So now I am leaning towards the Vortex system

 

The what system? Yeah, I had never heard of it until recently, but it has been in use for a number of years, without an actual title. It is the system that powers the Dr Who game and Rocket Age.

I like the feel of the game, and the simple mechanics. 6 attributes, 13 skills and traits define your character. Typically attributes range from 1 to 6 (for humans), skills from 1 to 6, and traits are typically either minor or major, or just exist. You can also specialize in an aspect of a skill, to gain a bonus. No hit points, instead you  subtract damage from your attributes. Everything is resolved by rolling 2D6 adding a relevant attribute, skill and or trait. This is compared to a target number. It also rewards the player by how much they exceed the target. Of course failure is possible, and likewise has a greater penalty based on how bad you rolled. 

The appeal to me, is the fact that any individual character can have a chance of completing any given challenge. We tend to play one on one, so having a competent PC woks. Now any given PC will not have all skills at a high level, but even a low skill score but a high attribute score means they have a chance. Also, quite frankly I like the jack of all trades feel, and the way you are not sidelined just because you did not pick the right skill for the current situation way back at the creation of your character.

This is  a pulp setting, action adventure, not some grinding game of detailed characters. The chances are your character can find the answer to any given problem, that is a good thing.  

Attributes 

Awareness, Coordination, Ingenuity, Presence, Resolve and Strength

List of Skills

Animal Handling (Dogs, Fish, Horses, Insects, Primates, Reptiles)

Athletics (Acrobatics, Climbing, Jumping, Parachuting, Running, Scuba, Swimming)

Convince (Bluff, Charm, Fast Talk, Interrogation, Leadership, Lie, Seduction, Talk Down)

Craft (Building, Painting, Farming, Singing, Guitar, Woodwork, Metalwork, Dancing)

Fighting (Block, Club, Feints, Knife, Parry, Sword, Throws, Unarmed Combat)

Knowledge (Anthropology, History, Language, Law, Literature, Psychology, Sociology)

Marksman (Automatic Weapons, Bow, Mounted Weapons, Pistol, Rifle, Thrown Weapons, Tranquilizer Gun) 

Medicine (Disease, Forensics, Poisons, Psychological Trauma, Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, Wounds) 

Science (Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Mathematics, Parapsychology, Physics) 

Subterfuge (Camouflage, Lock-picking, Pickpocketing, Safe-cracking, Sleight of Hand, Sneaking) 

Survival (Arctic, Desert, Jungle, Mountain, Swamp, Wilderness) 

Technology (Electrics, Gadgetry, Repair, Robotics) 

Transport (Aircraft, Auto-gyros, Boats, Cars, Motorcycles, Submersibles, Trucks, Zeppelin

 Traits List

Good Traits 

• Animal Friendship (Minor), page 46
• Attractive (Minor), page 46
• Authority (Minor or Major), page 46
• Boxing or Bashing (Minor), page 46 
• Brand (Major), page 46 
• Brave (Minor), page 46 
• Breaking & Entering (Major) , page 46
• Charming (Minor), page 47 
• Crack Shot (Minor), page 47 
• Easily Underestimated (Minor), page 47 Empathic (Minor), page 47 
• Face in the Crowd (Minor), page 47 
• Fast Healer (Major), page 47 
• Fast Runner (Minor), page 47 
• Favorite Gun/Gadget (Minor), page 47
• Friends* (Minor or Major), page 47
• Gadgeteer (Major), page 48 
• Hobby (Minor), page 48 
• Hot Shot (Minor), page 48 
• Hypnosis (Minor or Major), page 48
• Instinct (Minor)*, page 49 
• Indomitable (Major), page 49 
• Keen Senses* (Minor or Major), page 49
• Linguist (Minor Trait), page 49 
• Lucky (Minor or Major), page 49 
• Martial Artist (Major), page 49 Minions* (Major), page 49
• Never Gives Up (Major), page 50
• Owed Favor (Minor or Major), page 50 
• Pet* (Minor or Major), page 50 
• Photographic Memory (Major), page 50 
• Psychic Training (Minor), page 50 
• Quick Reflexes (Major), page 50 
• Resourceful Pockets (Minor), page 50
• Rumor Mill (Minor), page 50
• Sense of Direction (Minor), page 51
• Sharpshooter (Minor), page 51
• Super Amalgamated (Minor), page 51 
• Technically Adept (Minor), page 51
• Tracker (Minor), page 51 
• Tough (Minor or Major), page 51
• Voice of Authority (Minor), page 51
• Wealthy (Minor or Major), page 51
• Weapon Encyclopedia (Minor), page 51
• Weird Tech (Minor or Major), page 51
• Well Traveled (Minor), page 51

