GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Career Guide

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by tbone

Great idea for a book and fine execution, with some nice bonuses like locations of sample characters and special gear, and the "General Type" and "Preferred Environment" labels. Those simple labels look great for eyeballing the readiness of a team for a specific adventure.

Yeah the labeling was a nice touch.

[Grakhirt]

Bought it immediately, when I saw it. Thanks Sean, that is really helpful.

[pawsplay]

Is there a distinction between Dungeon Fantasy and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line products?

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Is there a distinction between Dungeon Fantasy and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line products?

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy and the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, Powered by GURPS are two different product lines.

This volume addresses the broader line which is GURPS Dungeon Fantasy.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Is there a distinction between Dungeon Fantasy and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line products?

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a series, not a line; it's part of the GURPS line. To use it, you need the GURPS Basic Set, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers, and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons; it's hard to get very far without GURPS Magic as well. It's extensively supported, with almost 40 supplements devoted to it and nearly 40 Pyramid issues supporting those. This is why a guide to all the professions is very helpful!

The Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game is a line, not a series; it's based on GURPS but has some differences to speed up game play. To use it, you need only the 100% self-contained boxed set. While there are a few supporting supplements, they aren't numerous and they're all highly optional. Notably, none add professions.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Notably, none add professions.

Although Companion 2 includes detailed notes for tuning a Holy Warrior into an Unholy Warrior on p.57.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Kromm

The Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game is a line, not a series; it's based on GURPS but has some differences to speed up game play. To use it, you need only the 100% self-contained boxed set. While there are a few supporting supplements, they aren't numerous and they're all highly optional. Notably, none add professions.

Will there be new professions added or do you intend to keep it simple?

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Kromm

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a series, not a line; it's part of the GURPS line.

Terminology noted.

Out of curiosity, what do you call titles like Denizens or Treasures within the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series? A sub-series?

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Anders

Will there be new professions added or do you intend to keep it simple?

At SJ Games: Undecided at this time.

At Gaming Ballistic: Already decided in the affirmative. I'll let Doug Cole speak for himself.

Originally Posted by tbone

Out of curiosity, what do you call titles like Denizens or Treasures within the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series? A sub-series?

Yes. The general progression is this:

Line (e.g., Car Wars, GURPS, Munchkin, Ogre, or TFT)

Series (e.g., GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, GURPS Hot Spots, GURPS Monster Hunters, or all the supplements supporting a given core book, like GURPS Magic)

Sub-Series (e.g., GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventures, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Denizens, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Settings, or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures)

Lines have line editors, top-level web pages ("title.sjgames.com" will find the game), and distinctive trade dress (logos, typefaces, colors, page designs, etc.). This is the only level with significant commercial importance, in that we hire people, register trademarks, offer event support, etc. in the name of lines.

Series might have lead creators or developers, but those are roles, not job titles – they're essentially honorary. Series lack top-level web pages, though they may have landing pages in their line's web hierarchy. They share their line's trade dress with only minor variations in title typeface.

Sub-Series lack almost all of the above. At most, they share a title graphic that gets stuck in front of the title of all the products (e.g., a specially styled "GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures"), and perhaps a distinct section on their series landing page.

Gamers often say "line" when they mean "series," and sometimes vice versa, but SJ Games staff are instructed not to do that. There is a certain legal and commercial importance to getting that right. But even staff often say "series" rather than "sub-series," as any sub-series is by definition a kind of series (and "sub-series" doesn't roll off the tongue).

People are free to say what they want, of course! We're equally strict about avoiding "book" when referring to a PDF (the one you're reading or another). We prefer the more generic "item," "supplement," "volume," or "work," or simply "PDF." That's because "book" has a formal meaning in the market and the courtroom: something printed on pages and bound between covers. But we understand that fans will refer to PDFs as "books."

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Gamers often say "line" when they mean "series"

Guilty! So, as one of the many gaming bloggers hanging around here, I appreciate the usage overview. I've made quick fixes, including to the blog post currently noted in my sig (a post that was abusing your preference regarding "book" usage about 50 times over. : )