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If a dystopian setting starts off as an extrapolation from the trends of a status quo, how can it not be considered science fiction? I am struggling to think of one that doesn't fit that model. Of course, that description can arguably apply to all alternate histories, too....

Hogwarts during Harry Potter's 7th year is a good model for an RPG setting, as [spoilers for a 15-year old book] The main characters can remain off-stage until the climax of the campaign.

Secret/Weird History for me as well. Second would be Action Horror - I have difficulty striking the tone for straight horror.

Agreed, although I am happy if skills overlap at various edge points. To delve into the bandit example, having a cooking skill should mean that the act of cooking is important - possibly the designer meant the game should feel realistic, or wanted to emphasize resource management. Or it's tied...

The question still stands.

I understand the frustration, but it doesn't have to be as big a problem as you make it. It depends on how much of the group is familiar with the metaplot, how big the changes are over time, and how much of the setting PCs can change as they go.

I did a game where one PC broke into a security station and was watching the other PC on monitors, stumbling towards an ambush.

What are some other reasons? If the point of extra rolls is to heighten tension, it can be accomplished just as easily using dramatic techniques.

I don't understand how the bandit bbq is railroading as opposed to group improvisation. That said, a GM should not call for a roll unless there are interesting results for success or failure. I think Celebrim implies that the consequences of failure were undefined before the roll was made?

I will say "literary Earth" like Anno Dracula or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (or Passages, an old 3rd edition/OGL game). I like the ability to meet historical figures as well as fictional ones, and the ability to wind up in dramatic plots. Game wise, that means The Dracula Dossier for...

It depends on what the group enjoys. I have a pretty high tolerance for passive GMing if the players like the fluff. But A GM should have the right to be able to frame scenes to get to interesting stuff as quickly as possible, if it suits their play style and it's disclosed.

I think the original Top Secret was supposed to operate in this fashion. I can't say for sure, since we never did it. I prefer the Die Hard method of gaming, where declining hit points are cosmetic until death.

Villains & Vigilantes had a pretty detailed calculation for a hero's carrying capacity, which determined his base damage. IIRC it required exponents and division, which wasn't too hard in high school when we played. I don't think adult me would stand for that in 2023.

It occurs to me that a good designer could combine all of these into an introductory example of play, perhaps in two-column format with the narrative in one and mechanics in the other. My other miscellaneous ramblings: You can put the intro to roleplaying on the back cover with the core...

Mine! I just have to create one.

I have played Monster of the Week and read a few other titles. I disliked the feeling that my character's activities were pigeonholed into the list of things that the rules anticipated you would do. At times I thought I could have been playing Eldritch Horror. Tongue slightly in cheek, I think...

How do you convince players to explore it without the "just read the GM's novel" vibe that often accompanies discussions of railroading?

Because some players build the PC they want. What about more of an edge case, like a Navy SEAL who served on a submarine and has Nuclear Science. Also, GURPS does a lot of heavy lifting with templates for characters. Some of these are very through but might contain extraneous skills because of it.

I found that the design parameter that makes difficult skills cost more - while realistic - will hurt a PC in a game that doesn't require these skills. The sourcebooks are extensively playtested and always top notch. I know one book was part of a syllabus for a college course back in the day.

Up, lad: thews that lie and cumber Sunlit pallets never thrive/