Pyramid #3/72: Alternate Dungeons

[Kromm]

Is it a dungeon
When people outside break through
Doors to keep them out?

— A philosophical orc

Though there are curmudgeons who would deny it, most gamers like the occasional game session – or even entire campaign – of hacking and slashing and looting with no goals beyond improving their gear and abilities in order to better undertake riskier pillaging expeditions that promise even greater rewards. That's the essence of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. Still, it is true that this gets a little repetitive after a while. That's why it's important to change things up!

Pyramid #3/72: Alternate Dungeons does exactly that. The latest issue of Pyramid alters the usual hack 'n' slash assumptions in ways that reinvent GURPS Dungeon Fantasy and the dungeon-crawl genre in general.

• Sean Punch's Pointless Slaying and Looting does this by eliminating character points, long skill lists, and munchin-y optimization. The resulting character-creation system lets you use GURPS almost as written – almost – but with an emphasis on the dramatic deeds of archetypal heroes instead of on bookkeeping.
  
  
• Although most dungeon fantasy can be traced to tropes from early 20th-century fantasy, it's surprisingly easy to shift it over to science fiction from the same period. In Dungeons of Mars, Phil Masters shows how to adapt the "planetary romance" genre to dungeon crawls. Explore worlds like Krishna, Tschai, Urth, and the titular Mars with only your sword and wits to protect you!
  
  
• Monsters want to have fun, too! And with Matt Riggsby's help, they can explore a dungeon From the Bottom Up. Use the eight new racial templates (or are they character templates? The categories blur . . .) to create "delvers" who are native to the area. Blobs and dragons work with cave-ape barbarians and scorpiman skirmishers to defeat invading humans and battle their way up to the terrifying light of day.
  
  
• How many undead-haunted tombs and caves full of ogres can a party raid before boredom sets in? When the bad guys aren't doing it for your group any more, it's time to raid some Good Dungeons. In this month's Eidetic Memory, David Pulver describes six types of dungeons often occupied by the morally just, along with several reasons (or justifications) for breaking in and taking their stuff.
  
  
• It's easy to see digital and tabletop RPGs as competitors, but can you merge the best of both into Dungeon Fantasy Video Gaming? Christopher Rice thinks so, and provides rules for common tropes – including a "job system"-based character template for PCs who can learn to do anything, mini-maps, spawn points, essence drops, and more. Put down that controller, pick up your dice, and load your latest save file!
  
  
• And deep within the final level, behind the now-slain boss (sorry, Steven!), you find 2d6 magic items and a Random Thought Table that explores the three basic ways to modify a genre like dungeon fantasy.

— PK & Kromm

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

• It's easy to see digital and tabletop RPGs as competitors, but can you merge the best of both into Dungeon Fantasy Video Gaming? Christopher Rice thinks so, and provides rules for common tropes – including a "job system"-based character template for PCs who can learn to do anything, mini-maps, spawn points, essence drops, and more. Put down that controller, pick up your dice, and load your latest save file!

I also posted some Designer's Notes over on my blog with some outtakes and half-explored ideas for Dungeon Fantasy Video Gaming.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I also posted some Designer's Notes over on my blog with some outtakes and half-explored ideas for Dungeon Fantasy Video Gaming.

Did you write that article (I so seldom look at the author's names). That was definitely my favorite of the set, because it gave me a load of ideas of how to wink and nod and put Final Fantasy into GURPS DF.

As though I wasn't already pressed enough to ditch all other incarnations of F20 games.

[korbeau]

Can't stop dropping tears of joy about Imitator "job system" a la Final Fantasy. All the article about Video gaming is a pure delight... well anything about FF is a pure delight... ^^

[Kalzazz]

So can I now make up FF X-2 Magical Dress Up Princess Yuna with swappable ability suites?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Did you write that article (I so seldom look at the author's names). That was definitely my favorite of the set, because it gave me a load of ideas of how to wink and nod and put Final Fantasy into GURPS DF.

As though I wasn't already pressed enough to ditch all other incarnations of F20 games.

Yes, I did. I've written a bit (you can see my author credits here if you are so inclined). Games like Final Fantasy (especially Final Fantasy 6 - which is my favorite in the series) inspired it - but also Disgaea, Thief, Vagrant Story, Secret of Mana, Legend of Zelda, Diablo, and a dozen others I could rattle off. It was actually inspired by a conversation I had with Steven when I was discussing what he wanted for the issue. This was followed up by a conversation with muse/girlfriend that included the phrase "Wouldn't it be cool if our current campaign had a campaign within it? Like a video game the player characters are playing which we could then play?" And I was off like a rocket. The idea was sound, but needed some knocking around. And yes, if you really wanted too you could run a final fantasy campaign using it and DF. I've a series of posts coming up on my blog that will actually show you how to a Final Fantasy-style DF campaign with a focus (of course) on my favorite in the series.

Originally Posted by korbeau

Can't stop dropping tears of joy about Imitator "job system" a la Final Fantasy. All the article about Video gaming is a pure delight... well anything about FF is a pure delight... ^^

Thanks. :-)

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

So can I now make up FF X-2 Magical Dress Up Princess Yuna with swappable ability suites?

Sure. Why not.

After reading it last night I can say that this whole issue is full of so much goodness that I don't know if I can choose one article. I now have the tools to create monsters as PCs for DF, a very FATE like GURPS plug-n-play, planetary romance-DF, and Steven's rather insightful article on making DF different. The latter is just sound advice for any genre and really made me think (as he often does). I'll also note that I don't usually run DF at all - the occasional once-off is about it. But after a extremely successful GURPS demo last week at my FLGS...well, I've been putting some more thought into it and my players seem amicable.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Although most dungeon fantasy can be traced to tropes from early 20th-century fantasy, it's surprisingly easy to shift it over to science fiction from the same period. In Dungeons of Mars, Phil Masters shows how to adapt the "planetary romance" genre to dungeon crawls. Explore worlds like Krishna, Tschai, Urth, and the titular Mars with only your sword and wits to protect you!

I liked this a lot. More planetary romance, please.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I liked this a lot. More planetary romance, please.

Funny you should say that - I just finished a Barsoom-filed-with-serial-numbers-off article for Space Atlas.

[OldSam]

@Kromm: Many thanks for "Pointless Slaying and Looting"!

I am really, really happy that you released a cool quick character creation system like that, it will help a lot with spontaneous, 'casual' gaming sessions.

Also finally we have an "official counter" against the critics refusing GURPS because of the complex character build process that takes its time :-P

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by OldSam

@Kromm: Many thanks for "Pointless Slaying and Looting"!

I am really, really happy that you released a cool quick character creation system like that, it will help a lot with spontaneous, 'casual' gaming sessions.

Also finally we have an "official counter" against the critics refusing GURPS because of the complex character build process that takes its time :-P

Let me know how it works out for you!