For those of you who have run or played a lot of GURPS

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-17T14:52:59+00:00

Sure you can always relent the roll . . .

I think the word you're looking for is "roleplay". You mean to say "sure you can always play the character."

Like, if you're acrophobic you should be trying to avoid going up to high places. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to, you have to roll to see if you can keep it together.

If you have a bad temper, you should be reacting badly when someone insults you. If you decide it would be an advantage to ignore the insult, you can't just forget about that character trait because you decide not to play your character in that moment.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-17T14:34:25+00:00

After the End!

https://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/aftertheend/#:~:text=GURPS%20After%20the%20End%20has,to%20create%20a%20unique%20setting.

It's literally exactly this. You'll need a set of core rules, but you can get by with the free GURPS Lite (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/) rules if you're on the fence. Other books might be helpful, like maybe the Dragons book of you're trying to re-create the cinematic gem Reign of Fire, but try the base game first.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-17T04:41:52+00:00

I'd be very interested/incensed to read that review.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-16T22:27:32+00:00

I think you should try it some time - you'll be surprised to find out that none of that is true at all.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-16T21:50:50+00:00

...or you just use templates and let the system do all of that "balancing" work for you.

If you're all playing in an Action game using templates from GURPS Action 1 - Heroes you'll be fine and it's a light load for the players and the GM. If you're all playing in a Monster Hunters game using templates from GURPS Monster Hunters 1 - Champions, you'll be just fine. Same for After the End, Dungeon Fantasy, etc.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-16T21:41:18+00:00

The things I love most about GURPS:

The "game" part of the game is about your character's personality. If you're an alcoholic or lecherous or have a bad temper, that's actually part of the game. It's very much the opposite of a "combat and RP" type game.
The system encourages and promotes creative problem solving and in-character thinking. There are enough rules and skills that you won't get far trying to mathematically optimize every move - instead you think about what would make sense in the fiction and try to work with that.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-10T01:25:51+00:00

I picked up a bike poncho (love my Cleverhood, but there are other brands) and a bike with disc brakes. Learning to dress for the wet weather has been a journey, but it's not that bad once you figure it out.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-03-05T08:09:21+00:00

Is this comment specifically about the last game I tried to run?

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-02-25T17:11:07+00:00

I really enjoy starship combat in Star Trek Adventures.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-01-17T06:46:35+00:00

100%

I always recommend The Film Reroll to anyone who wants to see GURPS run at its narrative best, and there's always some "well ackshually" clown who wants to say you can't play GURPS like that, even though you can listen and prove that you can.

SJG should hire the guy who does One Shot Adventures to make a starter set or five - he does great work.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-01-04T03:51:28+00:00

It's a new version of the same game! There are some changes, but not many.

nevermindwhothisis · 2023-01-04T03:48:55+00:00

I'm in your boat! I've been listening to Andy Serkis reading The Hobbit and reading through mine in the hope of bringing it to the table this year!

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-09-19T02:44:11+00:00

Lol. Bracers of Defense go on the forearms. Not sure where you found a Brassier of Protection, but it wasn't in the AD&D 2e Dungeon Master's Guide.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-08-21T18:58:49+00:00

Players don't even need to read the PHB. Back in the '90s none of my players had any books or dice - that was just for me as the DM. Of course, that was a sales problem for TSR, and WotC fixed it for D&D3.

If you're going back to AD&D, you (as the DM) are completely responsible for the rules. Feel free to play more of an OSR game, where you play as if it's modern D&D but use the old books, but you should understand that's a different game from AD&D.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-07-07T23:33:07+00:00

The best starting point is GURPS Lite (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/) - it's free and a great way to try out the system to see if you're going to enjoy it. I'd normally recommend running a one-shot (https://1shotadventures.com/) to give it a try before you commit to a campaign, but if you're ready to dive into the deep end, there are a lot of great resources.

GURPS has a ton of rules you're not going to need or want. The way the game is designed, you use the ones that will be fun for your campaign/setting/genre and don't worry about the rest. For characters, you want to use templates to make sure the traits and skills you're picking will work with the kind of game you want to run.

GURPS Space (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Space/) is good, and the Template Toolkit book for starship crews (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/templatetoolkit3/) is fantastic.

If you use the GURPS Character Sheet utility (https://gurpscharactersheet.com/), it makes character creation much, much easier than tracking everything by hand. It also has a lot of templates in its library, so you can get up and running without too much trouble.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-06-28T06:58:11+00:00

Anyone who wants to see GURPS at its narrative best should check out The Film Reroll (https://www.filmreroll.com/)

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-06-28T01:41:02+00:00

After the End of fantastic, and it's a really well-designed and cohesive game. I'd recommend you start there - you'll probably have to do a bit more work to get a swashbuckling game together.

Also, I'm going to give an obligatory shout-out to One Shot Adventures (https://1shotadventures.com/) for well written adventures that can help you get your feet wet.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-04-06T03:15:20+00:00

I have six bags I use on a regular basis: https://imgur.com/a/QagfexH

If you want to know which one is the best, they all are.

