

GURPS Dragons shipped in June, becoming the first GURPS 4th Edition book to hit the shelves.GURPS Basic Set in both deluxe and the standard print went to press on time and were released in August.Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. For a while, the finalists in the contest (and the original designs) were available for viewing. Since this is entirely an aesthetic issue, the good folks at Steve Jackson Games took this is stride and asked their fan base: can you do better? The answer was yes. The original so-called gorgeous artwork was almost universally regarded as anything but gorgeous. On 26 March, ten days after the official announcement, a contest for designing the GURPS Basic Set covers was begun.

The first signs of cracks in the plan took place before month's end. It seemed to be an enticing carrot that could bring the old-guard over.
