PDA

View Full Version : Got 50$, buffy or gurps? pro/con



Count D20
2007-12-29, 10:19 PM
I am unsure of what to get with some Christmas money.
I want to run things of Buffy the vampire slayer universe as I love it soooo much.

However I also plan to try other stuff like an ultimate x men campaign.
This is what led me to consider trying to run Buffy-verse in GURPS. also , there is the fact that the Buffy rpg might be unavailable, while GURPS 4e is right in major bookstores.

If you have played either of these games, please weigh in on the virtues of them.

BardicDuelist
2007-12-29, 11:47 PM
I recently got GURPS, and I love it. For me, it was either that or paranoia, and the deciding factor was that if I ever wanted to play Paranoia, I could play with all the flavor, but without having to learn/teach a new system to my players. Also, it means that I can play any other type of game that I'd want to. Therfore, my advice would be to get GURPS (which may run you more than $50) as it will mean that if anyone gets sick of/doesn't want to play a Buffy game, you can still use the system and the money is not wasted.

Just my two CP.

RTGoodman
2007-12-30, 01:17 AM
I haven't played either, but I've heard that the "Buffy" and "Angel" RPGs aren't very good. The "Angel" one is supposedly better, but I've been told that they're not worth the money.

random11
2007-12-30, 01:42 AM
Depends on what you want from an RPG book.

"Buffy" centers on a very specific campaign type, so if you like this world, and have other people who will like it, all that is left is to check if the game is playable.

As for GURPS, it's very general and can fit any campaign type. It is also very easy to house rule (and very hard to avoid it unless you buy extra books).
So if you're ready for the job, and/or like it like I do, GURPS is the game for you.

GryffonDurime
2007-12-30, 01:51 AM
I'd say the most important answer depends largely on your core group of players. I have friends who like GURPs, but I also have friends who vehemently refuse to play GURPs at all. If you want to run a Buffyverse campaign, Buffy's RPG is actually pretty solid. If you have any means of doing so, I'd go to a local bookstore that carries one or both and evaluate them for yourself. I'd also be sure that all my players--or at least enough to form a game--are seriously interested in using that system.

Buffy's RPG is based off the Unisystem, so the worry about using GURPs just to be able to trade settings without trading systems isn't terribly potent.

With all of that said, can I just take a moment to support Mutants and Masterminds? At lower powerlevels, it can certainly support a Buffyverse campaign, and while originally designed to emulate comic book heroism, it is fantastically flexible.

Serenity
2007-12-30, 03:10 AM
I own the Buffy and Angel RPGs (mostly the same, only Angel characters are somewhat higher powered). I don't have much experience with various different systems, but for whatever it's worth I've been seriously impressed with the Cinematic Unisystem. Combat is fast and furious, the mechanics are quite easy to learn, magic is a powerful option without being game-breaking. It is fairly tied to settings with some supernatural/fantastic elements, but it could be adapted quite nicely to an X-Men type campaign, I think. On Eden's official message boards for the games, there's a thread detailing a number of superpower qualities and character types for a superhero game.

Count D20
2007-12-30, 06:31 PM
:smallsmile: Thanks Everybody!
based on the reviews i was pointed to, i think that i will go with the buffy rpg. It's "not available in store" like a tv kitchen gadget, but the internets will soon bring it to my doostep/local barnes and noble tm.

Newtkeeper
2007-12-30, 06:33 PM
Well, I've never played Buffy, so I can only answer for GURPS.

GURPS is great, if you like that sort of thing. The good news is that you can play *anything*. (I kid you not, you could (with GM permission), play an intelligent psionic blueberry muffin- or millions of less wierd things, including stereotypical elves, gunslinging cowboys, Sapient AIs-you name it. The bad side is, unless you buy more books, you'll have to design most of it yourself using the rules in the Basic Set- which can be fun, but takes time and energy.

The worse news is that they still don't have a compiled bestiary. The counterpoint is that, even if you don't feel like crunching numbers, there are several online, unofficial bestiaries- which, since GURPS has rules for designing any character, are completely RAW compatible.

The best news, or so I feel, is the ability to set the *tone*, for want of a better word, of your game. Now, I have nothing against DnD (still play it, if only for the memories), but DnD doesn't really work for a realistic or gritty game- high fantasy is the only option the rules really support. Buffy, I can't answer for, but is probably also setting specific. GURPS, on the other hand, can handle everything from gritty realism to super-heroes- and do it well.

EDIT: Obligatory long-time lurker, first-time poster message.

EDITEDIT: Looks like I posted to late. Tell us how the Buffy RPG plays- who knows, I might give it a shot.

WhyBother
2007-12-30, 06:52 PM
Unisystem is good for fast-and-loose playstyles. Gurps stats out pretty much everything that can be statted. Since unisystem was developed for CJ Carella's WitchCraft RPG, I'd suggest going over to Eden Studio's WitchCraft page (http://edenstudios.net/witchcraft/), where the WitchCraft corebook is a free download. Check it out, see if you like it. The spells will be different, and Buffy uses action point pools to help characters pull off the task that they really need to accomplish (do-or-die-and-the-world-dies-with-you situations), but it's the same underlying system.

EDIT: After reading newtkeepers message, I realize that I posted waayyyy too late. Good luck with the systems. At the very least it's also good for witches, zombies, and sentient gorillas. And really, isn't that enough...?

Dairun Cates
2007-12-30, 10:11 PM
I haven't played either, but I've heard that the "Buffy" and "Angel" RPGs aren't very good. The "Angel" one is supposedly better, but I've been told that they're not worth the money.

How can you hate on a game that has a "Get Medieval" skill and gives a player with enough drama points the ability to BLOCK DEATH WITH APPLIED PLEBOTINUM? Anyway, if you're into the universe, it's actually a very good system. It's not recommended to run the cannon characters since essentially Buffy and late series Willow blow the regular characters out of the water, but all in all, it's enjoyable.

To be perfectly, I'm actually not much of a GURPS man since if I wanted to play "anything" I'd just play Risus and skip the few hour long character development in favor for character creation that takes a literal minute on a restaurant napkin. Still, some people love it, and it's a strong choice.

Just go Amazon and order both online for 50 bucks total. A copy of Buffy can't be running more than like 20 bucks new on amazon now.