Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony
When your mage is built on 100+45 (spending 80 on IQ 14, Magery 3) there's less room for generalizing than when your mage is built on 250 + 105.
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I fully agree that when players have more points to spend, they're more apt to create generalists.
GURPS Fourth Edition pitches to a higher power level because that's the overall lean of the hobby. Roleplaying has definitely drifted away from "zero to hero" and toward starting out with a character who can do the amazing stuff you want to be able to do right out of the gate. To paraphrase an often-seen criticism of low-powered starts: "Why should I put up with playing a putz for session after session so that I can eventually do what I signed up for? That's holding me hostage. I have only a little time for gaming, so I want to be able to do the cool stuff from the first session!"
Again, we're following the money.
But nothing prevents the GM whose players don't feel that way from running a 100-point campaign with as few disadvantages as make him comfortable, or even something like a 75 + 25 campaign. It's just that if the GM goes with high points, throwing the books at the players and saying "Make characters!" is doomed with or without magic. That's why worked examples like
Dungeon Fantasy and
Monster Hunters accompany high power levels with restricted trait lists, near-mandatory templates, and structured task rules that make clearer what levels of skill are needed to succeed.