Delving Into Worlds Of Dungeon Fantasy With GURPS

The new GURPS Dungeon Fantasy game is getting out into the wilds, and into the hands of gamers. This Powered By GURPS boxed set funded on Kickstarter just over a year ago. The standalone game is inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons school of fantasy role-playing (as the name implies) and spins out of a successful line of PDF and print products for Steve Jackson Games' fourth edition of their GURPS role-playing game. There is a lot of good, and a few not as good things to be found in this big, fancy box, so let's open it up and talk about what is inside.

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I don't think that any regular EN World reader needs to have the genre of D&D styled dungeon fantasy explained to them. There are a number of different genres that fit under the umbrella of fantasy fiction, and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy hits the familiar tropes of things like "Kill them and take their stuff," dungeon crawling adventures and combat-oriented characters. There's obviously a lot more to the genre of "dungeon fantasy" than just that, but those are some of the points of commonality to that style of campaign play. It is also easy to take the characters out of the dungeons with this game, and explore other tropes, and other styles of play.

The Dungeon Fantasy boxed set is intended as an introduction to the fourth edition of the GURPS game system, and doesn't require any other GURPS books for play. You can, however, plug in any number of GURPS fourth edition supplements into your Dungeon Fantasy games. The rule changes between third and fourth edition (which are outside of the scope of this review) means that you won't be able to use materials for the previous edition without a bit of work. However, the fourth edition has been out for over a decade now and there is no shortage of material for the system, in both PDF and print.

There is a lot in the game's box: cardboard standees, a set of three six-sided dice, an introductory adventure (I Smell A Rat) with maps, three softcover core rulebooks and a monster book. The rulebooks are Adventurers (the character creation rules), Spells (more in depth explanations of the magic rules and spell list) and Exploits (the mechanics of the GURPS rules).

The rules in Dungeon Fantasy are the fourth edition of the GURPS rules. There is streamlining, and pieces left out of this game that are in the core rules, but the basic complexity of the game is the same as those core rules. If that is an issue for you, then Dungeon Fantasy probably isn't the game for you. A couple of the streamlining choices that were made for Dungeon Fantasy were puzzling to me. Both techniques and perks from the core rules were dropped for Dungeon Fantasy. I can understand moving away from techniques, as they do add a level of complication to skills that don't make a lot of sense for what is intended to be an introduction to the GURPS game, but perks can be a good tool for customization in a game like this.

One of the more important things for players in a game is niche protection, the idea that each character has something that they excel at and that sets them apart from other characters in a group. Perks (for those who have never played GURPS fourth edition) are little 1-point "advantages" that give characters little benefits. This means things like a tolerance to alcohol, or fur. When properly utilized they can be little role-playing hooks that let similar characters be different from each other. To a degree, perks and techniques are worked into the optional special abilities of character templates, so they are sort of there in the game.

If you didn't know, GURPS has a point buy system for character creation. "Starting," inexperienced characters utilize 250 points in their creation. The power level of characters can be scaled up or down from that baseline, depending on the type of game being run. Character creation is done by choosing a professional template for your character. Each of these templates is supposed to cost 250 points (if you pick it out at the basics, without any customization) and if you want to build anything beyond those basics, you will need to take some disadvantages to give your character some extra points. Each template is designed with popular D&D character classes in mind (like the Warrior, Cleric, Wizard and Thief) and other variations from fiction and history (like Barbarians, Knights and Druids). Picking a professional template gives your character all the attributes, skills, advantages and disadvantages that they will need to play. One top of the basics, there are traits that can be picked for characters, for further customization, at extra costs.

The templates could be a bit better explained in places, as the text is a little vague in a few spots telling what is and isn't considered basics or customization. There is also a lot of text in these templates, which could be intimidating to some new players who aren't familiar with GURPS.

Of course, you don't have to use all the templates in the Adventurers book. All of the advantages, disadvantages and skills are outlined in the book, so if you want to make a completely unique character you can.

