Cepheus Deluxe Expanded Edition (CDEE) is still one of the best generic 2d6 games out there. If you were smart, you bought the black-and-white version while the giant striped sidebars were still there; at least they didn't hurt your eyes as much as the full-color version. The B&W version is a solid performer, and it gives you all the tools you need for science-fiction adventures in the "little black book" genre of gaming, and even better charts, tables, and tools for filling out a universe.
But great news! In August 2026, a new, sidebar-free, better-layout, updated, larger-font PDF is up on DriveThruRPG! I am waiting for the POD book and then diving in.
While the similar Cepheus Universal is more of a science-fiction genre-creation toolkit, CDEE does the core Traveller-style game loop even better than most versions of Traveller, and it does not come with an Imperium, so we are back to the hobby's roots. Where every Imperium and subsector was DIY, and we created our own 2d6 universes. Frankly, this is how I remember Traveller, having started with the original LBBs.
Games can get too big, and I am slowly moving back to one-book, no VTT, simple character sheet, DIY gaming. The era of 5E feels like it is ending, and the great "library games" of the 2010s and 2020s are starting to look more and more like dinosaurs than experiences. Yes, I have boxes of Traveller books, but this one is on my coffee table right now. This is the one I can hold in my head and play.
These days, I only have a handful of library games I want and need. Palladium and GURPS are two of them. BX or 1E will be there for my D&D, along with a nice Dungeon Crawl Classics collection (which I suspect will win my fantasy gaming top spot). If a game competes with a better one, I sell it.
CDEE, either the older B&W version or the 2026 revision, is an amazing game that holds its own. What I love about it is all the tables that help you fill out a universe, encounters, and tradeport encounters. This is the best "space trading" game between two covers, by far, and the exploration game is done very well, too. The 2d6 resolution system, with talents added to it, makes this one of the better 2d6 games, and it gives you plenty of customization and character tweaking.
Iam glad I fished this out of the garage crates today, and I am looking forward to playing it again.
