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View Full Version : How much to GURPS is there?



Ichneumon
2010-05-01, 01:04 PM
So, I'm planning on running a series of adventures soon, with mixed themes, Sci-Fi, Superheroes, ancient egyptian/roman, so I was thinking about turning to a universal game system. My thoughts went to GURPS.

I don't have the game books yet, shipment will take some time and I'd like to know. How much of the GURPS rules are actually needed to play it/GM it? Are the GURPS Lite rules enough or are they really just a very simplified version of the rules? I have experience DM'ing D&D 3.5 and 4e and Mutants and Masterminds, so how much difficulty would I have with running a game with just the Lite rules until I get my hands on the books? Any tips and advise?

The Rose Dragon
2010-05-01, 01:07 PM
GURPS Lite is incredibly simplified, in terms of advantages, disadvantages and modifiers. While it makes for a good reference during play, chargen is highly enriched by the actual book, as well as the actual gaming experience.

Though I do wonder why you couldn't use M&M if you already have it. :smalltongue:

EDIT: Honestly, you're comparing about 500 pages of mechanics to about 40 pages of mechanics. The Lite version is sure to miss out a lot of things.

valadil
2010-05-01, 02:29 PM
GURPs Core should be plenty to start with. With that system there's always more rules. It's easy to get overwhelmed by them. There's enough in the Core book that you should have some fun with it and then can buy expansion books for areas that need more depth.

Starscream
2010-05-01, 03:36 PM
You can already build almost anything with the Core set, or at least homebrew it pretty well. I've used it to play everything from Ghostbusters to Lupin III. On the versatility level it can't be topped.

M&M is also pretty good for mixed genres, simply because pretty much any sort of action hero can be described in terms of a low level Super. Anything from John McClane to Leonidas; they are just extra competent and hard to kill on a level that would be absurd in the real world but fine in a comic book. Only problem is that if you don't intend to use actual super powers your players complain, because they're limited to taking things like "extra good with a sword" when "freakin' heat vision" is a page away.

Anxe
2010-05-01, 03:38 PM
My experience was that GURPS is far more complicated than D&D. Character creation, Adventure creation, and combat are difficult to do. Out of combat adventuring is pretty easy though.

Broccoli21
2010-05-01, 04:06 PM
My experience was that GURPS is far more complicated than D&D. Character creation, Adventure creation, and combat are difficult to do. Out of combat adventuring is pretty easy though.

My experiences are actually quite the opposite. Although GURPS is front-heavy, with lots of rules and mechanics to know, the combat system is surprisingly fluid and in addition, boasts high realism and the ability to do almost anything you can possibly think of. EVERYTHING is customizable, and this grant the GM freedom to design almost anything. Even the PCs can enjoy variety in equipment, such as customizable ammunition, poisons, etc, that all have their own rules as to how to create. It takes a bit more work than D20, but you get in return the ability to customize essentially everything, and not resort to just hitting things until they die to death in combat.

:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:


On the OP's question:
Gurps lite could help your group get the feel of the system, but you really cant get the full experiance without the core set. My advice would be to run a few sample encounters/adventures with lite to get your players familiar and quick with combat.

On books:
The only books i would get in addition to the core set (which is truly necessary) are high tech (for a modern equipment source book, complete with HUNDREDS of choices for weapons, ammo, vehicles, etc), ultra-tech (the super-science version of high-tech), and magic (a great magic system with tons of versatility). If you are doing more fantasy, thaumatology can be good. Overall, I would stick to the books that are full of crunch, unless you are really focused on a single genre.

PS: Get the GM's screen. It has all the rules/tables you will ever need in a convenient package. My group only uses this in combat, but we are well versed in the rules from core. Lite or core can be a pain to look things up in.:smallwink: