[Tom H.]

This is a a very insightful topic.

I'm sure that there can't be any formal conclusions until there is a lot more feedback regarding both DFRPG and the forthcoming release of The Fantasty Trip.

From the limited information I saw here, it didn't appear that the SJ Games was currently willing or able to really advance and expand TFT beyond a reprint of some items.

The interesting thing is that there does seem to be a vacuum in SJ Games catalog for a somewhat lighter RPG than GURPS or even DFRPG.

I wish that a "GURPS Medium" would step up to fill that role, but you could speculate long term as to something evolving from The Fantasy Trip re-release building up from a lighter origin.

(Disclosure: I have never been exposed to The Fantasy Trip.)

The talk is that you can always simplify GURPS to whatever level you wish. I've found that you would need a specifically designated rules set with closure.

What I mean is that if I choose to omit my choice of GURPS rules for simplicity, some of the rules I keep end up re-engaging me into the complexity I chose to omit.

There are no self-contained ("closed") tiers of complexity in GURPS among which you transition. (Of course, this would be a tall order.)

Pie in the sky: I would love to see GURPS Lite advance into a "medium" rule set with some closure that would also allow you to jump across into full GURPS if desired.

The reason a designated rule set is more important than individual GM fiat is that it provides for a larger shared community.

Now I probably just blew this forum's topic adherence. If so, maybe someone can help me correct this (spawn a separate thread???).