| You are not logged in. Log In | Your cart is empty. |
|
|
|
e23 currently has |
e23 Wish List for GURPSWriting for Steve Jackson Games: Getting StartedUpdated November 2, 2012Are you a writer or an aspiring writer who is familiar with GURPS Fourth Edition? Are you interested in creating short (6- to 63-page) GURPS items for digital publication? Are you confident that, handed the seed of an idea, you could grow it into a quality product on a deadline? If you answered "yes" to all three questions, then you're the kind of writer we're counting on to help us meet our commitment to support GURPS on e23. Read on . . . The wish list below describes a number of preapproved product ideas. These are items that we definitely want to publish and for which we're seeking proposals. This doesn't mean that we'll accept the first proposal that comes our way. We might act immediately if we really like a proposal – but then again, we might wait until we have several proposals and then pick the best one. All we're promising is that we'll read your proposal . . . and if your proposal looks good, we might have something to talk about! We appreciate your understanding in this matter. There are four steps to the proposal process:
Good luck! Titles and SpecificationsBelow is a list of titles that we want at this time. All of these items, in addition to the project-specific specs, must follow some general specs:
See any recent print book for examples of all of the above. Don't forget to allocate space for these things in your outline! Also bear in mind that we usually request art specs and quotations. You must describe any specific diagram or illustration indicated in the capsule description or your outline, and include all quotations you regard as vital to the project; moreover, we may send you a rough PDF with spaces in it and ask you to recommend additional art and quotations to fill the holes. Without further ado, here are the titles . . . Action (Series)Gamers love action movies . . . but GURPS sometimes feels like "too much game" for cinematic capers, chases, and shootouts. Enter GURPS Action! This series summarizes what's essential and what isn't for over-the-top modern-day thrillers, with each volume offering a bite-sized chunk of rules and stats. Action 1: Heroes is a quick-start guide to characters, while Action 2: Exploits boils down task resolution. Future installments will continue the trend. Each will tackle a single, well-defined aspect of the action genre, summarizing all the necessary crunch while paring away unnecessary complexity to give gamers ready-to-rock goodness. Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Adventures (Series)GURPS is famous as a tool-kit RPG that can handle any kind of game in any genre . . . if the GM has the time to prepare. Unfortunately, not every GM has that kind of time! The goal of these adventures is to help GMs enjoy their gaming time as playing time instead of using it all up as preparation time. Each will describe an interesting plot or set of plots, supported by lovingly crafted locations, events, and NPCs. Rounding it out will be a summary of important elements and notes on adapting the adventure to different power levels and styles of play. For complete details, see the outline linked below. Would-be writers should be aware that the goal of these adventures is to provide complete, ready-to-go scenarios that can be dropped into ongoing campaigns as side-quests or diversions. They should have enough detail to work as one-shot games, but they shouldn't depend strongly on history or locale (with the exception of Banestorm Adventures, Transhuman Space Adventures, and Traveller Adventures, which we definitely do want), or generate far-reaching outcomes that could ruin an existing campaign. It's also important to us that each adventure uses GURPS as written, showing off (not hiding!) how it works and demonstrating how a game that's often perceived as "complex" can be a load of fun. Finally, be warned that we're not looking for anything self-consciously clever or cute – just meaty challenges, mysteries, and quests that puzzle-solvers and tacticians can get into! Word Count: 10,000 to 24,000 words (12 to 29 pages). Agencies (Series)This series will describe real-world intelligence, law-enforcement, and security services (not military units) of the 20th and 21st centuries. Each installment will select one such organization and provide all the details the GM needs to use it in his campaign, be that as an employer for the PCs, a friendly rival, a background element, a shadowy cipher, or an out-and-out enemy. Important contents will include:
The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: Banestorm (Series)We are seeking supplements that support GURPS Banestorm with creatures, guilds, knightly orders, plots, towns, and just about anything else specific to the world of Yrth. These must obey the specifications for Adventures, Encounters, Foes, Locations, or Supporting Cast – as applicable – but be specific to the world of Yrth. Where Yrth canon and these other specifications don't quite line up, canon takes precedence. When in doubt, ask SJ Games. Banestorm titles that depart from canon without explicit permission from SJ Games are subject to summary rejection. Word Count: 10,000 to 53,000 words (12 to 63 pages). Disasters (Series)The Disasters series will cover horrible events ranging from local catastrophes (meltdowns, quakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, even severe industrial fires and spills) to global apocalypses (meteor strikes, pandemics, global freezing or warming, etc.). Each volume will give the GM everything he needs to know to use a particular disastrous occurrence as a mere obstacle . . . as an adventure to shake up an existing campaign . . . or even as the basis of an entire "rescue" or "survivors" campaign! Content will include:
