Quest for the "perfect" all-in-one game

[pawsplay]

I think the closest book that fits my description of “perfect” would be the D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

...Just to be clear: by all-in-one I mean the only core book needed by both GM and player is just the one book. In fact there are no other rule books for the system. GM’s might use modules, depending on the GM, but I don’t consider them a core item.

The OP is kind of confusing. As far as I am concerned, the Rules Cyclopedia is a nearly perfect game-in-one-book. That doesn't mean it's the best game ever, or even a particularly good one, only that the design goals were solidly fulfilled cover-to-cover. The RC is very nearly the best of of all possible RCs.

Many games do not succeed at this. Despite its size, Hero System 5e is very nearly complete, but does not contain nearly enough pre-statted animals to handle even the most basic Western or dungeon crawl. How strong is a horse? You'll have to buy the bestiary to find out. Warhammer FRP 2e and Star Wars Saga Edition have nearly crucial expansion materials outside the main book. Et cetera. On the other hand, Blood of Heroes contains the entire DC Heroes 3e system, numerous pre-statted adversaries, and even a version of the chart you need for play. Unfortunately, instead of fully statted DC Heroes, you get a bunch of horribly designed weirdoes from the designers' home campaigns. It's an ugly and poorly realized supherhero book.

The realy complete and well produced books I can think of:

Rules Cyclopedia (king of all single-book systems)
Talislanta, 2e
Mutants & Masterminds, 2e
Warhammer FRP, 1e
Star Wars, Second Edition Revised (WEG)
Shadowrun, 4e
The Dying Earth RPG

 

[Votan]

The OP is kind of confusing. As far as I am concerned, the Rules Cyclopedia is a nearly perfect game-in-one-book. That doesn't mean it's the best game ever, or even a particularly good one, only that the design goals were solidly fulfilled cover-to-cover. The RC is very nearly the best of of all possible RCs.

Yes, I would agree with this as well. It is a real pity that the book is both out of print and difficult to find.

I also think that there is a big distinction between what one means by all in one in terms of supporting material. Savage Worlds is a great system if one doesn't mind designing a lot of the world details and the inhabitants of the world oneself.

I can't find a huge difference between SWEE and Cortex, although the Cortex licensed properties made it easier for me to see how to make the system work in practice. But I was not a huge fan of the generic source book (whereas the BSG and Firefly books were wonderful for developing a Space Opera game).

 

[Aus_Snow]

Artesia: Adventures in the Known World probably deserves a mention too.

It's a full-colour hardcover with colour art throughout, containing a detailed system (covering lifepaths for character histories and traits, intricate skill use, interaction rules, evocative magic, convincing combat, and so forth), an in-depth world guide (a complete setting, with cultures, religions, and lots more), details of the overall cosmology, a solid bestiary, a colour map, and even an adventure to get folks started.

Actually, I don't think I've seen anything close, in terms of completeness and attention to detail.

 

[scourger]

Have you ever run a campaign using RIFTS as the setting, but with an entirely different set of mechanics...say, from something your players enjoy? Personally, I've done this in HERO a couple of times, with positive results. Who knows, they might even have MORE fun if they never see your sourcebooks...

Yeah, I tried it a couple of different ways, and it didn't work out. My current plan is to use the pre-generated characters from Machinations of Doom and run the story from that graphic novel. If it went very well, I might run further adventures. But, I would be satisfied with a few weeks worth of gaming from that book.

 

[Stormonu]

For me it would probably be the Vampire 2e expanded/revised rulebook. I'd like to say the Rules Cyclopedia, but I enjoy AD&D/3E/Pathfinder too much.

 

[Argyle King]

If SJG had gone all Pathfinder-like on the binding, GURPS 4e's Basic Set would work, too. But they split it in two volumes, so it doesn't count.

+1


While you can play the game with only the first book, Campaigns contains so many good things that I'd miss. There have been times when I've felt that GURPS handled a setting better than the original system for which the setting was made. Still, it is possible to play the game with only the first book; I think that's about as close as I've seen to an all-in-one book.

I suppose I could 'cheat' for the sake of this discussion and say that I'd take the Basic Set apart, take it to Staples, and have them rebind the whole thing into one book.


HERO is similar, but I don't know the system anywhere close to as well as I know GURPS. I hear good things about it, but I don't know the system hardly at all. I almost got into HERO instead of GURPS, but two things made me pick up GURPS instead: 1) For whatever reason, the layout of GURPS made it easier for me to learn GURPS than the HERO layout made learning HERO for me; 2) I liked that GURPS leaned a bit more toward realism by default. It also helped sway my opinion that I was a fan of the Fallout games, and I knew that Fallout was loosely based on GURPS.

 

[TheNovaLord]

if all in one means

--system

--setting

--decent adventure, then it must be:

SPI dragonquest box set
Savage World Solomon Kane
1st edition chill

for me

John

 

[Steel_Wind]

While I am not sure that any game really meets that test, I would nominate Victory Games' James Bond 007 as the most worthy candidate.

The game was FAR ahead of its time in terms of design. In its day, the only other rulebook that was produced for it was the "Q Manual". I ended up selling this game back in the early 90s. I really wish I had never done that.

More recently, Call of Cthulhu 5th Edition comes pretty damned close.

 

[Azgulor]

My votes for best "All-in-One" RPG book:

Conan - Atlantean or 2nd Edition
Arcana Evolved
FantasyCraft
Spycraft 2.0

 

[pawsplay]

I'm not sure I would consider Fantasy Craft really complete without the upcoming Spellbound, nor Spycraft 2.0 complete without at least one gear book and the supplement that introduced the fighting tricks.