[Kromm]

I'd recommend this broad, highly annotated tier system for the GM who wants to play magic-and-monsters fantasy with a bit more social and world depth than just hack 'n' slash:

1. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, even if you have tons of GURPS supplements that cover most of the same ground, because these establish tons of house rules and terminology. If there will be playable nonhuman races, put GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level at this tier as well; if not, put it at tier 2 and use the nonhumans as monsters.

(If and only if your players ask, insert a tier 1.5 here: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Barbarians, and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Swashbucklers are extremely nice if anybody chooses those professions, and hard to retcon in later. Likewise, if your players want to play the specialized character types in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 12: Ninja, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psi, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic, or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 20: Slayers, get those supplements right away. And GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts is best bought early on if your players have trouble selecting gear, because it's for starting PCs. Pick only the volumes you'll need; treat all the rest as "tier 6," less important than everything else.)

2. As many of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 to 4 as you can afford, because you really need monsters! I think 1 and 3 offer the broadest base of types, but many players consider slimes (2) and dragons (4) to be top-priority dungeon denizens.

3. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, because you really need treasures, too – and this is by far the best bang-for-buck collection of those in the series! Once you've reached the end of this list and want more stuff, come back to this tier and think about GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts (for rare artifacts), GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 18: Power Items (for unusual power items), and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1 to 3 (for more treasure of pretty much all sorts).

(If and only if you aren't keen on designing scenarios, insert a tier 3.5 here: Get the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters sub-series. They'll show you how to design adventures, and give you a few to use right out of the gate.)

4. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups for special abilities to spend character points on after fighting all those monsters and winning all those treasures. Put GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 15: Henchmen at this tier if the players consider familiars, mounts, and retainers to be important special abilities; if not, move them down to tier 5 (but not all the way to the bottom, "tier 6"). Alternatively, if you're an advanced GM used to doing lots of work, move them up to tier 2 and use them as monsters.

5. Once you've played through a few basic adventures, add GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures if you want to leave the dungeon for the great outdoors and/or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds if you want to leave the dungeon for town. If you want more worked examples, come back here and add GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Cold Shard Mountains for a mostly wilderness setting, or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 10: Taverns and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Caverntown for a mostly urban setting. If you really, truly want to build the town and the world before you even start, this stuff becomes tier 1.

6. Anything you put off for later.