Dungeon Fantasy Lite

Piperdog · 05-01-2010, 09:49 AM

For those that know me here, you know I have played Gurps since the late 80's, and almost exclusively for the latter part of the 90's. In recent years, I left it behind for rules lite gaming for a number of reasons, and it was a good change for me. I miss many concepts of Gurps though, and got interested again with the Dungeon Fantasy line. I would like to see a rules lite book come out for it though, with a truncated skills list and simplified character generation. No, I don't mean Knight! or Thief! levels of truncated skills, but maybe something in between that and the way it is now. The old Merp system of I.C.E. had categories like 1-Hand Edged, and Missle Weapon. Fairly broad categories. I know that Gurps is full of optional materials, and you can use what you want to, but I am thinking of people who never gamed before. There needs to be a product that presents a very simple but complete set of rules to get started, listing abbreviated skills (and only those skills pertinent to the genre). It could be a free giveaway or be sold as DF print version. I personally think a rules lite boxed set of Gurps Dungeon Fantasy, done like the old TSR boxed D&D sets would kick ass. A rulebook, an adventure book, some dice, a map or two......awesomeness.

b-dog · 05-01-2010, 11:09 AM

I agree with you. I feel that the Dungeon Fantasy series is an excellent way to get new gamers into GURPS. I feel it should be self contained and easy to use for a beginner. But this is only my opinion. Going through endless books really turns off new gamers.

newtkeeper · 05-02-2010, 10:24 AM

Maybe something like a version of the GURPS LITE rules they used for standalone products back in the day, and add the Dungeon Fantasy information? I can't imagine the Powers that Be releasing a proper 'boxed set', though- they say even a proper compilation of the PDFs would be unprofitable these days. I've sometimes wondered if they're not underestimating their own product, but I'm not the one with business experience.

Piperdog · 05-02-2010, 04:10 PM

My primary reason for leaving Gurps for awhile was that my children wanted to learn to game, and I had to find a very rules lite game to teach them with. Since then, I went into a nostalgia talespin, getting into bare bones rules systems. But now, as I miss some of the Gurps stuff, I am back, but wishing it were much easier for my kids. Games like Dragon Age, Castles and Crusades, and the retro D&D clones like Swords and Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, and OSRIC, are pulling in gamers who are new to the hobby, or have been gone a long, long time. Gurps is a great system, but it needs some different marketing to appeal to new gamers. Rather than be elitest, and appeal primarily to seasoned gamers, it seems a smart thing to me to create a product line that reels in new blood.

Put out a self-contained rules lite Basic Dungeon Fantasy book, in a simple saddle-stitched book, with a two page adventure in the back, and see what happens.

OldSam · 05-02-2010, 05:30 PM

For me that sounds like the need for a Dungeon-Fantasy-"Worldbook" which is "powered by GURPS" - basically the format of the 3rd Ed. Discworld Sourcebook is a good example for what I mean! (though not the specific humorous setting ;-))

A book with an interesting, but foremost easily accessible Fantasy-Setting, which is not too specific, but rather generic, to cover all the common expectations from dungeon fantasy games... (dealing with many known stereotypical characters, races etc.) - and <not> using real world religious conflicts etc. (like Banestorm). Also "Powered by GURPS" would mean, that the book contains a version of the Lite-Rules, which of course should be tailored to the specific needs of the genre.

In fact I'm thinking about such a thing for a while and I even have a great setting-idea (at the very least for an ebook), which I might propose to sjg in the near future... (If I find the time etc.)

demonsbane · 05-03-2010, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtkeeper

I've sometimes wondered if they're not underestimating their own product

Me too.

But . . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtkeeper

I'm not the one with business experience.

05-01-2010, 09:49 AM	#1
Piperdog Join Date: Aug 2008	Dungeon Fantasy Lite For those that know me here, you know I have played Gurps since the late 80's, and almost exclusively for the latter part of the 90's. In recent years, I left it behind for rules lite gaming for a number of reasons, and it was a good change for me. I miss many concepts of Gurps though, and got interested again with the Dungeon Fantasy line. I would like to see a rules lite book come out for it though, with a truncated skills list and simplified character generation. No, I don't mean Knight! or Thief! levels of truncated skills, but maybe something in between that and the way it is now. The old Merp system of I.C.E. had categories like 1-Hand Edged, and Missle Weapon. Fairly broad categories. I know that Gurps is full of optional materials, and you can use what you want to, but I am thinking of people who never gamed before. There needs to be a product that presents a very simple but complete set of rules to get started, listing abbreviated skills (and only those skills pertinent to the genre). It could be a free giveaway or be sold as DF print version. I personally think a rules lite boxed set of Gurps Dungeon Fantasy, done like the old TSR boxed D&D sets would kick ass. A rulebook, an adventure book, some dice, a map or two......awesomeness.

05-01-2010, 11:09 AM	#2
b-dog Join Date: Nov 2006	Re: Dungeon Fantasy Lite I agree with you. I feel that the Dungeon Fantasy series is an excellent way to get new gamers into GURPS. I feel it should be self contained and easy to use for a beginner. But this is only my opinion. Going through endless books really turns off new gamers.

05-02-2010, 10:24 AM	#3
newtkeeper Join Date: Apr 2010	Re: Dungeon Fantasy Lite Maybe something like a version of the GURPS LITE rules they used for standalone products back in the day, and add the Dungeon Fantasy information? I can't imagine the Powers that Be releasing a proper 'boxed set', though- they say even a proper compilation of the PDFs would be unprofitable these days. I've sometimes wondered if they're not underestimating their own product, but I'm not the one with business experience.

05-02-2010, 04:10 PM	#4
Piperdog Join Date: Aug 2008	Re: Dungeon Fantasy Lite My primary reason for leaving Gurps for awhile was that my children wanted to learn to game, and I had to find a very rules lite game to teach them with. Since then, I went into a nostalgia talespin, getting into bare bones rules systems. But now, as I miss some of the Gurps stuff, I am back, but wishing it were much easier for my kids. Games like Dragon Age, Castles and Crusades, and the retro D&D clones like Swords and Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, and OSRIC, are pulling in gamers who are new to the hobby, or have been gone a long, long time. Gurps is a great system, but it needs some different marketing to appeal to new gamers. Rather than be elitest, and appeal primarily to seasoned gamers, it seems a smart thing to me to create a product line that reels in new blood. Put out a self-contained rules lite Basic Dungeon Fantasy book, in a simple saddle-stitched book, with a two page adventure in the back, and see what happens.

05-02-2010, 05:30 PM	#5
OldSam Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Göttingen, Germany	Re: Dungeon Fantasy Lite For me that sounds like the need for a Dungeon-Fantasy-"Worldbook" which is "powered by GURPS" - basically the format of the 3rd Ed. Discworld Sourcebook is a good example for what I mean! (though not the specific humorous setting ;-)) A book with an interesting, but foremost easily accessible Fantasy-Setting, which is not too specific, but rather generic, to cover all the common expectations from dungeon fantasy games... (dealing with many known stereotypical characters, races etc.) - and <not> using real world religious conflicts etc. (like Banestorm). Also "Powered by GURPS" would mean, that the book contains a version of the Lite-Rules, which of course should be tailored to the specific needs of the genre. In fact I'm thinking about such a thing for a while and I even have a great setting-idea (at the very least for an ebook), which I might propose to sjg in the near future... (If I find the time etc.)