Roleplayer #4, February 1987

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Questionnaire

Here we go with another attempt to pick your brains. We've got a very obvious ulterior motive; if we can find out exactly what you want, and then do it, we'll sell a lot more games . . .
Please return this questionnaire, or a photocopy, to Steve Jackson Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760, as soon as convenient.

#### GURPS WORLDBOOK CONTENTS

Our most important GURPS supplement is the "worldbook," describing a specific sort of game-world or setting. Which of the elements below do you think is important in a worldbook? Rate on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is necessary and 5 is trivial (or objectionable).
____New skills appropriate to the game-world
____New advantages and disadvantages appropriate to the game-world
____New weapons and gadgets
____Complete (short) gamemastered group adventure
____Complete (short) solo adventure
____Brief adventure ideas or outlines
____Genre-specific rules sections (e.g., autoduelling in Autoduel)
____Histories, timelines, etc.
____General background and "local color"
____Detailed NPCs with full character sheets
____Detailed NPCs (text description only)
____Lots of short text descriptions of NPCs
____Detailed table of contents in front of book
____Detailed index at back of book
____ Short index at back of book
____Illustrations
____Color maps
____Large-scale maps
____Battle maps
____Notes and suggestions for GMs
____Repetition of already-published material appropriate to this book.
____List of credits and playtesters

#### SHOULD WE REPEAT THINGS?
SHOULD WE REPEAT THINGS?

How do you feel about repetition of rules and systems between books? For instance, Autoduel contains rules for automatic pistols; some of these will probably be repeated in Illuminati, and they would all have to be repeated in detail in High-Tech. The advantage is that you don't have to buy all the books if you don't want to. The disadvantage is that, if you do buy all the books, you have repetition. Then again, some people find this convenient! Tell us what you want -- please check only one:
____Don't repeat anything -- cross-reference between books, instead.
____Repeat only if absolutely necessary, and there better not be much.
____Go ahead and repeat rules where it seems worthwhile to make each book complete in itself.
____Repeat all you want; it helps me find things.

#### HOW MUCH OF YOUR MONEY CAN WE GET?

We like to do big books, because we're buggy on completeness. But both the Fantasy and Autoduel worldbooks had to be trimmed down somewhat from their original manuscripts, to fit a $9.95 price point. And we could have written a lot more! Assuming that we always pack as much as we can into a given page count, what is the most you would think a reasonable price for a worldbook? Please check only one.
____Under $9.95 -- I couldn't afford the ones you already published.
____$9.95 is right -- no more. (This basically gets you 80 to 96 pages.)
____$11.95 (this probably gets you around 112 pages, maybe 120)
____$14.95 (maybe as much as 160 pages)
____Over $14.95 (who knows what we could do?)

#### SHOULD IT BE IN A BOX?

Some publishers put "worldbook" type products, or large adventures, into a box with extra goodies. Needless to say, this raises the price. Assuming that nothing is actual junk, which of the following would you like enough to pay extra for in a boxed set? Check as many as you like.
____Separate gamemastered adventure(s)
____Separate solo adventure(s)
____Cute clues and "artifacts" for an adventure
____Color world maps
____Battle maps
____Cardboard Heroes miniature figures
____Extra character sheets (NPCs, PCs, or both)
____Separate book of GM hints and information
____Separate book of charts, tables, equipment, etc.
____None of the above! Stick with booklets.

#### EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE FANTASY

What would you like to see in the way of fantasy adventures and supplements for GURPS? List these on the 1-5 scale as above, with 1 being high and 5 being low.
____Material set in the world of Yrth, described in the Fantasy book
____Material set in other fantasy worlds -- whatever the authors invent
____Licensed material from classic fantasy fiction
____Generic fantasy material that could be set in any of the above?
____Mythology (e.g., Greek / Roman heroes and gods; American Indian; etc.)
____Other:____________
Which would you rather see, of the following choices? Please check one:
____All GURPS fantasy material set in the same world/background
____Most fantasy material set in one world/ background, with occasional interesting digressions
____A wide variety of material in different backgrounds

#### BRINGING LIGHT TO THE HEATHEN

How do you get your friends to learn GURPS? Check all that seem appropriate . . .
____Nag them until they play
____Bribe them
____I have so much fun they beg to play
____Blackmail
____I'm such a great GM they beg to play
____I give them the game as a present
____They play what I tell them to
Why do you fill out snoopy questionnaires? Check as many as you like.
____I don't.
____I do, but I lie a lot.
____Mommy told me to be polite.
____I like getting newsletters.
____I like having input on the things you publish.
____The Illuminati told me to.
How many game conventions (approximately) do you attend each year?
____
Where did you first hear about GURPS? Check one.
____Space Gamer
____Roleplayer
____From a friend
____Saw it at a store
____The SJ Games catalog
____A magazine ad
____At a convention
Why did you buy GURPS? Check more than one, if necessary.
____I didn't; I'm playing with somebody else's copy.
____I played it with a friend and liked it.
____I believed your advertising.
____I saw it demonstrated at a convention.
____I liked Man to Man and wanted the whole system.
____I spent $40 on copying fees rather than buy a set.
____I buy anything you publish.
____I buy anything that anybody publishes.
____Idle whim.
____I got it as a gift.
____My memory of that day is a blank.
____You're not cleared for that.
____I was dissatisfied with the other RPGs on the market.
____Other:________
____Other other:________

#### HOW ARE WE DOING SO FAR?

Please rate each of the following products on the good old 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is Nirvana and 5 is the pits. We're looking for feedback on our performance, not on the underlying concepts, so please rate only the ones you have actually read and/or played.
____GURPS Basic Set
____Man to Man
____Orcslayer
____GURPS Fantasy
____GURPS Autoduel
____Roleplayer
(Back to Roleplayer #4 Table of Contents)