Discussion on GURPS 4E Revised or Database

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Kromm

As far as game engines go, I don't see another generic engine being better or worse than GURPS for Pratchett's work. In many ways, GURPS is a good match, as it's capable of the mad, kitchen-sink, gonzo stuff that shows up on the Disc. It doesn't force you to choose a genre first, which many other generic engines do; this is crucial, as Discworld isn't pure fantasy, but a weird mix of genres up to and including steampunk of late. The two also have a similar sense of humor (indeed, this helps to explain why SJ and Pterry get along!).

Can GURPS ideally showcase Discworld without the tools showing? That is a challenge! It's why we're publishing the Discworld Roleplaying Game and not GURPS Discworld, and why the upcoming edition is truly integrated and self-contained, not just a worldbook with a copy of GURPS Lite in the back. That approach was a lot of work for us, though, and it remains to be seen whether the expense and trouble, plus the licensing costs, will pay off. If the new edition is a success and brings new players to GURPS, we'll have a direction in which to move.

Disclaimer: I was in the playtest for the Discworld Roleplaying Game, and was really impressed with it. IMHO, Phil Masters and SJGames stood to the challenge and emerged victorious. I really hope that you guys make it pay off, and it's IMHO the best introductory book to GURPS I have ever seen. There is only one other system that I could consider for the disc, and it's Fate, because Fate is a system built for modeling fiction like the Discworld. Fate is the perfect complement to GURPS, because while GURPS piggybacks on the rules of physics, Fate does so on Narrativium.