The last time I got this much value for my dollar was when I bought a copy of Heavy Gear. It may not seem that way, but the book has more to it than appearances present. Allow me to explain.
GURPS Wizards is a book of character templates. They range in power and ability, but all follow the standard GURPS format. Each template focuses upon one particular type of will-worker, from Apprentice to Overlord. In between those two are all sorts of folks like Assassins, Battle Wizards and Enchanters. Strange folks also see print, like Alchemists, Martial Artists and Priests. There's also the "non-mage" mages built using psi, superpowers, ritual magic (GURPS Voodoo) and loads of theatrical skills.
Not all of them have Magery. The Druid and the Priest, for example, use Power Investiture. One uses Knacks, and one uses none at all-- the Charlatan. Each template-- save the sample-- has three additional sample character, and all of them use different settings. This means that you've got scores of NPCs ready for use, but that's not the best part of the book.
The best part is in the front, where the system for making your own templates gets the full treatment. You will return to that section again and again until the binding wears out, and after you fix that problem then you'll be back for more. They uses a generic knight as an example-- he reminds me of Parn from Record of Lodoss War-- but it is obvious to see how the process extends to any genre, any era and any premise. Those few pages alone are worth the cost of the book, and when they're coupled with the remainder of the book you will see how much you're getting for your money.
If you're a do-it-yourself gamer, I recommend this book. Even if you hate GURPS, get this book. Converting it to your prefered system will not be a problem. My only quibble is that some of the interior art rubs me the wrong way; since that's the only problem I have, I must say that SJ Games made another high-quality product.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
