GURPS Magic

[corwyn]

Originally Posted by PK

No, because the DFRPG book Spells is not GURPS Magic. They are from two separate lines.

True but I imagine there will be a great deal of overlap and we've wanted a rewritten Magic for a long time. Any chance Spells could turn into a new edition of Magic if DF-specific material is filed off?

At the least, maybe Spells could be sold on its own after the DF release.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by corwyn

Any chance Spells could turn into a new edition of Magic if DF-specific material is filed off?

I'm not sure you're familiar with DF. DF is regular GURPS with stuff filed off. You don't cut things off DF to get GURPS, because it's already GURPS.

Specifically, with the Spells, you're going to find differences in that things are missing from Spells that you might have expected from Magic:

• No utility/lifestyle spells
• No spells that permanently create or transform things of value
• No spells that increase or reduce age

You won't find those in Spells because they're cut out to make it DF.

It's all GURPS stuff. If you want it "more like other GURPS stuff", you need to add stuff in. More options, more details, more "gribbly bits" as my friend would say.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I'm not sure you're familiar with DF. DF is regular GURPS with stuff filed off. You don't cut things off DF to get GURPS, because it's already GURPS.

Spells is a little more than that (trimmed to remove things that are just removed spells)

Originally Posted by Kromm

The magic system in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game is the one in GURPS Magic with these major changes:

• I made everything in "Wizardry Refined" (Pyramid #3/60: Dungeon Fantasy III, pp. 4-14) standard, not optional, and left no clue that things were ever any different.
• I added Protection from Evil and Sense Evil, from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 11.
• I gave spells that made the cut a once-over for game balance (e.g., Stench is no longer the ultimate death spell, and Bless now has clear terminal conditions), consistency (e.g., to resolve the Great Sunbolt Damage Type debate), clarity (e.g., what are the actual rules for Earthquake breaking stuff?), and length (e.g., Sunbolt again). I rewrote those found wanting as much as I felt was needed.
• I reformatted spell write-ups slightly to accommodate differences in clerical, druidic, and wizardly prerequisites.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Spells is a little more than that (trimmed to remove things that are just removed spells)

I didn't say "It will be the existing edition of GURPS Magic with stuff cut out". This is being discussed in the context of the much asked-after "next edition" of GURPS Magic. Spells is not "the next edition" of GURPS Magic, but it can fill the same place in our hearts, in that it has had a thorough shaking over for balance (the Wizardry Redefined article was already a first pass at this) and dumb errata (e.g. sunbolt).

If the entire text of GURPS Magic had the same treatment, we wouldn't get Spells - we'd get a much bigger book. With Technology and Gate colleges, for instance.

The tweak of format to show alternate prerequisite trees is the closest I'd consider to "DF bits" that need to be filed off, but that's just a matter of ignoring the Cleric and Druid entries as being irrelevant. Unless you have clerics and druids more-or-less as written in DF, which you can of course.

[spelledare]

I want to thank you all for your replys. I looked into printing the book in a local POD-place, but in Sweden, POD isn't very well developed so that would be extremely expensive. Shipping for abroad is also very expensive but I found a copy of the book in the US that I bought. With shipping, it would be cheaper then goin through a POD in Sweden.

[AllySanders]

I've never used any sort of PoD service before, so the thought never crossed my mind, but it's a good one! I have a PDF copy of Low Tech and a couple of the Low Tech suppliments, and I just bought a copy of Powers this week, and while having the pdf is wonderful when it comes to searching for something, a physical copy is much more user friendly when flipping back and forth to refer to something without losing my place. And its just easier on my eyes to read!

I priced a black and white spiral bound version at Staples tonight, and found the price to be very reasonable.

One question I have is this: is there any sort of official letter or something that would prove I do have a right to make a printed copy of the book that I could present to Staples if I chose to do this? I don't know if they would ask for it or not, but I do know that some places require permission for some items. Walmart wouldn't copy a very old portrait I had because it had a protrait studio's name on the print, even though the print was over 30 years old and the studio has long since gone out of business, well before the advent of modern digital media. They insisted I had to have a document from the studio granting permission for me to copy it. I don't know if a print shop would be so particular, but I would like to be safe rather than sorry!

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by AllySanders

One question I have is this: is there any sort of official letter or something that would prove I do have a right to make a printed copy of the book that I could present to Staples if I chose to do this?

Well, there's http://e23.sjgames.com/faq.html#Legalities EDIT : wrong URL. This one: http://www.warehouse23.com/downloads

Q. Can I have a copy shop print up a copy of a file I bought?

A. Yes, you can have one copy printed for personal use, whether at home or through a copy shop. If the copy shop needs proof that you have permission, you can point them at this page, or write us at orders@warehouse23.com for official permission.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by AllySanders

a physical copy is much more user friendly when flipping back and forth to refer to something without losing my place.

Foxit Reader and Adobe Reader both allow you to open the same document multiple times (as probably do other PDF readers, but those two I've used). The first instance retains your current place, while you can page around or search in the second instance to refer to whatever, then close that instance when you're done. Returning to your current place just means looking at the first tab / window.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Foxit Reader and Adobe Reader both allow you to open the same document multiple times (as probably do other PDF readers, but those two I've used). .

Goodreader always opens a file to the same place you closed it on.

The possible issue is more the flipping back and forth than losing your place. I'm still not quite reconciled to the idea of long pdfs full of material that you need to look at repeatedly.

[Kalzazz]

How much did staples quite BTW? I am curious