GURPS Genre Guide

GURPSGEN GURPS GENRE GUIDE
Most genres have several sub-genres. Assume that all recommendations and suggestions from the main genre also apply to its sub-genres.
These recommendations assume you are using the GURPS 4th Edition Rules and only suggest 3rd Edition books for background material, genre advice, and inspiration.
Pyramid articles list the volume and issue divided by a slash e.g. (3/5) indicates volume 3, issue 5. Pyramid Volume 2 isn’t divided into issues and is simply indicated with a ‘2’. BoP1 and BoP2 are Best of Pyramid Volume 1 and 2, respectively.

ACTION
Fast-paced excitement, with plenty of chases and probably some explosions.
Inspirational fiction: Dirty Harry, James Bond, and Jason Bourne films.
Required books: Basic Set.
Recommended books: Action 1-2, High-Tech.
Suggested books: Action 3-6, Martial Arts, Power-Ups 5.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Alternate Guns Specialties and Techniques (3/65), Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously (3/44), Survivable Guns (3/44).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Chase Cards (3/23), Hot Rides! (3/40), I’ve Got a Great Idea (3/53), Monster Hunter Firepower at the Movies (3/31), Opus Longa, Pugna Brevis (3/120), The Football (3/112).
Recommended optional rules: Chases (Action 2), Falls (Action 2), Simplified Range (Action 2).

Beefcake Blockbuster
1980s action movie style, featuring heavily muscled cops and ex-military men.
Inspirational fiction: Commando, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Rambo.
Recommended books: Gun-Fu.
Suggested books: Action 7, Power-Ups 7.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Horde Ninja (3/70), The Compleat Jumpsuit (3/67), The Thrill of the Chase (3/112).
Recommended optional rules: Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Cinematic Explosions (Basic Set), Cinematic Knockback (Basic Set), Cross-Trained (Gun-Fu), Dumb Mooks (Action 2), Flesh Wounds (Basic Set), Flimsy Cover (Gun-Fu), Infinite Ammunition (Basic Set).
Suggested optional rules: Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy (Martial Arts).

Choppy-Socky
Focused on unarmed combat, either tournaments or street-fighting criminals.
Inspirational fiction: Enter the Dragon, Kung-Fu Hustle, The Karate Kid.
Suggested books: Martial Arts: Technical Grappling.
Suggested Pyramid articles: A New Take on Grappling (3/34), Coming to Grips With Realism (3/61), Delayed Gratification (3/52), Horde Ninja (3/70), Takedown Sequences (3/61).
Recommended optional rules: Melee Etiquette (Basic Set), TV Action Violence (Basic Set). Suggested optional rules: Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Unarmed Etiquette (Martial Arts).

Cliffhangers
Two-fisted action in the early 20th century.
Inspirational fiction: Doc Savage, Indiana Jones.
Recommended books: Cliffhangers (3rd Edition), High-Tech: Pulp Guns 1-2.
Suggested books: Power-Ups 7.
Recommended optional rules: Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Flesh Wounds (Basic Set), Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy (Martial Arts), TV Action Violence (Basic Set).

Disaster!
A natural or man-made hazard provides the main threat.
Suggested books: Disasters: Hurricane, Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout, Underground Adventures, Y2K (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: GURPS Fathom Five (3/26). Suggested Pyramid articles: Things Fall Apart (3/40).

Heist
Daring criminals try to get away with their loot.
Inspirational fiction: Heat, Public Enemies.
Suggested books: Social Engineering, Social Engineering: Keeping in Contact.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Dealing with the Law (3/53), Fortunately, I Saw This Coming (4/53), Safes and How to Open Them (3/47), The Civil Arts in GURPS (3/54), The Thrill of the Chase (3/112).

Heroic Bloodshed
Modern gangsters and hit-men settle things with stylized gunplay.
Inspirational fiction: Hard Boiled, John Wick, Leon: the Professional, Shoot ʼEm Up.
Recommended books: Gun-Fu.
Suggested Pyramid articles: The Thrill of the Chase (3/112).
Recommended optional rules: Bullet Time (Martial Arts), Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Cinematic Knockback (Basic Set), Cross-Trained (Gun-Fu), Dumb Mooks (Action 2), Flimsy Cover (GunFu), Infinite Ammunition (Basic Set), Pants-Positive Safety (Gun-Fu), The Contest of Wills (Martial Arts).

