"Free RPG Day" - Every year, the games really aren't free

Now this seems to be a thing because there is "Free Comic Book Day" and now the past couple of years have had "Free RPG Day."  While this is a great idea, I would perhaps like to draw your attention to some games that are actually Free.

1. Eclipse Phase

What is this Jonathan?  But this is a game with high production values!  Clearly it can't be free.  Well, the whole game is licensed under a BY-NC-SA (the text, which is the important part).  That means that if you want, you can download the game on their resources page in epub and other formats.  Download the game, try it, if you like it don't be a douche bag and buy their very reasonably priced PDF for 15$.

2. Leviathans

While the minis aren't free, the game is licensed also under a BY-NC-SA license, though I think it's a lot less than what's licensed under Eclipse phase.  That being said, there's a lot of free perusing under there that's worth your time.

3. 44: A Game of Automatic Fear

This is now available in print, but you can still pick up the free copy of the game on 1KM1KT.  Matt Snyder's game about alien take over is pretty damned fun, and I can say that because I played it too.  It's a blast to run and you'll constantly have your characters running away from whatever has come to take them over.

4. FATE

The FATE system is under OGL, which means that you can find a lot of resources on how to use it for free. That's right, there many online SRDs and other such things to get you going on playing just straight FATE if you haven't heard of it (which mean you have been living under a rock as of late).  There are also a bunch of great games you can pick up that use FATE like Bulldogs!, or the Dresden Files, or the Kerberos Club.

5. Critical!: Go Westerly

This is your own game, you might say.  I would say in reply yes it is.  It also has a Creative Commons version which is free.  Play it, try the game out, see what you think and then if you like it spend the 5 bucks on the full version of the game.  It's a lot of fun, and Free for Free RPG Day.

As always a lot of these free games have a pay version of the game.  Unlike a lot of the games you'll find on Free RPG Day they are fully playable in an of themselves.  There isn't a "quick start" game where you get some of the rules, but if you want the whole thing you're gonna have to pay.  There are no teasers, or trailers.  You can read these rules and go ahead and play the game.

That being said, if you like the game support the designers that made playing that game possible.  That way, you can make sure that you end up getting more games from those same designers which means that you'll have more things that you can play.  It's pretty simple, actually when you think about it.