Interesting RPGs

>Mutants & Masterminds is possibly the best d20 game. flexible and streamlined.
Which edition are you talking about?

Hillfolk is a system that tries to emulate the feeling of tv dramas. Conflict doesn't come in the form of combat (well, it can, and beginners of the system are likely to use more of those types of scenes) but rather in the form of characters wanting things from other characters and those other characters not being willing to give it to them. Playing it is kinda like being on a writing team where people make suggestions for what happens next and agree on the outcome that carries the most drama and tension.

Character creation works similarly where no one is quite in full control of their own character. Instead everyone adds small bits and pieces to everyone's characters. First the GM describes the setting in short -- for example, a medieval viking society on Iceland, an interstellar freight ship, or a modern crime-infested suburb -- and then asks one player to quickly describe his character. Little more than a name and a job description is required at this point. Something like
>"I'm John, a police man and ordinary middle class man."
Then the GM asks the next player to quickly describe his character and what his relationship to John in. This player could now say that his character was once arrested by John, for example, or that he's an informant or colleague or that his character is John's brother or sister or wife. Then the GM turns to the third player and asks the same thing, and so on, until you have a map of all the characters and their relationships. Then comes the part where all the players state what their characters want from the other characters -- respect, to be accepted, another chance, love, etc etc -- and the other players state why their characters won't or can't give it to them. This can go something like
>"Well, John wants to be respected as the man of the house by Megan."
>"Oh, but I can't do that for you. There's just something pitiful and insecure about you..."
>"What if John has cancer?"
>"Yeah, cancer, that's good, right?"

So it doesn't suffer from the shit 'game' aspects of stuff like PTBA and its derivatives? And it sounds far more open than simply checking boxes on a sheet for character features.

there are tables in the book how to use normal d6 for it or you could just use common sense

It's not very gamist at all, no. The emphasis is quite clearly on creating a narrative as a group. And yes, it's very open. I like to use character creation as an example for it because it makes it very clear what and how the system does differently.

In actual play it's similar but not identical. Essentially, any player can suggest a scene they'd want to see involving any number of characters, (normally only two or three players are involved in any specific scene and that's what the system does best) and if the group decides that that scene would take the story in an interesting direction then it's played out between the relevant characters.
>"How about a scene where John tries to buy weed from Frank while wearing a disguise?"
Etc.

The central mechanic is about the character's desires and whether or not they are fulfilled in the scenes or not. In the above mentioned scene, for example, John's desire would be to get the weed without being recognized. Frank might refuse to sell it to him, maybe he recognizes him as a cop, maybe he recognizes who he is but agrees to sell to him anyway, etc. Afterwards the group agrees on whether John's desires were met or not, depending on which he will get a token that he can cash in later to improve a scene for himself.

I use 2nd, which very easy for D&Ders to jump into. 3rd is even more streamlined and lots of M&M players like it better.
Herolab has character builders for both editions, the demo versions are free.

Black Tokyo offers some interesting and pretty unique ideas.

Houses of the Blooded sells itself as the anti-Dungeons & Dragons.
I really like Dogs in the Vineyard but haven't had a chance to play yet.
Artific

Whoops, accidentally posted too soon.
Artifice is about playing as sentient AI on the internet.
Noumenon is just a really fucking weird RPG.
I also have a couple books of Wild Talents (a superhero system based on ORE) but haven't had a chance to play it either.

If you omit it's mostly terrible legacy, Apocalypse World is a very good game. Don't let the memes get to you, the 'sex moves' are there for a good reason, and not for tasteless wankery. The game is framed like an HBO series - there's a lot of tension, constant scarcity, and the game, if played by the book, remains very high-octane. Due to the mechanics nature, often you see spirals, snowballs of bad decisions and consequences. Mechanics on players part are pretty intuitive - you never say which mechanic you're using, you're ONLY supposed to say what your character attempts, and this may, or may not trigger a move, and only then mechanics come into play. Moves require specific circumstances to 'activate', and offer a limited array of outcomes, but they're vague enough that you can do a fair bit with them, honestly. Also, you'll often fall back to GM moves, which are IMO a really great codification of GMing in general - they're good for getting into a mindset of a narrator, someone who has to keep the story going, rather than dully simulate behavior of a dozen NPCs and factions. It takes a while to wind up, expect the first session to drag on, but as you keep asking, and building on players answers, you'll quickly pick up pace, and shit will hit the fan hard. Definitely requires some out-of-the-box thinking on the GM's part though.

7th Sea tbqhfam

Forgot to mention, AW works because its design is TIGHT. It requires you to absolutely play by the book, but rewards you with a specific, planned and accounted for kind of intense game, whereas a lot of PbtA clones tried to become more generic in the "D&D can do anything lol" way.

Noumenon is fucking great. It's a trippy as fuck game about a bunch of humanoid cockroaches exploring a dream-mansion with the rooms that are anything, from an anecdote to a very specific setting caught in a particular moment. It's very esoteric, and honestly, completely up to the interpretation as to what anything in there means, but it'd definitely be some experience to run or play it.

Marvel Heroic strikes such a smooth balance between different aspects of character ability. Plus I adore its milestone system.

It's $15 for 14 dice, which seems fine to me.

Song of Swords is superb for realistic historical fights.
I doubt it could be considered famous.

I'm in the play test for urban city smack down. It's an 80s/90s push your luck teamwork type of game.