[Dungeon Fantasy] Quickest Way To Start Playing?

[Mulsiphix]

1. I have virtually no pnp playing experience, no gm'ing experience.
2. I will be playing with only 1 player who is happy to control multiple PC's
3. We have both read GURPS Lite but nothing else
4. We want to play Dungeon Fantasy as soon as possible but have been told this is unrealistic for our situation.

I am looking for suggestions on how to start playing Dungeon Fantasy as soon as possible. I know Dungeon Fantasy is not ideal for neophyte GURPS players or newbie pnp gamers in general. We don't care. This is our goal and we would like to start playing DF ASAP. What do we need to do? What do we need to read? We are willing to put in the time and work and purchase any needed books and supplies. Any feedback, suggestions, or general advice would be greatly appreciated.

[vicky_molokh]

You probably want to start with DF 1,2,3. 1 and 2 at a minimum. You need GURPS Basic Set (both volumes), but you'll only read some parts of the book.

DF is not a wargame. Multiple PCs might be hard on both of you. Reconsider starting with one character. Or perhaps with a PC and an NPC Henchman/Minion (who will be vaguely controllable by your wife during combats, but otherwise played as a proper NPC by you).

A note on DF mages: they're not quite the artillery pieces that they are in some other games. Think carefully before running into a combat while playing one.

DF is originally intended for multiple players and a single GM. You might want specific advice on GMing it for just one, such as 'hybrid' templates (e.g. warrior-thief). If you and you wife enjoy Conan-esque fantasy, this might be a preferable approach.

[mlangsdorf]

I'd start by you and your player reading DF1. Pick a couple of good archetypes (Holy Warrior*, Knight, and Thief, probably) and read through their Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills in GURPS Basic set (Vol 1), plus the chapter on Equipment. Let the player design the 3 characters.

While the player is designing characters, read through DF2. Create a small dungeon (3-5 encounters) using the advice and the monsters in DF2.

Start playing. Have fun!

You may want to see if there's an online DF game that would let you sit in and observe other people playing. My game is defunct, but the transcripts are still available at http://westmarchsaga.wikia.com/wiki/Caverns_of_Madness and might give you a sense of how the game is played.

* Make sure the Holy Warrior has the Healing advantage. Now you have supernatural healing without needing to read or understand the magic rules.

[Jeffr0]

Embrace the fifteen minute workday.

Have a "town" location and a "dungeon" location... with enough dungeon that a dozen trips won't finish it off.

If the player dies badly enough, say "oh well... it was just a practice game. Now what do you really want to do?!"

But if there is any attachment on the player's part... or if it just makes sense... have the monsters take the "dead" character hostage and nurse her back to health in time to negotiate for her return to civilization by a new set of PC's.

Keep on the Borderlands is classic, brilliant fun. No matter what the rules or monster stats are, it's balanced. The key is an adventure design that allows for scads of choices and a huge variety of outcomes and approaches. If you keep repopulating the dungeon between sessions, you can keep using the same map for months-- it's less work and the sense of reality is improved!

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Mulsiphix

I know Dungeon Fantasy is not ideal for neophyte GURPS players or newbie pnp gamers in general. We don't care. This is our goal and we would like to start playing DF ASAP. What do we need to do? What do we need to read?

Do you want Dungeon Fantasy (the GURPS line), or do you want dungeon fantasy (the genre)?

If you just want high-level swords and sorcery, all you need is the two volumes of the GURPS Basic Set. Make characters at around 250 points for high-level games or 100 points for low-level, start-from-the-bottom games. Make everything up.

If you insist on the GURPS line, you need:

GURPS Basic Set (both volumes)
GURPS Magic
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1 and 2.

If you want a pre-made adventure, get GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventures 1.

When other people tell you you must have other volumes, they're thinking of their own preferences. You don't need GURPS Martial Arts or any other DF books.

