Questions about maps

[Fazer]

I'm deciding whether or not to get the boxed set (and whether to get the actual box or PDF) but wondering about the maps. Didn't see any posts that addressed this:

1. Are the maps specific to the included adventure (I Smell a Rat) or are they "generic" dungeon rooms? Based on another post I found, seems like they are specifically for the included adventure.
2. If you get the PDF version, how would you print the maps to use them in a game? Do they come divided onto 8.5x11 pages that you tile together?

Thanks for any insight!

[DaosusLeghki]

The maps are specific to the adventure. There's not a huge amount of detail on them, so they are re-usable for other adventures as well.

If you get the PDF version, you get one map per page. You can print the whole page out to size (probably at a print shop), or use your printer settings to tile the page for poster printing.

[DarkPumpkin]

I've found a good amount of reusability with the maps. Would recommend the physical box if you can get it, as the printed maps are a highlight and the counters are nice as well.

[Fazer]

Thanks for the info. A broader follow-up ... I've played old-school D&D since the early 80s and am looking for the best way to try out a D&D-style GURPS game. It seems there are three routes I can take:

Am I right in concluding that DFRPG (boxed set) is strictly dungeon crawling but gives you everything you need; the separate line of DF materials is mostly dungeon crawling but adds other aspects such as Taverns, Wilderness Adventures, settings such as Caverntown, etc. and requires a little more work; and the source books such as Fantasy, Magic, etc. are more of a set of guidelines where you need to create the campaign/game world yourself?

Is it possible to start with DFRPG to see if I like it and transition to DF or even Fantasy/Magic source books later to expand the campaign into more of a full-fledged game world? I know a few of the rules are different in DFRPG, but from what I've read it seems like these differences are minor (especially considering that DFRPG uses some of the same books from DF). I know there's a whole game world, Nordland, for DFRPG but it's Viking-themed and I don't think I want that type of campaign.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Fazer

Am I right in concluding that DFRPG (boxed set) is strictly dungeon crawling but gives you everything you need; the separate line of DF materials is mostly dungeon crawling but adds other aspects such as Taverns, Wilderness Adventures, settings such as Caverntown, etc. and requires a little more work; and the source books such as Fantasy, Magic, etc. are more of a set of guidelines where you need to create the campaign/game world yourself?

Is it possible to start with DFRPG to see if I like it and transition to DF or even Fantasy/Magic source books later to expand the campaign into more of a full-fledged game world? I know a few of the rules are different in DFRPG, but from what I've read it seems like these differences are minor (especially considering that DFRPG uses some of the same books from DF). I know there's a whole game world, Nordland, for DFRPG but it's Viking-themed and I don't think I want that type of campaign.

I would say you have the right impression of the differences.
DFRPG is streamlined from the Basic set by tweaking a few rules for simplicity but mostly it edits out the non genre stuff like Sci-Fi, modern, etc.
Adding material from the DF line should be pretty easy for the most part and the few things that reference differences in Basic vs. DFRPG should be easy to ignore, use as is without knowing the "under the hood" mechanics (like exactly how a power-up is built. You can just use the power-up and not worry about the math behind it.
The few things that call on material you wont understand without another without Basic or another supplement can be ignored, asked about on the forums, or might be interesting enough for you to acquire more material.

Nordland has some good material even if you do not like Vikings, but it is mostly Vikings, at least for now.
The Bestiary in particular is useful and you should recognize a lot of the monsters.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Fazer

\Is it possible to start with DFRPG to see if I like it and transition to DF or even Fantasy/Magic source books later to expand the campaign into more of a full-fledged game world?

Yes! DFRPG is the perfect place to start. I use DFRPG as the basis for most of my games, but I'll pull material from the wider GURPS library when it's helpful. For example, a player may want to play a race that is written up in the GURPS DF line or I'll add a spell or magic item from another book. This is also a great way to introduce new players to the game. The DFRPG books are well organized and attractive. Super easy to use at the table. If players start asking for more, I'm ready to provide additional material.

Also note that although DFRPG is optimized for dungeon crawls, you can totally use it for other stuff. The bulk of my recent two-year Nordlond campaign was in towns or wilderness. Plenty of role-playing challenges and whatnot. We used very little from beyond DFRPG and the Gaming Ballistic adventures.

[Fazer]

Thanks for all the great feedback.

I have the 4E Basic books. Even though DFRPG repeats a lot of what's in them as far as game mechanics, it's probably easier to play because all the non-fantasy-genre stuff is removed. Plus, I'm guessing that the DFRPG Spells book contains a lot more than what's in the Magic chapter in the Basic books, and the DFRPG Monsters book obviously contains more than the smattering of creatures in the Basic books. So, along with the maps and character counters, I'd be getting much more fantasy content than the Basic books have.

Am I also correct in assuming that DFRPG has more fantasy weapons, armor and equipment than the Basic books? But maybe less than the Low-Tech source book?