Does GURPS Dungeon Fantasy succeed as an introduction to fantasy role-playing? I will give this a qualified yes. There is an assumption that people picking up this boxed set will have some level of experience with the GURPS rules themselves. While the rules are well-explained and the text is clearly written, there could have been a few places where they could have stopped and thought about how new people would interact with those rules. It would also have been good to see a little discussion on the tropes of dungeon fantasy itself. I know that this isn't always the GURPS approach, but it is helpful to new players and it is why the Appendix N has become its own trope to dungeon fantasy games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.

I don't want this to look like I am being overly negative about GURPS or Dungeon Fantasy. I am a (slightly recovered) fan of the GURPS rules, and spent a number of years playing the game (mostly the third edition). One of the greatest strengths of the GURPS rules is that you get exactly the character that you want to play. There are no classes, or other aspects, that can put characters into a mold. If you want to play a character that has the background as a user of magic, while still demonstrating some competence with a sword, you can do that with GURPS. Yes, it can take some time to do this, and there can be a bit of math involved in the process. This is part of what the professional and racial templates work to streamline for Dungeon Fantasy. Like I said earlier in this review, if you were expecting Dungeon Fantasy to somehow not be what makes the GURPS rules GURPS, then you should probably look to a different fantasy game.

If, however, you want a role-playing game that rewards attention to detail and system mastery, then you should check out Dungeon Fantasy. With Dungeon Fantasy you get a game that has everything that you need to play for months and years, and on top of that you get a system with GURPS that has hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of support that you can use to expand and enrich your games. Dungeon Fantasy is a well-designed game that is based upon many hours of play-based experience, which can be a rarity in tabletop role-playing games. The GURPS rules are a finely tuned play experience that gives what it says it will give. If you want a role-playing game that expertly blends the tropes of dungeon fantasy with the sensibilities of a well designed rules set in a colorful and pretty package, then you will want to check out Dungeon Fantasy. There are few role-playing games that manage to pull together the threads of fantasy and realism effectively, and the GURPS rules will always be at the top of that list.

There are pros and cons to every role-playing game, and I think that the pros outweigh the cons for Dungeon Fantasy. With the right group of people, this is a game that will really sing, and that will give hours and hours of entertainment. With Dungeon Fantasy, the GURPS rules and Steve Jackson Games are actively back in the tabletop role-playing market, with a game that can once again be a player in that market. I hope that Dungeon Fantasy catches the eye of an audience and takes off because I would like to one day see a GURPS Horror boxed set that I can use to run my horror games.

 

[uzirath]

"...and there can be a bit of math involved in the process."

One day, I'd like to hear a GURPS commenter describe what "math" means. Dividing (DX+HT) by 4 to get Basic Speed? Is that the math in question? Or totaling character points? Is that the math?

I'm not saying it's wrong to say "there's math". But the reviewers always make this cryptic reference without ever telling us what it means.

I agree that a bit more explanation would be helpful. I do, however, understand where the comment comes from. While it's all basic arithmetic, standard GURPS resolution mechanics involve a bit more number crunching than many other popular RPGs. Most mainstream games involve basic integer comparison, addition, and subtraction. GURPS adds multiplication, division, and rounding. In combat, for example, different types of attacks gain different sorts of multipliers after they get through armor. So, after successfully hitting an opponent, you might roll a 7 on 2d6, subtract three to account for the foe's armor, and then multiply by 1.5 to achieve final injury (6 points) for a "cutting" attack (with a sword, for example). Some attacks, like bodkin point arrows, apply a divisor to the damage resistance of armor. In addition, because GURPS uses a 3d6 bell curve, there is some advantage to understanding how that curve operates in terms of probabilities on success rolls (i.e., a skill of 10 has a 50/50 chance of success, but a skill of 14 leaps to 91%).

It's all quite straight forward, but can be intimidating to first-timers. Ironically, I've found that this is more of an obstacle for adults than children. Even young elementary students are quite comfortable with this sort of arithmetic because math class is a part of their daily reality. Basic numeracy among adults in non-technical professions (in the US, anyway) is remarkably weak.

