Want to build my own game - where do I start?

[Anaraxes]

"Basic Set" is SJG's term for what other companies often call the "core rulebook". It happens to come in two volumes ("Characters" and "Campaigns"). But those are really two halves of one book everyone needs, not the "Player's Handbook" and "GM Guide" for GURPS. (Notice that the pages are numbered continuously over the two volumes.)

You can buy each volume separately, and could probably even get by in a game with just Characters to help you design your character, if you had ready access to the other books (maybe during your regular game sessions) to help you learn what all those traits were going to be used for. The combat system is in Campaigns, though there's a "Lite" version at the end of Characters.

http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...-and-campaigns

As others have said -- GURPS Lite (free) to get an overview of the system in a really stripped-down minimum, Basic Set to run a game, and wait on the others until you've digested the Basic Set and have some ideas about what other areas your particular game could use some more detail on.

Originally Posted by whswhs

Yes. GURPS Magic is more D&D-ish than almost anything else in GURPS.

Well, not D&D-ish in the sense of "Vancian" magic like D&D Magic: no pre-memorization, spell levels, spell slots, etc. It's D&D-ish in the sense that the whole Dungeon Fantasy line is -- oriented toward fun action-y pseudo-historical fantasy dungeon crawls (even if they're not in dungeons), as opposed to dozens of other sub-genres of fantasy.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

It's D&D-ish in the sense that the whole Dungeon Fantasy line is -- oriented toward fun action-y pseudo-historical fantasy dungeon crawls (even if they're not in dungeons), as opposed to dozens of other sub-genres of fantasy.

It's D&D-ish in the sense that it has long list of spells with very specific effects that have to be learned in a certain order (though determined by prerequisites, not by level), rather than allowing improvisation of new spells with new effects. And it's D&D-ish in the assumption that a spell can be cast in a single turn, rather than being a lengthy ritual. I had to work really hard in GURPS Locations: Worminghall to make sense out of the idea that it took 200 hours to learn a spell that could be pronounced in a single second!

[tbone]

Originally Posted by whswhs

It's D&D-ish in the sense that it has long list of spells with very specific effects that have to be learned in a certain order (though determined by prerequisites, not by level), rather than allowing improvisation of new spells with new effects.

Yes. Many are D&D-ish in effect and feel, as well.

To me, the biggest difference between D&D spells and GURPS spells (the BS system) is in the limiter that restricts spells usage. D&D used to have the effective "each memorized spell once per day" thing, which I believe went through variations and is now "n spell slots, each once until a long rest". GURPS' limiter is available energy.

(Fortunately for the OP, if that BS model doesn't suit the vision for Narnia, there are alternate magic systems in other books, as well noted.)

[khorboth]

One further recommendation, if you're trying to preserve the feel of Narnia and what Tolkien would do. I can't over-recommend Hello Future Me's video on soft magic systems. It's slanted toward writing, but entirely applicable to any world-building. Honestly, the whole channel is great, but that video really breaks down a lot of the challenges you face.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by whswhs

It's D&D-ish in the sense that it has long list of spells with very specific effects that have to be learned in a certain order

That's true, too, though I always found the GURPS list to be noticeably more generic and flexible than the D&D ones (which tend to be even more specific about exact color details and quirky side effects), while the GURPS Magic spells can often be seen as building blocks to be adapted to situations or even cobbled together into a larger effect with the meta spells. Certainly not an improvisational system, but a little more encouraging toward creative application.

The prereqs in my mind don't match levels particularly well. They're not there to make the hard spells hard so much as they're there to reflect some sort of coherent body of related knowledge. How can that fire wizard create an exploding fireball and wall of flame, but can't light a candle or douse a torch? And lower-level spells D&D don't have to be related to the higher level ones, even where simpler sort of related effects exist. You can take the Fireball spell without having taking Burning Hands first, or any other fire spell, for that matter. So there's not really a path of learning reflected there, just a power scale. It's pretty common for the obligatory combat spells at each level to switch around between various "colleges" or caster themes.

[Black Leviathan]

GURPS LITE is great and carries a lot of the weight of the game. If you're going to do worldbuidling it think it's worth getting at least the Character Core Book as it better details a lot of the rules that govern settings mechanics.

You want to identify how your created world differs from our world in terms of things like Weath, Status, Language, most of the things in the first pages of the Basic Set Characters.

You'll want to build templates for the non-human character races.

You'll want to detail what factions are in play in the settings and detail their principals/limitations/resources/territory or sphere or influence.

You want to identify the main conflict in the world that will drive most of the moving pieces and propel plots, decide how that conflict will play out on it's own and identify ways in which the players can shape that conflict.

[Apollonian]

You'll probably also want to pick up How To Be A GURPS GM, especially if this is your first foray into tabletop RPGs. It's not necessary, but it is very helpful.

[SpiroExDeus]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

You'll probably also want to pick up How To Be A GURPS GM, especially if this is your first foray into tabletop RPGs. It's not necessary, but it is very helpful.

Does it include Wheaton's rule?

[maximara]

I agree with the "you only need basic set" sentiment with one caveat - you really need a solid handle on the setting to go for anything other then Adaptations.

If you want a glance at the stripped down guts there is the GURPS Wiki.

Other then an animated version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I don't know that much about The Chronicles of Narnia.

GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Thaumatology make good supplements to the Basic Set for this setting with what little I know.

If you want to go totally wild there is GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic but IMHO that takes a lot of "heavy lifting" and a have a frontwards, backwards, and sideways knowledge of the setting to use effectively.

Narnia, like Middle Earth, is High Fantasy perhaps even more so. There is none of the flashy magic Gandalf shows in the Hobbit and what magic does appear is more of the ritual variety.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by SpiroExDeus

Does it include Wheaton's rule?

Not in so many words, but the opening section does point out the need for communication (as with a Session Zero), while admitting some people like the adversarial GM model, spends its time talking about cooperative table play, and has subheadings like "Pay Attention to the Players" and "Let the Players Have Fun".