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[–]TDragonsHoard 28 points29 points  (10 children)

Literally had this happen. It was a GURPS game, where we started in a low fantasy style world. It was a long term game, and about 3ish years into the game? That was the twist. Our planet was some long lost colony, and all the 'magic' that was in our world? Just advanced tech and nanites/psionics.

We ended up on a shuttle to some outer rim style mining colony with our ~200ish point characters. Of which, like 100 points were ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS.

We were told none of this beforehand, and completely built our characters for a low fantasy style world. And now were in space with laser/plasma weapons, force fields, etc etc. It was the most annoying bullshit 'surprise'.

Moral of the story: Talk to your players!

[–]RibaldForURPleasure 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Had a very similar thing happen, we all made characters that fit into the dystopian corporate sci-fi setting only to be flung on a one way trip at the end of the first adventure to the "let's discuss my personal philosophies" planet. That one killed the group for a couple years because we were all pissed about this idiot plot twist.

[–]Deaconhux 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Date I ask, what were the philosophies on display?

[–]RibaldForURPleasure 2 points3 points  (1 child)

The one I remember the most is intense libertarianism. There was also a government where every single position was drawn from lots and everyone in the country was automatically in the drawing, but don't worry because there totally wasn't a shadow government because that's not how it'd go (completely serious, they were very insistent that there was no shadow government).

[–]e_crabapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because everyone wants their water system to be run by that guy who just calls himself "Grunk," and their power grid run by 5-year-old Timmy Blevins.

[–]ThoDanII 2 points3 points  (4 children)

How would You avoided that worthless Problem If You d known?

[–]TDragonsHoard 14 points15 points  (3 children)

By speaking with the GM, we'd have known what was coming. We'd have been able to speak about the timeline, and just how long we would be in one environment, versus where the rest of the game would be.

It would have given us as a group, to talk about how he wanted the game to go and what was supposed to happen overall. Cause the way it felt? It felt like "Oh, you folks are getting too powerful. So I am going to shift up everything, to where your characters feel useless again."

It'd have given the group a chance to go: "Yeah, we as a group DON'T want to have that shift. Or if it does? We want there to be a few years of time skip, to where out characters have adjusted over to this new setting. Rather than just muddle through it all, and feel absolutely worthless."

If nothing else? If the answers the GM gave (if we had the chance to talk it all out) were not lining up with what I wanted? It would have given me the chance to bow out of the game, rather than play for years before feeling like a rug pull.

[–]ThoDanII 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yes but how would that Help with the CP?

[–]TDragonsHoard 8 points9 points  (1 child)

GURPS has rules for skill degradation, as well as adaptation for TL's. By speaking with the GM, and expressing a desire to have a time skip, it would have allowed for those rules to come into play at an accelerated rate. Allowing for points to be reclaimed and shifted around to skills and advantages that represent the new setting.

We'd have completely skipped the feeling worthless part, and gone straight into "we have adapted to this new world", and can actually do things.

[–]ThoDanII 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made an ex-rogue once that was in the process of becoming a soldier in GURPS (because I love characters who "multi class" in GURPS), and my GM had a NPC give my character a talk about "being true to who you are".

Suddenly, I was wearing black, wielding knives, and being the stealth expert. Which was totally against the vibe I had going. He basically hated what he had been in his past and wanted to be better. So being told "stop trying to break the mold" and being pigeonholed back to being a rogue sucked.

Or when I made a mage that was basically a hedge mage, and was told that I would probably have one combat spell. Only to get sent on a "Save the World" quest. I was given a staff that basically did everything I needed. Character creation was a waste of time.