The quick pitch

• The GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge has funded, and ends Monday, July 19 at 5pm Central
• The buy in is $3
• For that $3, you currently receive 10 PDFs, each of 10 pages.
• Each of these is very tightly written, and the instructions were “include as little crunch as possible.”

GURPS may not do it for you. You may have never played it. But most of these – for less than the price of a fancy cup of coffee – are going to be very portable. Locations are easily moved; a two-page dungeon is fantastic quick encounter. And the folks who have chosen to write setting-like material are all long-time, multiply published authors who really, really know their stuff.

This is definitely one you should throw in for. Oh, also: these books are all done. The risk of SJGames not delivering on this is zero. The only question is how fast you get it.

If you like what you hear so far, please jump in. Every pledge matters: the final stretch goal is 2,000 backers regardless of pledge level or total funding achieved!

Ring Fort: My Entry

I’m a fan, author, and publisher of GURPS materials. I have the only third-party license for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG, in fact. So there’s no doubt that my bread is somewhat buttered on this one. Even so, I want to talk about my own entry, which was the first stretch goal to be offered, and obviously the first unlocked (on the first day of the campaign, four of the 11 stretch goals were unlocked).

Here’s the summary of the article, by Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch, the GURPS Line Editor:

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 4: Ring Fort

Outpost of Adventure

Not all encounters along the road involve monsters or bandits. Once in a while, you cross paths with the outriders and patrols of civilization, keeping the countryside safe from those menaces (and possibly from delvers!). And then, rather than a dungeon or mysterious abandoned ruins, you come across the base of these stalwarts.

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 4: Ring Fort offers a fortified town in the Viking mold. It describes the outpost itself (with the aid of a handsome map), as well as the troops, citizens, and style of life that bustle within. It’s the perfect stopping place for adventurers with a little downtime between adventures!

Or, of course, for conquering heroes seeking a real challenge . . .

The book itself clocks in at about 6,300 words in 10 pages. Of that, I’d hazard 10-15% have any mechanical content whatsoever, and most of that is still useful. Examples:

A massive, metal-reinforced wooden vault door (DR 60, HP 62) secures the outer opening. Extra-heavy doors (DR 30, HP 49) swing into the tunnel at the other end.

While DR is somewhat system specific, the descriptions themselves are completely systemless. Whatever the most bad-ass castle gate happens to be in your system of choice…use that. Knowing that plate armor has DR 6-8 or so, and knowing that Joe Average has 10 HP, you can even take some of that mechanical information and use it. The descriptions of the jarl, his thegns, and the professional and militia troops are all in system-neutral language. You can use this stuff.

The troop complements are given in number and type of soldiers, and what equipment they carry. Great. Totally ignore the GURPS stats, and just know that the militia in the fort are better-trained than most, because they live under the watchful eye of hundreds of professional soldiers, and are equipped with a heavy cloth gambeson, helmet, a lightweight Viking-style round shield, a spear, and a long knife or short sword. That’s portable to nearly any game.

Glynn Seal did the map for this one, too: It’s really pretty. You can see a glimpse of it in the Stretch Goal preview, pictured above. It’s not a great image, but if you’ve seen Glynn’s work on my other Dungeon Fantasy RPG projects, you know his attention to detail and style.

That’s just my own work…and there are currently nine other PDFs included in that $3 pledge.

The PDF Details

Again, with details provided for all 12 PDFs – one unlocking at $35,000, the other at 2,000 backers – thanks to Sean … there’s all sorts of goodness here. And because of the instructions we were given by Phil, Steven, and Sean, I’m going to say the preponderance of the material is extremely portable. I’ve omitted mine, because you’ve read it already.

GURPS Action 8: Twists

Well That Was Unexpected!

Harrowing chases, raging gunfights, EXPLOSIONS . . . GURPS Action can get wild! Yet the action genre is conservative in its way: The setting is urban or industrial, the heroes’ place in society is cosmetic, and natural laws are stretched but rarely broken – it’s real life, extra guns, hold the taxes. And like ordering the same meal every time, always sticking to a formula can get boring.

