The Dungeon Fantasy box set is great! But now I hunger for more...

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Funny thing, but a book of powers is what I would probably like to work on. . . .

Me too ::)
Somehow I think you would have priority, though I would like to contribute my Foundations system. It would work well for a boxed set.

[robertsconley]

Originally Posted by Proteus

Between Paizo's new d20-based Starfinder, Modiphius' imminent Star Trek Adventures, and Pinnacle's upcoming Flash Gordon license for the Savage Worlds system, not to mention ongoing Star Wars furor, that segment of the (already small) RPG market is about to get rather crowded.

But they are not GURPS. The point of any boxed set (or a line like Monsters Hunters) is help people to play X style campaign easier with GURPS. The industry always had to deal with a 800-lb gorilla in the form of D&D regardless of the subject matter. Compared to D&D, any other science fiction (or horror, or supers) is lost in the noise.

The point always should be look what cool thing you can do with GURPS and here something that will help you get going fast and easy with GURPS. This something that the DF RPG gets right. It shows how to do a common trope of fantasy with GURPS.

With Science Fiction the focus should be on covering what 3LBB Traveller covers plus perhaps a few additions like cybernetics and genetics. Starships, Planets, Aliens, Psionics, Cybernetics, Genetics, and Equipment.

The biggest difference divide will be between pulp Star Wars and hard (Traveller, Alien, Expanse). Where this shows up is in the use of extraordinary abilities like Psionics and the Equipment List. Psionics is easy as an optional chapter. Equipment will need have a section divided between stuff for harder sci-fi campaign and stuff for pulp science-fiction. The same with Starships, most of it will be common to both subgenre but there will be a list of pulp sci-fi starship tech, and a hard sci-fi starpship tech.

Just keep in mind when writing any of this, you want to keep to the generic tropes as much as possible without making it a toolkit. The toolkit aspect will be solely limited to deciding which sections to use. Do I use the pulp section of the equipment list, or the hard section of equipment, etc.

The goal is good enough, give just enough to make the reader go "yeah I can see how i can run the Expanse with this, or Star Wars with this.". Trick will be to resist giving any more details than necessary.

[lachimba]

Before doing the more and more extravagant and/or specific boxed sets that people suggest, wouldn't you test it with some PDFs?

I give my standard disclaimer about not knowing internal processes, but it seems #$/ $/^ crazy to release a very specific space opera box for $50USD without trying a $10usd PDF GURPS Asteroid Patrol (frex) (and yes Im aware of Tales of the Solar Patrol, but that isnt what is being suggested here) to test if it works (both internally and externally).

That leaves MH, Action, ATE and Steampunk as lines that SJ Games knows exactly how well they do or dont work then some individual books that have been done in 4E.

And I might add there are problems in say MH that made it through into the PDF, but could be cleaned up in a boxed set. Just as there were/are small issues in DF, Magic etc that are cleaned up in DFRPG

Likely there would be problems that would make it through to an initial hardcopy new boxed set that a trial pine of PDFs would identify.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by lachimba

Before doing the more and more extravagant and/or specific boxed sets that people suggest, wouldn't you test it with some PDFs?

If there was a widely popular GURPS setting that might be good to adapt.
However the bulk of the work is reworking the rules so that it is a complete game by itself. You cant really do that with a simple PDF because of the costs involved and how few would likely buy it.

[lachimba]

Originally Posted by Refplace

If there was a widely popular GURPS setting that might be good to adapt.
However the bulk of the work is reworking the rules so that it is a complete game by itself. You cant really do that with a simple PDF because of the costs involved and how few would likely buy it.

I make no reference to setting.

By your argument nobody bought DF, ATE, Steampunk, Action or MH.

I believe the magic rules in MH were a hefty rework and they have even had their own book now.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by lachimba

I make no reference to setting.

By your argument nobody bought DF, ATE, Steampunk, Action or MH.

I believe the magic rules in MH were a hefty rework and they have even had their own book now.

