For a long time, I've had a lot of admiration for the guy at One Seven Design Studio. onesevendesign.com/ He's made not one, but four really interesting RPGs that blend setting, character, and rulebook into one short file - and all of them are free.
This is the result of my tinkering; A HOLLOW SONG is a role-playing game with an evocative (rather than elaborate) setting and some simple rules. My original thought process was, "What if someone ran Dungeons & Dragons, and the entire party was bards?" followed shortly by "What if it wasn't a joke campaign, and the bards had a serious quest?" A HOLLOW SONG is a quick tale of desperation and very familiar question in a desperate land. Dig in!