Tactical Operations
Elite soldiers, law enforcement, and intelligence agents battle gangsters, guerrillas, and terrorists with realistic tactics and dangers.
Inspirational fiction: American Sniper, Black Hawk Down.
Recommended books: Tactical Shooting.
Suggested books: Cops (3rd Edition), Covert Ops (3rd Edition), SEALs in Vietnam, Special Ops (3rd Edition), SWAT (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Black Gemini (3/112), Dodge This (3/57), Hell on Wheels (3/53), Marine Protector and Dolphin (3/93), On Target (3/77), Realistic Injury, Expanded (3/100), Tigerphobia (3/67).
Suggested optional rules: Bleeding (Basic Set), Realistic Injury (Martial Arts).

DETECTIVE DRAMA
Investigation of crimes, by professional or amateur sleuths, often in historical settings.
Inspirational fiction: Phillip Marlowe, Poirot, Miss. Marple, Sherlock Holmes.
Required books: Basic Set or Lite.
Recommended books: High-Tech, Mysteries.
Suggested books: Cliffhangers (3rd Edition), Cops (3rd Edition), Social Engineering, Social Engineering: Keeping in Contact.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously (3/44).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Adventurous Occupations: Journalist (2), Human, Flawed (3/42), Penguin Dreams (3/59).

FANTASY
Magical adventures in other worlds.
Inspirational fiction: Lord of the Rings, Lyonesse.
Required books: Basic Set.
Recommended books: Fantasy, Low-Tech, Magic, Thaumatology.
Suggested books: Dragons, Low-Tech Companion 2, Martial Arts, Powers, Religion (3rd Edition), Spirits (3rd Edition), Vehicles: Transports of Fantasy.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Art of Prophecy (3/38), Blessed Be (3/78), Cursed Thou Art (3/78), Languages, Culture, and the Common Tongue (3/16), Spirits in Everyday Life (3/41), The Material Difference (3/66).
Suggested Pyramid articles: A Killing Breath (3/33), Al-Phasmaq, the City of Ships (3/116), Ars
Metallica (3/68), Codex Duello (3/91), Eight Artifacts (3/82), Festivals of the Unknown (3/58), Glass Magic and the Speculari (3/114), Instruments of Enchantment (3/82), It’s Pure Chemistry! (3/28), Low-Tech Armor Design (3/52), Magnum Opus (3/109), Names Have Power (3/114), Signs and Portents (2), Ten Tweaks to Customize Combat (3/34), The Big Box Magic Store (2), The Teramancers (3/109), The Thaumaturgy of Metallurgy (3/91), The Village Green (3/95).

Dark Fantasy
Gloomy stories which combine fantasy and horror elements.
Inspirational fiction: The Black Company, Zothique.
Recommended books: Horror.
Suggested books: Banestorm: Abydos, Locations: Hellsgate, Magic: Death Spells, Myth (3rd Edition), Undead (3rd Edition), Zombies, Zombies: Day One.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Altus Brat (3/81), Bell, Book, and Candle (3/81), Cruel and Unusual
(3/9), Dark Alchemy (3/91), How Very Tempting (3/67), Indian Ghouls (3/92), May the Shadows
Guide You (3/47), Necromantic Tools (3/1), Safe as Houses (3/58), The Bottomless Pit (1/7, BoP2), The Children of the Coming Darkness (3/41), The Gryndel Menace (3/80), The Sin Eaters (3/19), The Tome of the Black Island (3/91).
Recommended optional rules: Power Corrupts (Horror).