A Disasters supplement will give the GM the information he needs to toss a disaster into his campaign and get a fair idea of what it would do to the setting, the PCs, and the current adventure. The rules and guidelines won't assume a particular time or place, but will address TL differences, since low-tech societies will have less warning and often less understanding of disasters, technology can mitigate disasters and speed recovery, and some disasters are completely TL-dependent (e.g., a continental EMP simply won't affect a medieval culture!). And because there's no denying that most disaster movies are set in the modern world, the work will briefly explore the disaster in the specific context of 20th- or 21st-century Earth, examining real-world areas that are especially at risk and recommending equipment and vehicles of special value to modern-day survivors. Sample Titles: Dungeon Fantasy (Series)Most gamers got their start playing larger-than-life fantasy heroes who smash their way into dungeons, slaughter the monsters inside, and grab the treasure. GURPS supports this kind of fantasy gaming, but it can be hard to figure out which bits and pieces are needed to do it right. The GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series summarizes what's vital and what isn't for hack-and-slash goofiness. Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers explains how to build delvers, Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons shows the GM how to set up and run adventures, and future volumes will tackle more-specialized topics – especially new character archetypes, loot, monsters, special abilities, and traps. We are also seeking Adventures titles for this series! Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Encounters (Series)Encounters are short adventures designed to be dropped into ongoing scenarios and existing campaigns. Examples include a battle in an unusual tactical situation, a broken-down vehicle with interesting passengers, a chance meeting with a powerful supernatural being who poses riddles and grants minor wishes, an opportunity to win or lose money in a contest or a bet, and a roadside market with colorful merchants and goods. The specifications are broadly identical to those for Adventures – so be sure to read those notes! – but the number of events, locations, and NPCs will be smaller. Some Encounters won't need all of those elements, of course. All Encounters will include one extra section: advice on how to recycle and reuse the encounter again and again without it being (too) obvious to the players. Word Count: 5,000 to 9,000 words (6 to 11 pages). Fantasy Folk (Series)The Fantasy Folk series will provide detailed information on individual fantasy races. Some titles will start with the racial descriptions in GURPS Fantasy Folk for Third Edition and update the stats, while others will describe all-new races . . . but all will go far beyond the two- to four-page entries seen in earlier GURPS products. A Fantasy Folk supplement should leave players dying to play a member of the featured race and GMs with all kinds of thoughts on how to use NPCs of that race as friends, neutrals, and foes. Each installment will describe:
For races found on Yrth, the material in GURPS Banestorm is considered canonical. The same goes for material in GURPS Fantasy Folk where Third Edition races are concerned. It's possible for both conditions to apply! Sample Titles: Fantasy-Tech (Series)While GURPS Low-Tech goes into extensive detail on realistic TL0-4 equipment, a lot of fantasy set at these TLs is full of impossible items that aren't realistic yet aren't precisely – or at least purely – magical. Each Fantasy-Tech catalog will offer a selection of wonders, both artifacts (improbable weapons, vehicles, etc.) and enabling technologies (such as astonishing materials and power sources). This is your chance to examine divergent (TL(x+y)) and superscience (^) tech in low-tech societies! No particular pattern is required . . . much as old-time alchemists and artificers kept haphazard journals and logs, Fantasy-Tech titles are expected to exhibit whimsy, as long as they keep the weapons with the weapons, the ships with the ships, and so on. Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Foes (Series)Every game needs bad guys. Mad scientists and ninja clans are fun, but modern-day cops, soldiers, and spies often face more down-to-earth enemies. However, while it's acceptable to name the agencies to which law and security officers belong (see Agencies) – they're funded by tax dollars, after all – it's a touchier proposition to single out less-than-legal groups as villains. For one thing, "terrorist" vs. "freedom fighter" and "cult" vs. "faithful" often comes down to point of view. For another, most such groups don't appreciate the attention! The goal of Foes is to file off the serial numbers and describe broad categories of dangerous organizations that the GM can use in his campaign. Each volume will look at one class of baddies and offer:
The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: FurriesAnthropomorphic animals (and zoomorphic people!) – often known as furries – play a major role in anime, comics, speculative fiction, and mythology. From the animal-headed gods of ancient Egypt to the "apes" of Planet of the Apes, from the original Minotaur to futuristic bioengineered beast-men, these creatures are a central feature of many genres, yet GURPS books have largely treated them as a sideshow act. Furries is intended to correct that oversight. It will give roughly equal attention to the following elements:
We shouldn't have to say this, but we will: we aren't interested in anything that veers in the "yiffy" or "furvert" direction . . . even a little. Potential authors who don't know what that means aren't at any disadvantage. Word Count: 25,000 to 39,000 words (30 to 47 pages). High-Tech (Series)GURPS High-Tech is a huge book, jam-packed with gear . . . but human ingenuity, especially in modern times, could fill an entire library! Each volume in the High-Tech series will select a field of endeavor and then expand the narrow selection of relevant hardware from GURPS High-Tech (which will be considered canonical, and reproduced in the relevant High-Tech supplements for completeness' sake) into a detailed catalog of tools for pros who work in the chosen field. It might even include a vehicle or two, presented according to the instructions under Vehicles. The aim is to give specialist PCs all the kit they need to do their jobs properly – and of course to help GMs run campaigns that focus on such PCs. The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. "Make stuff up" won't be acceptable, and would-be authors who have extensive real-life experience with the subject matter will get preferential treatment. We just might ask for a resume! Sample Titles: Hot Spots (Series)The Hot Spots series will look at Earth's history up to the present day through the eyes of both the opportunists who seek to benefit from political or social upheaval (black marketeers, bounty hunters, grifters, kingmakers, mercenaries, etc.) and the individuals tasked to keep order. Each Hot Spots supplement will visit a specific locale – which might be a city, a nation, or a general geographical region – that has major criminal, espionage, guerrilla, and/or military activity that stops short of open warfare. If the hot spot is a city, even wartime is fine, provided the focus is on city life rather than the battle at the city walls. Important elements will include:
The goal is to set up the hot spot as a major destination for adventure or even as the backdrop for an extended campaign, so the focus will be on plots and events, not game mechanics. Hot Spots volumes will remain extremely rules-light, leaving armaments, character sheets, and the like to other works. Thus, they're a good choice for experienced writers with limited GURPS rules experience. Sample Titles: Infinite Worlds (Series)The world we know today is the product of pivotal events in the past . . . but what if the outcomes of some of those events had been different? What would the world look like now? That's what the Infinite Worlds series aims to find out! Each installment will visit one or more parallel Earths where history took a different turn at a crucial "decision point" in the past and present these as timelines for use with the GURPS Infinite Worlds setting. The following details are needed for each parallel:
If the setting requires maps, then the author must provide these as well. Everything in GURPS Infinite Worlds is considered canon. Infinite Worlds titles that depart from canon without explicit permission from SJ Games are subject to summary rejection. Word Count: 10,000 to 24,000 words (12 to 29 pages). Loadouts (Series)Specialist PCs often need a lot of gear . . . but knowing what's required, and where to find it, can be tricky. Loadouts supplements will do for equipping characters what character templates do for creating them: make the exercise a simple matter of picking items off a list and writing them down on the character sheet. A Loadouts catalog will provide several sets of carefully cost- and weight-checked equipment for members of closely related professions, with "lenses" for different budgets and a variety of situations. Each will include armor, clothing, tools, weapons, and all the accessories – down to the smallest battery and last round of ammo – along with holsters, load-bearing gear, and packs to carry it all. Items will have default locations ("on belt," "in vest pocket," "in pack," etc., and even "in vehicle" and "in camp"), and the weight of common configurations will be worked out for instant access when using the encumbrance rules. The value of Low-Tech Loadouts and High-Tech Loadouts titles resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: Locations (Series)It never fails . . . if the GM has plans for Mr. X's secret hideout, the Wombat Liberation Army training compound, and the Dungeons of Doom, then the players will steer the action toward the local bus station, golf course, or blacksmith's shop. Locations aims to solve this problem by providing "generic" ready-to-use buildings and outdoor scenes that are likely to come up in play. Each installment will include:
We're also interesting in battlefields, which would be treated in much the same way but with more focus on tactical considerations such as concealment, cover, elevation, and obstacles. Whatever the nature of your location, be sure to identify the broad era and/or setting for which it's intended when you propose it: ancient Rome, generic modern day, medieval Europe, Old West, Prohibition-era America, Renaissance Europe, Tokugawa-era Japan, WWI, WWII, etc. Sample Titles: Low-Tech (Series)GURPS Low-Tech contains piles of TL0-4 equipment, and the GURPS Low-Tech Companion series piles the gear even higher. However, history is long and marked by constant innovation, meaning that the above works are necessarily overviews that offer only the most "generic" versions of most items. Each Low-Tech title will take a particular class of artifacts touched upon in these books (whose write-ups