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Infornific · 12-21-2006, 12:15 PM

I'm going to dissent and partially support the first poster. The 4e of GURPS isn't very friendly - there is a huge amount of data dumped on the gamer and it's difficult to figure out what to focus on - the Basic rules are more of a GURPS design kit than a straight game. If you're a casual gamer this can be a little intimidating.

What I find truly frustrating about this is that the core system is simple, simpler than standard d20. You have attributes (things every has), advantages/disadvantages (things people may or may not have) and skills (things people learn.) You use skills by rolling attribute plus skill level plus conditional modifier against 3d6, roll under to succeed. Attributes are used the same way. That's pretty much it. If anything, GURPS 4e probably simplified the system - attributes now have a flat cost, skills have the same cost progression whether mental or physical, animals no longer need split HT and Strength is nowhere near as messed up as in 3e. That said the system is presented in a way that complicates matters. I would said this even extends to secondary Characteristics like Will and Perception which I think would be better handled as Advantages/Disadvantages.

If GURPS was presented like Unisystem where you have self contained game books using customized distilled versions of GURPS I suspect you'd have a lot fewer complaints about the complexity of GURPS. If we had a Discworld RPG, a Vorkosigan RPG, a Traveller RPG and a Hellboy RPG all powered by GURPS 4e I suspect we'd have a much easier time introducing novices. Heck, if we had 64 or 96 page genre packs using customized GURPS lite and appropriate genre rules to show how to use GURPS in a given field, I suspect we'd have a lot fewer complaints. Even a more complete GURPS lite would help - fans could then design their own supplements to introduce gamers a la Caverns and Creatures. Right now there's too much tell and not enough show.

Unfortunately, the current policy is to focus on hard core GURPS heads. I'm a little worried that this will hurt the game in the long run but maybe it is the best business decision.

- DW

12-21-2006, 12:15 PM	#7
Infornific Join Date: Dec 2004	Re: 4e is not user friendly. I'm going to dissent and partially support the first poster. The 4e of GURPS isn't very friendly - there is a huge amount of data dumped on the gamer and it's difficult to figure out what to focus on - the Basic rules are more of a GURPS design kit than a straight game. If you're a casual gamer this can be a little intimidating. What I find truly frustrating about this is that the core system is simple, simpler than standard d20. You have attributes (things every has), advantages/disadvantages (things people may or may not have) and skills (things people learn.) You use skills by rolling attribute plus skill level plus conditional modifier against 3d6, roll under to succeed. Attributes are used the same way. That's pretty much it. If anything, GURPS 4e probably simplified the system - attributes now have a flat cost, skills have the same cost progression whether mental or physical, animals no longer need split HT and Strength is nowhere near as messed up as in 3e. That said the system is presented in a way that complicates matters. I would said this even extends to secondary Characteristics like Will and Perception which I think would be better handled as Advantages/Disadvantages. If GURPS was presented like Unisystem where you have self contained game books using customized distilled versions of GURPS I suspect you'd have a lot fewer complaints about the complexity of GURPS. If we had a Discworld RPG, a Vorkosigan RPG, a Traveller RPG and a Hellboy RPG all powered by GURPS 4e I suspect we'd have a much easier time introducing novices. Heck, if we had 64 or 96 page genre packs using customized GURPS lite and appropriate genre rules to show how to use GURPS in a given field, I suspect we'd have a lot fewer complaints. Even a more complete GURPS lite would help - fans could then design their own supplements to introduce gamers a la Caverns and Creatures. Right now there's too much tell and not enough show. Unfortunately, the current policy is to focus on hard core GURPS heads. I'm a little worried that this will hurt the game in the long run but maybe it is the best business decision. - DW