I figure we've got a "worst RPG" list, we should do a "Best RPG" list, too.
My guess is that most people are going to say D&D because of its popularity, but I'm not really thinking about popularity here. So I'm asking people not pick based on your choice's popularity.
What do you think is the RPG with the best writing, the best system, and the best setting. You know - the works all together in a single package.
I would have to say that Shadowrun (3rd) would be the best that i have come across. This is due in part to the fact heavy setting, with enough information to boil your imagination out of control. The realistic but at the same time fluid rule system- from the way damage is track to how combat phases are run.
I've only gotten to play 3rd edition once, but I enjoyed it.
Right now, I'm running 4th edition SR, and while I love the opportunity to dig into that universe again, those rules are massive and complex. I've gotten used to running WitchCraft, which is very easy to run.
Wushu is the greatest RPG for my needs.
It doesn't have a setting, it can be played with any background.
Writing is clear and keeps to the point (although the Reloaded edition is better laid out and has more examples)
The system empowers players, reduces GM prep time, encourages creativity, makes for awesome gaming anecdotes (ask me about the fight over a parachute at 10,000 feet and falling!), and encourages everyone involved to concentrate on what is important and gloss over the tedious.
For the genre, I have to say Call of Cthulhu is one of the best (BRP version). Although I have a complaint with some awkwardness in hand-to-hand fighting (dodges & parries), I think it's one of the best for character development in skills, and concurrent degeneration due to sanity loss. The system is simple, easy to learn, and NOT level-based. AND, there are 30 years' worth of supplements out there that *still* work with the current rules set. Though I have to say, I want to look into Trail of Cthulhu (Gumshoe system), because it should keep the GM from having to hand out unearned clues just to keep the game moving...
Honorable mention: King Arthur Pendragon (for quantifying personality traits and passions as an aid to character development & role-playing, and for its immersive pseudo-historical setting that remains true to Arthurian fiction.)
BTW, I hear the new Spycraft rocks, but the modern setting isn't my group's thing, so I haven't picked it up yet...
All Thieves Are Gay Anyway:
http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/all-thieves-are-gay-anyway
or maybe Fight Battle:
http://mearls.livejournal.com/123678.html
Although I object to the pejorative use of "Gay" in "All Thieves are Gay Anyway", it looks quite amusing.
Fight Battle must surely be the greatest game ever though. I retract my previous answer, and henceforth I shall be known as Kal-Elvis (Part Superman, part The King)
D10,000,001 FTW!
I just got it, but I'm thinking Anima: Beyond Fantasy might be a good contender. I like to think of it as the love child of Final Fantasy and D&D. The system's got more fiddly bits than I'm used to, but nothing too complex. And the various classes, magic systems, etc. allow for a great amount of diversity. I'm about halfway through the book and loving it so far.
Class-based fantasy RPG? What is this, the 70s?
Get with the programme Grandad ;-)
My personal favorite RPG of the last decade is WitchCraft, partly because I think it runs on one of the best point buy systems I've ever seen* without classes, easy to run combats, and easy math. I love the magic system for its malleability and grounded underlying structure. And I'm a huge fan of the setting- modern urban dark spell-slinging fantasy.
I've translated several characters from the 2 years I spent playing White Wolf games and have found that I write up a full character sheet for WC in less than 20 minutes.
* Don't get me wrong, Unisystem isn't perfect. The cinematic version develops a serious "glass ninja" problem at higher point totals. But even with that issue, it's an incredible system that deserves a lot more respect and play.