Character level for SM Stirling's Lords of Creation campaign

[earlofwessex]

I've just finished reading SM Stirling's Lords of Creation series ("The Sky People" and "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings"). As always, his in-depth world-building makes for very gameable fiction, especially with GURPS. I recommend the books, btw, they are both pretty short and his Mars is the most thoroughly conceived ancient-martian-canal-civilization I have encountered.

My question is for those of you more experienced with GURPS. In this series there really is life on Mars and Venus much as it was conceived of by early sci-fi writers. Venus is wild and filled with dinos, sabertooths (saberteeth?), etc. and Mars has canals and airships. The cold war is fought indirectly, with each block getting missions to both planets by the early '80's. