I had asked Ben about what other games are out there that might be interesting, and gave him a list of some that I was curious about -- either from old Story Games writeups or from poking around the web. I know some of them aren't really one-shot GM-less games that would work at the meetup, though, but I'll still list them to round out what I was curious about. I've only done some cursory investigation into these, and am not requesting them for the meetup -- I'd just like to hear people's thoughts about them. Ben asked that I post it here instead so that other people might see the discussion as well.

Please do keep in mind my very limited experience so far - only about 8 story games sessions under my belt. No D&D or other traditional RPG background, only boardgaming. Hence the general curiosity and disclaimer that these games may be completely not what I'm looking for and that I'm just confused. So far, I've really liked games where the world-building aspect is flexible/adaptable and the characters have strong influence to shape the story.

• In A Wicked Age
  
• Dread
  
• Grey Ranks
  
• Archipelago
  
• Lady Blackbird
  
• Kagematsu
  
• Sea Dracula
  
• Primetime Adventures
  
• Sweet Agatha
  
• A Penny for My Thoughts
  
• The Shadow of Yesterday
  
• 3:16
  
• Other rules-light, more story-centric RPGs that maybe I could try with a regular group outside the meetup, maybe like Mouse Guard or Spirit of the Century?
  

Enlighten me! Thanks!

I should add my background to date: I've played Fiasco, Shock, Polaris, Shab-al-Hiri Roach, Remember Tomorrow, Jedi Blackbird, and Mars Colony. They were all enjoyable.

For other rules-light story-centric RPGs: Apocalypse World, Apocalypse World, and Apocalypse World.

The first thing I do is divide games into GM/no-GM and prep/no-prep. Those two variables tell you a ton about a game.

Generally with a GM or prep (or both) one person is more likely to have a strong authority over the fiction. The less GM/prep, the more likely everyone at the table has equal say. If you want more shared world-building and strong player influence over the story as you said, less GM/prep is the recipe. For meetups I lean towards no GM + no Prep, since that means the game happens entirely at the table, and everyone has equal involvement.

With that in mind, here's a few I would definitely recommend checking out (some are already on your list, and I'm omitting the ones you've played):

No GM + No Prep
Geiger Counter (alpha, not beta -- I'm linking because otherwise it's hard to find)
Archipelago (we should definitely play at a meetup soon)
Montsegur 1244

GM + No Prep
In A Wicked Age
InSpectres
My Life With Master
Danger Patrol
Prime Time Adventures

GM + Low or No Prep
3:16
Agon
Supercrew

GM + Prep
Apocalypse World (a must read for any GM)
Dogs in the Vineyard

I like Mouse Guard for campaign play, but I wouldn't call it or Spirit of the Century rules light (this is of course a matter of taste: some people might call D&D 4e rules-light, but of course they're crazy). Dread sounded interesting, but I've been told there's a lot more setup than I expected. Sea Dracula involves dance. Actual dance.

Another fun trick is to look at an author and see what else they did. For example, from most recent to oldest:

Jason Morningstar: Fiasco - Grey Ranks - Shab-al-Hiri Roach

Vincent Baker: Apocalypse World - In A Wicked Age - Dogs in the Vineyard

Gregor Hutton: Remember Tomorrow - 3:16 - Best Friends

That's not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. More often then not, an author makes games that are similar in design or style, so if you like one it's worthwhile to check out the other games they've made. It can be really fascinating seeing how an author evolves over time, building on what they learned from their previous games and refining their ideas.

Are there any good 2-player story games?

Mars Colony is probably the standard 2 player story game.

I own (but haven't played) a two player rpg called Breaking the Ice about dating that looked cool enough to buy.

I'll also throw Best Friends out there as a fun, rules-light RPG. It's GMed, but low-prep.

Jamie: For other rules-light story-centric RPGs: Apocalypse World, Apocalypse World, and Apocalypse World.

This looks interesting, and it might be helpful for the general gameplaying advice. I saw that Gamma Ray has the books in stock --- are there any specific reasons to also get the PDF if the character & session sheets are available online?

Robert: Are there any good 2-player story games?

Seconding Mars Colony now that I understand it better. There's also S/Lay w/Me. One person is a hero and the other person is a monster trying to kill you and a lover trying to keep you (these can be the same thing).

Are there any good 2-player story games?

I've played Breaking the Ice with my non-gamer wife and it didn't work for us, apologies to Emily if she sees this.

S/lay w/ Me did work, and so did my own thing - if your second player is also your significant other, you might try http://www.gamedevblo...­. (And let me know how it goes, because you'll be the only one other than me to have played it!)

Also, I play Archipelago with my daughter. She loves to say "That might not be so easy."

Never as much fun as playing with more people, though.