Q.A.G.S., an acronym for Quick-Ass Game System, is one of the funniest role-playing game manual that I've ever read. It is also a very simple system with which you can create any type of game in any setting or world, with any mood, genre or description. On top of that, its small size makes it really easy to carry around, which is good for us aging role players who don't own cars.
Characters have something like five stats, called "words": body, brain, nerve, job, gimmick and weakness. Okay, that's more like six, but you get the point. Gimmick is what the character can do that nobody else can; some of the suggested gimmicks are vampire, magic, quick reload and tech freak. Examples of weaknesses are vampire (you know, sun garlic…), debts and (blank) magnet (fill in the blank with something that shows up at the worst possible time such as dragons, jets, big robots, ugly women or warm gregarious sociopaths).
To succeed at something, a player simply rolls a d20 and compares the result to the appropriate stat (called "word"). If the result of the dice is smaller than said number, than the action is successful. A few (a very few) modifications to this system can be applied under specific (or vague) circumstances. Consult the BIGASS Table.
To improve a character, this game uses Yum Yums where other games use experience points or their equivalent. Yum Yums are tasty treats, like nice pieces of candy, awarded by the GM and used by the players to improve their characters (if they can resist eating them long enough to accumulate a substantial quantity).
The combat system is so simple that if I describe it, the creators of this game could sue me for copyright reasons because I'd have ended up posting most of the rules contained in the book in this review, which would let you use the game without buying the book. On the other hand, it would also mean that I'd have to work harder, and I don't feel like it right now. Just buy the book, it's really cheap, and it's pretty funny. You can even order it from us. I am serious. This is a real review of a real game.
