Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh
I recently contemplated a John Carter-inspired campaign, and I feared that GURPS' mechanisticism and level of detail and realism would be actively detrimental to such a style. It's interesting that your opinion seems opposite. Could you elaborate why you think GURPS would do the job well?
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Because of all the dials and switches. You have every tool you need to run everything from
John Carter/
Carson of Venus, to
Space: 1889 (except for Vehicles...), to
The Expanse, or even something in the setting of
The Martian.
I mean, you don't have to use hit locations, if you don't want to, or anything in
G:Martial Arts;
G: High Tech gives you all the guns you'll need for such a campaign. You've got
G: Powers if you want to throw in some psionics, and you can always throw in some
Action rules if you want a cinematic feel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh
But . . . your avatar?! What flips your opinion when applied to RPGs?
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As with all rules, there are exceptions, and the Shadow is the
only pulp hero/comic hero I'd ever want to play. I have zero interest in playing flashy-four color heroes, although I did like to read them when I was younger (and will still pick up a good story collected into graphic novel format, on the rare occasion).
The Shadow dates back to the pulp magazine days, prior to comic books. He's contemporary with Doc Savage, Zorro and other larger-than-life pulp heroes who went on amazing adventures, although Lamont Cranston is a ruthless, lone-wolf, crime-fighting vigilante. He's one of the few who successfully made the transition to comic books, but he didn't really fit in with them, very well, even back when Bill Sienkiewicz was drawing it in '87-'88.
During the CCA days, Shadow stories in the comic were watered down they counted as emasculated tripe.
I like the Shadow's powers, I like his planning and precision, and I like the fact that, because he can read minds, there is never any question about the guilt of his targets. That said, if I were to actually get such powers, I wouldn't waste too much time hunting down drug dealers. I'd go after the
real villains -- those who abuse positions of power and authority out of arrogance and greed, and make life more difficult for people than necessary.
However,
none of that is conducive to team play, and that's what RPGs are all about. The
only pulp hero who interests me does
not play well with others, which makes superhero settings pretty problematic.
I mean, who wants to play in a superhero game with a guy whose character would rather blow a corrupt cop's brains out, than fight a supervillain?