Ooo, Scary!
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Ooo, Scary!
That isn't just a goofy way to say, "Happy Halloween!" October was a busy month for the SJ Games crew. We were stretched so thin that the fear of something slipping through the cracks was disturbingly real. That might not seem scary to you, but for those of us who work in the publishing business, sending errors to print and missing deadlines are true nightmares. So, what does all of that mean for GURPS?
Recent Releases
For one thing, after a couple of months without new GURPS, we got this out the door:
GURPS Infinite Worlds: Gotterdammerung (October 30, 2025; PDF)
This setting in the GURPS Infinite Worlds series brings you supers . . . but not as you know them. These ones are living reality shards who emerged from the collision of multiple timelines. They are closer to pulp and noir heroes than to costumed crusaders, with abilities from story and myth, not from mutations and radiation accidents. And their world suits them, being a place where great people have redrawn the map – a map that features Atlantis, the City of Brass, the Shaolin Monastery, and many other destinations that exist even when they shouldn't and live up to legends that couldn't possibly be true.
GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised
While he was at Gamehole Con, Steve kind of, sort of revealed the identity of the Sekrit Projekt that has been distracting me since June: the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised. About three seconds later, a forums thread popped up, bursting with speculation.
I cannot tell you everything yet, least of all the release date or the price, but I can say that this will NOT be the GURPS Basic Set, Fifth Edition, meaning that it will NOT overhaul rules in any significant way. Indeed, two of its key features will be: (1) no rules changes except for errata fixes (as in a new printing) and some minor rewording for clarity (mainly to address FAQs), and (2) no major rearrangement of content, in order to preserve all "p. 00" references within it and "p. B00" references across 21 years of Fourth Edition publications. We do not want Fourth Classic vs. Fourth Revised wars!
Which is not to say that nothing will change.
Most important, this will be an omnibus volume that combines Characters and Campaigns within a single (new!) cover, with 16 more pages – all of it in easier-to-read two-column layout. The extra pages plus those from eliminating duplicate title pages, credits pages, tables of contents, indexes, etc. will let us add 27 pages of best-of and popular rules from 21 years of supplements and Pyramid articles. As for existing material, in addition to errata and clarity fixes, we've done a sensitivity edit, replaced nearly all of the filler pull quotes with informative rules tips, and switched up a lot of the art.
When I know more, so will you!
Upcoming Plans
Onward to further speculation! Our 2026 schedule is shaping up, but I cannot promise dates in most cases. Where I do give a sense of "when," please remember than the end of a month or a year is as likely as the beginning, and that freelancers, staff, computers, etc. aren't immune to random setbacks. What I can guarantee is that all mentions of stages in our process are 100% accurate as I write this.
- David Pulver's GURPS Guns is slated for November, and I have no reason to suspect that it will slip.
- Written, revised, edited, and sent to production for near-certain 2026 release – in roughly this order – are my GURPS Power-Ups 11: Roll Your Own Skills, GURPS Template Toolkit 5, remaining Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game adventure, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 24, and GURPS Action 10; Phil Masters's GURPS Magical Styles: Modern Magic; my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 6; and finally Nathan M.M. Meluvor's GURPS Martial Arts: The Bolognese School.
- The GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised will definitely hit shops in 2026. It is in prepress right now, but as a physical book, scheduling depends on printing and shipping in "interesting times," so I cannot be more specific as yet.
- The production-ready version of GURPS Ring of Fire, compiled and edited by Bill Stoddard, is expected before winter and might get a priority slot in 2026 . . . I cannot give more details on that, either.
- Anders Starmark's GURPS Fantasy Folk: Fishfolk awaits production and might make the cut for 2026.
- My edit of Thomas Pugh's GURPS Banestorm: Whispers of Tohrent is on pause while I devote most of my energy to the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised . . . so it will almost certainly be a 2027 baby, as will everything after it on this list.
- John Shimmin's GURPS Locations: Institute of Metaphysics Library and Matt Wehmeier's GURPS Infinite Worlds: Psionics hold the second and third positions in the race for my editorial attention.
- GURPS Hot Spots: Victorian London is through playtesting and with Alden Loveshade to create the final draft in the next month or so.
Beyond that are six Sekrit Projekts, including a first draft that awaits review and two projects in active writing. For interim reports on all of this, follow the GURPS thread in my DreamWidth, updated Fridays.
Join Us! Join Us!
Given all of the above, we cannot promise rapid turnaround on queries or proposals in what's left of 2025 or even in the first half of 2026. Sorry! Still, if you're interested in a 12- or 21-page, rules-light item on the Warehouse 23 Digital Wish List (updated May 5, 2025) and Warehouse 23 Wish List for GURPS (updated May 5, 2025), don't despair. You have months and months to brush up on the Freelancer FAQ, Submission Guidelines, GURPS formatting guide, and GURPS WYSIWYG template, and then to craft your pitch.