Then maybe I do not know what your suggesting.
The lines such as DF, MH ATE and Action are worked genre books but require the full GURPS Basic set to be played. The DFRPG which is what this thread is about is a standalone game. Previous Powered By GURPS books were a game plus setting.
The bulk of the DFRPG was rewriting it for simplicity and cutting out all the rules that were not needed for the game or added too much complexity.

[lachimba]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Then maybe I do not know what your suggesting.
The lines such as DF, MH ATE and Action are worked genre books but require the full GURPS Basic set to be played. The DFRPG which is what this thread is about is a standalone game. Previous Powered By GURPS books were a game plus setting.
The bulk of the DFRPG was rewriting it for simplicity and cutting out all the rules that were not needed for the game or added too much complexity.

Sure and why wouldn't you do a worked genre book for Space Opera first?

To be honest this discussion confuses me.

What do people actually want? An equivalent to DFRPG?

Why?

My attraction to DFRPG was for:

The standees and physical components

Simplyfying and updating Magic and various rules

The bargain of getting a bunch of stuff for $50usd

The general if you buy it we will produce more.


So why do you want a boxed set vs a worked genre treatment?

And why do you want SJ Games to commit to it without at least one test PDF?

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by lachimba

Sure and why wouldn't you do a worked genre book for Space Opera first?

What would it be for? A book like GURPS Space, GURPS Mysteries, etc? If so I am fine with that but that is not what this thread is about.

Originally Posted by lachimba

To be honest this discussion confuses me.

What do people actually want? An equivalent to DFRPG?

Why?

This thread (as I understand it) is about either adding to the DFRPG or new boxed sets. It probably should be split into two separate threads.
One topic is adding to the DFRPG, what people want such as new adventures, new monster books, more classes, etc.
Another topic is ok, if this works and brings new people to GURPS what other boxed sets might bring other people to GURPS?

The difference between the Dungeon Fantasy line consisting of 26 books and the DFRPG is that you have to have GURPS Basic and GURPS Magic to use DF but the DFRPG (Boxed set) is a complete game.
The idea is that a boxed set can be on store shelves and people will buy the box who have not tried GURPS already. Once in they can purchase other GURPS stuff if they like.

Originally Posted by lachimba

My attraction to DFRPG was for:

Simplyfying and updating Magic and various rules

So why do you want a boxed set vs a worked genre treatment?

And why do you want SJ Games to commit to it without at least one test PDF?

The question is what would be in that test PDF and why would anyone buy it?
A test PDF would really only have addressed one of your desires the simplifying or updating of GURPS Magic which some people would have liked but there did not seem to be enough perceived demand for SJG to make that product. What would be the equivalent for other genres?

We have the tools to make any setting or genre we want already in GURPS. However some people find the GURPS toolbox intimidating. To address that the lines like Action, DF, MH and AtE were created as well as various Powered By GURPS books such as Discworld and Hellboy and a complete game in a box such as the DFRPG is another such marketing effort.

[lachimba]

DF is a test PDF series!

MH is a test PDF

Etc

I am entirely pointing out that a GURPS soace opera PDF series addresses much of what I believe people in this thread really want.

And we could have a book for that in the next 12 months if not sooner vs developing a whole boxed set.

If an attempted GURPS Space Opera PDF didnt sell 1000 copies thats probably a sign NOT to do it as a boxed set.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by lachimba

DF is a test PDF series!

MH is a test PDF

Etc

I am entirely pointing out that a GURPS soace opera PDF series addresses much of what I believe people in this thread really want.

And we could have a book for that in the next 12 months if not sooner vs developing a whole boxed set.

If an attempted GURPS Space Opera PDF didnt sell 1000 copies thats probably a sign NOT to do it as a boxed set.

Ok, now I see what your saying.
If SJG wants to do that fine, I would probably buy it but it would be to support the idea not because of any value. Though hopefully (and likely) they would surprise me by adding cool stuff.
Note that I did not buy into DF early, and it was much later that I picked up more than a random book here or there. I think DF 9 was the first one I bought and the idea was that I could already do whatever is written but I liked that material and DF 10. Later I started adding and now have it all.