I received the digital files of the new GURPS Dungeon Fantasy box set from Steve Jackson Games last week. Dungeon Fantasy is a product that started a few years ago with an earlier version by the same name. The original Dungeon Fantasy (DF) came out 2007 (my copy is version 1.2 - August, 2008) and was released in digital format as part of the effort to expand e23, Steve Jackson Games' online digital store. The current version is the result of a kickstarter to produce a stand alone boxed game focused on fantasy dungeon delving. As such it includes an edited version of the 4th Edition rules and previous Dungeon Fantasy products with everything coordinated to present a comprehensive self contained game suitable for beginners centered around the dungeon delve. (Last year saw publication of a self-contained, GURPS powered, game-book for Terry Pratchet's Diskworld.)
The Dungeon Fantasy box set will contain five softcover books titled, Adventurers, Dungeon, Exploits, Monsters and Spells. Maps, Cardboard Heroes and dice are included. (I also received a GM screen, but that may be part of the Kickstarter.) The Adventurers book describes how to create DF characters. There are 11 template "character professions" (think traditional classes re-imagined as GURPS point buy characters) which amount to 250 point paper heroes that can be used "as is" for dungeon delving or modified in the usual point-buy system of GURPS 4th Edition. The Dungeon book contains a short (24 page) beginner adventure titled "I Smell A Rat". Dungeon - I Smell A Rat uses the Cardboard Heroes and Maps supplied in the box to provide a tactical experience which is a hallmark of combat in GURPs (and The Fantasy Trip before GURPS).
Exploits is the system rulebook for Dungeon Fantasy and the meat of the product from my perspective. In 114 pages, Exploits manages to cover the GURPs system rules needed for Fantasy Dungeon delving...with an emphasis on "needed". Exploits cuts corners and simplifies some aspects of 4th Edition in an effort to make the game beginner friendly and dungeon specific. There aren't a lot of rules for social interactions and of course all the guns, lasers, vehicles and medium to high tech stuff is left out. This is a game with pinpoint focus on dungeon delving. Combat in DF is of the hit - parry/dodge variety seen in all GURPS editions and my one reservation is that it can be slow. The use of a tactical display allows for maneuver, flanking, range and teamwork decisions on the part of the players. Armor reduces damage rather than making it harder to achieve a solid hit.
Monsters has the most evocative cover art (see above), although all the artwork is good and is focused on the dungeon subject (which I like). There are some interesting "Point of View" sections which explore how adventurers view monsters and how monsters may view the world/milieu. (I find philosophical discussions such as these interesting.) The Bestiary contains 75+ monsters, many are standard fantasy dungeon fare - goblin, Minotaur, skeleton, others are variations on monsters from traditional systems - eye of death, electric jelly, spore cloud, and some seem unique to Steve Jackson Games - as Sharak, Ciuacla', and Peshkali (fire-breathing cat-men, alien snake creature which dwells in an animated skeleton, and six-armed snake demon respectively). Monsters, along with mechanical traps and environmental hazards (falling, drowning, fire) are central components of the dungeon challenge and Dungeon Fantasy gives the referee rules to cover these.
The final book is Spells which contains the Dungeon Fantasy magic system. Magic in GURPs has always been closely tied to the skill system (basically each spell is a specialized skill) using a power point system. Spells in DF are divided among clerical, druidic and wizardly magics which are powered by sanctity, nature's strength and mana respectively. I like the fact that DF ties restoration of Fatigue Points (magic points) to locations which have high power levels such as temples, groves and mana rich locales. Consistent with the overall theme of dungeon delving, spell lists concentrate on those magics best suited to use in a dungeon milieu. Dungeon Fantasy seeks to imitate the traditional dungeon delving game experience (using a GURPS rules engine) and in keeping with this goal, exploding fireballs, healing spells and invisibility are the types of magic portrayed here.
As an introduction to the GURPS 4th Edition family of product I think Dungeon Fantasy does the job nicely. The rules as explained in Exploits are compact and seem comprehensive with respect to the dungeon environment. Some differences exist between GURPS Basic Set rules and Dungeon Fantasy, but for me that is excusable. Adventurers is an improvement over the previous version 1.2 product in terms of user friendliness. Based on the appearance of the digital copies, I am anticipating a very nice physical boxed product when it arrives. Dungeon Fantasy promises to be a complete, introductory GURPS product aimed directly at my primary interest in adventure gaming, the dungeon delve. GURPS is one of the systems which generally prides itself on being super realistic, but Dungeon Fantasy seems to dial that back some in the spirit of presenting a more accessible game. Powered by GURPS, DF offers a more tactical combat experience than many systems, but one whose basics hearken back to the simple elegance of The Fantasy Trip. Dungeon Fantasy feels like old school dungeon adventuring while rolling 3d6 to attack and casting magic point spells.
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