DUNGEON FANTASY
This pastiche of Dungeons and Dragons comes in two varieties. Players new to GURPS are recommended to start with the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, which includes only the rules needed. If you want to expand from there, material from the main GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line is easily integrated into existing campaigns.
DUNGEON FANTASY ROLEPLAYING GAME
Required books: Adventurers, Exploits, Monsters, Spells.
Recommended books: Magic Items, Monsters 2, Traps.
Suggested books: Companion 2, Magic Items 2, Dungeon: Against the Rat-Men.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Quick Equipment Kits (3/106).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Deathtraps (3/106), Five Easy Pieces (3/113), Grave of the Pirate Queen (3/98), Heroic Background Generator (3/104), Istvan’s Hole (3/118), It’s an Encounter!
(3/118), It’s a Quest! (3/104), Monster Modding (3/108), More Mythic & Magical Monsters
(3/108), The Hand of the Demon (3/108), The Mage Hunter (3/109), The Monstrous Monstorum (3/98), The Shield-Bearer (3/118), The Undead Hunter (3/122), The Wrestler (3/111), Undead, Undead Everywhere (3/106), You All Meet at an Inn (3/98).

GURPS DUNGEON FANTASY
Required books: Basic Set, Dungeon Fantasy 1-2, Magic.
Recommended books: Dungeon Fantasy 3, 5, 7, 8, & 15-18, Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1-4, Low-Tech.
Suggested books: Dungeon Fantasy 4, 6, 9-14, & 19-21, Dungeon Fantasy Adventures 1-3, Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Barbarians, Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Swashbucklers, Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 1-3, Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1-4, Magical Styles: Dungeon Magic, Pyramid Dungeon Collection, Thaumatology, Thaumatology: Magical Styles.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Wizardry, Refined (3/60).
Suggested Pyramid articles: All Wet (3/113), Auras of Power (3/19), Chevaliers and
Commanders (3/122), Clerics of Order and Chaos (3/77), Cultists of the Elder Gods (3/43),
Dark Summonings (3/50), Dire and Terrible Monsters (3/76), Dungeon Brewmasters (3/82), Dungeon Saints (3/35), Eastern Adventures (3/89), Gods of Commerce (3/100), Gog and Magog (3/80), Horde Ninja (3/70), In All Series-ness (3/60), It’s a Threat! (3/77), It’s a Trap! (3/60), Just Rewards (3/75), More Charms (3/82), More Power to Dungeon Warriors (3/61),
More Psionic Threats (3/80), Monsters as Treasures (3/113), Monster Slavers (3/47), Seven
Mythical Artifacts for Dungeon Fantasy (3/38), Simple Spell Components (3/113), Pointless
Slaying and Looting (3/72), Psychic Swords Against Elder Evil (3/76), The 60-Minute Heroes
(3/118), The Carnie (3/114), The Demolisher (3/35), The Incanter’s Grimoire (3/114), The Magic Touch (3/76), The Monster Mash (3/101), The Musketeer (3/36), The Sorcerer (3/82), Traits for Town (3/58), What Doesn’t Kill Me Makes Me Stronger (3/99).

Epic Fantasy
The heroes of epic fantasy are truly powerful, both personally and politically.
Recommended Books: Power-Ups 1 & 5.
Suggested books: City Stats, Low-Tech Companion 1, Magic: Artillery Spells, Mass Combat, Powers: Divine Favor.
Recommended Pyramid articles: All the Epic Ways (3/25), Combat Write Large (3/77).
Suggested Pyramid articles: City Management (3/54), God is Dead (3/41), Heroes on the Mass Scale (3/84), Knowing Your Own Strength (3/83), Lord of Your Own Domain (3/63), Tactical Mass Combat (3/44).
Recommended optional rules: Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Flesh Wounds (Basic Set).

Fairytale
Inspired by traditional stories featuring capricious magical entities.
Inspirational fiction: Tales of 1,001 Nights, The Brothers Grimm.
Recommended books: Thaumatology: Alchemical Baroque.
Suggested books: Arabian Nights (3rd Edition), Fayrie (3rd Edition), Horror, Russia (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: The Magic of Stories.
Suggested Pyramid articles: All The Better To Bisociate You With, My Dear: Little Red Riding Hood (2).

Furry Fantasy
Instead of dwarves, elves, and goblins, furry fantasy has sentient animals.
Inspirational fiction: The Chronicles of Narnia, Redwall.
Recommended books: Furries.
Suggested books: Powers: Enhanced Senses.
Recommended Pyramid articles: When We Were Very Small (3/34). Suggested Pyramid articles: Animal Combat Styles (3/111).

Gritty Fantasy
Bleak stories where filth and squalor are common, sometimes even more than realistic.
Inspirational fiction: First Law, Game of Thrones.
Suggested books: Low-Tech Companion 1 & 3.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Anatomy of a Crossroads Bargain (3/81), Concealed Armor (3/52), Driving Us Mad (3/32), Low-Tech Transportation (3/95), Medieval Prisons (3/33), On the
Bounty Board (3/80), Purveyors of the Priceless (3/87), Realistic Injury, Expanded (3/100), Scurvy Dog Sorcery (3/64), Survival at the End (3/90), The Broken Blade (3/87), Who’s Gonna Buy This? (3/47).
Suggested optional rules: Bleeding (Basic Set), Realistic Injury (Martial Arts).

Historical Fantasy
Rather than being set in another world, historical fantasy introduces fantastic elements to history.
Inspirational fiction: Averoigne, Solomon Kane.
Suggested books: Aztecs (3rd Edition), Camelot (3rd Edition), China (3rd Edition), Crusades, Egypt
(3rd Edition), Greece (3rd Edition), Hot Spots: Constantinople, Hot Spots: Renaissance Florence, Hot Spots: Renaissance Venice, Hot Spots: The Incense Trail, Hot Spots: The Silk Road, Imperial Rome (3rd Edition), Japan (3rd Edition), Loadouts: Low-Tech Armour, Locations: St. George’s Cathedral, Middle Ages I (3rd Edition), Robin Hood (3rd Edition), Russia (3rd Edition), Vikings (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: A Brief History of the Thieves Guild (3/47), Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously (3/44).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Anatomy of a Crossroads Bargain (3/81), Bell, Book, and Candle
(3/81), Byzantium, Justinian and Arthur: Historical High Fantasy (2), City of the Caesars (3/16),
Furbo Venezia (3/117), Holy Dirty Money (3/10), Indian Ghouls (3/92), Judicum Dei (3/93),
Knowledge is Power (3/87), Low-Tech Armor Loadouts for the New World (3/77), Low-Tech
Transportation (3/95), Medieval Prisons (3/33), Medieval Sea Trade (3/87), Real Weird Books
(3/43), Roman Technology (3/33), Sanctuary and Right of Clergy (3/19), Scurvy Dog Sorcery
(3/64), Sultans, Shurta, and the Courts (3/93), Templars: the Fighting Priests (3/19), The
Emperor’s Finest (3/47), The Fountain of Youth (3/16), The Gentleman Privateer (2), The
Knights Templar (3/86), The Knock Volley Gun (3/57), The Maiden and the Monster: Joan of Arc and Gilles de Rais (2), The Pharos Lighthouse (3/116), The Tricks of the Shaman (3/19), The Viking Dead (3/92), The Vikings in the Atlantic (3/16), Villa Del Trebbio (3/117).

Magic School
Students studying to become witches and wizards.
Inspirational fiction: Harry Potter, the Black Magician trilogy, The Magicians, The Worst Witch.
Recommended books: Social Engineering: Back to School.
Suggested books: Locations: Worminghall, Thaumatology: Magical Styles.

Mythic Fantasy
Inspired by traditional mythology, with larger-than-life heroes.
Inspirational fiction: Beowulf, The Iliad & Odyssey, The Mabinogion, The Ulster Cycle.
Recommended Books: Power-Ups 1 & 5.
Suggested books: Arabian Nights (3rd Edition), Atlantis (3rd Edition), Celtic Myth (3rd Edition) China (3rd Edition), Egypt (3rd Edition), Greece (3rd Edition), Vikings (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: A Little Bird Told Me: The Language of Birds (2), The Journey of the Dead (3/38).

