Discworld Roleplaying Game 2E (2016) [+]
Oct 26 2020
The second edition of Discworld Roleplaying Game uses GURPS 4th Edition rules. It's 400 pages and I have a nice hardcover version. It's a standalone RPG using a light-ish version of GURPS Lite, though those rules are smoothly integrated into the main text rather than being an appendix.
Table of Contents
The magic system deserves call out since it's not standard GURPS. There are eight magical forms and each has a skill. Casting is improvisational and doing extra effects costs more magic points (which you can make up with skill penalties) and each form includes sample applications and spells. Witches have two or three of the magical forms but can do some really big spells if they take advantage of narrative.
I think the basics of the magic system are in GURPS Thaumatology but this is a more worked-up example. I don't think I've read the first edition Discworld RPG rules but taking a glance the magic system is basically standard GURPS reskinned with Discworld names. Second edition is a more suitable magic system.
The last chapter is nice because I never know what to run in an established literary setting. Here we get a few pages of a pirate/espionage location, the Brown Islands (an island group between Agatea and Ankh-Morpork and a way-station for ships). There are also a couple of 2-page locales and ideas, one an Arabian-esque city and another taking advantage of Four-Ecks' Australian Mad Max feel.
Overall it's a nice one-book RPG based on Discworld with lots of lots of organized Discworld lore.
Table of Contents
- On the Back of Four Elephants - History and general geography
- Making Characters
- Nonhumans and Occupational Templates
- Going Shopping
- Doing Stuff - How to resolve tasks, do combat and wield magic
- Life and Lands - More in-depth on races and locations
- "Welcome to Ankh-Morpork" - Really nice section detailing the main city of Discworld
- The Supernatural Side - Witches and Unseen University
- "Suicidally gloomy when sober, homicidally insane when drunk" - Discworld characters written up as NPCs
- Beware Ambiguous Puzuma - Animals
- Bad Food, No Sleep, and Strange People - Running a campaign and a sample scenario
The magic system deserves call out since it's not standard GURPS. There are eight magical forms and each has a skill. Casting is improvisational and doing extra effects costs more magic points (which you can make up with skill penalties) and each form includes sample applications and spells. Witches have two or three of the magical forms but can do some really big spells if they take advantage of narrative.
I think the basics of the magic system are in GURPS Thaumatology but this is a more worked-up example. I don't think I've read the first edition Discworld RPG rules but taking a glance the magic system is basically standard GURPS reskinned with Discworld names. Second edition is a more suitable magic system.
The last chapter is nice because I never know what to run in an established literary setting. Here we get a few pages of a pirate/espionage location, the Brown Islands (an island group between Agatea and Ankh-Morpork and a way-station for ships). There are also a couple of 2-page locales and ideas, one an Arabian-esque city and another taking advantage of Four-Ecks' Australian Mad Max feel.
Overall it's a nice one-book RPG based on Discworld with lots of lots of organized Discworld lore.