In any case, a group new to face-to-face RPG and to GURPS would do well to begin with as few books as possible, then start adding other books as they get comfortable with what they're already using. There's a whole line of DF books you can easily add later without disrupting the game.

[Jeffr0]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Do you want Dungeon Fantasy (the GURPS line), or do you want dungeon fantasy (the genre)?

...

In any case, a group new to face-to-face RPG and to GURPS would do well to begin with as few books as possible, then start adding other books as they get comfortable with what they're already using. There's a whole line of DF books you can easily add later without disrupting the game.

The official DF line is a very pimped out game... and a lot to take on for a first bite.

Do not underestimate the fun potential of a simpler game done just with Basic Set.

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by Mulsiphix

[LIST=1]This is our goal and we would like to start playing DF ASAP. What do we need to do? What do we need to read? We are willing to put in the time and work and purchase any needed books and supplies. Any feedback, suggestions, or general advice would be greatly appreciated.

Wow. This is a tall order coming from your last post.

Without a tutor, there is going to be no "ASAP" about it. Some GM's on here plan for months before starting a story arch. GURPS requires a high amount of preparation when starting from scratch. Sure, in time you'll shourten prep time as you build your generic monsters and NPC's and dungeon rooms and traps, etc., but you have basically no table top experience at all and your only GURPS experience is reading Lite. Yikes!

Not trying to discourage you. Just saying that I agree this is one heck of mountain to climb at all, let alone sprint to the top.

Mlangsdorf, as usual, gives good advice. Short and simple.

Make 4-6 rooms with good descriptions, two, maybe three total combat encounters counting the "boss," and a treasure. The goal should be equally concise.

At this point, you really need to take me up on my offer or find someone local who's willing to do the same. You're not going to teach yourself GURPS Fourth Edition and Dungeon Fantasy in anything similar to "ASAP."

Here's some reading in the meantime:

• Donjon's Dungeon Generator (can be set to hexes): http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/dungeon/
  
  
• [DF 1, 2] Which Four PC Templates?
• [DF] Critique Five Pre-Gen Mass-Murdering Burglar Hobos
• Dungeon Fantasy 1-2 -- Ranking of PC Templates Chosen by Your Players
• [DF] Critique My Western-Style Dragon as a Solo Boss Encounter

[Mulsiphix]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Do you want Dungeon Fantasy (the GURPS line), or do you want dungeon fantasy (the genre)?

If you just want high-level swords and sorcery, all you need is the two volumes of the GURPS Basic Set. Make characters at around 250 points for high-level games or 100 points for low-level, start-from-the-bottom games. Make everything up.

Thank you for covering the fantasy genre approach. Our plans are to start with the Dungeon Fantasy GURPS line as we're both huge fans of the dungeon hack n' slash genre (video games), it is something we're comfortable with, and something that greatly excites us. Our plan is to play with DF for awhile and slowly adding in new stuff from the Basic Set and other books that we find cool. Our primary goal is to design our own fantasy world from the ground up but we have to start somewhere and we figure DF is as good a place as any!

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by Mulsiphix

Our primary goal is to design our own fantasy world from the ground up but we have to start somewhere and we figure DF is as good a place as any!

What Stormcrow and Jeffr0 are pointing out is that perhaps it's not the best place to start -- the Basic Set is. Dungeon Fantasy is, after all, an expansion.

I played GURPS Fourth Edition for years with the Basic Set and Magic. Only recently have I started using Dungeon Fantasy.

However, as long as you stick to the Basic Set, Magic, and DF 1-3, you'll be fine. DF simplifies things in many ways, which is good.

Just don't wander into Low-Tech, Martial Arts, and Powers until you've gained a very strong mastery of the Basic Set.

[Valadrim]

If you want to hop in ASAP I would consider picking up DF: Loadouts, http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/d...geonfantasy13/. I haven't used it, but it is designed to take away that nasty time suck of everyone showing up for game time and then realizing that they need to buy gear...sometimes for hours. It has predesigned loadouts for different professions with lenses to customize the loadout.