Stone Age Fantasy
Cavemen live alongside prehistoric beasts, often including ones that went extinct before cavemen evolved.
Inspirational fiction: Clan of the Cave Bear, One Million Years B.C., Quest for Fire.
Recommended books: Lands Out of Time.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Caveman Fundamentals (3/56).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Past Presents and Future (3/56), Prehistoric Plots (3/56), The Emerald Hell (3/95), The Old Ways (3/56).

Sword and Sorcery
Competent but grounded heroes battle cults, dinosaurs, sorcerers and ape-men in exotic lands.
Inspirational fiction: Conan, Elric, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Suggested books: Conan (3rd Edition), Lands Out of Time.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Snakes Who Walk (3/97), The Emerald Hell (3/95). Recommended optional rules: Bulletproof Nudity (Basic Set).

Weird Fantasy
Even more surreal, exotic, and populated with freakish creatures than other fantasy.
Suggested books: Creatures of the Night 1-5, Powers: the Weird.
Suggested Pyramid articles: The Magic Desert (3/68), The Qanat Pirates of Old Than (3/64).

HORROR
Gruesome monsters and terrifying revelations.
Inspirational fiction: Dracula, It, Frankenstein, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist.
Required books: Basic Set or Lite.
Recommended books: Horror.
Suggested books: Zombies.
Recommended Pyramid articles: A Little Bit Psychic (3/69), Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously (3/44), Cursed Thou Art (3/78).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Anatomy of a Crossroads Bargain (3/81), Bell, Book, and Candle
(3/81), Creatures of the Night: Bookworms and Breeders (2), Ghoul Magic (3/43), How Very
Tempting (3/67), Indian Ghouls (3/92), Mock Horror Adventures (1/9, BoP1), Mummy Amulets
(3/17), Penanggalan (3/32), Real Weird Books (3/43), Safe as Houses (3/58), Snakes Who Walk (3/97), The Bottomless Pit (1/7, BoP2), The Witched Gun (3/111), Too Similar, Too Different (3/81), Trespasser’s Isle (1/16, BoP1), U-Store-It (1/8, BoP2).

Cosmic Horror
Investigators struggle to maintain their sanity in an uncaring universe of alien monstrosities.
Inspirational fiction: The Cthulhu Mythos.
Suggested books: Cthulhupunk (3rd Edition), Horror: The Madness Dossier, Powers: the Weird.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Iraqi Irruptor Blues (3/81), Mad as Bones (3/103), The Black Chamber (3/5), The Hotel Fuentes (1/11, BoP2).
Ghost Stories
Dealing with spirits of the dead, often requiring a murder to be solved.
Inspirational fiction: The Haunting of Hill House, The Orphanage, The Woman in Black.
Recommended books: Mysteries.
Suggested books: Spirits (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: An Irregular Sort of Terror (3/107), Terra Incognita: The Ghost Ship (3/12, BoP2), The Haunting of Film House (3/116), The Wraith of Precinct 13 (3/58).

MONSTER HUNTERS
High-powered heroes fight against deadly creatures in a hidden struggle.
Inspirational fiction: Blade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Supernatural, The Order.
Required books: Basic Set, Monster Hunters 1-2.
Recommend books: Monster Hunters 3-4.
Suggested books: Black Ops (3rd Edition), Conspiracy X (3rd Edition), Creatures of the Night 1-5, How to be a GURPS GM: Ritual Path Magic, In Nomine (3rd Edition), Monster Hunters 5-6, Monster Hunters Power-Ups 1, Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, Voodoo: the Shadow War (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: A Familiar Path (3/75), Inhuman Options (3/45).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Alternative Ritual Path Magic (3/66), An Irregular Sort of Terror
(3/107), Artifacts of Evil (3/114), Belial’s Bastards (3/58), Bottled Magic (3/43), Elemental Xia
Champions vs. the Shenguai (3/70), Hunting the Cabal (3/58), Magic Bullets (3/57), Monster
Hunter Firepower at the Movies (3/31), Monster’s Minions (3/103), Native American
Crusaders (3/122), Pointless Monster Hunting (3/83), Pulp Hunters! (3/31), Ritual Path
Specialists (3/66), Soul Reapers (3/99), Tactical Shooting: Monster Hunters (3/73),
Technomysticism (3/91), The Department of Occult Defense (3/73), The Dwyrm (3/107), The Network (3/31), The Wild Hunt (3/45), The Witched Gun (3/111), Venatio (3/73), Young Hunters (3/107).

