$100 Dungeon Fantasy RPG Recommendation
May 30 2023
My previous $100 GURPS Recommendation was designed for someone who had D&D/AD&D modules and wanted to run them in GURPS.
This time we try an all GURPS solution. Fortunately/Unfortunately Dungeon Fantasy RPG is still the best and cheapest full GURPS core rules product, albeit stripped of non-fantasy gaming material and somewhat simplified in other areas to keep page count down.
Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game ($40 PDF)
For Steve Jackson Games they have adventures (no campaigns) either individual or as part of companions so not very cost effective. I turn to Gaming Ballistic and even though their books are more expensive you get so much more material for the price.
Hall of Judgment (Second Edition) ($24 PDF)
This 132-page adventure includes description of a region and a city and encounters to the Hall and a few small dungeon locations. Plus monsters and sample characters.
The Citadel at Nordvorn ($24 PDF)
This 132-page setting book describes a bigger region of which Hall of Judgement adventure is part of. It is a Nordic-themed area and we get cities, peoples, customs, rivalries and subplot materials where you could kind of make it into a sandbox campaign, although without dungeons or encounter locations.
The Dragons of Rosgarth ($23 PDF)
This is a 112-page adventure. City and inhabitants is about 40 pages. Adventure is about 45 pages -- stop a dragon who is raising an army to conquer the city. 20 page bestiary.
Forest's End ($21 PDF)
A 96-page adventure with the typical Gaming Ballistic mixture of location and peoples, monsters, and one to three smallish dungeons along with a plot to tie everything in. Plot: a frontier town is planning a celebration but the nearby dragonkin plan to attack during the celebration.
The Crypt of Krysuvik ($14 PDF)
A 44-page hex area with two crypts (small dungeons) to explore for 125-point characters (i.e. half the standard 250-point starting DFRPG PC). It does come with six pre-generated 125-point PCs.
Unfortunately that's way over budget and even Gaming Ballistic's Nordlond Adventure Bundle (all five of the above for $70) breaks the budget.
Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game ($40 PDF)
Hall of Judgment (Second Edition) ($24 PDF)
The Citadel at Nordvorn ($24 PDF)
Against the Rat-Men ($7 PDF)
Hall of Judgment is meant to a new group of PCs from a small town. Nordvorn is a bigger town the PCs can visit and get involved in local politics. Against the Rat-Men is the sequel to the DFRPG intro adventure and both can be place din Nordvorn maybe with a few changes in monsters. (Against the Rat-Men is part of Dungeon Fantasy Companion [$16 PDF] but I'm not really into more traps and magic items, the other two mini-supplements that make up DF Companion.)
Sadly this feels like a few months worth of gaming rather than a year or two or more with my other recommendations.
This time we try an all GURPS solution. Fortunately/Unfortunately Dungeon Fantasy RPG is still the best and cheapest full GURPS core rules product, albeit stripped of non-fantasy gaming material and somewhat simplified in other areas to keep page count down.
Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game ($40 PDF)
For Steve Jackson Games they have adventures (no campaigns) either individual or as part of companions so not very cost effective. I turn to Gaming Ballistic and even though their books are more expensive you get so much more material for the price.
Hall of Judgment (Second Edition) ($24 PDF)
This 132-page adventure includes description of a region and a city and encounters to the Hall and a few small dungeon locations. Plus monsters and sample characters.
The Citadel at Nordvorn ($24 PDF)
This 132-page setting book describes a bigger region of which Hall of Judgement adventure is part of. It is a Nordic-themed area and we get cities, peoples, customs, rivalries and subplot materials where you could kind of make it into a sandbox campaign, although without dungeons or encounter locations.
The Dragons of Rosgarth ($23 PDF)
This is a 112-page adventure. City and inhabitants is about 40 pages. Adventure is about 45 pages -- stop a dragon who is raising an army to conquer the city. 20 page bestiary.
Forest's End ($21 PDF)
A 96-page adventure with the typical Gaming Ballistic mixture of location and peoples, monsters, and one to three smallish dungeons along with a plot to tie everything in. Plot: a frontier town is planning a celebration but the nearby dragonkin plan to attack during the celebration.
The Crypt of Krysuvik ($14 PDF)
A 44-page hex area with two crypts (small dungeons) to explore for 125-point characters (i.e. half the standard 250-point starting DFRPG PC). It does come with six pre-generated 125-point PCs.
Unfortunately that's way over budget and even Gaming Ballistic's Nordlond Adventure Bundle (all five of the above for $70) breaks the budget.
Recommendation
Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game ($40 PDF)
Hall of Judgment (Second Edition) ($24 PDF)
The Citadel at Nordvorn ($24 PDF)
Against the Rat-Men ($7 PDF)
Hall of Judgment is meant to a new group of PCs from a small town. Nordvorn is a bigger town the PCs can visit and get involved in local politics. Against the Rat-Men is the sequel to the DFRPG intro adventure and both can be place din Nordvorn maybe with a few changes in monsters. (Against the Rat-Men is part of Dungeon Fantasy Companion [$16 PDF] but I'm not really into more traps and magic items, the other two mini-supplements that make up DF Companion.)
Sadly this feels like a few months worth of gaming rather than a year or two or more with my other recommendations.