GURPS Does It The Hard Way!

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angel

What genres do you feel have a high demand for one shots?

A lots. Of course... But the problem, here again, is to please the widest audiance possible...

To my mind, Infinite World is the one who could interest everyone. All those who bought the Basic Set know Infinite World, without buying the least supplement... Without magic, it can even interest those who only have GURPS lite.

And Infinite World is perfect for one shots. A mission in a parallel universe can be a one shot. Even more interesting, it can be a one shot linked to others one shots, only with a few words: "Your previous mission was a success. Congratulation. We've got another mission for you..."

Likewise, Infinite world is perfect for long campaigns: several missions involving the same bad guy, organisation, complicated plot...

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by PrinceYyrkoon

Hmm, I have acknowledged the different economic structure that SJG operates under, in comparison to other rpg companies, havent I? It s the freelance base for the core products.

This is incorrect. Barring a few huge competitors, the entire games industry is a freelance one. The unusual things (perhaps) about SJ Games' economics are:

• RPGs mostly aren't its business. Card and board games are.
• SJ made an executive decision that GURPS would be a toolkit for adapting creative content from other games more so than a game with lots of creative content of its own.
• GURPS is generic, and doesn't have a preferred genre that unites most of its customer base.

The bit about freelancers, though, isn't especially different from anybody else out there.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Kromm

• SJ made an executive decision that GURPS would be a toolkit for adapting creative content from other games more so than a game with lots of creative content of its own.

That's interesting. Did he give a reason for this? I mean, to what extent is it "business" and to what extent is it "philosophical"?

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

That's interesting. Did he give a reason for this? I mean, to what extent is it "business" and to what extent is it "philosophical"?

It's 100% philosophical, as I understand it. To first approximation, 100% of gaming content is fluff and setting and description. Actual core rules are a negligible fraction. I believe he wanted to offer good core rules for use with just about everything out there, rather than yet more "everything" for people to forget when the next cool setting or boxed campaign comes out. Note that this isn't a bad business decision . . .

[PrinceYyrkoon]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angel

Prince, what setting would you write? What would your first adventure path for that setting include?

Id probably look over what there is in the back catalogue. Pick two of the most popluar settings in each major genre, and keep those in print and constantly available for retail, and have them updated for 4th ed asap. All other books would be available either as mail order or pdf, and not further updated. Historical, or literary influenced 2nd and 3rd edition books should be only available as pdf. Splat and generic 'equipment' books should be kept to an understandable amount, with no or little crossover of material.

Then, there should be a campaign/scenario book to support the major genre books. These could be followed by more 'fringe' or 'advanced' campaign books for subjects such as Black Ops, etc.. As and when sales pick up for particular campaign books, this should be exploited with a further release.

So, what youre looking at first is about five campaign books, one for each major genre. The authors could have a pretty big leeway for their creativity, as long as they didnt stray from the idea that their work should be pretty adaptable for as many settings as possible. So, for example, the fanatsy setting should be creative, but include the usual fantasy tropes such as dwarves, elves, etc.. This doesnt have to be cookie cutter, Id point to SWs Shaintar as a Middle-earth inspired world with a twist. Or, even, something like Midnight would be great.

Same goes for horror. I would point to something like Kult or Lesser Shades of Evil, Nephilim, etc., for examples. Or just expand upon features of the Gurps horror stuff. A Supers campaign could be great, especially for Gurps, what with all those Supers perks and quirks.

Nothing too radical. And a fairly conservative foray into the wonderful world of setting support! Best case scenario (forgive the pun), would be that the core books sell better, leading to more Gurps books, but this time, a focused approach, rather than a splurge of settings that people buy but dont use.

Worst case scenario is, well, there isnt one. At least there will be some high quality books for people to appreciate and use.

[robertsconley]

Originally Posted by Kromm

SJ made an executive decision that GURPS would be a toolkit for adapting creative content from other games more so than a game with lots of creative content of its own

That is a legitmate decision. But if taken too far then it can be a barrier to new players picking up the game. Which is why some argue this issue so vigorously. Time and time I hear from prospective players that GURPS is too daunting to just pick up and get started with. Granted my experience only with a several dozen players ranging from eastern Ohio, Western PA, and western NY.

Originally Posted by Kromm

.[*]GURPS is generic, and doesn't have a preferred genre that unites most of its customer base

Yes but on the other hand the vast majority RPGers start out playing Dungeon & Dragons. So it seem to me if you want to attract an audience to GURPS rather then selling to the existing base then having support for those type players would go a long way in attracting more new players to GURPS.

