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Old 11-29-2017, 03:12 PM   #1
Tywyll
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Default Disc World-Most Pratchett?

Hey all,

My wife loves Terry Pratchett. I recently found out that the Gurps books were written with Terry Pratchett. She isn't much of a gamer so she won't care about the game side of things, but I heard that some of these are almost like extra books from Pratchett.

So I was wondering, which of the Gurps books has the most 'Pratchett' material in them? I'd like to surprise her with a Christmas present.
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Old 11-29-2017, 03:14 PM   #2
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Disc World-Most Pratchett?

Well, there is the 4e Discworld Roleplaying Game (http://www.sjgames.com/discworld/) that contains most of the material from 3e Discworld and 3e Discworld Also.
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Old 11-30-2017, 01:20 AM   #3
Blind Mapmaker
 
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Default Re: Disc World-Most Pratchett?

Not to burst your bubble, but the GURPS Discworld books are not like extra Pratchett novels (even The Science of the Discworld series contains more new literary material than them).

They are, however, some of the most complete compendia on Discworld lore that I've ever read. Speaking as a long-time Discworld fan, that was one of the things that initially drew me towards GURPS. While the current edition (pointed out by AlexanderHowl) is pricier than The Discworld Companion it does contain vastly more material - even if some won't be of much interest to non-gamers. If your wife would like something that is structured more like an advanced textbook instead of an encyclopedia, then they will certainly appeal to her. If she's looking for something more literary, then they might not.

Disclaimer: I have no way of knowing how much of the material is from Pratchett himself, but the books certainly feel like Pratchett was sitting next to the author/editor (down to the footnotes). What doesn't feel much like him are the actual literary vignettes. These do feel more like well-made fan-fiction.

An added benefit would be that the books might entice a non-gamer like your wife to try an RPG for once. Be advised that you need the right group for that, though. Standard hack & slash does not go well with Discworld. Also you don't need anything extra to play GURPS Discworld. The book linked above is self-contained with a light rules-set included. If I'd get anything, I'd get that.
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Old 12-01-2017, 05:13 AM   #4
Phil Masters
 
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Default Re: Disc World-Most Pratchett?

The 4e version of the game contains most of the material that was in the earlier edition and its supplement, brings things up to date with the novels except for Raising Steam (excluding the juveniles), integrates the rules and setting better, and most importantly, is available in shops now, rather than being a twenty-year-old second-hand collectible. So yes, that's the one to go for.

The original game was written with Terry watching over my shoulder ... metaphorically and electronically. He seemed to think I'd caught his style acceptably. He wasn't able to supervise me so much with the new edition, but he was happy to leave it with me. The chapter-head vignettes probably do rate as fanfic; their primary purpose was to give a bit of context to some of the examples in the rules text and show how to extend the setting in a somewhat gameable way.

The other thing I'd mention is the art, which doesn't rate as boasting because it was nothing much to do with me. There's a lot of it, most of it is by Paul Kidby (everyone's favourite Discworld illustrator), and the rest is by Sean Murray, who ain't bad either. It's genuinely a good additional reason in itself for giving the book to a Discworld fan.
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Old 12-01-2017, 06:11 AM   #5
Blind Mapmaker
 
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Default Re: Disc World-Most Pratchett?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Masters View Post
The 4e version of the game The other thing I'd mention is the art, which doesn't rate as boasting because it was nothing much to do with me. There's a lot of it, most of it is by Paul Kidby (everyone's favourite Discworld illustrator), and the rest is by Sean Murray, who ain't bad either. It's genuinely a good additional reason in itself for giving the book to a Discworld fan.
A very valid point that somehow got lost in my mind while I was replying (I swear I thought of it!). There is a lot of great art in these books. I still remember buying my first edition set from the bargain bin - it was way cheaper than the Paul Kidby art book and it featured more than half of the art from the art book.
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