GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised FAQ

The GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised will be a 592-page omnibus containing the 576 pages of Characters and Campaigns, plus 27 pages of addenda (much of it in space freed by removing redundant sections). All of it has been lightly edited and laid out in two columns. It will have a new cover, new box quotes, and often different art. Despite all this, no page references or rules will change in ways that would break back-compatibility.

The Revision

Q: "Revised" worries me. Does it really, truly not change the rules in Characters and Campaigns?

A: We fixed typos and errata, added clarifications, and made tweaks for sensitivity, but we did not change how the rules work.

Q: What rules are in the addenda you mentioned?

A: The preview PDF on the book's web page will include the table of contents, but in brief: favorite new advantages, modifiers, perks, and techniques; expanded treatments of alternative abilities, Talents, disadvantages, and skills (regular and wildcard); widely used rules for equipment, such as cost factor (CF) and batteries/power cells; additional options for success and Influence rolls, physical and mental feats, extra effort, and other actions; more maneuvers, hit locations, and optional modifiers for combat; and entire systems useful on adventures, such as Assistance Rolls (AR) and Basic Abstract Difficulty (BAD). Space limits excluded multi-page advantages (like Control and Create) and additional chapter-length systems (like Ritual Path magic).

Q: You said that the addenda replaced some sections repeated between Characters and Campaigns. Will that not affect rules or page references?

A: No. One book does not need two title pages, two credits pages, two tables of contents, two introductions, and two indexes – and none of those things contain rules we refer to. Combat Lite will also go away, because while it was useful in Characters, it is redundant in a volume that contains all the rules for combat and injury.

Q: Did you revise U.S. customary units to metric while you were at it?

A: No. That would have constituted a rule change.

Q: You mentioned "sensitivity." What does that mean?

A: It means that, when referring to a group of people, we replaced outsiders' labels for them – often slurs – with terms that members of the group prefer. Where we had used terms for groups of people to refer to negative deeds, events, and situations, we found other words. And we took a firmer stance against slavery, torture, and other horrors.

Q: Why did you revise for sensitivity? Was that not a lot of work for something most people do not care about?

A: Apparently we disagree on how many people care about this in 2026. We do. We wrote it as we would write it if we were starting afresh this year. The one exception is the replacement of "he" with "they" and so on. The accumulated effect of that change would have altered too many page endings.

Physical Details

Q: Why one huge volume?

A: For the printed book, hard covers are costly; one instead of two brings down costs for everyone. For the PDF, the ability to search everything at once is a huge convenience. In both cases, less switching between books is another convenience. Finally, we wanted to offer a product that lives up to the name "Basic Set" in a single package.

Q: What kind of binding will the printed version have?

A: In technical terms, "section sewn, separate ends, square and hollow back." For those who are not experts, the important thing is that this is high-quality lay-flat binding.

Q: What kind of paper will the printed version be printed on?

A: Also in technical terms, "128gsm matte art (which is an 80-lb. paper)." What matters to ordinary readers is that this paper is durable but not bulky, ideal for color printing, and has a glare-free surface. You might be familiar with it from art books, calendars, and restaurant menus.

Q: How much will the printed version weigh?

A: We will know when the books return from the printer. Then we'll let you know!

Q: Is there any chance of a slipcase or other special version?

A: Deluxe printings – those featuring slipcases, leather covers, metal leaf, and so on – are too expensive for general production. We reserve such things for crowdfunded projects. As this will be a standard retail product, the answer is "no" for the moment.

Q: Why a new cover? And why does it depict someone reading GURPS books? Does that not lose the multi-genre message of the original "puzzle piece" cover?

A: We wanted the product to be impossible to mistake for Characters or Campaigns, so a new cover was essential. After 20+ years of Fourth Edition and 40+ years of GURPS, everyone knows that GURPS is generic, so we chose a front cover we liked, showing a gamer having fun with GURPS. And the back cover will retain the "puzzle piece" motif!

Q: Does "different art" mean new art?

A: No. The size and location of so many art spots changed that bespoke art for all of them would have increased costs for us and the price tag for you. So, we reused favorite color art from the dawn of GURPS to present.

Q: Was laying out the text in two columns instead of three without changing page references a lot of work for a cosmetic change?

A: It was a lot of work! However, it was not for cosmetic reasons, but to improve readability. It halves the number of times your eye must skip from the bottom to the top of the page while reading, it reduces the number of jarring word breaks, and it consolidates whitespace for better visual relief.

Q: Will there be any other layout differences?

A: With so much formatting (subheadings, lists, tables, etc.), two columns take up more space than three; so, to find the space to keep headings on the correct pages, we narrowed the outside page margins and made the corners of boxes a little smaller. We also made aesthetic changes: color bands that go all around the page, using a gradient to make it look more dynamic; boxes and quotes placed where they do not interrupt the flow of paragraphs; and switching quotes to align right instead of left.

Q: What are the new "box quotes" of which you speak?

A: Box quotes are quotes in large type set off in borderless boxes on the page to break up visual monotony. Traditionally, we took text for these from the pages they were on or adjacent pages. The replacement quotes clarify or summarize nearby rules, or point you to other places in this book or the GURPS library for more on the topic – all of which we think has more gaming value.

Dates and Dollars

Q: When will the printed book be available?

A: Signs now point to July 2026. We will keep you informed if that changes again!

Q: What will the printed book cost?

A: $79.95.

Q: How can customers outside the U.S.A., especially in Europe, get the printed book?

A: SJ Games works directly with EPN in the Netherlands, who handle distribution across the EU to hobby shops, book stores, all nine Amazon marketplaces, and other major online sellers. And through PSI, SJ Games sells to other distributors in the EU and the UK.

Q: When will the PDF be available?

A: PDF and physical release will be simultaneous.

Q: What will the PDF cost?

A: $49.00.

Q: Will you be selling a bundle containing the printed book and the PDF?

A: We are working on a Warehouse 23 exclusive for customers who buy the printed book and the PDF at the same time (not one now, one later), with the PDF going into your account as soon as you buy it and the book following as shipping allows. The price will be just under $100 (plus shipping). We are still ironing out the details – stay tuned!

The Future

Q: Will the Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised replace separate Characters and Campaigns volumes going forward?

A: We will continue to sell the two volumes separately through print on demand via Amazon, but once Warehouse 23 depletes its inventory, it will carry only Revised in printed form – and going forward, active support (errata, FAQs, etc.) will be for the current incarnation of the Basic Set, which will be Revised.

Q: Will future GURPS supplements refer to the Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised for the rules in the addenda?

A: If the new supplement that needs a rule in the addenda is a follow-up to the volume in which that rule appears – especially one in the same series – it will refer to the original source, as that is effectively required reading. If the new supplement needs a rule from an unrelated supplement that is not required reading, it will refer to the Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised with a standard "p. B00" reference. That way, people who play a specific kind of game will not require a long shopping list of books for a totally different type of game.

Q: Will there be a supplement containing just the addenda?

A: No. We can afford to sell the addenda as part of a big book or in multiple supplements, but not as a single, inexpensive volume that would undercut sales of those things.

Q: Will there be an equally revised version of GURPS Lite to go with this?

A: We have not created one – yet. If Revised sells well, we might consider it.

Q: Does the existence of this revision mean that we will never see GURPS Fifth Edition?

A: We dare not speculate on Fifth Edition right now, but the release of the Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised does not change the odds. If we woke up tomorrow and decided that we wanted Fifth Edition, we would still have to keep the Basic Set in print while we worked on it . . . so why not an improved version?

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