TWERPS (The World's Easiest RolePlaying System) is a minimalist role-playing game originally created by Reindeer Games (whose sole product was the TWERPS line) and distributed by Gamescience. Presented as a parody of the over-complicated RPG systems which were prevelent 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. A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create stories. ... Jeff Dee (born May 15, 1961) is an artist and game designer. ... Arguably Fantasy Games Unlimiteds most famous role-playing game, Villains and Vigilantes was a popular superhero-themed game written by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee, competing primarily with Champions and Superworld in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ...

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). Ten-sided dice are often used in role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, to get random decimal numbers, such as percentages. ...

First Edition TWERPS titles

• TWERPS Basic Set: the main rules, 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 via 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.

Later, as the line grew in popularity, the books 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 tiles was noticably 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). It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ...

Second Edition TWERPS Titles

• 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 Road Warrior, with 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 line.
• 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.

The actual rules of the game are indeed extremely simple. Characters are defined by a single attribute, "Strength", which is used for determing 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 would give bonuses to certain activities if their role called for it (for instance, a mechanic having a +1 modifier on their roll to fix things). Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six television series, ten feature films, hundreds of novels, computer and video games, and other fan stories. ... Berlins Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... Batman and Superman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ... Apocalyptic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of the world or civilization, through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. ... Road warrior may refer to: Road Warriors Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Road warrior: a person who travels significantly for his/her work, especially in North American and Western societies. ... A player character or playable character (PC) is a fictional character in a game who is controlled or controllable by the player. ... 20 Year Anniversary of BattleTech logo. ... X-Files intro from first 8 seasons The X-Files was a popular 1990s American science fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ...