Quote:
Originally Posted by Canuck Lad
I was reading about GURPS online. I've never played before, but I've experience in D&D, Vampire the Masquerade, Star Wars by West End Games, etc. I see that if an attack roll is made, and succeeds, the defender rolls his (for example) parry skill independent of the attackers roll. Is this realistic?
If I was sword fighting, I suspect it would be much harder to defend against an expert swordsman than it would against someone of average skill.
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Part of the fun of the full GURPS tactical combat system is that it lets you model expertise in many ways. Some warriors might invest in extra attacks and speed, out-maneuvering their opponents. Others are strong enough to confidently all-out-attack a lesser foe, knowing that they are very likely to drop them in one shot (an all-out-attack means that you can't take any defenses). You can use deceptive attacks and feints to reduce opponent defenses and aim for specific body parts to increase damage potential or cripple a foe rapidly. Working with your party can create interesting tactical opportunities to exploit.
My two kids (5 and 8) and I sometimes whip out a hex grid to "play a GURPS battle" when we have a bit of spare time. We have a collection of characters that they choose from and then I pick a Dungeon Fantasy monster to put them up against. Most games I'll introduce a new maneuver or feature that they can try. Last night, for example, they battled two Frost Serpents who targeted them with breath weapons that largely ignored their armor. They used retreats to earn bonuses to their defenses and then used the terrain to their advantage, gaining partial cover for the archer. This forced the snakes to approach into melee range at which point the cleric could leap upon them with his flaming sword. (Alas, an inopportune critical failure caused him to drop the sword, leading to much hilarity and a near rout before their luck changed.)
With that said, GURPS combat can be slow, especially if the GM pushes for more granularity than the players are capable of or interested in. In my more serious games, I tend to adjust the style of combat on the mood of the group and the needs of the story. Sometimes we do quick-and-dirty theater of the mind, or narrate past obvious results ("you mop up the remaining mooks..."), or even resolve the whole thing with a quick contest between key opponents (this can be surprisingly fun). Other times, we dive in for a hex by hex mega battle.
I love the versatility.