Gurps? Where do I start?

[The Cardinal]

...and from the previews, looks AMAZING. I can not wait for Martial Arts 4e.

...and amazing it will be, believe me - the playtest files (still resting in a happy place on my HD) were already filled with greatness to the rim, but the final product promises to be made of pure awesome!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Wow. That, along with the fact which a used book store stocks 3rd ed GURPS books, Powers is a must get.

Unfortunately, GURPS Powers is not very usable with GURPS 3E - it is too closely tied with the 4E assumptions and thus needs the Basic Set. Though you might be able to gain a reasonable approximation if you also buy GURPS Compendium I: Characters for 3E, which has many of the advantages in the new Basic Set. They aren't as well balanced, though.

There's a wealth of very neat material for GURPS 3E - plenty of great setting and "genre" books. Here is a list of my favorites, in alphabetical order:

All-Star Jam 2004
Alternate Earths
Alternate Earths 2
Arabian Nights
Atlantis
Atomic Horror
Bio-Tech (there's a 4E version, but the older one is still very good, if not quite as large and up-to-date)
Black Ops
Blood Types
Blue Planet
Castle Falkenstein
Castle Falkenstein: The Ottoman Empire
Creatures of the Night
Cthulhupunk
Deadlands: Weird West
Discworld
Discworld Also
Faerie
Fantasy Bestiary
Horror
Illuminati
Mars
Monsters
Places of Mystery
Reign of Steel
Religion
Russia
Shapeshifters
Space, Third Edition
Spirits
Steam-Tech
Steampunk
Swashbucklers
Technomancer
The entire Transhuman Space line except for "Orbital Decay"
Much of the GURPS Traveller line
Undead
Uplift
Voodoo
War Against the Chtorr
Warehouse 23
Y2K

If you are an enthusiast of military history, the GURPS WWII line is also very good. Most of these books mainly consist of setting material or genre advice, and few rules - and are thus equally useful for 3E and 4E. Unfortunately, quite a few of these are out of print, but those which are still available are sold for ten bucks apiece. Check this list which books are still available at Steve Jackson Games.

 

[robertsconley]

Not going to happen for two reasons:

1) A new 4th ed GURPS book cost 40+ dollars.
2) A used GURPS book is about 5 dollars.

---Rusty

PS: Books Received

If you are using 3rd Edition then get the two compendiums. They have some of the same features of 4th edition. Just a in a more rough form.

 

[robertsconley]

My personal list for GURPS 3rd Edition Fantasy along with my ratings

Core

Basic Set Hardback Third Edition, Revised (#SJG6031) - Available Now ****
Magic (for Third Edition) (#SJG6023) - Available Now ****
Grimoire (#SJG6514) - Available Now ****
Fantasy Folk (#SJG6015) - Out of Print ****
Bestiary (#SJG6011) - Available Now ***
Fantasy Bestiary (#SJG6504) - Available Now **

Monster Support
Blood Types (#SJG6073) - Available Now ****
Creatures of the Night (#SJG6066) - Out of Print **
Dinosaurs (#SJG6508) - Out of Print ***
4E Dragons (#SJG6540) - Available Now ***
Faerie (#SJG6043) - Available Now ****
Monsters (#SJG6418) - Available Now ****
Shapeshifters (#SJG6533) - Available Now ***
Spirits (#SJG6537) - Available Now ****
Undead (#SJG6086) - Available Now ****
Vampire Companion (#SJG6069) - Out of Print ****
Vampire: The Masquerade (#SJG6076) - Out of Print ****

System Support
Compendium I (#SJG6519) - Out of Print ***
Compendium II (#SJG6522) - Available Now ****
GM's Screen (#SJG6414) - Out of Print ***
Low-Tech (#SJG6526) - Available Now ****
Magic Items 1 (#SJG6038) - Available Now **
Magic Items 2 (#SJG6512) - Available Now **
Magic Items 3 (#SJG6531) - Available Now **
Martial Arts (#SJG6036) - Available Now **
Religion (#SJG6510) - Available Now ***

NPCs/Misc
Places of Mystery (#SJG6520) - Out of Print ***
Villains (#SJG6416) - Available Now ***
Rogues (#SJG6413) - Available Now ***
Warriors (#SJG6085) - Available Now ***
Wizards (#SJG6411) - Out of Print ***

Alt Magic
Cabal (?) - Out of Print ****
Celtic Myth (#SJG6074) - Out of Print ****
Mage: The Ascension (#SJG6068) - On Order ***
Voodoo (#SJG6071) - Out of Print ***

Historicals/Myth
Camelot (#SJG6041) - Out of Print Available as a PDF on e23! ***
Celtic Myth (#SJG6074) - Out of Print ****
China (#SJG6037) - Out of Print Available as a PDF on e23! **
Egypt (#SJG6083) - Available Now ***
Greece (#SJG6075) - Available Now **
Ice Age (#SJG6014) - Out of Print Available as a PDF on e23! ***
Imperial Rome (#SJG6048) - Available Now **
Japan (#SJG6006) - Available Now ***
Middle Ages 1 (#SJG6050) - Available Now ****
Robin Hood (#SJG6046) - Out of Print Available as a PDF on e23! ****
Vikings (#SJG6042) - Available Now ***

 

[DungeonMaester]

Use Amazon, get both 4e rulebooks as a $50 dollar package, and back in the glory that is free amazon shipping (If its over $25, which it is). All the 4e books on amazon can be bought for $25 (give or take), and 4e is a significant improvement over 3e. Thats why they made it. Trust me on this. Otherwise you'll combine stuff, and you'll house rule stuff, and you'll realize that 4e HAS the rule, and you'll bring that in, and then you may or may not remember (I wouldn't), and it'll become really confusing. You'll be much better off with 4e. Plus, its in colour.

Only, I just bought Dante's Inferno and Aseop's fables, so I will have to wait a couple of paychecks before I can pick it up, and in till then the 3rd ed book is both here, and cheap.

---Rusty

 

[Eltharon]

Well, play with it then, but I'd upgrade as soon as your financial status allows it.

 

[The Lost Muse]

Well I took the plunge, and am awaiting the delivery of my Basic Set, Magic, and Powers. Thanks for all the explanations about 4e.

 

[The Cardinal]

one of us!

 

[The Lost Muse]

I suppose I am - how many points was that advantage again?

 

[DungeonMaester]

-5.

But compulsive book buying is a odious person habit worth -10.

---Rusty