Steve Jackson Games
SKU: SJG37-0333
Membership Hath Its Privileges
Delvers need civilization in the sense that without it, selling loot, collecting rewards, buying better gear, and scoring lucrative quests would be difficult. On the other hand, paying taxes, obeying petty laws, and kowtowing to your "betters" . . . well, those aspects aren't so appealing. While even the toughest heroes rarely go it alone, savvy ones would sooner take their chances with crude, bloodthirsty, but well-armed peers than settle down and trust Somebody Else to deal with the monsters outside (and often inside) the city walls.
Yet clever adventurers also know it's foolish not to exploit every possible advantage in their pursuit of wealth, power, and glory. Organized society isn't always polite society, after all, and some organizations are downright useful to treasure-hunters and monster-slayers – whether as sources of employment and gold or as providers of training, equipment, and supernatural support. Such groups are the subject of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds, which covers:
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Assistance. Sign on temporarily or join up permanently to reap benefits that range from a place to stay in town, through maps and supplies for your next mission, to a handy mob of spear-carrying thugs – and beyond, to magical augury, blessings, and power-item recharges.
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Social Clout. Civilization can be as unforgiving as dungeons and wastelands to those without Claim to Hospitality, Rank, Reputation, Status, or Tenure. These power-ups get short shrift in Dungeon Fantasy, but they pack a lot of bang for the buck for the fortune-seeker who thinks big!
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Organizations. Not just guilds per se, but also tribes, armies, temples, crime syndicates, secret conspiracies, and more. Learn who they are, what you can do for them, and what they can do for you.
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And more! Including secret languages and funky titles for guild members, concrete details on geographical scope, and plenty of advice on how to use all these concepts in Dungeon Fantasy.
Whether you're the GM of a Dungeon Fantasy campaign where society is more than an abstraction or the player of the next Grand Master of the Wizards' Guild, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds has something to offer. Not every adventure ends when the heroes return to civilization!
Written by Matt Riggsby
