GURPS 4e Entry Point

[Qoltar]

Paul,
Since you commented on the thread again - can I suggest something?

I work at a game store and notice that you have most of your humor and card games in a standard box size. (Ninja Burger, Munchkin, etc.)

How about packaging in that box size a small game that uses basic GURPS mechanics? Something that maybe 2 to 4 players can do.

If you package more than one like this - pick a different genre for each one and include a pamphlet sheet inside that explains the LARGER GURPS line, and highlights the world book that relates to the box game version.

For example "OrcFight!!" A fun simple battle between 4-5 Orcs and a some elves and humans. Cardboard counters with bases , using the GURPS basic combat rules and 3 by 5 character cards for each cardboard counter. But the implied setting is Caithness of Yrth that is mentioned in BANESTORM.

'Powerfight!" = the same idea but with superhero and Supervillian type characters capsulated. ...also with 4 to 5 cardbound charaters and character cards on each side. And with an inside promo sheet for GURPS:POWERS

You make it so that these simple characters may also be can be used in a regular GURPS game later ...so that the parts and map boards inside are reusable with the regular GURPS games the purchaser might get interested in doing later.

- E.W. Charlton

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

Paul,
Since you commented on the thread again - can I suggest something?

I work at a game store and notice that you have most of your humor and card games in a standard box size. (Ninja Burger, Munchkin, etc.)

How about packaging in that box size a small game that uses basic GURPS mechanics? Something that maybe 2 to 4 players can do.

Such as.... Ninja Burger?

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

How about packaging in that box size a small game that uses basic GURPS mechanics? Something that maybe 2 to 4 players can do.

Boxed game sets have been done before, and will likely be done again. However, unless you're willing for them to be a *large* loss leader -- like the D&D Basic thingee -- the price tag will scare away most of those whom the content is designed to attract.

I'm thinking GURPS Lite's format (free pdf and ~30pg printout) is the way to go.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Paul

I'm thinking GURPS Lite's format (free pdf and ~30pg printout) is the way to go.

1. Start with an adventure. Since this is an on-the-cheap effort, pick a few adventures from the Pyramid archive, since you've already got the electronic distribution rights for those. Possibly bribe the authors with half a candy bar each to smooth the way for physical distribution as well.

2. Build a few basic characters and such NPCs as necessary, keeping the skill lists fairly short.

3. Take GURPS Lite and remove skills, advantages, and disads not used in any of the characters provided. A few things may, of course, need to be added (frex, spells for a fantasy adventure, pre-built afflictions and other abilities for a supers or sci-fi adventure).

4. Shorten charts as much as feasible. Say, reduce the ST to damage chart to the 8-16 range, or whatever minimum range is necessary to encompass the range of STs used by characters provided. Remove weapons not used in the adventure.

5. Tack on an "appendix" pointing to the rest of the GURPS line and make available for free download.

6. Profit!

[Almafeta]

For these 32-page settings, you could also 'd20-fy' chargen by using templates that hold people's hands. Don't list the point costs for things other than selecting advantages and disadvantages, and then only use ones that cost multiples of 5 points; skills in templates would list skill levels, but not difficulties or point costs.

The templates could give them (say) 100 points of attributes, 40 points of advantages, 25 points of disadvantages, 5 4-point primary skills, 5 2-point secondary skills, and 5 1-point background skills, fully compatible with the full GURPS rules. But the new players would never have to think about point sums; just making choices that suit their character ideas from a few lists.

The full chargen rules (with a handy table listing all the attributes, advantages, disadvantages, and skills, with their costs/difficulties) would make for a tidy 'Advanced Chargen' page near the back of your 32-page booklet. But until players new to point-based systems (or new to roleplaying!) are ready for the full complexity and detail of GURPS, they can use the streamlined templates to create detailed, fully-compatible characters with all the compexity of creating a 1st-level D&D fighter.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Paul

That's an interesting idea. Alternatively, you may be able to condense Lite to *just what was needed* for the scenario, and make the whole thing fill 29 pages of a 30 page download. (The 30th page would be a list of the books you'd need to expand the scenario into a campaign.)

If someone were to write this, would you be able to pay them?

