Best single volume RPG?

[Khairn]

Artesia is the latest single volume RPG that really impressed me.
Next to that would be Game of Thrones, and Amber.

 

[Geoffrey]

The 1st edition of Gamma World from 1978. The rulebook is only 56 pages long! Here is my review of it: http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12358

 

[WayneLigon]

Savage Worlds: Explorer Edition

I'd say that's the front-runner for now. Big Eyes Small Mouth is a good contender.

 

[Testament]

Savage Worlds: Explorer's Edition
Spycraft 2.0
Scion: Hero

 

[Gothmog]

Savage Worlds is far and away the best single-book rpg out there now. Some other greats are:

Call of Cthulhu 5th
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition
True 20
All Flesh Must Be Eaten

 

[Teflon Billy]

Mutants & Masterminds 2E is oh-so-close to getting my vote, but it takes two books before it's truly outstanding (the core rules and Ultimate Power).

It would've got my vote over Spycraft but for that one reason as well.

Good call.

 

[dragonlordofpoondari]

Two Questions:

1. Why do folks like CoC 5th > 6th Ed? Just curious.

2. What's the difference between Savage Worlds big book and the Explorer's Edition?

 

[sjmiller]

For me, hands down the best 1 book RPG is DragonQuest, 2nd Edition. Great fantasy game with lots of flexibility, a creative method of character creation, magic that is interesting, and dragons that are creatures to be feared and avoided. Lots of fun, I played it for years.

Oh, and as for most RPGs being one book, Traveller started as 3 books; GURPS is now two volumes of one large book; Marvel SuperHeroes was 2 booklets; and there are other examples I am missing because it is early on a Monday.

 

[jaerdaph]

I'm having a hard time deciding between the d20 Modern Core Rulebook, d20 Call of Cthulhu and True20 Adventure Roleplaying.

So I'm going to go with Last Unicorn Games Star Trek Core Game Book (for ST:TOS). It stands alone and it's one of the best RPGs ever written. Both TNG and DS9 versions are very good too, but LUG really excelled on TOS version.

 

[Flynn]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned D20 Modern as yet. It has character creation, spells, monsters, and everything, all between two covers.

Edit: No mention, that is, except for the post that hit the boards as I was writing this one...

I also feel that both Traveller T20 and Star Wars Saga Edition are excellent one-book systems. Both of these two do not have a good list of monsters/creatures, but both do provide you with the rules to create your own.

Strangely, there are no single volume fantasy equivalents I can point to, because most often monsters/creatures are sold separately in another book. There are a few examples (BFRPG and OSRIC being highest among them), but I'm just not familiar enough with them to say that they are the best single volume RPGs on the market. I do feel that D20 Modern, Traveller T20 and Star Wars Saga Edition are the best options out there as single volume RPGs go, and in that order. (I like Traveller better overall, but having to create the creatures and worlds does mean more work before gaming can really occur. As a single volume run-it-right-out-of-the-box approach, D20 Modern just can't be beat.)

With Regards,
Flynn