules around with pre-made characters and whatnot. Whether hack-and-slash is your family's thing is up to you to judge, but I'd say that D&D4E is a good option.

hamdingers

Wow - thanks for the fast answers. So... this:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Roleplaying-Game-Starter-Set/Wizards-RPG-Team/e/9780786948208/?itm=3&USRI=dungeons+and+dragons

Is this enough?

SlickShughes

You could go one cheaper and download Keep on the Shadowfell from the WotC site for free.

EDIT: link - http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4news/20090428

tzeentchling

Paranoia is another fun, short, easy to learn RPG, though a very different atmosphere from typical RPGs. You have to balance working with each other to accomplish whatever ridiculous task you've been set to with scheming and backstabbing each other to improve your own standing in the eyes of the Computer.

PMAvers

This is where I'd toss in my usual Risus recommendation, but there's not really any pre-made adventures. (...that are family-friendly, I should say...) There's technically a solo adventure (Ring of Thieves) that you *could* sorta DM for him, if you wanted...