If you read this blog regularly, you’ll probably guess my answer on this one.

This question depends on what kind of recognition. I think James Bond: 007 was one of the best examples of innovative game design for the introduction of Hero Points, for a relatively realistic combat damage system, and especially for capturing the flavor of the source material.

If we’re talking about a RPG system that didn’t get enough recognition and was unceremoniously dumped for essentially a better version of Fate, I’d have to say Cortex. It’s one of the few systems that can flex well for almost any setting, yet keep a certain level of crunch that Fate and Apocalypse World don’t have. The math of the system is solid, character creation is excellent.