Supernatural Conspiracy
Magicians, mentalists, and monsters plot in the shadows.
Suggested books: Atlantis (3rd Edition), Cabal (3rd Edition), Illuminati (3rd Edition), Mage: the Ascension (3rd Edition), Vampire: the Masquerade (3rd Edition), Werewolf: the Apocalypse (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Magi, Madmen, and Monsters (2), Mask of Humanity (3/97), The Conspirator’s Enemies (3/59), The Way of the Keepers (3/48).

POST-APOCALYPSE
After the fall of civilization, survivors struggle to live in the harsh new world.
Inspirational fiction: A Boy and His Dog, Mad Max.
Required books: Basic Set or Lite.
Recommended books: After the End 1-2, Low-Tech, High-Tech.
Suggested books: Autoduel (3rd Edition), Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout, Horseclans (3rd Edition), Reign of Steel (3rd Edition), Reign of Steel: Will to Live, Y2K (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: Post-Apocalyptic Guns (3/88).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Are We Not Men? (3/90), Better Improvised Weapons (3/88), Name That Apocalypse (3/3), No Place Like Home (3/119), Survivable Guns (3/44), Survival at the End (3/90), The Knowledge of Our Forebears (3/119), The Redeemers (3/88), Zippemart! (3/3). Recommended optional rules: Long-Term Fatigue Points (After the End 1), Simplified Range (After the End 2).
Suggested optional rules: Mutations and Freakishness (After the End 1), Radiation Threshold Points (After the End 1).

Rebuilding
Rather than just surviving, some people want to help society recover from the collapse.
Suggested books: Low-Tech Companion 3.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Are Humans a Renewable Resource? (3/3), At Play in the Fields (3/33).

Zombie Apocalypse
Zombies have overrun civilization.
Inspirational fiction: 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, The Walking Dead, Zombieland.
Recommended books: Zombies.
Suggested books: Zombies: Day One.

ROBINSONADE
Trapped in a remote place, civilized heroes must tame the wilderness.
Inspirational fiction: Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson.
Required books: Basic Set or Lite.
Recommended books: Low-Tech.
Suggested books: High-Tech.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Survival at the End (3/90).
Suggested Pyramid articles: The Emerald Hell (3/95).

SCIENCE FICTION
Set in a future of technological marvels.
Inspirational fiction: Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse.
Required books: Basic Set.
Recommended books: Ultra-Tech.
Suggested books: Space, Spaceships 1.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Fashion Forward (3/100), More Ultra! More Tech (3/12), More UltraTech Guns and Heavy Weapons (3/37), Mr Fixit (3/37), Speaking in Tongues (3/54), Things Fall Apart (3/40), Thinking Machines (3/37), Ultra-Tech Armor Design (3/96), Ultra-Tech Too (3/51).

Alien Invasion
Aliens attack Earth.
Inspirational Fiction: Independence Day, Mars Attacks, War of the Worlds.
Recommended books: High-Tech.
Suggested books: Atomic Horror (3rd Edition), Horror, Mars Attacks, Monster Hunters 5, War Against the Chtorr (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Battle for the Earth (3/94), The Harvest: Invasion Earth (3/102).

Cyberpunk
Near-future corporate-dominated dystopia where cybernetics and hacking are common.
Recommended books: Action 1-7, Cyberpunk (3rd Edition).
Suggested books: Cyberworld (3rd Edition).
Recommended Pyramid articles: Console Cowboys and Cyberspace Kung-Fu (3/21), Live Better With Cybernetics (3/51).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals (3/24), Chrome Commandos (3/55), Cutting Edge Armor Design (3/85), Cyberme (3/20), Hexopersonality (3/96), Loving the
Dead (1/17, BoP2), Remixing the Rocker (3/85), San Juan in the One-and-Twenty (1/14, BoP2), Tactical Shooting Tomorrow (3/55), The Arrow of Progress (3/96), The Voices in My Head (3/21), Training for the Tech (3/85), U-Store-It (1/8, BoP2).