GURPS Action 8: Twists aims to shake things up. It adds back in three of the things that Action filtered out of GURPS: jobs and social standing, the exotic and the supernatural, and wilderness adventures without fancy gadgets. And it does so with the attention to simplicity and streamlining that the core volumes brought to sneaking, shooting, and driving too fast.

Sometimes, the boss wants you to come out of retirement to hunt an alien in the jungle.

GURPS Action Adventure 1: Templar’s Gold

Blast From the Past

GURPS Action is typically set in the present or relatively recent past, but there was plenty of action during the two world wars – and between them. And France was right in the middle of it all. Welcome to Paris, 1919.

GURPS Action Adventure 1: Templar’s Gold is a wild race across the devastated and dangerous Red Zone in search of Templar treasure. This pulp adventure boasts codes, conspiracies, fisticuffs, biplane chases, war-surplus weaponry, and explosions. And gold – so much gold.

Be sure to brush up on your Templar lore before you get too greedy . . .

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates

That Was No Door!

Hack ‘n’ slash fantasy is all about swiping things – and not just loot. Adventures and settings shamelessly steal artifacts, creatures, cultures, and more from any source that seems fun and vaguely compatible, which is why dungeon fantasy is often called “kitchen sink” fantasy. One of the most powerful tools for linking together disparate worlds and justifying the presence of all this unrelated stuff is the gate.

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates is a short-but-intense look at this useful plot device. It explores what gates are, how they work, how to use them in your campaign, and how to manage delvers’ interactions with them. As a bonus, it sketches out three sample destinations for such portals, offering an idea of just how weird things can get.

What, you thought you could just turn around and go home?

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 23: Twists

Delve Into the Different

Hack ‘n’ slash fantasy is “kitchen sink” fantasy. It blends wizards, dragons, and piles of gold with elements pulled from every fictional genre and even real-world history, keeping the parts about fighting and looting while discarding the rest. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is no exception, reducing all of GURPS to swords, spells, and skullduggery.

When the players crave more than slaughter and treasure, it’s time for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 23: Twists. This supplement explores giving delvers lands and titles, presenting evil as going beyond dangerous to horrific, and challenging heroes with higher-tech risks and rewards. Yet it aims not to complicate the game in the process, suggesting streamlined treatments that deliver the essentials without all the rules.

Knights need castles, evil should be scary, and sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons

Good Things, Small Packages

Sometimes you need a really quick adventure for a short game session, or to stop the gap between grander quests, or as a “test run” for new players. It’s easy enough to make stuff up, but it’s even easier to let somebody else make stuff up! That’s the idea behind GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons.

Each of these five mini-adventures offers a map keyed to brief notes on how to use it. They’re generic enough to be slotted into just about any campaign, with the GM adding whatever setup and resolution seem fitting. Yet they’re different enough to be memorable, with unique twists and challenges for the heroes to overcome.

A few extra arrows in the quiver are as handy for GMs as they are for delvers!

GURPS Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield

Cleared for Landing, but Not Cleared for [REDACTED]

Despite its celestial-sounding name, Venus Field Air Force Base is a regular, down-to-earth boneyard of discarded and near-forgotten aircraft from bygone conflicts and eras. And although it is detailed in full within a supplement entitled GURPS Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield, the Powers That Be wish to assure you that this airfield is in no way mysterious, and also that any mysterious Powers That Be are not behind (beneath?) the scenes – or, in fact, even exist.

The information herein describes five different eras – from post-WWII to today – along with adventure seeds and personnel details. The airfield is perfect for myriad cinematic GURPS campaigns: Action, Monster Hunters, Supers, Horror, and more. It also features a detailed map of the secre— that is, completely mundane, not-at-all-mysterious airfield. You have been warned.

GURPS Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds

The Nile Extends Across the Cosmos

One of the earliest civilizations, the Egyptian empire made its mark on history . . . and, indeed, histories. GURPS Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds looks at a collection of alternate Earths for the GURPS Infinite Worlds setting, each with deviations originating from ancient Egypt.

