Redígo RPG Core

Update: Just added a free demo, including all of the Redígo Core rules! Scroll down to check it out.

JUST ADD CREATIVITY

Redígo ("re•DEE•go") is a game of narrative hand signs for roleplaying on the go. You can play on a walk, in a car, around a campfire, or even inside a cool fort made of blankets and chairs. It doesn't require dice, paper, or even a tabletop. All you need is a creative mind and someone to play with.

At heart, it’s a way of playing through conversation, and making decisions about your story together. You can pick up where any other tale left off, give life to your original story concept, or just take bits and pieces from your favorite legends and mash them together. It's built to accommodate any crazy ideas your players come up with on the spot, and to nurture your trust in your own creativity.

NARRATIVE HAND SIGNS

Finding out what happens next in your story can be quite a surprise! After making sure your group understands the risks involved, you and another player say "re-dí-go!" and show a number from 0 to 5 on your hands (or roll dice, if you prefer). Depending on how close your numbers are, you might get what you wanted, get some trouble instead, or perhaps get something else entirely. But no matter what happens, you're never left without options for moving forward with your story.

MAXIMUM DEPTH / MINIMUM FUSS

Redígo is a quick read — it has been thoroughly tested, developed, and refined in playtests with students during the last 10 years! The text is carefully worded and illustrated for maximum clarity, and it's easy to explain in about a minute.

Play sessions can last as long as you want. I’m a busy dad, and I usually play for 10 to 30 minutes at a time. And if you ever get stuck, the game text includes useful principles and examples that can help untie creative knots and disagreements.

If you want more in addition to the Core Game, there's also "More Ways to Play", a supplement that doubles the content with fun ways to expand your Redígo game to suit your taste. These rules are like a menu you can choose from, with explanations for why you might pick each one.

The downloadable files include a double-sided one-page printable trifold PDF, also suitable for screen reading on tablets and computers, as well as a PDF specially formatted to read well on a modern phone. This is a game that should be easy to carry with you, in both your memory and your pocket.

COMMUNITY

My dream is that roleplaying games can one day be as popular and accessible as Rock-Paper-Scissors, and that the generality of mankind will recognize the benefits it brings in becoming a creative and social person. I hope that this game helps bring us one step closer to that goal. 

I have a lot more planned for this game in the future, including even more rules expansions, and some quick-start setting ideas. Your support goes towards making that happen!

That said though, sometimes you need to check out the game to see if you like it! The "demo" contains the full Core Rules formatted for US and A4 printer paper, minus some of the fun art, extra rules, and added convenience of the paid version. 

If you are a teacher, a child, or any human being struggling under the burdens of life and in need of a bit of joy, please take a community copy below. Leave a comment or send me a message if you need one, and I'll add more! 

For more information, check out the Redígo website: https://letsplayredigo.com. To ask a question or request for a free copy for review or educational purposes (or even just because you need it and there are no copies available!), feel free to send me a message on Twitter @DavidBrightwind or an email at David at lets play redigo dot com.

LICENSE

The rules text of the game (both the "Core" and "More") are released under a CC-BY license, so feel free to create and publish your own Redígo games. Just include something like this text in your game: 

This work is based on Redígo: the Ready to Go Roleplaying Game, a product of Redígo Studio (https://letsplayredigo.com/), developed and authored by David Bowers, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)