Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-12-2022, 01:18 PM   #1
Yzor
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Default Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

As it says in the title - what is the difference between GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy?
Yzor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 01:23 PM   #2
Dalillama
 
Dalillama's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

GURPS Fantasy 4e is a guide to fantasy world building (The previous edition of GURPS Fantasy is a guide to SJG's flagship fantasy world, currently in publication as Banestorm). GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a GURPS entry into the OSR field, aimed at D&D style old-fashioned dungeon crawls.
Dalillama is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 01:27 PM   #3
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a set of rules for running campaigns in the style of D&D, but using GURPS mechanics.

GURPS Fantasy is not so focused on rules; it's more a guide to the fantasy genre, and especially the genre of historical fantasy (fantasy set in societies of the past, or in invented worlds with similar technology and institutions). It doesn't talk a lot about dungeon fantasy, and tends to subsume it under "sword and sorcery." It looks more at high fantasy (close to mythology), low fantasy (close to realistic fiction but with magical/supernatural elements), light fantasy (comedic), and dark fantasy (close to horror). It discusses the kinds of things you find in these—the supernatural, worlds, creatures and races, history, locations, magical arts—and gives examples, but not a comprehensive treatment of any of them. It ends with a campaign setting, Roma Arcana, the Roman empire with magical arts that have begun to cost it the favor of the gods.

GURPS Fantasy is an example of a genre book, like GURPS Horror, GURPS Space, or GURPS Supers; its focus is "how do you do this broad type of work within GURPS mechanics?"
__________________
Bill Stoddard

I don't think we're in Oz any more.
whswhs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 01:28 PM   #4
Yzor
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalillama View Post
GURPS Fantasy 4e is a guide to fantasy world building (The previous edition of GURPS Fantasy is a guide to SJG's flagship fantasy world, currently in publication as Banestorm). GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a GURPS entry into the OSR field, aimed at D&D style old-fashioned dungeon crawls.
Thanks so much for that explanation. I just grabbed the Fantasy Bundle today. I almost skipped it as I have GURPS Dungeon Fantasy already and mistook it for the same thing until I had a closer look. That also explains what the heck Banestorm is.
Yzor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 01:32 PM   #5
maximara
On Notice
 
maximara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalillama View Post
GURPS Fantasy 4e is a guide to fantasy world building (The previous edition of GURPS Fantasy is a guide to SJG's flagship fantasy world, currently in publication as Banestorm). GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a GURPS entry into the OSR field, aimed at D&D style old-fashioned dungeon crawls.
It should be mentioned that Powered by GURPS Dungeon Fantasy RPG is a slightly different thing from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy.

Dungeon Fantasy RPG is self contained (has a variant of GURPS light) with a handfull of supplements

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is built on GURPS proper and has far more material.

The main reason I say this is because only Dungeon Fantasy RPG material should go into the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game forum. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy material must go into the general GURPS forum.
__________________
Help make a digital reference for GURPS by coming to the GURPS wiki and provide some information and links (such as to various Fanmade 4e Bestiaries) . Please, provide more then just a title and a page number.
maximara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 08:47 PM   #6
tbone
 
tbone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yzor View Post
As it says in the title - what is the difference between GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy?
I don't think this will help, as others have answered your question in full, but should you want to read a bit more on "How can I do fantasy in GURPS?":

I have a short-ish article on different ways to do dungeon-themed fantasy in GURPS (though you could of course pick any of those ways, de-emphasize the dungeons, and have broader fantasy). The crib notes version:

1) Just use Basic Set. It'll do fantasy (even with wizardly magic), but a GM will have lots of work to do (creating more monsters, templates, gear, etc.).

2) Use Basic Set + fantasy supplements. Books like Fantasy (a genre guide), Magic (lots more spells), and Banestorm (a detailed setting) do a lot of work for the GM.

3) Use Basic Set + the Dungeon Fantasy series + fantasy supplements (definitely Magic; others optional). This gets you a worked-out game build for OSR-style dungeon-delving.

4) Use Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game. This bundles the necessary parts from Basic Set, Magic, the Dungeon Fantasy series, and other bits and bobs into a stand-alone product; none of those or other GURPS books are needed (though they can be tapped for added content).

That's just a handful of "recipes" for a subset of fantasy, name-dropping a handful of products. Countless other books and Pyramid issues have stuff intended for or useful in fantasy games. Enough to choke a SM +5 storm giant.
__________________
T Bone
GURPS stuff and more at the Games Diner: http://www.gamesdiner.com

Twitter: @Gamesdiner | RSS: here ⬅︎ Updated RSS link | This forum: Site updates thread (occasionally updated)

(Latest goods on site: GLAIVE Mini levels up to v2.4. Update to melee weapon design tool, with more example weapons and commentary.)

Last edited by tbone; 07-12-2022 at 09:18 PM. Reason: typo fix & clean-up
tbone is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 09:04 PM   #7
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

This is just a +1 (tbone's got it), but speaking as, "The DF Guy," in my group, GURPS can handle either fantasy style. If you want to do that, GURPS does it better. If you don't want to do that, GURPS can handle that, too.
Gold & Appel Inc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 09:22 PM   #8
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
This is just a +1 (tbone's got it), but speaking as, "The DF Guy," in my group, GURPS can handle either fantasy style. If you want to do that, GURPS does it better. If you don't want to do that, GURPS can handle that, too.
I've run four fantasy campaigns in GURPS:

Oak and Ash and Thorn had five British teenagers in the present day stray over the borders of the twilight lands on Midsummer's Eve and wander through the lands of the fair folk.

The Foam of Perilous Seas had three descended gods (including Errol Flynn, who had ascended to godhood after his death), a rakshasa, an Atlantean sea captain, and a Métis woman from 19th century Canada sailing the Pearl Bright Ocean of the astral realms in an Atlantean privateer ship.

Worminghall had five fourteen-year-old boys from the British Isles enroll in the Faculty of Magic at a medieval university.

Tapestry, set in a world with seven humanoid races, Bronze Age technology, and animistic magic had a multispecies group set out to explore and trade with a remote continent; eventually they got involved in countering a plot to bring permanent winter down on their native lands.
__________________
Bill Stoddard

I don't think we're in Oz any more.
whswhs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 09:24 PM   #9
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
Default Re: Difference between Gurps Fantasy and Gurps Dungeon Fantasy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
[snip yeah yeah you're fun]
I'd play that. ;)

Anyone who follows my post history knows that I'm a bit partisan. GURPS is just better.

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 07-12-2022 at 09:27 PM.
Gold & Appel Inc is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:55 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.