What is needed is an open source framework that people can crib from in their own creations. This would then be managed by the community (so in effect decentralisation!)

Personally I think the D&D rules are far too overcomplicated when at its core we are talking about a managed game of make-believe. For me 1995 GW dungeon adventure RPG/board game Warhammer Quest was perfection.

Sadly my game is no longer available as all the rules were handwritten in an age before the internet and they are lost to time. We effectively took the core Warhammer Quest fantasy ruleset but modified it for the WH40k setting. We had rules and tables for travelling between star systems, hoards of old technology and all the different aliens from the setting.

We used the boards from an even older title called Space Crusade to represent the derelict starship interiors. Therein were tables of events, everything from setting off booby traps to an Imperial Battle Fleet turning up and destroying the derelict oneset of rooms at a time (which meant having to evacuate to your own ship!)

Ironically GW finally released a version of Warhammer Quest set within the 40k universe only a few years ago.