So Minimus 2 is out. That took literally a day or two. I'm calling it "2", because it's now Minimus: The Two-Page Roleplaying Game. Please see my previous blog entry for my very recent review of Minimus. The download URL for the game itself remains the same. What follows is my Minimus 2 re-review…
First, almost all the problems I reported have been fixed. Some new mechanics and a lot more description give much better support to the GM. It's clear now that the owner allocates the skill points (though I still think that's a mistake) and that every skill starts between levels one and four. It's also now clear that skills may reach a maximum of 9 over the character's lifetime. The combat system has been outright fixed, and now looks actually playable, albeit nothing special.
New bad typos have been introduced; I wish the author would get someone to proofread. The GM role still looks kind of tough to me, though doable now. The skill point allocation problem is still there, albeit more minor now that there's a reason to push skills beyond 4. I still don't like the small degree to which skill levels affect results. None of this detracts much from what now looks like a pretty playable game.
One thing that I didn't pick up on earlier is that the whole relationship thing is a bit limiting. Normally a lot of RPG characters are natural loners, with few bonds with anyone. It's an archetype. It would be a bit tough to do that here.
A whole "clarifying question" mechanic has been added, presumably to help the GM along. The task sequencing mechanic has been expanded a bit, which seems like overkill to me. It's also not clear whether when trading ordering cards you are allowed to tell the other players what you have. The cards are supposed to be facedown until trading stops, hence the confusion.
My current ambition is to try to do a full-on prebuilt adventure for Minimus —also in two pages. If I get time, I'll go there. (B)
Update 2008/01/08: The game continues to evolve, so some of the stuff up there may no longer be quite right. I'll take a third look at it once the revisions start to settle down.