This was kind of a hard question if I thought too long about it. There are many games I am fond of. But ultimately it comes down to the Vortex System over all.
I find the system to be quite elegant. 2D6 + attribute + skill.
The six degrees of success/failure is nice-
Yes, and
Yes
Yes, but
No, but
No,
No, and
My favorite part of the system, though, is how damage works. Vortex does not use hit points like most other games. Instead, damage is directly inflicted upon the corresponding attributes. Consequently, the efficacy of these attributes diminishes as they incur damage. The game goes beyond physical damage and also takes into account mental and social damage.
The Vortex system first appeared with David F Chapman’s Cubicle 7 game- Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space. There has been a 2nd edition of the Doctor Who Roleplaying game published recently. I have yet to explore the differences from the original publication.
The original version of the Vortex system still does power the Rocket Age roleplaying game. Ken Spencer, the creator of Rocket Age, has recently acquired the rights for his game from Cubicle 7 and is now continuing to publish material under his company- Why Not Games. The production quality has always been superb. Spencer has been publishing Rocket Age for the 5e system along side the classic rules.
Cubicle 7 also used the Vortex system for another BBC show, Primeval, which lasted 5 seasons and had three books in the line.
There was another game that used the system- Pulp Fantastic, but that ended up being a one-and-done game book. I felt the system was a pretty good fit for 1930s pulp action.
The Vortex system. I hope we see new games powered by it someday.
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