TWERPS

TWERPS

Infobox RPG
title=TWERPS


caption="TWERPS Basic Rules", first edition
designer= "Jeff & 'Manda Dee"
publisher=Gamescience
date=
genre=Universal
system="TWERPS"
footnotes=

"TWERPS" ("The World's Easiest Role-Playing System") is a minimalist role-playing game (RPG) originally created by Reindeer Games (whose sole product was the "TWERPS" line) and distributed by Gamescience. Presented as a parody of the complicated RPG systems which were prevalent at the time while still being a playable game in its own right, its simple structure and humorous nature gave it unexpected popularity. "TWERPS" was originally created, written and illustrated (in a distinctive cartoony style) by "Jeff & 'Manda Dee", Jeff Dee being a noted game illustrator and co-writer of "Villains and Vigilantes".

The actual rules of the game are indeed extremely simple. Characters are defined by a single attribute, "Strength", which is used for determining all traditional role-playing elements, such as whether or not the character successfully hits in combat, how fast they can move and how much damage they can take before dying. A de-facto skill system exists in the form of "character classes" which give numerical bonuses to certain activities if their role called for it (for instance, a pilot having a +1 modifier on their roll to fly an aircraft).

First Edition "TWERPS" titles

Originally each installment of the "TWERPS" system was sold in a small plastic bag containing an 8-page leaflet, a sheet of cardstock counters to be cut apart, little cardstock hex-maps and a tiny ten-sided die, each being a down-sized imitation of elements often found in larger, more elaborate games. The initial run of titles was printed at low cost with black ink on various colored papers to distinguish the various titles (the main rules were on pink paper, the kung-fu rules were on yellow, and so on).

*"TWERPS Basic Rules": the core system, including the sample adventure "Watery Depths".
*"Fly By Knights": a fantasy setting, describing very succinctly the world of Arkosa where characters ride various breeds of aerial mounts, stalk the fearsome Meganocerous and vie for knighthood.
*"Magic": a rules expansion outlining a surprisingly detailed (for TWERPS anyway) magic system and spell-list.
*"Space Cadets": guidelines for a space opera setting, in the form of various types of character classes, SF weaponry and psychic powers. No rules for spaceships were included.
*"Kung Fu Dragons": a list of various martial arts which characters could train in and a system of colored belts to reward them. One of the cardstock extras was a tiny Game-master's screen.

econd Edition "TWERPS" titles

As the game grew in popularity, the supplements were re-printed in expanded form with more pages and multi-color printing. New supplements covering new genres and specific objects of parody were also added. These expansions and later supplements were mainly written by Norman F. Morin Jr., Brian Rayburn and Niels Erickson rather than Jeff & 'Manda Dee. The tone of these second edition titles was noticeably one of more overt humor and silliness, peppering the text with puns (and even calling on fans to mail in suggested puns of their own for future supplements).

*All of the First Edition titles described above were reprinted in expanded full-color form.
*"Rocket Rangers": the companion to "Space Cadets", this volume offered systems for spaceship design and combat and several sample ships. Unlike other 2nd edition titles, "Rocket Rangers" was mainly written by Jeff & 'Manda Dee.
*"Twerps Twek": a direct parody of Star Trek, requiring "Space Cadets" and "Rocket Rangers" to use.
*"Robo-Punks": rules for running Cyberpunk adventures, including brief systems for cybernetic implants and net-running.
*"Superdudes": a list of super-powers for running superhero adventures.
*"Metaphysical Ninja Maniac Chainsaw Vitamin Junkies": guidelines for running post-apocalyptic scenarios in the spirit of films like "" (with a heavy addition of gonzo wackiness), including rules for vehicle damage and mutations.
*"Twisted Tales of Terror": the horror supplement, with guidelines for creating monsters or playing monsters as player-characters.
*"M.E.C.H.I.-Tech": a system for the design and battles between giant robots, with many direct riffs on the popular Battletech games.
*"The T.W.E.R.P.S. Files": a direct parody of "The X Files".
*"How to Do Everything Better": a general rules expansion, offering more character classes, more superpowers and more equipment. Also included were rules for allowing "TWERPS" characters to gain dimension-travelling powers.

External links

* [http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/howtodoeverything/ "TWERPS" Yahoo group]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • TWERPS — (The World’s Easiest RolePlaying System, dt. Der Welt einfachstes Rollenspielsystem) ist ein minimalistisches universelles Rollenspielsystem. Es erschien zuerst bei der Firma Reindeer Games, die ausschließlich die TWERPS Reihe verlegte, und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • twerps — twÉœrp /twɜːp n. idiot, despicable person, insignificant person (Slang) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • List of role-playing games by genre — This is a list of role playing games, subdivided by genre (although many games do not fit clearly into one genre or another). It does not include computer role playing games, MMORPGs, or any other video games with RPG elements. Most of these… …   Wikipedia

  • Tunbridge Wells West railway station — Infobox UK disused station name = Tunbridge Wells West gridref = TQ578384 caption = manager = London, Brighton and South Coast Railway owner = Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways Network SouthEast Spa Valley Railway locale =… …   Wikipedia

  • Downtown Brantford Music Scene — Brantford, Ontario has a very healthy music scene with many different types of musical genres. In relation to the punk rock music genre, its history can be traced to starting in 1977 with a band called the Wages which had Scott Bradshaw in it.… …   Wikipedia

  • Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line — The Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line was a railway line running from Three Bridges (on the Brighton Main Line) in West Sussex to Tunbridge Wells Central in Kent via East Grinstead in East Sussex, a distance of… …   Wikipedia

  • GameScience — Unternehmensform Inc. Gründung 1974 Unternehmenssitz 7604 Newton Dr N. Biloxi, Mississippi 39532 USA Branche …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Papier-und-Bleistift-Rollenspiele — Diese Liste der Pen Paper Rollenspiele zählt Rollenspielsysteme von der Gattung der Pen Paper Rollenspiele auf und ordnet sie nach ihrem Genre an. Neben kommerziell publizierten Rollenspielen werden auch freie Rollenspiele aufgeführt, sofern dazu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Pen-&-Paper-Rollenspiele — Diese Liste der Pen Paper Rollenspiele zählt Rollenspielsysteme von der Gattung der Pen Paper Rollenspiele auf und ordnet sie nach ihrem Genre an. Neben kommerziell publizierten Rollenspielen werden auch freie Rollenspiele aufgeführt, sofern dazu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Spiele — Die Liste der Spiele führt alle Spiele (Gesellschaftsspiele, Kinderspiele, Brettspiele, Kartenspiele, Würfelspiele usw.) auf, zu denen es einen eigenen Artikel gibt. Siehe auch Thematische Liste der Spiele Liste der Pen Paper Rollenspiele Liste… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”