This one I’ve remained remarkably consistent on since RPGaDay started eight years ago: Cortex. Not the new Cortex or “Fate-ified” Cortex of Leverage and Marvel RPG or later Margaret Weiss Games productions (may MWG rest in peace…) but the one that powered Serenity and more specifically Battlestar Galactica and Supernatural. The rules were simple and elegant, and the few bits that weren’t could easily be ignored. It’s still my favorite balance between simple rules and storytelling, and something more substantial than newer lite systems like Broken Compass (although that is a very good system, as well.)

A tight second is the rules set for James Bond: 007 RPG from the 1980s, and again — I’ve been really steady on this one, as well. It did a good job of evoking the movies, leaned into the product placement mentality with the different ratings for guns, cars, etc. and was the first game to really get away from random damage — making injury based on the quality of the hit. I often find myself tempted to bust it open and run something using JB:007.