TRANSHUMAN SPACE
A post-cyberpunk hard SF setting which can also be used for cyberpunk by playing poor characters in less-developed areas.
Required books: Basic Set, Transhuman Space (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Changing Times.
Recommended books: Transhuman Space: Bioroid Bazaar, Transhuman Space: Cities on the Edge, Transhuman Space: Shell Tech, Transhuman Space: Transhuman Mysteries, Ultra-Tech.
Suggested books: Bio-Tech, Spaceships 1 & 8, Transhuman Space: 5th Wave (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Broken Dreams (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Deep Beyond (3rd
Edition), Transhuman Space: High Frontier (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Martial Arts
2100, Transhuman Space: Polyhymnia (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Singapore Sling (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Toxic Memes (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Under Pressure (3rd Edition), Transhuman Space: Wings of the Rising Sun.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Ultra-Tech Armor Design (3/96).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Big Media Memetics (3/15), Chrome Commandos (3/55), Dark Places of the Earth (3/15), Eloi Games (3/62), Fashion Forward (3/100), Free Falling (3/85), Indentures Inc. (3/62), Three Offices, Port Lowell (3/62), Training for the Tech (3/85), Transhuman Action! (3/15), Victoria 2100 (3/117), We Are the 9.9% (3/62).

Hard SF
Science fiction which tries not to violate the laws of physics.
Suggested books: Mars (3rd Edition), Terradyne (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid Articles: Cold Horizon (3/18), Free Falling (3/85), Future Soldier (3/55), HalfWay to Anywhere (3/79), Near-Future Combat Uniforms (3/51).

Mecha
Giant humanoid war-machines.
Suggested books: Spaceships 4.
Suggested Pyramid Articles: Mecha Operations (3/40), Modular Mecha (3/51).

Space Opera
Optimistic stories set in outer space, with dubious science.
Inspirational fiction: Flash Gordon, Lensman, Star Trek.
Suggested books: Humanx (3rd Edition), Lensman (3rd Edition), Powers, Space Atlas 1-4 (3rd Edition), Spaceships 2-6, Tales of the Solar Patrol.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Bazaar (3/110), Blaster and Laser Design (3/37), Doomsday Weapons (3/9), Spaceship Malfunctions (3/103), Space Pirates (3/110), Space Wrecks (3/110), Starmaker, Starbreaker (3/37), The Bouncers of Caradoc (3/122).

Steampunk
Retrofuturism based on 19th century science.
Recommended books: Steampunk 1-3.
Suggested books: High-Tech, High-Tech: Adventure Guns, Spaceships 7, Steampunk (3rd Edition), Vehicles: Steampunk Conveyances.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Order of Precedence (3/39).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Across Africa With Iron and Steam (3/39), A Whisper in the Sky
(3/39), Dangerous Concoctions (3/46), Fantasy Tech 2000 (3/46), Sailing the Open Skies (3/64), The Daughter of Necessity (3/46), The Department of Unconventional Philosophical Resolutions (3/121).

Sword and Planet
Swashbuckling adventures on worlds where much of the technology is primitive.
Inspirational fiction: John Carter, Gor, Kane of Old Mars, Planet of Adventure.
Recommended books: Low-Tech, Martial Arts, Steampunk 1-2.
Suggested books: Planet of Adventure (3rd Edition), Planet Krishna (3rd Edition), Mars (3rd Edition). Suggested Pyramid articles: Dungeons of Mars (3/72).