All the more reason to let the bodkin arrows fly in a rousing game of Dungeon Fantasy!

 

[Caliburn101]

I am nearly finished creating 200 point templates for each of the Archetypes due to 250 points being too much for the start of a game in my opinion.

I will probably make them available once I have completed them.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

“There is an assumption that people picking up this boxed set will have some level of experience with the GURPS rules themselves.” There is? Where is it?

There are a couple places where you have to know GURPS to get the right results. For example, there is a monster in the intro adventure (Golem Armor Swordsmen with DR 17) which is extremely hard to kill unless you happen to know the GURPS rule for DR, that by default it does not protect the eyes. DFRPG doesn't say so, and in fact gives the opposite impression on Monsters page 15 when explaining how to read the DR stat: "Total DR from natural sources, armor, and magic. Only creatures noted as wearing armor have it." Since Adventurers calls out armor as not protecting the face or eyes, and being subject to halving via the armor chinks rule, this leaves the reader with the impression that most monster DR cannot be reduced or bypassed via careful targeting. If you know GURPS though, you realize that eyes are probably supposed to be an exception, and if you know how to check the Pyramid forums you can find a thread where DFRPG's author (Sean Punch, writing as Dr. Kromm) confirms that DFRPG is intended to work like GURPS.

Another example: the Sun Bolt spell has rules for the results of targeting eyes despite being a burning attack. GURPS has rules that tell you how to handle tight-beam burning attacks against the eyes and vitals. Otherwise you'd be confused how the Sunbolt eye hit rules could ever be relevant.

 

[dbm]

Dungeon Fantasy is a game for people who want more granularity in their combat spelunking and great fun when you do. It has continued to be supported since launch and there is a crowd funding campaign for even more monsters to add into a game, finishing in the next few days:

Nightmare Fuel

You can also get the core box set as an add-on.

It’s a fun alternative to d20 gaming IMO.

 

[uzirath]

As someone pointed out on the SJG GURPS forum, these monsters can also be used for other genres. Need bugs for a sci-fi scenario? Done. Need angry plants in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? Done. Need a serpentine threat for your modern monster hunters campaign? Done.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Dungeon Fantasy is a game for people who want more granularity in their combat spelunking and great fun when you do. It has continued to be supported since launch and... snip

It’s a fun alternative to d20 gaming IMO.

Yeah, it's a good choice for those who either:

1.) Want a better balance between spellcasters and warriors, in and out of combat. (Thieves still have issues; they are less bad in DFRPG than some other games for to the ability to set traps, but spellcasters and warriors are still more compelling.)

2.) Like to customize PCs to express themselves, such as a by playing a lecherous swashbuckling bullwhip-wielding half-ogre archaeologist or a halfling cleric with a bad temper, fanaticism, and a penchant for cursing NPCs who displease him if he doesn't just blast their guts out with sunlight.

3.) Like playing with tactics (seeking high ground) and gear (wearing boots that give you the advantage on bad terrain). DFRPG has a good encumbrance system (no easy choices), and a good money mini-game with lots of interesting decisions to make about how to make money, how to spend it, and what to carry at any given moment (and where to stash the rest).

4.) Don't love having players outgrow the gameworld, or don't like spending a lot of time waiting for "high-level" abilities to come online. DFRPG believes in making pretty much all abilities potentially accessible to starting characters; you can't have all of them at once until much later, but the game is not meant to change radically at "high levels" in the same way that D&D 5E games change once Planar Binding, Wall of Force, and Teleport come online. You get better at your profession as the game goes on, like an action hero getting more over the top with every sequel, but you're still effectively in the same movie franchise.

If I am running a game for new players, I like AD&D for players who want a rules-lite, OSRish experience where the results of combat are more interesting than combat itself (such as dealing with loss, or trying to avoid combat through roleplay, or gaining new abilities like Teleport) and DFRPG if the players are more likely to be interested in "how" questions like "how do we climb the wall?" and "how do we get the treasure that is guarded by 30 hobgoblins?"