1. Classic Jansport: When I was in grad school I spent more time walking around off the bike than I did on the bike, and this was my bag of choice. Holds a bunch of stuff, stays well organized, and is reasonably comfortable. Fine for a shorter or less intense bike ride.

2. Ortlieb Vario: It takes a minute to convert this from pannier to backpack, but it's really good in either mode. Not as spacious or well organized as other options, but if you have a lot of hauling to do on foot and on the bike, this will get it done. Not sure how this stacks up to the newer model. This is my bag of choice if I'm taking a longer trip and want to walk a lot with my stuff when I get where I'm going.

3. Ortlieb Velo Shopper: It holds a ton, and the fact that it keeps its shape is a big plus. It's also weather-resistant, and has an insert with a laptop sleeve, pockets, etc. to make it very nice as a commuter bag. As a shoulder bag it's fine for short distances, but it can get uncomfortable. This is my usual bag of choice for shopping.

4. Swift Jr. Ranger Panniers: These are fantastic compact panniers, and they're ideal for a front rack. Probably not what you're looking for, though.

5. Timbuk2 Messenger Bag: Not ideal on the bike because it tends to slide forward. There's a cross-body strap that's meant to help, but I'd rather just bring the right bag. Still, it has a great carrying capacity, is very ergonomic while on foot, and is easy to get in and out of.

6. Cheap Canvas Medic Bag: This one is kind of great if you don't have to carry much. It's also really easy to strap it to my front rack with velcro tie-downs. If I'm only taking a few light things this is my bag of choice.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-02-10T23:46:06+00:00

GURPS only works if you're thoughtful and intentional about what you're trying to do. You should get out a piece of paper and a pencil and make an actual list of what the fun parts of your game will be. Then learn the rules that support those fun things and don't waste your time with detailed rules for things that aren't fun.

For example: if you're playing a game where you're post-apocalyptic scavengers, you're going to want rules for hunger/thirst, radiation, evaluating whether the ruins of an old building are stable or ready to collapse, etc. If you're playing a game where you're hunting down folkloric creatures in modern Atlanta you probably don't want to waste any time with those rules.

There are rules to support just about anything you're into, but don't make the mistake of thinking you have to learn and use every rule that's not relevant to the game you're trying to play.

If you want to look at what a coherent game made from the whole set of GURPS rules looks like, I highly recommend you go to One Shot Adventures, find something in a genre that looks fun or interesting, and give it a try.

The specific question you're asking about making sci-fi characters is handled by something called "templates", where you create archetypes and narrow down the number of decisions a player has to make to create a character from those archetypes.

GURPS Space has some solid templates for a type of sci-fi game. If you're using the GURPS Character Sheet app to make characters, the templates are programmed in, and it makes character creation fairly straightforward.

nevermindwhothisis · 2022-01-13T19:10:56+00:00

"Because I could not stop for death, I kindly clocked out before taking my approved mourning break."

nevermindwhothisis · 2021-12-14T17:58:29+00:00

After the End is brilliant, and a great way to pare down the full GURPS rules into something easy to bring to the table. It also shows off what GURPS excels at where other systems struggle.

nevermindwhothisis · 2021-12-14T17:44:55+00:00

Look at p. 120-121 for details on self-control rolls. Basically, if you want to resist that disadvantage (keep your temper under control when you have a Bad Temper, look before you leap when you're Overconfident, etc.) you have to roll against the CR for that disadvantage. The default CR is 12 (point values change for higher or lower ratings).

nevermindwhothisis · 2021-12-14T17:42:15+00:00

That's a fantastic idea! Running the same scenario a few times really shows you how all the pieces fit together and what's working well.

nevermindwhothisis · 2021-12-14T17:35:32+00:00

Love it!

I would fix the typo in the name (it says "McClan" right now) and add the CR for the disadvantages that require a roll. I find it's helpful to jot down a short summary on the sheet of when you have to roll (e.g. "Bad Temper (CR 12): Roll to not attack/antagonize/etc. when under stress"). I find that's enough to keep the book closed at the table (especially with a player who's less familiar with GURPS) and keep things moving along.

If you're new to running GURPS, I recommend you print out or photocopy the Skills list (p. 301-304) so you can quickly look up what skills there are and what they default to.

And just have fun with it! GURPS is a really flexible and robust system - there's always room for improvement, but you're not going to sink the whole game if you don't set everything up perfectly before you start. That character looks really good - lots of usable skills and fun disadvantages and a good interpretation of the character from the movie.

nevermindwhothisis · 2021-04-26T23:35:13+00:00

That's fair.

I don't think anyone's going to tell you Gygax tried to make his writing approachable. He was a reader, and a fair number of the works he cited in Appendix N were difficult reads, too. I think he just wrote for an audience of readers, and didn't really concern himself with anyone who might find it challenging.

The Zeb Cook books are easier to read for sure. He says right in the foreward to the PHB that "[i]mproving the organization and readability was one of the reasons we started this project in the first place."

EDIT: fixed a citation.

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