GURPS 4e Entry Point

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Hex

We wouldn't want that.
Not bad...but I'd even settle on some free adventures being released on e23. You know advertise as such in GURPS lite...

Like this one?

[Almafeta]

Trying to post on-topic:

Originally Posted by DeDiceManCometh

This thread is to unload some tangency off of the GURPS/4E... could be more attractive? thread. It is to discuss the challenges, options, and goals of creating a product beyond the current GURPS Lite that lowers the bar for new players.

I'll kick off the discussion by asking, what form should this product take? Boxed set? Microgame, a la Melee? Mini-game with a couple of cheap plastic minis? And three dice? A card game that somehow includes the basic combat mechanic? A game like Zombies with all of the aforementioned, but with the dice mechanic of GURPS? (Dudes, I am brain dumping here. Most of this is absurd, but you know, keep trying...)

Myself, I'd try to make GURPS more attractive for children. For every 13-year-old D&D player that's going to grow up to be a 30-year-old D&D gamer, I want to see a 13-year-old GURPShead. To do that, you'd want to try licenses. Pick shows that are targeted towards children, but don't insult their intelligence, and which can be mature enough for their parents (or adult roleplaying friends) to play too. Shows like Justice League, Naruto, Avatar, IGPX, et multiple cetera. These would go a long way.

A good attempt at the 'hakkenslash' genre would be good. One book with the rules, premade templates (with skills beyond those in the templates being limited to experience) for chargen, and a long list of treasures, spells, and monsters, perhaps with a random adventure generator (plot A with complication B in location C with NPCs D-G who have personalities H-K, for reward M).

I'd like to see a wargame as well. Do it like the D&D wargame: Use most of the normal rules of the RPG, but leave the complex chargen at home. GURPS could handle squad-level tactics (Warhammer, D&D, Heroclix, Heroscape) well.

Finally: more Powered-By-GURPS books. These are, by their very nature, entry points!

[grendel]

Originally Posted by Almafeta

Myself, I'd try to make GURPS more attractive for children. For every 13-year-old D&D player that's going to grow up to be a 30-year-old D&D gamer, I want to see a 13-year-old GURPShead. To do that, you'd want to try licenses. Pick shows that are targeted towards children, but don't insult their intelligence, and which can be mature enough for their parents (or adult roleplaying friends) to play too. Shows like Justice League, Naruto, Avatar, IGPX, et multiple cetera. These would go a long way.

A good attempt at the 'hakkenslash' genre would be good. One book with the rules, premade templates (with skills beyond those in the templates being limited to experience) for chargen, and a long list of treasures, spells, and monsters, perhaps with a random adventure generator (plot A with complication B in location C with NPCs D-G who have personalities H-K, for reward M).

Exactly the type of thing I was going for. And exactly the same type of market. Honestly any real expansion in GURPS players is really going to come from young people (and with today’s X-box 360s and movies it is a fight). I do agree about the comment that a Hack and Slash D&D style game might not be the way to go, with people saying “well why play one thing like D&D when you could play D&D” makes perfect sense. The license idea works good but problem with that is it cost a lot and you’d want a inexpensive entry point, and historically licensed games just don’t make enough money to really justify it. If it did though, I think something based on the new Teen Titans cartoon would have worked on those demographics. Naruto would work well also.

So now we just need to come up with the next greatest comic/animated series idea, create it, market it, develop a massive following and then develop a Powered by GURPS book and Walla! We’ll have a perfect entry point for GURPS! Let’s get down to work!