Beginning with a summary and timeline of the Ancient Egypt we all know, this supplement provides snapshots of other variants, focusing on three particularly interesting alternate timelines: one where the Pyramids are being constructed much faster and easier than expected; one where inhuman troops tap into unfathomable energies; and one where Egyptian might has progressed into steampunk glory. Each description includes Infinite Worlds stats and overviews of their histories, secrets, and challenges they present. The sand of Egypt’s past falls omnipresent through time’s hourglass, and Infinity searches for the grains of truth!

GURPS Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice

Renaissance Meets Reconnaissance!

The late Renaissance was a time of knowledge, growth . . . and espionage. This is especially true for Venezia, which retained its freedom during this period through diplomacy, intelligence, and power. Building off the foundation of GURPS Hot Spots: Renaissance Venice and also written by Hot Spots patrician Matt Riggsby, this supplement is your guide to the secrets and skullduggery behind the scenes in this milieu. Discover the dawn of espionage as an art form, join forces with agencies on various sides, and learn the methods and missions that spies might undertake. Finally, use the insight herein with various campaign ideas, ranging from the realistic to the cinematic – and perhaps beyond!

A Word from the Author, Matt Riggsby: The book on Venetian espionage is 99% systemless and portable to pretty much any low-tech setting. And the 1% that is GURPS-specific mostly involves things like skill names which are largely self-explanatory and can be easily interpreted for other game systems. It says GURPS, but it’s a reference for all gamers interested in the topic, in the fine tradition of GURPS sourcebooks.

GURPS Space Atlas: Grissom

Welcome Back to the Galaxy

Settled in the early days of space exploration, the Grissom system lost contact with those they left behind. Now, centuries later, contact has been reestablished . . . but the “Welcome Back” banner may be premature.

GURPS Space Atlas: Grissom details this long-lost locale, with information on its history, culture, and daily life, plus a planetary map of its most-important world. Discover the reasons and implications of their insistence at using “outdated” futuristic technology . . . and if you probe too insistently, you might uncover a secret that could have galactic implications. The past is back, the future holds its breath – and now is the time of Grissom!

GURPS The Green Madonna

Greed, Piracy, and the Inquisition

Who’d dream that common buccaneers drinking in a tavern would end up drawn into a treasure hunt involving spies, an obsessed inquisitor, and a secret society of alchemists? But that’s exactly what happens in GURPS The Green Madonna! And it all starts with a flaming dwarf . . .

This scenario is set in the Caribbean of the 1660s. It could be run as an extended encounter, a short adventure, or even the introduction to a whole campaign. While mostly realistic, it holds the seeds of occult mysteries, for those who want that.

The Green Madonna is a TL4 adventure for three to five 150- to 200-point heroes. Both GURPS Classic: Swashbucklers and GURPS Supporting Cast: Age of Sail Pirate Crew would be helpful, though neither is required.

How to Be a GURPS GM: High-Powered Origins

You’ve Got the Power!

The best-selling How to Be a GURPS GM describes how to make characters that work well together, as a group and part of the campaign. That supplement focused primarily on down-to-earth heroes, because they’re easier to keep under control. But what if your ambitions are mightier?

How to Be a GURPS GM: High-Powered Origins zooms in on ways to get started with your own epic campaign, including insights into what defines “high powered,” a look at appropriate genres, and various approaches to creating and cultivating GURPS characters with prodigious point totals. Discover the possibilities and pitfalls of larger-than-life heroes, including how to keep them in check and ensure the party is roughly on the same level. Starting your own legends just became easier!

Let Me Sum Up

These are great, short books, at a phenomenal price. They’re portable, tightly written, and you won’t have to wait real long for them.

Please pledge: the $3 pledge helps unlock the 2,000-backer stretch goal, so it’s every bit as important as higher pledge levels.

And if you’re curious about GURPS, some of the higher tiers contain the Dungeon Fantasy RPG boxed set. It’s pretty well known that GURPS is a toolkit; the Dungeon Fantasy RPG is a complete, tuned RPG that lets you play with a self-contained ruleset, everything you need in the box.

And if you want to  hit the ground running fast, well … Gaming Ballistic can help you with that.

Please support the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge. There’s so much good stuff in there for any game.