[Qoltar]

Paul,
What I 'm thinking of is somethin affordable that I can hook custimers into thinking about GURPs and buying more of it later. Have had several custoimers try the D&D pre-painted miniatures box thing. When they hear that the combat system in regular D&D is the same - they come back and buy those hardbacks.

Why not something similiar for GURPS?

OR those mini adventure things thar Paizo publishing is doing called GameMastery - each one of those could of been done GURPS-mechanis style with cardboard heroes instead of pewter minis. Heck there might be enogh room to incloded NPC write up . Each of those is around $15.00. Gurps kind of needs a lower cost entry thing.

As for pdfs - frankly a lot of the customers I have would rather have something they can hold in their hhands or that my store could sell to them. (hint, hint, elephant-sized hint) I can't sell something that is not physically in the store .

I do want to see GURPS stuff sell more often.

Edmund W. Charlton

[yam]

I could see these ideas working well in one of two way that have been mentioned.

The first is to make scenarios which require only GURPS Lite.
These scenarios would undoubtedly need to mention a few more rules, pieces of equipment, etc, in addition to straight scenario material.

The second would be, in addition to the scenario, to have a pdf which takes GURPS lite and takes out the stuff that's not needed and adds the stuff that is.

I think both of these are really good ideas, and you could even combine them, sort of.

Take GURPS Lite, and make genre expansions. maybe 10 - 20 pages per genre with extra rules, equipment, etc, and common templates for that genre. Call it Fantasy Lite, Space Lite, etc.

Then have scenarios which can be all adventure, but suggest certain templates, point costs, advantages, skills, or whatever. Maybe even toss out an extra rule, skill, or advantage.

Then make the whole thing downloadable from one link, charge a $5 or whatever for all three together and there you go. Someone would be able to try gurps out with one scenario, and continue for a few adventures if they like it and want to try more, but eventually they'll need to buy the core books if they want to get serious.

[JAW]

Hmm.

1. There´s gurps lite for 4e - right?
It is free to download, right? The paper version is (or will be) either free or cheap and not too big right? (I hawent seen it)

2. There´s worldbooks coming in, right? My personal experience on 3E gurps worldbooks is that they are so good that you sometimes want to buy them just for reading ewen if you´re not sure you´ll ewer play the setting..

3. with gurps lite and one worldbook you hawe a completely playable RPG. Right or wrong?? I think you do. If not maybe just adding a little on the LITE and/or putting a chapter on worldbooks where you possibly repeat something from the "core book" would make it so.

So why not make sure that the game is playable with one worldbook and LITE and tell it to the people. Like put on ewery new worldbook a text with essentially the following content: "Expansion to GURPS but ALSO playable with FREE LITE WERSION of the rules." And if some of the already ready 4e books are not crrently playable with lite make small free addition (at least downloadable if not distributed on stores...) that repats the necessary stuff from the core books to make it playable (but I gues that this might not ewen be necessary for most worldbooks..).

That way anyone who sees a gurps worldbook in gaming store that catches his/her fancy by looking cool or being exactly the setting they want to RP or whatewer wont be put down by the touch that he/she has to by the two core books too but will instead pick up the lite wersion and read it through and see that it´s really good and simple rules system and byu the worldbook :)
Or that´s what we hope will happen.

Anyway the point is - Make the world books the entry point. I don´t think that hardcore gurps afans would mind a little bit of content repeated from the core books as they´d might also work as a reference to what corebook skills etc are most apprpriate for the setting and they certainly wouldnt mind if the cower and art style in general is fancy and has unique style as long as it doesnt completely blow up the price.

(And yes - I dont hawe the 4E core books and I´m interested with some of the worldbooks... So also old 3e geezers like me would benefit and appreciate it. BTW I found the 3e worldbooks so interesting to read that I don´t really mind almost newer finding the time and players to actually run a campaing with them but I´d like to be at least hopeful of being able to actually run a campaing if/when buying new 4e worldbooks rather than to buy them just for reading.)

[Paul]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If someone were to write this, would you be able to pay them?

If they wrote it to an approved outline, met the quality standards, etc etc etc, of course.