GURPS as literature??

[The Final Door]

I just talked to a friend, Daniel. About RPGs. It started out on D&D 4E but took a funny turn.

See, Daniel plays a lot of D&D. We're talking two or three weekly games, with a bunch of groups. He's an addict, according to himself. I've played (A)D&D with him, and he has a ton of books. I've never played GURPS with him, nor heard him talk about playing it with anyone else. So when he commented on the "snazzy new style of GURPS 4E", Fantasy especially, I was surprised.

It turns out that while he has not once played GURPS, he not only purchased most 4E books, but he has about 50 3E books! I never saw his collection (we always played those games at my place), so I never knew!

He says he feels no compulsion towards playing GURPS, but he loves to read the books. "It's like a kind of literature", he says. Do you know people who do that? Buy tons of gamebooks exclusively for reading, in a system they never play? I support the act, but I am a bit surprised, and a little confused. I love to read the books, but I don't buy more than three for a system I will never play... Is he a fluke, or is RPG actually literature to a lot of people out there?!

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by The Final Door

He says he feels no compulsion towards playing GURPS, but he loves to read the books. "It's like a kind of literature", he says. Do you know people who do that? Buy tons of gamebooks exclusively for reading, in a system they never play? I support the act, but I am a bit surprised, and a little confused. I love to read the books, but I don't buy more than three for a system I will never play... Is he a fluke, or is RPG actually literature to a lot of people out there?!

I do that. I have Ars Magica and Wraith: The Oblivion and I've resigned myself to never running a campaign in either of them, but I'm not planning to get rid of them. And I've never had any intention of running Torg or Shadowrun, but I keep them around.

Bill Stoddard

[Mailanka]

He's not alone. Many people I know who don't play GURPS still respect the GURPS books. See, the rules are all concentrated in the core books, and most of the supplements are really just clarifications on those rules, or essays on how best to design a particular setting, offering thoughts and clarifications. Even if you want to run Traveller using Mongoose's rules, for example, GURPS Space still provides fascinating and rules-free insights into how aliens might evolve, what their psychology might be like, and how they might govern. Fantasy, Thaumatology, Martial Arts, High Tech, all read more like The Discovery Channel Distilled Into RPG Terms rather than system specific supplements.

It's one of GURPS's strengths, IMO

[Crakkerjakk]

I buy a lot of stuff for ideas. If it's less than half rules, I'll pay for something in a system I'll never use.

EDIT: I have a CRAPTON of CoC, SR, SW, and D&D setting books that I'll probably never play in their original setting.

[JanMaster]

Sure I do this. The people I play currently don't really like GURPS. They say it's too detailed and have gone off it. No use trying to explain that it doesn't have to be. But I still buy the books. They are a good read. I think I liked 3ed better than 4ed. Don't really know why. GURPS Undead is one of my all time favored RPG reads.
I also purhaced Dark Heresy just because I know it would be a good read. And it was. And as a extra bonus the game is good too.

[Nemi3e]

I bought GURPS 3e books AND the Character Builder knowing I'd never get to play with anyone (that's changed now.) Contrary to everyone else I bought them for the rules and the crunchy bits of building species and such. (So now that I'm GMing I'm comfortable with CharGen but a bit iffy on the skills and combat)

[Ragitsu]

Eberron. Forgotten Realms.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by The Final Door

I just talked to a friend, Daniel. About RPGs. It started out on D&D 4E but took a funny turn.

See, Daniel plays a lot of D&D. We're talking two or three weekly games, with a bunch of groups. He's an addict, according to himself. I've played (A)D&D with him, and he has a ton of books. I've never played GURPS with him, nor heard him talk about playing it with anyone else. So when he commented on the "snazzy new style of GURPS 4E", Fantasy especially, I was surprised.

It turns out that while he has not once played GURPS, he not only purchased most 4E books, but he has about 50 3E books! I never saw his collection (we always played those games at my place), so I never knew!

He says he feels no compulsion towards playing GURPS, but he loves to read the books. "It's like a kind of literature", he says. Do you know people who do that? Buy tons of gamebooks exclusively for reading, in a system they never play? I support the act, but I am a bit surprised, and a little confused. I love to read the books, but I don't buy more than three for a system I will never play... Is he a fluke, or is RPG actually literature to a lot of people out there?!

Me. I have never actually played but I love reading it.

[jacobmuller]

To me, RPGs are literature.
Admittedly, it's a tad akin to reading an encyclopaedia, which is also under-rated.

[The Final Door]

Wow, I am completely blown away here! I never knew it, but I apparently have prejudices about roleplayers :D I honestly thought people only bought books they use in their games, but thinking about it, I have a few books myself I never plan to game but still flip through. Guess I do it too, just never thought about it...

Does anyone know games (not setting-based fiction, mind you) that are a fantastic read but that you never even felt like playing? I think I feel a bit like that on Planescape and maybe Earthdawn. I only have one book in each, neither one a core book (a guide to the planes, and one minor Earthdawn gazetteer), but I realize I have read a lot of it at friends, even though I have no real desire to play either.

I wonder if SJG has considered exploiting a market for this :D

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Admittedly, it's a tad akin to reading an encyclopaedia, which is also under-rated.

Now that, I do constantly. Wikipedia has now taken the love I once gave to Discovery Channel :)