Time Travel
People from the future visit the past, or other timey-wimey stuff.
Inspirational fiction: Back to the Future, Source Code, The Terminator, Travelers, Twelve Monkeys.
Recommended books: Low-Tech, Time Travel (3rd Edition).
Suggested books: Age of Napoleon (3rd Edition), Aztecs (3rd Edition), Crusades, Hot Spots:
Constantinople, Egypt (3rd Edition), Greece (3rd Edition), High-Tech, Hot Spots: Renaissance
Florence, Hot Spots: Renaissance Venice, Imperial Rome (3rd Edition), Japan (3rd Edition), Lands Out of Time, Old West (3rd Edition), Russia (3rd Edition), Scarlet Pimpernel (3rd Edition), Timeline (3rd Edition), Time Travel Adventures (3rd Edition), Who’s Who 1 & 2 (3rd Edition).
Suggested Pyramid articles: City of Lights, City of Blackouts (3/117), East Berlin (3/117), Furbo Venezia (3/117), Judicum Dei (3/93), Knowledge is Power (3/87), Low-Tech Armor Loadouts for the New World (3/77), Low-Tech Transportation (3/95), Medieval Prisons (3/33), Medieval Sea Trade (3/87), Real Weird Books (3/43), Revolutionary Cuba (3/117), Roman Technology (3/33),
Sanctuary and Right of Clergy (3/19), Sultans, Shurta, and the Courts (3/93), Templars: the
Fighting Priests (3/19), The Hotel Fuentes (1/11, BoP2), The Knights Templar (3/86), The Knock Volley Gun (3/57), The Pharos Lighthouse (3/116), The Vikings in the Atlantic (3/16), Time of the Tyrants (1/15, BoP1), Villa Del Trebbio (3/117).

SUPERS
In a world much like ours, a few people have extraordinary powers.
Inspirational fiction: Avengers, Batman, Superman, Watchmen, X-Men.
Recommended books: Powers, Supers.
Suggested books: Psionic Powers, Psi-Tech.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Metatronic Generators (3/46).
Suggested Pyramid articles: Above the Law (3/93), Expanded Psychokinesis (3/29), High Psi (3/97), Infinite Teleportation (3/20), Knowing Your Own Strength (3/83), Small-Time Conquerors (3/2), Sufficiently Deranged (3/122), Super-Sorcery! (3/105).

SWASHBUCKLERS
Daring heroes and dastardly villains in the early modern period.
Inspirational fiction: The Three Musketeers.
Required books: Basic Set or Lite.
Recommended books: Martial Arts, Swashbucklers (3rd Edition).
Suggested books: Action 2-4, Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Swashbucklers, Low-Tech, Supporting Cast: Age of Sail Pirate Crew.
Recommended Pyramid articles: Gaming in the Ancien Régime.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Extended Action (3/53), The Lonely Marine (2), The Spanish Prisoner (3/64).
Recommended optional rules: Cannon Fodder (Basic Set), Melee Etiquette (Basic Set).

WESTERN
Brutal action in the late 19th century American West.
Inspirational fiction: The Outlaw Josey Wales, Tombstone, True Grit, Unforgiven.
Required books: Basic Set.
Recommended books: Old West (3rd Edition), High-Tech, High-Tech: Adventure Guns.
Suggested books: Action 1-4.
Suggested Pyramid articles: Badlands (2), County Seat Wars Campaigns (1/13, BoP1), Extended Action (3/53), Hurled Into Eternity: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (2), Outlaws and Arrows (3/74), Steamboats and Locomotives of the Old West (3/74).
Recommended optional rules: Cinematic Knockback (Basic Set), Chases (Action 2), Falls (Action 2), Flimsy Cover (Gun-Fu), Simplified Range (Action 2 or Gun-Fu).

Weird West
Western with a twist; magic, monsters, or strange technology.
Inspirational fiction: Cowboys and Aliens, Jonah Hex, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Recommended books: Powers.
Suggested books: Deadlands: The Weird West (3rd Edition), Horror, Powers: Totems and Nature Spirits, Steampunk 1-3, Screampunk (3rd Edition), Thaumatology, Zombies.
Suggested Pyramid articles: A Westward Shambling Horde (3/74).
Recommended optional rules: Assisting Spirits (Thaumatology), Paths and Books (Thaumatology).