One System To Rule Them All!

[jdrakeh]

Okay, it's that time of the decade again - I'm pretty burned out on learning a new game system from the ground up every few months, and have decided to dump all of my current games (save for C&C, because it's just that good) and pick up a generic system that can cover all of my bases.

If you had to choose one generic system (and I do mean a truly generic system, complete with a totally generic core book), what would it be? GURPS 4e, Hero 5th Edition, EABA, CORPS, Fudge, FATE, The Window or something else? If 'something else', please take a few minutes to explain.

 

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Hey,

I've been using d20 Modern + Grim Tales + genre- and game-specific house rules to run the following (some pre-date GT):

Fantasy: Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, two home brews
Historic: 1066, 1492, 1776
Sci-Fi: Star*Drive, home brew post-apocalypse
Other: Planescape-esque

The FR campaign was magic-heavy (just tweaked the rules a bit), as was the Planescape setting. Others were lower magic, just using the advanced careers to delay magic use to 3rd level+, and others still were no magic (Star*Drive, 1776, and a home brew). I find this really is THE tool box rule set, so long as the DM is willing to tweak.

Thanks,
-Matt

 

[jdrakeh]

Hey,

I've been using d20 Modern + Grim Tales + genre- and game-specific house rules to run the following (some pre-date GT):

I've taken that approach in the past, but two + core books and a set of house rules doesn't constitute a truly generic system by any means, so it falls outside of the criteria that I've established in my intial post. Thanks for the response though. What I'm looking for is a single, codified, generic system presented in a single book (such as those systems listed as poll options).

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I'm using GURPS 4e. It can cover pretty much any genre, including a couple that are hardly ever dreamed of in d20-land, and in my experience, the new edition lends itself equally well to gritty and cinematic game styles. All in all, I am pretty happy with it.

Of the others, I only know FUDGE. I think it is an interesting intellectual exercise, but the task resolution system is too "grainy" for my tastes, and it has too little detail for many genres for my tastes.

 

[diaglo]

Od&d(1974)

 

[Zappo]

Something else: d20 modern. But the only other system that I've played, among those mentioned, is GURPS. From what I've heard of Hero and Fudge, I wouldn't like them, but I could be wrong. I haven't even heard about the others.

 

[jdrakeh]

Od&d(1974)

That's pretty genre-specific by design, thus, it falls outside of the criteria established in my first post.

[Note: Incidentally, I already own it.]

 

[jdrakeh]

I'm using GURPS 4e. It can cover pretty much any genre, including a couple that are hardly ever dreamed of in d20-land, and in my experience, the new edition lends itself equally well to gritty and cinematic game styles. All in all, I am pretty happy with it.

Yeah, I'm leaning heavily towards GURPS 4e, as I'm currently playing in a game based in Half-Life's post-incident Earth that uses GURPS Lite 4e. Out of curiosity, how playable 'out of the box' is the Character book? What kind of genres could I easily cover with it, as is? Also, is the Campaigns book a necessity (like the old Compendiums eventually came to be), or is it purely optional? Thanks in adavance for any clarification that you can provide, Jurgen.

[Note: Incidentally, I've been meanign to ask - is there an Urbis PDF or other print-friendly file?]

 

[DMH]

How much support do you want for it? I voted for Fudge because, even if though it needs a lot of work by the GM, it can fit just about any setting.

Or, how about vsM: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=154633

 

[jdrakeh]

Something else: d20 modern.

Again, not really a generic system. Although there are several supplements that add genre-appropriate rules, it's focused completely on modern settings by default. I'm looking for something contained in a single book that is totally generic by deafult. Thanks for the suggestion, though.