Fudge (1992)

From the website:

Fudge is a word-based roleplaying game customizable (by design) to fit any genre or play style. The 10th Anniversary Edition includes everything from the core Fudge rules, plus a whole lot more! We collected together extensive lists of character traits for character creation, alternative rules (including a vehicle design system, dogfighting, cybernetics, netrunning, superheroes, and advice on running Fudge) and a whole lot more!

Requirements: Fudge is recommended for experienced gamemasters but is easy enough for first-time roleplayers and flexible enough for experienced gamers.

Support: Fudge dice are not required but are recommended. Gamemastering Secrets presents a lot of advice for gamemasters of any system. Terra Incognita is a complete Fudge game set in the Victorian/Pulp genre. A Magical Medley offers six different magic systems and a whole lot more. Another Fine Mess serves as a great stand-alone adventure and as a good introduction to Fudge (with “All the Rules You Need to Know”). There are several other publishers also using the Fudge system in their products. This makes for a diverse range of Fudge games (including Now Playing! from Carnivore Games and The Collectors from Rogue Publishing).

• Easy to play (the word-based system and simple game mechanic to resolve actions let you concentrate on the story rather than the rules)

• Skill-driven (choose broadly defined skill groups or detailed individual skills – or anything in between)

• Flexible (play any style from gritty realism to legendary heroics and create any character in any genre – even bunnies!)

• Customizable:
  • Choose your own attributes, gifts, faults, and skills
  • Play “subjectively” (just “fudging” it) or “objectively”
  • Use the rules you like best, they’re all optional
  • Choose your favorite dice techniques, or play diceless
  • Incorporate any of the many available optional rules, techniques, and add-ons (including magic systems and the like) – or create your own!

Winner of the 2016 Geek Lifetime Achievement In Roleplaying award (GLAIR).

Microbadges available:

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A little history:
In its earliest days (1992-1995), Fudge was updated many times each month (sometimes each week, and even more than once per day in its heyday) on the internet - there were literally hundreds of different versions.

The first commercially available print version was the Wild Mule Games edition in 1994. This is a significantly different version than that published in 1995 by Grey Ghost Press - quite a bit changed (including the development of Fudge dice), but there was never any edition statement to signify different editions. Since 1995, the core rules have been standard, and each additional Grey Ghost printing or "edition" has added much material, including a full-blown fantasy setting, but not changed the core rules. Well, the 10th Anniversary edition changed the core rules some, but not too much.

This core rules set is still available for free on the internet.