will be considered canonical, and reproduced in the relevant Low-Tech supplements for completeness' sake) and refine, interpolate, and expand to give the topic its full due. Goals include exploring the evolution of technologies within each TL, showcasing variations unique to particular cultures and regions, and offering optional detail on how this gear was used, maintained, and modified. The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. "Make stuff up" won't be acceptable, and would-be authors who have extensive academic or reenactment experience with the subject matter will get preferential treatment. If you claim such experience, be prepared to offer a publications list or other proof! Sample Titles: Magic (Series)GURPS Magic contains hundreds of spells, but wizards are always looking for – or inventing – new (or very old!) magical secrets. Each Magic volume will expand the spell list for one of the 24 canonical magical colleges defined in GURPS Magic, adding dozens of spells and spell variants. It will also present any new stats or rules those spells need. For instance, if your plans for GURPS Magic: Body Control Spells involve afflictions that aren't on pp. B428-429, then you'll need to define them . . . and if you intend to take a crack at GURPS Magic: Meta-Spells, then you'll probably want to add some detail on mana. Advice on creating casters who specialize in the college is always welcome, and may even include a small number of perks, meta-traits, spell techniques, etc. All items in this series will have a title of the form GURPS Magic: <College Name> Spells. If you can't word the title that way, then you're probably proposing something that would fit better in the Thaumatology series. Rules geeks only, please! Sample Titles: Martial Arts (Series)GURPS Martial Arts builds extensively on the combat rules in the GURPS Basic Set. Perhaps more importantly, though, it introduces the concept of fighting styles, which bring roleplaying to the battlefield by giving warriors distinctive moves, tactics, and weapon preferences. The Martial Arts series will take this idea and run with it, describing additional styles for interesting fighters, exploring the culture behind them, and examining the honor codes and lifestyles of the fighting men themselves. Each supplement will include:
We're looking for both real and invented styles. Martial Arts titles that feature real-world martial arts will be held to high standards of research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: Modern World (Series)The world we live in is an extremely complicated place. Adventurers must not only deal with a bewildering number of often-dangerous people (see Agencies and Foes), places (see Hot Spots and Locations), and things (see High-Tech and Loadouts) – they frequently have to engage in or prevent high-risk activities. The objective of the Modern World series is to look at these deeds in detail, thereby providing the final element needed to describe the modern world as a campaign setting. Each title will choose an interesting civil, corporate, criminal, military, scientific, or security activity and provide:
The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: Monster Hunters (Series)Probably the most popular flavor of urban fantasy in the late 20th century and early 21st depicts the secret war waged by brave heroes against paranormal evil lurking in the modern world. The GURPS Monster Hunters series summarizes just the parts of GURPS you need to run a campaign that pits humanity's champions – not all of them entirely human! – against everything from cultists through cryptids to outright supernatural monsters. Monster Hunters 1: Champions is a one-stop guide to heroes and powers, while Monster Hunters 2: The Mission covers how to go forth and stomp the Enemy with spells, silver bullets, and a liberal application of shoe leather. Future works will tackle new aspects of this specialized genre, offering crunch and detail without so much complexity that the mighty hunters end up paralyzed with confusion. Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Powers (Series)GURPS Powers generalizes the rules for psionics in the GURPS Basic Set to cover any kind of superhuman power imaginable. It's a powerful tool kit . . . but it requires a significant time investment to learn and use. Sometimes, the GM just needs a ready-made power with fully worked-out abilities – especially at character creation, when the lack of a canonical set of abilities can frustrate new players while giving munchkins too much freedom. The Powers series will meet this need by describing sets of related powers in extreme detail. Each supplement will include:
Rules geeks only, please! Sample Titles: Space Atlas (Series)One of the key elements of memorable space fiction – and one of the most important elements of a good space campaign – is the presence of interesting star systems for the heroes to visit as scouts, explorers, ambassadors, tourists, merchants, spies, and conquerors. Unfortunately, it's a lot of work to create a fully realized solar system with all of its planets and moons . . . the civilizations on those worlds . . . the fleets and outposts of those civilizations . . . and so on. That's where the Space Atlas series steps in! Each volume will describe a star system in enough detail that the GM could set a campaign there, yet not lose sight of the fact that in an interstellar campaign, the PCs might merely drop by from time to time. Contents will include:
We might eventually coordinate these by placing them on a star map, but this isn't an immediate priority. Watch this space for future developments! Word Count: 17,000 to 39,000 words (21 to 47 pages). Spaceships (Series)Space gaming needs spaceships, and the GURPS Spaceships series aims to deliver. Each installment will focus on a particular category of spaceships – from sexy starfighters and mighty cruisers to mundane-but-vital industrial vehicles and freighters – and offer ready-to-go spaceship stats generated using the design system in the first volume. It will also include any new components needed to do the job. Rounding this out will be rules for using all these specialized spacecraft and technologies in a science-fiction campaign. Word Count: 17,000 to 39,000 words (21 to 47 pages). Supporting Cast (Series)Named villains and large organizations (see Agencies and Foes) are great . . . but sometimes, the GM needs a small- to medium-sized group that's a bit more like a party of PCs. This can be challenging and time-consuming to pull together, because while hordes are easy – create one NPC and clone as necessary – teams require the careful crafting of very different individuals with particular roles and abilities. The Supporting Cast series assists the GM by describing generic teams that are likely to show up during adventures. Each supplement will include:
Each Supporting Cast team is a lot like a party of PCs, and could even be used as pregenerated PCs in a demo or a convention game. As such, the NPCs should be reasonably efficient, interesting characters with no abilities that would be completely unsuitable for PCs. Sample Titles: Thaumatology (Series)GURPS Thaumatology offers numerous variations on the magic rules in GURPS Magic, along with entirely new magic systems that have little or no connection to mana or spells. However, it's more tool kit than catalog, and applying its ideas can entail significant time and effort. The Thaumatology series will remedy this, giving the GM ready-to-use magic variants and putting them into context. Some volumes will consist entirely of worked rules examples, while others will demonstrate the versatility of GURPS Thaumatology through genre or setting material. Rules geeks only, please! Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Transhuman Space (Series)For greatly expanded information on the following, read the Transhuman Space Wish List. We are seeking supplements that support Transhuman Space with corporations, research teams, splinter factions, bioroids, parahumans, interesting locations, and just about anything else that fits the setting. These must obey the specifications for Adventures, Agencies, Encounters, Foes, Hot Spots, Locations, Spaceships, Supporting Cast, or Vehicles – as applicable – but be specific to the Transhuman Space setting. Where Transhuman Space canon and these other specifications don't quite agree, canon takes precedence. When in doubt, ask SJ Games. Transhuman Space titles that depart from canon without explicit permission from SJ Games are subject to summary rejection. Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Traveller (Series)We are seeking supplements that support Traveller with plots, cargoes, starports, and just about anything else that fits the setting. These must obey the specifications for Adventures, Agencies, Encounters, Foes, Hot Spots, Locations, Space Atlases, Spaceships, Supporting Cast, or Vehicles – as applicable – but be specific to the Traveller setting. Where Traveller canon and these other specifications don't quite agree, canon takes precedence. When in doubt, ask SJ Games. Traveller titles that depart from canon without explicit permission from SJ Games are subject to summary rejection. Word Count: 10,000 to 39,000 words (12 to 47 pages). Vehicles (Series)Without vehicles, how could adventurers and their foes chase each other along roads and cross-country . . . over and under water . . . through the sky . . . and out into space? Vehicles are a vital part of adventure fiction! The Vehicles series will deliver the goods. Each supplement will describe 7-15 closely related vehicles of a particular era, nation, and/or class (preferably all three). Vehicle format will be identical to that used for vehicles in GURPS High-Tech and GURPS Ultra-Tech. Stats will be assigned in line with real-world stats and with the vehicles in print books (mainly the aforementioned tech books and the GURPS Basic Set) – not calculated using the as-yet-unreleased GURPS Vehicle Design. Contents will include:
For real-world vehicles, the author should also attempt to locate photos or historical art in the public domain to illustrate the work. If the vehicles are fantastic or futuristic, the author will instead have to provide detailed art specs, and be willing and able to work closely with an artist. Sample Titles: Who's Who (Series)History's movers and shakers make great NPCs for both real-world and parallel-history campaigns. The Who's Who series will continue the tradition started by the Third Edition sourcebooks GURPS Who's Who 1 and GURPS Who's Who 2. Each Who's Who supplement will provide descriptions, character sheets (consistent with the guidelines established in the original Who's Who books, suitably updated to Fourth Edition), brief biographies, adventure seeds, and "what-ifs" (e.g., "What if they saved Hitler's brain?") for several historical figures connected by deeds, events, locale, profession . . . and preferably several of these things. Good candidates include artists, generals, inventors, reformers, scientists, spiritual leaders, and statesmen, but there are dozens of other possibilities! The value of this series resides almost entirely in the quality of the research. Prospective authors should be ready with a bibliography and be prepared to defend their knowledge of the subject matter. Sample Titles: |
