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Old 07-18-2013, 09:23 AM   #1
Mangolaw
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Default Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

I saw these great character sheets a while ago for DnD 4.0. They are designed to help kids play DnD, but they are also just really attractive and clean. I recall someone saying they wished all DnD character sheets looked like that, not just the ones for eight-year-olds.

I've played a lot of DnD, and the groups that I've played with seemed to pick up the system at a better pace than the groups I have GM'd for gurps. I think gurps is a better system, but I want other people to think so too. I've set out to create a few more 'gamified' gurps character sheets and I'm interested to know what you people think. These characters are for swords and sorcery style fantasy with pretty much only combat in mind.

The idea was to make character sheets that lay out a character's 'best moves' as abilities in the same fashion that other RPG systems do. In actual play, the rules are not changed overmuch but the character sheets themselves are supposed to dilute the full spectrum of moves available to a character to just the attacks and spells that a player is likely to want to use. The sheets were based off some characters I built with the core gurps rules before I simplified them, though I'll admit that I did take some liberties with the rules (maybe that makes me a bad person).

Anyway, please have a look and tell me what you think.
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Old 07-18-2013, 09:34 AM   #2
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mangolaw View Post
I saw these great character sheets a while ago for DnD 4.0. They are designed to help kids play DnD, but they are also just really attractive and clean. I recall someone saying they wished all DnD character sheets looked like that, not just the ones for eight-year-olds.

I've played a lot of DnD, and the groups that I've played with seemed to pick up the system at a better pace than the groups I have GM'd for gurps. I think gurps is a better system, but I want other people to think so too. I've set out to create a few more 'gamified' gurps character sheets and I'm interested to know what you people think. These characters are for swords and sorcery style fantasy with pretty much only combat in mind.

The idea was to make character sheets that lay out a character's 'best moves' as abilities in the same fashion that other RPG systems do. In actual play, the rules are not changed overmuch but the character sheets themselves are supposed to dilute the full spectrum of moves available to a character to just the attacks and spells that a player is likely to want to use. The sheets were based off some characters I built with the core gurps rules before I simplified them, though I'll admit that I did take some liberties with the rules (maybe that makes me a bad person).

Anyway, please have a look and tell me what you think.
These are great. I really like that they sort of suggest there are more rules behind what's there without telling details. Just enough to spark a child's curiosity.
The weapon skill/damage lines are a bit hard to parse, plus I think a child player would enjoy the dice-rolling at least as much as an adult. I humbly suggest just listing damage the traditional way, i.e. "1d+3 imp" or whatever, maybe with a short explanation of what the "imp" means underneath.
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Old 07-18-2013, 10:08 AM   #3
lexington
 
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

They look great, very clean and very clear, but I feel like they leave out what was so appealing about GURPS to me.
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Old 07-18-2013, 11:14 AM   #4
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

These are great fun, nice work!
This would indeed appeal to a few people I know who love D&D and refuse to play GURPS because it is "overly burdened with rules". With this they would see what their character can do right out of the gate, and understand how to make it happen in game mechanics (roll under the number beside the trait). Then when they inevitably want to alter/improvise one of the listed traits I could show how awesome GURPS rules are by easily handling their "double fisted, leaping tankard strike while balancing on a stool".
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Old 07-18-2013, 11:25 AM   #5
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

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Originally Posted by lexington View Post
They look great, very clean and very clear, but I feel like they leave out what was so appealing about GURPS to me.
It's true that the detail and complexity of GURPS is appealing to many of us, but I'm willing to bet that you weren't 8 years old when you decided you felt that way.

I think these are a great way to make GURPS more kid-friendly, and would definitely consider using something like this were I gaming with a group of young or completely new-to-gaming people. My only dislike is that these sheets ape the D&D "combat combat combat" focus, where it seems like your attacks and damage and such are the only things that need spelling out. Considering that I'll often run games where we'll go 4-5 sessions without a fight, I feel like that bias is an issue.
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:49 PM   #6
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

These are great, Mangolaw!

I have a simplified character sheet I use for convention games and one-shots, when I know the players may not be experienced GURPS players, but I'm afraid I don't have the artistic flair so many others do.
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Old 07-18-2013, 01:06 PM   #7
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

Nothing much to add except that these are really excellent. Good job and keep it up. :)
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Old 07-18-2013, 04:00 PM   #8
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mangolaw View Post
I saw these great character sheets a while ago for DnD 4.0. They are designed to help kids play DnD, but they are also just really attractive and clean. I recall someone saying they wished all DnD character sheets looked like that, not just the ones for eight-year-olds.
...
Absolutely awesome, Mangolaw! I have a thing for minimalistic character sheets for convention use and kids games (my six-year-old son is being indoctrinated as we speak), and yours are a true beauty. Mind if I hack on the design solutions? Keep on!
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Last edited by Perssek; 07-18-2013 at 04:03 PM.
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Old 07-18-2013, 04:25 PM   #9
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

Perhaps this is not the right thread to ask this, but I'd love to see not only simple designs to GURPS character sheets, but different (but COMPLETE) designs as well.

Look at this sheet to see what I'm talking about.
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Old 07-18-2013, 05:18 PM   #10
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Default Re: Simplifying Gurps Character Sheets

It seems like these work great as long as you can boil a character down to a half dozen or so "tricks". As PK said, works great for D&D, trickier for GURPS.

re: complete character sheets, I have a design lying around somewhere. One page each for stuff bought with CP (stats, a/d/q, skills, etc), non-martial equipment, and martial equipment. Plenty of room to list things or make notes, which was the intent.
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