Dungeon Fantasy

Dungeon Fantasy is such a complete and self-contained game. When you get into GURPS Character Assistant and have it set up correctly, you do not need to ignore any option, and no high-tech skills or gear are hanging out.

You are purely in the realm of fantasy with no distractions.

This is incredible in a game like GURPS, where you can have a billion things distracting you from dinosaurs to spaceships. You pull up a weapons list, and there are no laser pistols. You look through a skill list, and skills for repairing electronics won't distract you.

It is just fantasy and only fantasy.

I can port in advantages and other things I need from outside the game, like if I want a character to have enemies or a set of wings. Everything is mostly the same; this is a focused subset of the main GURPS rules. The downside is those advantages I like to use are not in the game, so the types of fantasy I can simulate with this set default to the dungeon-crawling genre. I appreciate the game's focus, but sometimes I want to break free and do anything I can imagine.

The game also designs ready-to-go characters excellently. The guidelines and the guided character choices you are given in Gurps Character Assistant are excellent. I tried creating the same character in GURPS + GURPS Fantasy, and the templates in Dungeon Fantasy are far better. You are guaranteed the skills and abilities necessary to play your "class" and role in the party. With basic GURPS, I found myself referring back to the Dungeon Fantasy character to ensure I had everything I needed.

The 250-point characters are a lot for new characters to handle; you have quite a few abilities and spells at your disposal. I like the "Delvers to Grow" books from Gaming Ballistic that let you start as 63 or 125-point characters, but I see why 250-points were chosen for Dungeon Fantasy.

The combat in GURPS is deadly, and if you throw characters into nonstop dungeon combat encounters, you want that first experience to be kicking down doors and taking names. Yes, these characters are powerful, and designing challenges for them is more complicated, but knowing how brutal GURPS can be, I feel the higher power level is justifiable.

Also, 250 points is an excellent place to start for solo or duo play. 125-point characters feel easier to balance for a party of four. But this is GURPS; you could start at 50 to 500 points and begin the game with the experience you want. Learning the game feels easier at lower point levels since there is less to consider and juggle, but once you are experienced with the system, knock yourself out, start with 500-point epic characters, and fight dragons on the first night.

Why play this over Pathfinder 2E or an OSR game? For me, the realistic and brutal combat is spot-on and allows plenty of tactical choices and maneuver options based on weapon type and fighting style. Shields matter, and weapon selection matters. Fighting stance, readied weapons, strength, and movement speed matter. Most of all, decisions matter, and having skill and luck can make all the difference in the world.

You do not need a room full of a dozen goblins to have challenging combat; just three or four skilled goblin fighters will make for an epic and tense battle where serious consequences may come from a few unlucky rolls or clever tactical decisions.

Also, while Pathfinder 2E allows incredible character customization, nothing comes close to GURPS and the complete freedom you have in building the character of your dreams - especially if you start pulling in the options from the main GURPS rulebooks and make incredibly unique and fun characters with a wide variety of powers and abilities.

Plus, characters from other worlds and settings can play alongside. Want a retro-future robot and an ally or enemy? It works; no robot rules are needed outside the main GURPS game (and possibly a setting book that adds options and flavor).

Dungeon Fantasy is a great set to pick up, a perfect stand-alone and 100% focused version of GURPS that delivers the classic dungeon-crawling experience through the lens of GURPS.