I recommend The Collectors: The Burning House from Rogue Publishing.

Link.

Definitely the most underrated game of the decade so far, in my opinion. It is that well-crafted.

The PCs are Collectors, demons in human form charged with collecting damned souls previously pledged by contract to the Man Downstairs.

They're not bad guys, neccessarily. Quite the opposite, in fact. They just have a job to do, and this is one job where you don't want to get "fired."

Add in rogue Collectors, opposing angels and rebellious clients and you get the idea.

Basically, I feel that this is the single best horror RPG product since the Delta Green line petered-out. Just magnificently-written and thought-out modern "you're the monsters" horror without the clunky system, dull edge or tired angst of White Wolf.

The sample adventure in the book is extremely detailed and also extremey flexible, demonstrating a keen understanding that "No scenario survives first contact with the players."

And it's cheap.

Just fucking get it. If you still need more persuading, just read the two reviews listed on the page I linked.

Quote from: YamoJust fucking get it. If you still need more persuading, just read the two reviews listed on the page I linked.

I'd second Yamo on this, it is indeed brilliant and not well known at all.

A caution though, it is designed for two players in addition to the GM and larger groups might not work so well.

Maybe I should have mentioned our group has 7 people (including me), each of us GM's at one time or another.

All the suggestions given until now are the coolest. You can't go wrong with PIG Games stuff (I own Active Exploits and rocks my world), and Burning Wheel, Sorcerer and Dogs in the Vineyard, along with The Shadow of Yesterday are a must. Can't say anything about Flyingmice, having tested his games yet.

About The Riddle of Steel: is a fantasy game with a very crunchy combat system, that I dig a lot. It also makes the goals and emotions of the PCs important in the mechanics in a way that blew my mind when I read it, teh same way that the personality mechanics of Pendragon rocked my socks off many years ago. If you don't mind a crunchy combat system, is one of the best fantasy games around.

Quote from: ImperatorAbout The Riddle of Steel: is a fantasy game with a very crunchy combat system, that I dig a lot. It also makes the goals and emotions of the PCs important in the mechanics in a way that blew my mind when I read it, teh same way that the personality mechanics of Pendragon rocked my socks off many years ago. If you don't mind a crunchy combat system, is one of the best fantasy games around.

Yeah, but it desparately needs a new edition. The general layout of the core books is okay, but the tables look like someone defecated them on paper and the typography is straight out of Word...

In addition, both the Companion and The Flower Of Battle modify some core systems quite heavily, so there's not much of the core book left untouched. Quite a nightmare of cross-references and post-its.

And if they ever print a new revision, they could clean up on the Forge-speak and Historical Realism. (And replace sorcery and the default world. But that's more a matter of taste.)

My recommendations.  Any of those companies will do right by you.