Writing in RPGs

[BigZebra]

I know the saying goes that many players don't bother to actually read the books, but for many of us, the reading of the books is half the enjoyment (ok that's perhaps a bit exaggerated ). Nevertheless, I am curious about how other players perceive the writing in RPGs, both in terms of rules and general content. Specifically, I would like to hear about RPGs with exceptional writing, both in terms of clear rules and overall storytelling (lore, monsters, etc.). Furthermore, I believe it would be beneficial to distinguish between D&D and other RPGs. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts:

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:
Without a doubt, Call of Cthulhu has been the most enjoyable RPG for me to read. It exudes an atmosphere that few other games have achieved.

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:
Star Wars D6 stands out in terms of describing the rules in a way that I easily grokked without constant rereading. The WEG book was also easy to navigate.

Best general writing in a version of D&D:
In my opinion, D&D 3.5 had the most immersive atmosphere. The layout, colors, typography, and the quality of the writing itself contributed to setting the mood, even within its some times complex rules system.

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:
This one is an easy choice for me. While many found reading 4e to be a like reading the phone book, I believe it excelled in conveying the rules clearly and effectively.

 

[payn]

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:

Android by FFG Gensys. I love how much flavor is intertwined into the writing. They dont let up on the atmosphere for a second. I would not, however, give it an award for clearly written rules.

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:

PF1-2 Archives of Nethys website. It's the single best resource across the net for an RPG. I consider PF2 different enough to qualify.

Best general writing in a version of D&D:

As a proud member of the 5 people who own the 3E DMG II, I can say its one of, if not thee, best GM resource published for D&D GMs.

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:

IDK, I've had issues with all of them. Is 5E the best? Or am I just so experienced with the game its easy to figure out? I'm leaning towards the latter.

 

[Dioltach]

As a proud member of the 5 people who own the 3E DMG II

Who are the other three?

 

[jdrakeh]

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:
Ghostbusters box set (West End Games). Not only is this box set a ton of fun to read, but...

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:
...the rules are simple, concise, and easy to master. They also form the foundation of an excellent fan-created RPG (Hellboy: The Totally Unofficial Role-Playing Game System by Snakefarm, which is similarly well-written and fun).

Best general writing in a version of D&D:
D&D B/X. It's not perfect and suffers from both some organizational errors and missing content (e.g. a referenced spell or two was omitted), but it has an incredibly low learning curve and hits all of the right notes for D&D.

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:
I'm going to go with the AD&D 2e core books. This was the first core edition of D&D that I bought with my own money (I had previously been gifted an AD&D 1e PHB and DMG). For me, the rules were much better organized and explained than those of AD&D 1e and, I think, to a lesser degree, than those of B/X or BECMI (which, as noted above, suffered somewhat from poor organization).

 

[GMMichael]

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:

Mork Borg. I still don't know what that game's about, but it's awesome. Final Fantasy RPG 4e is pretty awesome to read, too, and the pictures add thousands of great words.

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:

Microlite20 fits on a page. Talk about elegance!

Best general writing in a version of D&D:

D&D doesn't really have "storytelling" in the books. It usually has a weird, Old Country Buffet-type vibe to it. That being said, Tome of Magic (3e) felt like three different diversions to wonderful, mystical places. Does that count?

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:
This one is an easy choice for me. While many found reading 4e to be a like reading the phone book, I believe it excelled in conveying the rules clearly and effectively.

Wish I could agree with you here but, you know, the most 4e that I read was a book about traps or dungeons or something. So I'm going with 3.5, as a refined version of 3.0, itself a refined version of 2e, and definitely not the less-technical-but-just-as-technical 5e.

 

[overgeeked]

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:
That's going to be Over the Edge 3rd Edition for me. The rules for the game take up maybe 20-some pages. The rest of the 250+ pages literally drip with inspiration and wackadoo conspiracy nonsense.

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:
Lasers & Feelings. It's a one-page Star Trek RPG that does Star Trek better than most official Trek RPGs.

Best general writing in a version of D&D:
D&D 4th Edition. The lore was amazing and focused on how useful the stuff was to game in. The designers had an intent and goal in mind and they went for it. Years ahead of its time.

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:
That's B/X by way of Old-School Essentials, hands down. B/X is the best official version of D&D, but OSE is the best version of B/X.

 

[aramis erak]

Interesting exercise, @BigZebra

Best general writing in a non-D&D RPG:

Man, that's a toss up for me. Alien or Dune...
The current one, in either case. All of the Year Zero engine games are wonderful reads, and the setting info in the Modiphius 2d20 line are equally as good. They all have enough that one can approximate the canon without knowing it beforehand.

Best clearly written rules in a non-D&D RPG:

Rule clarity is always a bugaboo; WEG Star Wars 2E is right up there with Talisman Adventures.

Best general writing in a version of D&D:

5th ed. The style is relaxed, consistent, and informational.

Best clearly written rules in a version of D&D:

Moldvay Basic. Not BX as a pair; Cook's expert isn't quite as clear, and worse, is written for compatibility with both Holmes and Moldvay editions.