User summary:
Genre was intended to be a generic, universal system but the rules as developed were never clearly separated from the super-hero contents. Ostensibly, the rules also supported a swords & wizardry setting but this was never fully developed.
Characters are built with a pool of Character Points which has a base and a random component (e.g., 16 + 1d6). Attributes are purchased from the point pool with levels put into Strength, Agility, Stamina, Psi, Intelligence, and Psyche to purchase a noted Power Factor. Characters also have Skills and Talents. Skills have Modifiers (0-5). Characters may also have Extras (special abilities), Disads (disadvantages), and Powers (supernatural abilities). Characters have a Hit To Kill value which also is purchased. Through the game, Characters gain Experience Points which yield Levels and Glory Points which allow post-roll dice manipulation.
Genre uses a single mechanism for resolving all actions outside of combat, called an Action Roll. Characters roll a dice pool of d6 and count successes against a modified Difficulty. Optionally, Characters can "Grunt" or "Bust a Nut" and get a bonus which is offset by a later penalty. Four levels of success (Success to Critical Success) and five levels of failure (Failure to Critical Failure) are supported.
Combat uses a separate resolution mechanism that supports initiative, melee, ranged combat, blocking, dodging, and structural damage options. Armor boosts defensive rolls. Combat yields damage, of course, but may result in other effects. Much of combat involves the use of a number of "Power Factor" tables that range from 0-10 in stages.