  Bad Traits 

• Adversary* (Minor or Major), page 52
• Amnesia (Minor or Major), page 52
• Animal Lover (Minor), page 52 
• By the Book (Minor), page 52
• Clumsy (Minor), page 52
• Code of Conduct (Minor or Major), page 53
• Cowardly (Minor), page 53 
• Dark Secret (Minor or Major), page 53
• Dependents (Minor or Major), page 53
• Dependency (Minor or Major), page 53
• Distinctive (Minor), page 53
• Dogsbody (Minor) , page 54
• Doomed (Major), page 54
• Eccentric (Minor or Major), page 54
• Emotional Complication (Minor or Major), page 54
• Forgetful (Minor), page 54
• Fresh Meat (Minor), page 54
• Good Samaritan (Minor), page 54
• Hell on Wheels (Minor), page 55
• Impaired Senses* (Minor or Major), page 55
• Impoverished (Minor), page 55
• Impulsive (Minor), page 55
• Insatiable Curiosity (Minor), page 55 
• Maverick (Minor), page 55 
• Obligation (Minor or Major), page 55 
• Obsession (Minor or Major), page 55
• Outcast (Minor), page 56 
• Owes Favor (Minor or Major), page 56 
• Phobia* (Minor), page 56 
• Racial Minority (Minor), page 56
• Slow Reflexes (Major), page 56
• Slow Runner (Minor), page 56
• Strange Visitor (Minor or Major), page 56
• Technically Inept (Minor), page 57
• Unattractive (Minor) , page 57
• Unlucky (Minor or Major), page 57
• Weakness (Minor or Major), page 57
• Special Traits Experienced, page 57
• Fast Healer, page 57 
• Inexperienced, page 57
• Machine Man, page 57 
• More Than Human, page 58
• Psychic, page 58 
• Robot, page 58
• Team Player, page 58
• Unusual Background, page 59
• Psychic Traits Astral Travel, page 59 
• Clairvoyance, page 59
• Cloud Men’s Minds, page 60
• Empathic Aura, page 60 
• Enlightened, page 60
• Possess, page 60
• Precognition , page 60
• Telekinesis, page 60
• Telepathy, page 62 

Creature Traits 

• Additional Limbs (Minor Good) , page 196
• Aggressive (Major Good) , page 196
• Amphibious (Minor Good) , page 196
• Aquatic (Minor Bad), page 196 
• Armor (Minor, Major or Special Good) , page 196
• Bite (Minor or Major Good), page 196
• Burrowing (Minor Good), page 196
• Claw (Minor Good), page 197
• Climbing (Minor or Major Good), page 197
• Constrict (Minor Good), page 197
• Enhanced Senses (Minor Good), page 197 
• Environmental (Minor or Major Good), page 197
• Fast-Moving (Minor or Major Good), page 197
• Fear Factor (Special Good), page 197
• Flight (Minor or Major Good), page 198
• Frenzy (Minor Bad) , page 198 
• Grab (Minor Good) , page 198
• Immaterial (Special Bad) , page 198
• Immortal (Major or Special Good) , page 198
• Immunity (Major Good Trait) , page 199 
• Infection (Major Good), page 199
• Invisible (Special Good), page 199
• Leap (Special Good), page 200
• Lurker (Minor Good), page 200
• Natural Weapons (Minor or Major Good), page 200
• Networked (Minor or Major Good), page 200
• Nocturnal (Minor Bad), page 200
• Passive (Minor Bad), page 200
• Poison (Special Good), page 201
• Possess (Special Good), page 201
• Replication (Major Good), page 201
• Savage Roar (Major Good), page 201
• Screamer! (Minor Good), page 202
• Shapeshift (Minor, Major or Special Good), page 202
• Slow-Moving (Minor or Major Good), page 202
• Snap (Major Good), page 202
• Special (Special Good), page 202
• Stalker (Major Good), page 202
• Stinger (Minor Good), page 202
• Stomp (Minor Good), page 202
• Strange Appearance (Special Bad), page 203
• Teleport (Major Good), page 203 
• Trample (Major Good), page 203
• Warning (Major Good), page 203