Fragments of RidAr for an Essential System, Clear and Obvious
Fresco is a minimal universal RPG, without any complication and ideal for quick games on the beach or in other futile places.
Actually when I created the system (july 1999) I was in need of a very short and quick system to roleplay with some friends during our Croatian holyday. I already had a more-or-less ready RPG (RidAr) but it was far too complicate for that purpose, and the charachter creation took too long. So I gathered the main philosohy of RidAr system, and reduce it to its very core. This operation last only 2 evenings, actually 4 hours. The result was tested on battlefield (actually on a boat and a beach), and it worked better than I expected. So I decide to refine it and to fix some minor problem it had, leaving its simple nature as it was.
Then I put it free on the web, in my main site,
La Torre Senza Nome
A few modification occurred later, and I started the first setting: Star Fresco. Then a horror one: Frigor Mortis.
The open idea
I think Fresco can serve for general purpose as a quick system. But maybe it has to be adapted for different settings (as I did for Star Fresco). Some further material, such as adventures, new settings and house rules can be really useful- And maybe somebody can have bettere ideas than I have on it. So I decide to become Fresco an open game. Any contributor is welcome. And copyright of new stuff still lays to the respective author, not to me. The only thing I ask is to send me a copy to be put on this site. You can do whatever else you want with your module, i.e. send it, give it free on CD or on your own site etc.
The philosophy
Fresco is intended to be used in one-shot adventure, demos and very little campaign. Not for long campaigns or very intricate adventures. So any extension must be
short
simple
clear