The Inside Scoop on Gaming

GURPS Lite is a condensed version of the GURPS rules, allowing one to play GURPS books without the Basic set. It was written to be included in GURPS Discworld, but was also released on the web for free on their website, and can be printed and distributed freely (non-profit, of course).

I am reviewing this book as a stand-alone web document, instead of as part of GURPS Discworld. As such, they compressed the basic GURPS rules into 32 pages cleanly. With Sean Punch's consise writing, everything necessary to play GURPS is in this book. From the Basic book, advanced combat, the adventures and psionics were left out. Magic was left in, probably because of Discworld. However, in the 2 pages it gets, there are Fireball, Sleep, and Heal spells, and their prerequisites. For any variety in magic, GURPS Basic or GURPS Magic is going to have to be bought.

This book includes material from Compendium I, as well as GURPS Basic. For those who only own Basic, it is worth your time to download Lite just to look over advantages like Daredevil.

One of the main uses for this book is to introduce new players. 32 pages is much less intimidating then another 256 page rulebook. A full human character can be created without other books, as long as it doesn't use special powers (manuevers, magic, psionics, cyberrunning, super powers, ect.) Even if it does use one of those, it will be much easier on the new player to present them with Lite and the extra material than everything.

For any one looking for material to add to a game, this allows you to pick up a GURPS book for new material and understand most of the referenced rules. For example, if you are intrested in time travel, GURPS Lite will allow you to buy GURPS Time Travel, an almost encyclopedic guide to roleplaying time travel, and apply it to whatever system you chose to play, with full understanding of the GURPS rules. (Of course, Steve Jackson Games is betting that after you have this, you'll like it so much that you'll go back and buy Basic and Compendium I.)

Of course, it has its minor problems. In getting the basic rules into 32 pages, it was written very tersely and printed in a very compressed style. Skills get about one or two lines of description each, leaving a lot of interpretation up to the game master. The two pages on magic are close to worthless with the number of spells available. I would have much prefered two pages on psionics, as it could have be done much better in the limited space. (As I mentioned above, magic got added instead of psionics because of Discworld.)

GURPS for free! A wonderful game offered in compressed form to everyone. If you have GURPS, check out the concise version, and consider who you could entice to play using it. If you don't play GURPS, consider this your opportunity to check out one of their supplements without having to buy the basic books. Or just use it to translate some of the material on the web. Excellent game, decent format, excellent price.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Lite
Author: Sean Punch Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: $0 Page count: 32 Capsule Review by David Starner on 06/21/98. Genre tags: none	GURPS Lite is a condensed version of the GURPS rules, allowing one to play GURPS books without the Basic set. It was written to be included in GURPS Discworld, but was also released on the web for free on their website, and can be printed and distributed freely (non-profit, of course). I am reviewing this book as a stand-alone web document, instead of as part of GURPS Discworld. As such, they compressed the basic GURPS rules into 32 pages cleanly. With Sean Punch's consise writing, everything necessary to play GURPS is in this book. From the Basic book, advanced combat, the adventures and psionics were left out. Magic was left in, probably because of Discworld. However, in the 2 pages it gets, there are Fireball, Sleep, and Heal spells, and their prerequisites. For any variety in magic, GURPS Basic or GURPS Magic is going to have to be bought. This book includes material from Compendium I, as well as GURPS Basic. For those who only own Basic, it is worth your time to download Lite just to look over advantages like Daredevil. One of the main uses for this book is to introduce new players. 32 pages is much less intimidating then another 256 page rulebook. A full human character can be created without other books, as long as it doesn't use special powers (manuevers, magic, psionics, cyberrunning, super powers, ect.) Even if it does use one of those, it will be much easier on the new player to present them with Lite and the extra material than everything. For any one looking for material to add to a game, this allows you to pick up a GURPS book for new material and understand most of the referenced rules. For example, if you are intrested in time travel, GURPS Lite will allow you to buy GURPS Time Travel, an almost encyclopedic guide to roleplaying time travel, and apply it to whatever system you chose to play, with full understanding of the GURPS rules. (Of course, Steve Jackson Games is betting that after you have this, you'll like it so much that you'll go back and buy Basic and Compendium I.) Of course, it has its minor problems. In getting the basic rules into 32 pages, it was written very tersely and printed in a very compressed style. Skills get about one or two lines of description each, leaving a lot of interpretation up to the game master. The two pages on magic are close to worthless with the number of spells available. I would have much prefered two pages on psionics, as it could have be done much better in the limited space. (As I mentioned above, magic got added instead of psionics because of Discworld.) GURPS for free! A wonderful game offered in compressed form to everyone. If you have GURPS, check out the concise version, and consider who you could entice to play using it. If you don't play GURPS, consider this your opportunity to check out one of their supplements without having to buy the basic books. Or just use it to translate some of the material on the web. Excellent game, decent format, excellent price. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)