Just Play!

GURPS has a lot of theory crafting, which is natural since the game is more of a "game designer's paradise" sort of "box of Legos" that we can use to create anything we want. But this also leads to the perception that "the game is complicated" and lots of discussion on "how to make it easier." I don't think the game will ever get any more accessible, and if it does, a lot of that "box of plastic bricks" feeling will be lost.

The best thing we can do is "just play."

Don't be deterred by the perceived complexity of GURPS. With pre-gen characters, it's actually easier than 5E. Roll-low is simpler math than roll-high, and the skills are just one number plus a modifier. Combat with GURPS Lite is not only easier than 5E combat, but also faster, with better tactical options. Even 'High-level' combat in GURPS is much easier than 5E, and it won't take you 30 minutes to decide what to do. The concepts of damage and armor are straightforward. So, take a deep breath and dive in-it's not as daunting as it seems.

Most of GURPS is the theater of the mind roleplaying, with an occasional skill or self-control dice roll. It isn't much more than what any D&D streaming show does, and most of it is more straightforward without all the complicated and overlaying action types.

Where is GURPS complicated? Character design. World building. Advanced combat. Power design. Character design is the biggest sin here, but in general, new groups should be playing with 50-point characters with a few skills and less than 5 advantages and disadvantages. This is the big flaw of Dungeon Fantasy; pushing a 250-point design on new players will overwhelm them with too many choices. The templates with guided choices are great, but the game feels designed for advanced players rather than new ones.

Delvers to Grow for Dungeon Fantasy is a fantastic product. However, those books don't fix the problem that DF was designed for an experienced audience. The GURPS Basic set is a more accessible game to learn since the 50-point starter characters are more manageable for new players to use.

I love Dungeon Fantasy's tight focus, but I was overwhelmed, and it took me a lot of effort to learn the game with a 250-point starting character.

One thing that B/X does well is roll 3d6 down the line, pick a race, choose a class, get a few pieces of gear, and go. Some B/X games have you start with gear packages, and some (Dungeon Crawl Classics) start you with random gear and don't really have vast lists of equipment.

You could play a DCC-like "0-level" game in GURPS with zero-point characters and a random gear list and give players 4 points for weapon skill to start (one weapon or sword and shield split), any 1-point skill on a random chart, and a 5-point disadvantage rolled from a chart. All other skills will be their terrible defaults, and the game will be fast-paced, deadly, and hilarious, just like DCC. The characters won't be complicated either, just the default 10 in everything, and you can play with a straightforward sheet.

Want a more advanced zero-level start? Give them 15 points for skills or abilities and 15 points for disadvantages. Suddenly, your characters are more capable but a little more complex.

But the answer to making the game more popular is just to play it. This will fix the "can't find a game" problem many players have. Start a group! Stream on YouTube. Spread the word. Show people how much fun you are having. Just play.

And play it in imaginative and exciting ways.