One of the longest-standing problems with tabletop role-playing games has been their stifling genre-specificity. Going outside of whatever Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Cyberpunk, or High Fantasy box a game happens to exist in has usually been difficult at best. For example: D&D is about elves and sorcerers and ONLY elves and sorcerers, and, oh, I'm sorry, did you want your adventurers to maybe rule over a small kingdom and deal with the Keynesian implications of dumping sacks of dragon gold into the economy every week or so?
What do you mean, "It's not in the rules?" Or: We're playing Call of Cthulhu, but suddenly the players are challenged to a round of midget submarine jousting by Jacques Cousteau. Um...maybe we'll all roll against Wits, or Hand-Eye-Coordination, or something?
Steve Jackson developed GURPS to get around these restrictions, and...pretty much any restrictions, actually. Want to have a footrace between Charlemagne and Aleister Crowley? Yeah, GURPS can do that. Want to load up a bazooka and go stegosaurus hunting with Natty Bumppo? Do you even have to ask?
Jackson's free-form approach to game design arguably (weasel words!) served as a precursor to the modding communities of the past 15 years. Don't like a particular restriction? Why not take out out? Want a rule system that doesn't currently exist? Why, there's a book for that! Plus, Evil Stevie's Pirate Game is the best possible use of Legos, besides feeding them to younger siblings.
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Eric Limer 
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