Argyle King
Legend
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/dungeon-fantasy-roleplaying-game-powered-by-gurps
Currently at about 112%
The hex bases look cool.
Currently at about 112%
The hex bases look cool.
Dungeon Fantasy Kickstarter
dbm
Savage!
I guess the thread about the Kickstarter must have gotten lost in what ever maintenance the team have been doing.
Perhaps of interest to people on this site is why you might want to play Dungeon Fantasy RPG Powered by GURPS over some edition of D&D or other? My personal take on this is that GURPS has lots of qualities which differentiate it from typical D&D, but the challenge that people generally face is that GURPS is a toolkit by design, and so having a game to play at the table can put a chunk of pre-campaign prep on the shoulders of the GM. DFpbG directly addresses this challenge, doing most of the pre-game set up for the GM in terms of how to configure GURPS to fit the genre of Dungeon Fantasy.
So, what does GURPS do differently that might be of interest?
First, there is the very high level of customisation that you can exert over your character. DFpbG avoids completely free-form character creation (used by core GURPS, where the only limit on what you can spend your points on is set by the GM) and instead strongly uses templates to help players quickly build archetypes such as a knight, swashbuckler, wizard, druid and so on. This helps define and protect niches in terms of the skills and abilities a character will have whilst still giving you greater freedom that you might expect in a typical D&D game. 5e is far better than earlier version of this game in this respect (IMHO) but GURPS is better still.
Second, GURPS has a very different view on damage and what that means when contrasted with D&D. A GURPS character would only have 10 HP on average, and a tough character might not have more than 14. In D&D, HP represent a mix of luck, skill, armour and actual physical resilience to damage. In GURPS, HP only represent the last of those. Skill, luck and armour are all handled separately. If your character learns how to fight better then their Parry, Block or Dodge score might increase. There are advantages you can buy that represent higher than normal levels of luck. Armour directly absorbs some of the damage you take if a blow connects. If you have trouble squaring what has happened when you character takes damage in D&D then this approach might be something you would like.
Third, DFpbG aims at delivering competent characters out of the gate (often compared to 5th or 6th level in D&D terms) but the character progression from that point onwards is more linear and less sever than in D&D. If you find that your 'sweet spot' for D&D is in the 5th to 10th level or a little higher then you might find that DFpbG keeps you in that area for much longer whilst still allowing for significant character growth. And it's much easier for characters to grow horizontally in GURPS, where every increase in character capability doesn't have to include a bundled-in increase in combat skill.
Fourth, GURPS gives you much greater depth of tactical options in combat without hiding abilities away behind permissions like feats. Choosing whether to favour attack over defence, whether to attempt multiple attacks, attempting called shots or maneuvers like disarming an opponent are all baked into the core combat system. Skilled combatants will pull snazzy things off more reliably, but anyone can attempt them. It gives martial characters a wealth of tactical options every round.
Fifth, whilst GURPS has several different magic systems available to choose from, the one used in DFpbG is a skilled based system where spells run on energy that can be pulled from your own endurance (fatigue), specific energy reserves, energy in magical devices or even your life force if you're desperate. Magic wielders (including clerics and druids) learn simple spells to build up their knowledge for more complex spells. You need to learn how to light a flame before you can learn to control one, and need to know both before creating blasts of fire. If Vancian magic is not your thing then GURPS magic might be more to your taste.
If anyone has questions on GURPS then I'm sure there are a few of us happy to answer what we can. The Kickstarter is already funded and just hit the stretch goal for a second introductory module, so if you're GURPS-curious this is a great time to take the plunge.
Perhaps of interest to people on this site is why you might want to play Dungeon Fantasy RPG Powered by GURPS over some edition of D&D or other? My personal take on this is that GURPS has lots of qualities which differentiate it from typical D&D, but the challenge that people generally face is that GURPS is a toolkit by design, and so having a game to play at the table can put a chunk of pre-campaign prep on the shoulders of the GM. DFpbG directly addresses this challenge, doing most of the pre-game set up for the GM in terms of how to configure GURPS to fit the genre of Dungeon Fantasy.
So, what does GURPS do differently that might be of interest?
First, there is the very high level of customisation that you can exert over your character. DFpbG avoids completely free-form character creation (used by core GURPS, where the only limit on what you can spend your points on is set by the GM) and instead strongly uses templates to help players quickly build archetypes such as a knight, swashbuckler, wizard, druid and so on. This helps define and protect niches in terms of the skills and abilities a character will have whilst still giving you greater freedom that you might expect in a typical D&D game. 5e is far better than earlier version of this game in this respect (IMHO) but GURPS is better still.
Second, GURPS has a very different view on damage and what that means when contrasted with D&D. A GURPS character would only have 10 HP on average, and a tough character might not have more than 14. In D&D, HP represent a mix of luck, skill, armour and actual physical resilience to damage. In GURPS, HP only represent the last of those. Skill, luck and armour are all handled separately. If your character learns how to fight better then their Parry, Block or Dodge score might increase. There are advantages you can buy that represent higher than normal levels of luck. Armour directly absorbs some of the damage you take if a blow connects. If you have trouble squaring what has happened when you character takes damage in D&D then this approach might be something you would like.
Third, DFpbG aims at delivering competent characters out of the gate (often compared to 5th or 6th level in D&D terms) but the character progression from that point onwards is more linear and less sever than in D&D. If you find that your 'sweet spot' for D&D is in the 5th to 10th level or a little higher then you might find that DFpbG keeps you in that area for much longer whilst still allowing for significant character growth. And it's much easier for characters to grow horizontally in GURPS, where every increase in character capability doesn't have to include a bundled-in increase in combat skill.
Fourth, GURPS gives you much greater depth of tactical options in combat without hiding abilities away behind permissions like feats. Choosing whether to favour attack over defence, whether to attempt multiple attacks, attempting called shots or maneuvers like disarming an opponent are all baked into the core combat system. Skilled combatants will pull snazzy things off more reliably, but anyone can attempt them. It gives martial characters a wealth of tactical options every round.
Fifth, whilst GURPS has several different magic systems available to choose from, the one used in DFpbG is a skilled based system where spells run on energy that can be pulled from your own endurance (fatigue), specific energy reserves, energy in magical devices or even your life force if you're desperate. Magic wielders (including clerics and druids) learn simple spells to build up their knowledge for more complex spells. You need to learn how to light a flame before you can learn to control one, and need to know both before creating blasts of fire. If Vancian magic is not your thing then GURPS magic might be more to your taste.
If anyone has questions on GURPS then I'm sure there are a few of us happy to answer what we can. The Kickstarter is already funded and just hit the stretch goal for a second introductory module, so if you're GURPS-curious this is a great time to take the plunge.
dbm
Savage!
The KS is closing in on the next stretch goal. Already there is $10 of postage and a second PDF adventure; the next item will either be a collection of magic items, a traps book or a third dungeon module. There's currently a poll running asking people what they would like it to be.
evileeyore
Mrrrph
dbm
Savage!
The KS is just three days left to run, now. The combined total of pledges + W23 sales means that they are close to the £155k level and some new stretch goals have been announced.
The 'I want it all' level nets you over $550 worth of product for a $250 pledge.
The 'I want it all' level nets you over $550 worth of product for a $250 pledge.
dbm
Savage!
Eight hours to go and another stretch goal hit...
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