GURPS For Dummies

GURPS for Dummies
by Adam Griffith
For Dummies, 2006. 410 pages. Nonfiction.
If you are new to role playing games or if you are curious to try, GURPS for Dummies is a great help for creating characters, playing, and running a game. GURPS as a system is designed to be as flexible as possible, facilitating any game that players can imagine. It does this through a consistent and balanced set of what essentially constitutes the physics of the world, which players use to create characters and story lines. Because GURPS can be very math heavy in world creation, the For Dummies book is helpful to both new and experienced players who are looking to get the most of out the game.

Consistent with the For Dummies brand, GURPS takes a very conversational tone, taking pains to be simple without being condescending. I really appreciated the top ten lists (especially for the advantages section) because they offer great advice on a variety of play styles. The biggest downside is that it doesn't replace the Basic Set manual (itself a 200 page tome); it merely offers suggestions and explanations for rules. I would recommend GURPS to anyone who would like some help jumping into this great hobby or who is interested in learning more about table-top role playing in general.

JMS