A new GURPS

Not an embarrassing intestinal complaint, but my RPG system of choice (well, one of them, anyway). The third edition of the game came out way back in 1986, aeons ago in RPG terms. Since then the system has accumulated massive amounts of cruft in terms of additional rules and patches from the hundreds of sourcebooks and suppliments. A new edition of the basic rules is long overdue. Today, Steve Jackson Games announced GURPS 4th Edition.

In August 2004, at GenCon, Steve Jackson Games will release GURPS Fourth Edition, starting with the two-volume Basic Set. Fans have been asking about a new edition for years, and we've always said it wouldn't happen until we could justify the change in terms of both rules and presentation. Well, we're there. Sean Punch, GURPS Line Editor for the past nine years, and David Pulver, a key contributor responsible for many of the core GURPS supplements, took two years to break the system down and rebuild it, guided by a decade and a half of gamer feedback. The new rules are designed to enhance the key strengths of GURPS: compatibility with all genres and flexibility for the GM. You'll still recognize it, but a lot of little things - and a few big ones! - are different.

The physical quality of the line will take a big jump with the Fourth Edition. All books now on the schedule (and we're scheduling three years ahead) will be hardcover, with full-color interiors. And we won't accept any art that's not gorgeous. The two Basic Set books, for instance, will have cover art by John Zeleznik, who has done a lot of our best covers over the years.

I just hope it lives up to the hype. I think it will; I only need to get another six months use out of my 1988 rulebook, which has defied all odds and refused to fall apart.