It doesn't have to cost a thing

I once gathered a selected list of free roleplaying games for a wiki that me and some friends used for various gaming purposes. Because that was in Finnish, I thought I might as well repost the best bits here. What else is there to do while waiting for midnight and Christmas Eve? So, with a full belly, laptop in my lap, and classic rock on the earphones, here we go.

Wushu Open Reloaded has earned the minuscule honor of first mention here. I myself have bought the various Wushu PDFs which have lots of genre-related information, but all you really need to play is in that free wiki. Wushu is my first choice for a truly rules-light system when one is required. It has proven itself in games for both complete novices and experienced roleplayers. Its one driving idea, the principle of narrative truth, takes some getting used to, but when you do it just sings.

Forgotten Futures bills itself as the scientific romance roleplaying game. The system is very traditional and fairly light. What really shines is the supporting material: each game collection includes a lot of reading from luminaries such as Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and William Hope Hodgson.

Fudge is a rules-light, do-it-yourself game that has been around for a long time. The Nags Society Worldbook is a free example of a Fudge campaign world. Fate is based on Fudge. Its newest variant is used in Spirit of the Century, which happens to have a free SRD available for your perusal.

Risus is by default a comedy game, but it's also worth looking at for more serious purposes if you're looking for an ultralight system.

Powergame is a superhero RPG I designed myself. Some people still claim to like it. It is available in English, Hebrew, French, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Moving on to more commercial stuff, Eden Studios's has made WitchCraft free. The game uses their proprietary Unisystem, which also powers Armageddon, Conspiracy X, and, in a lighter form, Buffy, Angel, and Army of Darkness. The latter is called Cinematic Unisystem and it is my favorite of the two variants. Happily, you can get a free look at it by checking out the Buffy roleplaying page of the BBC - yes, that BBC.

Ars Magica 4th edition and Tri-Stat dX are also available for zero bucks, as long as you register to the store.

There are many others, of course. But this should get a person started. Now, it's past midnight, the Christmas Eve has arrived, and that Meat Loaf song (Paradise by the Dashboard Light) is finally winding down, so I might finish up as well.