I have been a little leery of responding to system recommendation questions for a while now. Per my understanding of the FAQ, I only respond to them when I know my recommendation will be a solid fit for what the poster wants. That said, it is unlikely that just one system will meet the parameters of the question. This being the case, it has struck me from the beginning that a community wiki format should be standard for this type of question.
Recently this question was posted regarding an easy to learn and use fantasy system. I noted in the responses that one by Aramis on WEG D6 Fantasy got nudged in comments toward a format change to meet the standards of the FAQ, while one by Gomad did not. Comparing the two, it struck me that the one by Aramis was much closer to what we are calling for in the FAQ than Gomad's. As I am not as active in Meta, or the main board as most of you, I thought that I may have missed some discussion or shift in policy which could explain what we currently expect. As I would like to contribute more to the site, I feel it is long past time that I asked for clarification which none of the previous discussions or comments I have read really address.
What makes an appropriate answer to a system recommendation question? According to my understanding of the guidelines, the responses should be based on experience of the actual use the question addresses, with support of some kind (an actual play link, or personal experience using the system to do what the question poser inquires about) being a requirement. Suggestions based solely on opinion or from reading descriptions of a game are to be discouraged or no offered.
With this framework in mind I am confused about what makes a compound recommendation of three systems (one of which is unpublished, one of which has not been played, and all three of which need unspecified and unsourced hacks to fit the parameters of the question) more in line with policy than one which is based on actual play experience and is formatted to directly address the questioner's criteria? There are other examples around, but this one was fresh and easy to find.
Hopefully this question is on the minds of other people than myself. If I were a new user jumping in for the first time I know I would be thinking that mixed messages are being sent on this type of question and associated responses.
(A related question is should we be voting up answers which we know do not follow the guidelines, but that is addressed elsewhere.)