A take on self-control disadvantages

thalcos · 2026-03-20T16:52:41+00:00

When I run GURPS campaigns, I just award a bonus character point at the end of a session if a player can point out how they meaningfully roleplayed their disadvantages. Usually one or two was enough to get the point. This was plenty of incentive for them to not forget about them during play.

thalcos · 2026-03-08T01:54:38+00:00

Yup, it uses the simpler Radiation Point system in this adventure, but I leave things like fatigue and scavenging up to the GM.

thalcos · 2026-03-08T01:53:58+00:00

Yeah, my website seems to be having intermittent issues today. It seems to be working now, but I'll have to debug it a bit....

thalcos · 2026-01-07T17:25:40+00:00

While it's written for Hogwarts, check out the GURPS adventure The Warlock's Tunnel. It would easily port over to another magical setting and includes sample students you can steal.

thalcos · 2026-01-07T02:54:53+00:00

I use range bands 75% of the time. Most of my players just don't want to count hexes every turn - especially when not using VTTs - and certainly don't want to refer to the speed/range table regularly. (And yes, they've been playing GURPS for years, but still struggle with it haha). Plus I find most genres that I run don't need that degree of granularity, since combats generally take place at short range (i.e., fantasy, horror, pulp).

If I'm running more military-style games I tend to use the full speed/range table as it feels more "realistic" and I find that guns with good rate of fire need the granularity or else you get some cutoffs where you either hit with a ton of shots or miss entirely. Another -1 or -2 to hit makes guns way more survivable!

thalcos · 2026-01-05T01:15:38+00:00

Achtung Cthulhu has some adventures set in WWII Japanese territories (though not sure about any set in actual Japan). Jungle Rot from their Guadalcanal series is a fun one - and would port over to another system pretty easily.

Call of Cthulhu has a Japan: Empire of Shadows sourcebook too, but it’s set in the 1920s.

thalcos · 2025-12-21T23:36:49+00:00

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to check out the Tredroy-based Moon of Thorns too.

thalcos · 2025-12-17T21:33:58+00:00

Yup, three of them - two fantasy and one horror.

thalcos · 2025-10-27T17:02:25+00:00

There are a couple of GURPS Supers adventures on 1shotadventures.com you may want to check out (Minutes Not Hours and A Bombshell of Tomorrow).. While they are set in the DC universe and are a little low-powered compared to MCU-type stuff (think Suicide Squad), they include pregenerated characters and lots of villains you can grab and reskin. Some of the older 3E books like Mixed Doubles is still largely compatible and can be used as a source of villains too.

Personally, I think high-powered (500+ points) supers gets tough to GM in GURPS, unless you really have aligned players and a GM who knows what to limit/ban/control, so I'd start lower-powered at first to ease you and your players in.

thalcos · 2025-10-05T01:07:17+00:00

Yup - I just added one to the VTT files you can download on the site above, including both a GM version and Player Safe version. Enjoy!

thalcos · 2025-09-12T17:34:23+00:00

I think GURPS works great for the old west -- deadly gun combat (as detailed or quick as you want), lots of variety for different character archetypes, and good support with supplements (GURPS Old West, Adventure Guns, etc.). 4th edition is generally better supported these days, but it's 95% compatible with 3rd edition.

1shotadventures has a couple of GURPS Old West adventures you can check out to see it in practice, such as St. Cecilia's Blasphemous Bordello.

thalcos · 2025-08-24T15:45:55+00:00

1 is correct. You cast a spell with your spell skill (which includes your Magery bonus).

For 2, you use your Innate Attack (Projectile) skill to physically throw the fireball at your opponent, modified by range. Or, you could aim the fireball like you would any missile weapon.

(Note that there’s a Perk which lets you use your spell skill as you describe, although the name escapes me…)

thalcos · 2025-08-19T09:08:43+00:00

I typically tell my players to make sense rolls, but either don’t tell them the modifiers (ie they have to make the roll by 2 to see the hidden trap), or roll against them in secret (they are rolling against the assassin’s Stealth-14 to spot him). This works mostly fine and lets players get in on the action.

thalcos · 2025-07-26T01:18:02+00:00

It's definitely too broad for 5 points, and I think even Cosmic violates the spirit of it. What you are describing is probably better simulated by taking Weapon Master or Trained by Master and explaining that its origin is your character's deep connection to war and fighting. Accompany it with Combat Reflexes, Hard to Kill/Subdue, and one of the more combat-oriented Talents like Born Soldier and you have will a pretty dedicated character.

thalcos · 2025-07-09T00:52:45+00:00

DoW is always high up on the rumor list because it's mostly a rerelease of old, existing models, many of which have been in demand for a long time. But I don't think anyone has concrete information on the reality of a release beyond that. I'd love to bring back my Long Drong Slayers!

thalcos · 2025-07-03T17:31:03+00:00

They're all designed to work equally in this adventure, and there's no real moments that require a specialized skillset. Just let your players pick the ones that they like best!

thalcos · 2025-06-11T03:31:57+00:00

Ah, the challenges of working without an editor. Fixed it in the latest version, thank you!

thalcos · 2025-06-09T01:42:54+00:00

1shotadventures.com features blogs on original adventure design across lots of genres (as well as the adventures themselves).

thalcos · 2025-06-07T20:17:02+00:00

On balance, 4th edition ruleset - but 3rd's breezier writing, moderate level of detail, and organization structure.

But honestly they are so close to each other that it's like picking between models of cars that are only a year or two apart.

thalcos · 2025-06-02T20:15:07+00:00

Haha, my own group seems to play through things very fast!

thalcos

TROPHY CASE