In the late 80’s I briefly played a pen and paper RPG that had the GM reading from a paperback sized book. Can anyone think what this system may have been?
Middle Earth Role Playing (MERP) published 4 adventures that came in paperback format with a tear-out map. The rules were pared down from the MERP rules, or you could use the full rule set. You could also play solo without a DM if you desired. I still have two of the books, makes me want to break them out. I did one on a plane ride a few years ago.
I don’t think it was MERP unless they got rid of the countless tables when they pared it down. That does sound awesome though.
It’s funny you should mention playing it on a plane. I’m going on cruise with some friends in a few weeks and there will be some long stretches when we’re at sea and I thought an RPG might be fun to kill some time. I obviously don’t want to have to lug around a stack of books and thought a paperback style system would be feasible.
Well, if you are interested there are usually several copies available from used sellers at Amazon. Just make sure they come with the hex maps which are very nicely done. Many used copies are sold with the maps lost. Search for Tolkien Quest to differentiate from the full MERP books.
Fabled Lands is another series that’s similar, but I never played them.
Fighting Fantasy series, written by Ian Livingston ? I still have a ton of them in a box some where.
I thought it might be a multiplayer version of FF (I’ve got a few of these which I used to read to my daughter before bed when she was younger 
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I think I’ve actually solved the mystery myself. I’m pretty sure it was Dragon Warriors.
Apparently it was re-released a few years ago and I have found a playable introduction pdfwhich should be perfect for the cruise!
Thanks for the help guys. I’m going to search for that mini MERP game now!
I was going to guess Tunnels and Trolls.
Not many have ever heard of it, but there was a Darksword-series Pen n Paper RPG, printed in a reasonably hefty paperback format. It was actually pretty interesting.
Try DriveThru RPG. They have it for digital download for $20.
Me too, although I don’t think the earlier editions were in paperback-sized books.
T&T never felt like the finished article to me, though. The chief flaw in the combat system was that once a monster started losing, it would lose badly, and (at least in the editions I saw) spell-casting cost Strength points, so characters with poor Strength scores were shafted either way. But I never played it for any length of time so I can’t comment much.
Interesting to see that later editions took on board an idea I’d had some time in the mid-80s: that any 6 rolled in combat should get a point of damage through to the enemy no matter what. It struck me at the time that it would be a good way of either resolving stalemates or letting a beaten foe at least do a little damage to the enemy.
Traveller had odd-sized paper back manuals if I recall. I tried many times to play and like that game back in the day, it just never hooked me, more bookkeeping than roleplaying.
Could also have been The Dark Eye, in France at least the rulebooks and some scenarios were published as paperbacks by the same publishers as Choose Your Own Adventure books, and in the same format and general layout too.
Young CYOA fan me was pretty confused when he bought the spellbook. Sure, there was an adventure in there too but… why was all the story laid out in the first few pages, and where were the numbered sections ? 
Thanks for the heads up on this. I have splashed out and bought a copy. It combines the rules and classes from all the books into one volume. It only includes one adventure but others are available.