09-09-2010, 03:24 PM | #41 | ||||
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
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That's strictly FYI. It isn't a criticism of the desire to have points totals. I understand that viewpoint, and actively endorsed it in DF 5 and DF 9 (and, really, in DF 3). But I won't lie and say it's a marginal extra. It's most of the work, and nobody much has filled us with faith that they could turn in hundreds of critters with 90%+ of the stats and formatting correct. We're okay with having to edit 90% to 99%, but not with having to edit work that's at 80%, 70%, or worse. Even some very good and long-established GURPS writers only bat .500 on stats and/or formatting . . . and when it's "and" and not "or," that can amount to 25%. Quote:
It's mainly the crunch that's delaying it. As I said, if people were happy with Basic Set-style stats blocks and no points, then we would be discussing errata in the bestiaries released in 2006, not the release dates of bestiaries that still don't exist in 2010.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
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09-09-2010, 03:30 PM | #42 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Seattle, Washington
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
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Glad to hear that it's still on the burners. I take it the plan would be to produce a hardcover, printed edition, rather than a collection of e23 books?
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Natural Encyclopedia: 660 GURPS bestiary entries It Came from the Forums: A Community Bestiary with 160 entries (last updated 2009...someday I will revisit.) Last edited by kmunoz; 09-09-2010 at 03:36 PM. |
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09-09-2010, 03:34 PM | #43 |
In Nomine Line Editor
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Frozen Wastelands of NH
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
*beth makes a private bet with herself on who you've got in mind for this*
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09-09-2010, 04:56 PM | #44 |
Dog of Lysdexics
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Melbourne FL, Formerly Wellington NZ
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
While the full stated up with points, and ready to run Real world beasts + archaically monsters serve two complimentary masters
The minimum time, "I just need something that works" crowed, but it also servers the customizers be providing them a solid foundation. it was meant to have be comparable to a wolf pack, i didn't mean it to treat my low point gritty party like wood though a chipper!, And my scary monster that should have been about the power of a T-rex wasn't meant to be that weak! Basically it give them a frame of reference, paying for the research being done for them. it also help players both Summoners and Shifters. Also people who prefer hevely customized worlds and charcter might want off the shelfs creatures, is because the creature isn't as overly important to the over all campian comared to the world and the player chacters and major NPCs and thats where they want to invest their time |
09-09-2010, 05:00 PM | #45 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: in your pocket, stealing all your change
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
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Hey, I for one do my critters. And no, I don't work out how many points they're worth unless I'm doing them as Allies or Alternate Forms or something I really need points for. Stat block is grand with me, hell I don't even use the stat blocks most of the time. In a regular combat, do I really need to know the IQ of a wolf? Most often, not. And if I do, I've got the hang of animal IQ levels by now enough to guess with an error margin of 1. The thing is, people that are vocal about the lack of a Bestiary are the people who don't do it themselves (most of the time), and some of the people who do wouldn't mind a Bestiary too. So the impression might come across that "nobody" does their beasties themselves. In my personal experience across gaming tables (not that many, true) and my own group is that yeah, we do our stuff most of the time. I'd probably buy GURPS Bestiary, it'd probably get a lot of use if it became available, but there's no aching need for it to become available. And laziness sells. |
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09-09-2010, 10:52 PM | #46 |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
No, maybe not, but you would need to know the damage for each attack mode, instead of having to figure it out from being given basic info like "a boar has ST 15, Bite, and uses Slams" then having to look it all up.
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09-10-2010, 12:15 AM | #47 | |
Dog of Lysdexics
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Melbourne FL, Formerly Wellington NZ
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09-10-2010, 04:34 AM | #48 | ||
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: in your pocket, stealing all your change
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
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Mind you, it's probably because animals aren't at all common as foes in my games. 99% of the time the foes are humans or something else. Supernatural "animals" are there, but then I can be almost as arbitrary as I like, since there's not so much worrying about realism with unreal creatures. Quote:
In any case, I'm not saying we don't need stats at all. I'm just saying that if I had to choose between a book with 200 of the most common animals and 70 fully stated animals with point costs, worked out advantages and disadvantages, descriptions of behaviour and whatnot... I'd probably find the first more useful. But YMMV for sure. And I'm talking strictly about realistic animals I can look up, not about monsters and fantastic beasts. |
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02-12-2011, 07:15 PM | #49 |
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
Personally I do not see the big deal here.
I mostly use the stat blocks for the bestiary for Hunting or Animal Taming ect. I even base my more Unique animals off some of the base animals, Such as My Drezalian Riding Cats Krevalic Riding Raptors ect. As for transforming them into GURPS 4th ed.. I can even get point costs, I just use the conversion rules and GCA with the Biotech and all other relevant loads. Yes I even have unicorns that teleport through plants.. in essence yes I would love to see the stat blocks and it is more an matter of Data entry than much else. I fail to see what is so hard about that. |
02-12-2011, 10:53 PM | #50 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: GURPS Bestiary - 4th ed.
One potential use for a Bestiary is the possibility of playing an animal. Long-time GURPS fans will remember a 3e supplement called Bunnies and Burrows. And when an animal is a potential PC, you need to know more about it than a stat-block will provide.
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bestiary, monsters |
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