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Originally Posted by StreetBushido
A long time ago I read that the first Fallout game was supposed to be based on GURPS, but that due to licensing issues, or something like that, the developers chose to create their own system for the game.
I've long wanted to run a tabletop game of Fallout, or something similar, but I've yet to find a system that clicked with me and made me go "Yes, this will do Fallout nicely!".
Recently, I started researching GURPS a bit. While I find even GURPS Light to be a bit daunting, the options available are interesting. I've also heard many good things about the quality of the writing that goes into the core books and the many supplements. Furthermore, it seems that once you've got how the system works and gotten past character creation, things move along fairly smoothly.
If I were to run Fallout, or any other post-apocalyptic setting, with GURPS (4th Ed.), what books would you recommend, aside from the core books?
I've also got a bit of a bonus question. I've heard that if you're going to GM GURPS you may want to create a list of skills specific to your game. For instance removing "Drive/Pilot" for a fantasy game or "Knowledge (Magic)" for a "realistic" modern game. When creating a skill list, what is a good number of skills? I can imagine that if there are too few skills, everybody will be good at everything. While if there are too many skills, everybody has to be very specialised, or everybody is sort of iffy at everything.
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You technically don't need anything besides the core rulebooks to run a game and even that can be somewhat debated depending on the level of detail you want. Most of what Gurps offers are less worldbooks and more source books, Ie High Tech describing/statting a lot of more modern items, Low-Tech statting pre-TL5 stuff etc.
As for Gurps Fallout that depends entirely on what you wish to do and how much detail you want to go into. A list of potentially useful but not mandatory volumes probably would be:
Low-Tech: Can cover most pre-industrial stuff that may come up.
High-Tech: Can cover anything from TL5-8.
Tactical-Shooting: Has a more in depth coverage of firearms and more realistic gunplay if thats desired. If a more cinematic feel is wanted I'd suggest avoiding this one.
Ultra-Tech: Weakest of the gurps sourcebooks but still useful for the 'retro-future' style tech from Lasers to Healing hypo's Plasma rifles.
Bio-Tech: Depending on how deep you want to explore mutations, mutagens or pre-war genetic science in general this is the book for you.
Gurps Y2K: 3rd Edition Sourcebook but to date is the best rundown for running a collapse scenario that maintains in-setting plausibility.
Gurps Atomic Horror: 3rd Edition sourcebook specifically geared for campaigns set in the 1950's from realistic to monster pulp and covers everything from politics to beliefs to social customs.