[Maz]

I think that video perfectly shows some of the strength and weaknesses of GURPS.

It shows how simple a system it really is. You can run it very very rules light and mostly just use it for the "3d6 under skill"-checks. And not care too much about "1 second combat rounds" and exact manouvers.

However it also shows that, it can be really hard for a new GURPS GM to not be confused about what sort of details to include and what not to include.

For instance the whole "shotgun problem" getting in the way of the story and ruining the immersion. This was not a problem of the rules, as such. The GM shouldn't have given a shotgun to a player without knowing how a shotgun works. However the rules for shotguns are much more complex than in other games. In pretty much any other RPG you roll to hit, then roll to damage. Stuff like RoF and Recoil determining number of pellets hit and an active defense determining number of pellets dodged. That's significantly more complex than most other RPG's.
It's very easy to use some more simple shotgun rules (just have it use the rules for slugs instead for instance). But that requires insight into the rules that are not entirely straight forward. Same for Hit Locations. Why bother with them? They just slow down the game if you aren't going to really use them anyway.


Another problem is "expectation". It's clear the players expect to be able to "do something" each turn of combat. And I really respect the GM for handwaving turns into a group of actions, instead of sticking to very strict GURPS-turns.
But the problem is that then the players are unsure what to expect. For instance Adam in one turn wants to "run up to the guy, grab him, stab him with a knife and punch him". He knows that's probably too much for a single turn but he ask anyway, as "what you can expect to achieve during one turn of combat" is not clearly defined by the GM. He also wants to climb up to the bad guys, which the GM tries to state is "an involved affair" because yes, using GURPS RAW that would probably take several turns... something the player would probably find unfair.


My point is.
GURPS can be used for this sort of fast-paced action game. But in this example you do not really see much of actual GURPS rules in effect, as so much of it is just handwaved or ignored. And it's my clear feeling that had the GM tried to stick closer to GURPS RAW, it would have made for a much less entertaining experience for the players... as their expectation was for a less detailed-oriented game. And I think that's a problem. that the GM feel they have to ignore the rules to make a more fun game. Because then what arguments do you have to actually pick GURPS over say FATE, BESM, WoD, FUDGE, D&D or any other system?