The idea I am trying to find a system for right now is a publication project, so off the bat I need a system that is Open or at least has easy and free license.
Working Title: Cold Open
Broad Strokes: all the PCs are individuals that chose cryogenic preservation. In the far future, they awake from their frozen sleep deep in the bowels of the facility. They are hunted by the cannibal Thawed, must contend with weird mutations and terrible security malfunction, and find their way out of the facility into an unknown future.
Key features: This adventure must be completely self contained, rule wise. It is meant to be opened by the GM and for play to start immediately. Characters will be generated or revealed during play, as players assigns stats and skills and define who their survivor was (as their memoires slowly return). Plus mutations! In the end, characters that curvive and escape would be level 1 (or the equivalent thereof) in a theoretical follow up adventure on the surface.
This is an idea of I have used a couple times in a much more limited fashion, but I am finally ready to make it into a product -- mostly because I want to see how the "completely self contained" thing goes.
What system do you think would work? I am considering Sahdowdark, Mork Borg, LevelUp, 5E, BRP and Dragonbane, but I am sure there are other appropriate ideas. Is DCC/MCC an Open game?