Dungeon Fantasy is part of the solution however there are two critical elements missing a bestiary on par to the Monster Manual (at least the list represented in the D20 SRD) and a handful of adventures fully stated in a module type format. So that a novice GURPS GM can pick up and run a Dungeon Fantasy game with. I understand that the Bestiary issue may be resolved given time but the leaves the adventures.

Again the idea to make it easier for players of the World's most popular RPG to get started with GURPs.

[Athanbeli]

Personally, I'm not out of ideas for my campaign, and I'm not going to be in such distress for a long time. Actually, I shifted to the Gurps system precisely to impress it with my own style without incurring into incongrous comparisons with the previous games we ran.

Nonetheless, I'd buy every single new Gurps adventure, as long as it is rules-heavy. The fact is that I keep forgetting rules all the time, even the ones that I like and approve. And this is not fair to the players that invested cp into abilities that their forgetful GM makes useless. So I'm in dire need of products that tell me how to handle different situations. Gurps Fantasy (which I'd have named 'Gurps Mythologies & Folklore'), for instance, is extremely frustrating to me, as it does not address many rules issues that often arise in the genre.

Moreover, I think that gurps diversity is not a problem at all. I'd find easier to adjust a gurps product acconding to my own tastes (say, a hig fantasy adventure to a low fantasy) than trying to convert another system's adventure.

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

I honestly just though that it would be sort of a fill in the WYSIWYG template, send it in, let someone do any remaining layout and Presto! we'd be done.

There is something like that, I suppose...

"Adventures (Series)
GURPS is famous as a tool-kit RPG that can handle any kind of game in any genre . . . if the GM has the time to prepare. Unfortunately, not every GM has that kind of time! The goal of these adventures is to help GMs enjoy their gaming time as playing time instead of using it all up as preparation time. Each will describe an interesting plot or set of plots, supported by lovingly crafted locations, events, and NPCs. Rounding it out will be a summary of important elements and notes on adapting the adventure to different power levels and styles of play. For complete details, see the outline linked below.

Would-be writers should be aware that the goal of these adventures is to provide complete, ready-to-go scenarios that can be dropped into ongoing campaigns as side-quests or diversions. They should have enough detail to work as one-shot games, but they shouldn't depend strongly on history or locale (with the exception of Banestorm Adventures, Transhuman Space Adventures, and Traveller Adventures which we definitely do want), or generate far-reaching outcomes that could ruin an existing campaign. It's also important to us that each adventure uses GURPS as written, showing off (not hiding!) how it works and demonstrating how a game that's often perceived as "complex" can be a load of fun. Finally, be warned that we're not looking for anything self-consciously clever or cute - just meaty challenges, mysteries, and quests that puzzle-solvers and tacticians can get into!

Word Count: 13,500 words.
Required Reading: GURPS Basic Set and any GURPS worldbook relevant to the adventure's genre or setting.
Outline: To be created by author using this preapproved template."

http://e23.sjgames.com/gurps-wish-list.html#adventures

[PrinceYyrkoon]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I think that part of the chilly reception you're getting here is that you don't appear to accept the above truth. It isn't really subjective. You can take courses, write tests, and be objectively evaluated at these different writing specialties. Generally, somebody good with numbers and stats is using a different part of the brain from somebody good with words and stories.

I accept it. I dont know why you think that I dont. Im merely replying to what people are saying. But, really, what youre saying is that the people who write for Gurps dont or cant write scenarios. I cant accept this as a situation which is beyond repair. I dont advocate a complete abandonment of setting or splat. It could be that there are two writers working on a book, one for the setting, and another for the mechanics. That, surely, is a simple solution.

[Kromm]

Between "you write a draft" and "we publish something," there are steps like "we set up a playtest," "we edit the material and check stats," "we do all the layout," and "we buy and insert art." Most of it is us doing something at our expense. We're only willing to do that if the English grammar is at the B+ level, at least, and the game stats are two- or three-nines perfect before we check them. The biggest mistakes that new freelancers make:

• Assuming that the formatting and visual design of their work are their decisions (they aren't . . . we have a strict formatting guide, and we take care of typefaces, page design, art, etc.).
• Assuming that we're paying for ideas (ideas are cheap or free . . . we're paying for stats and writing that make sense).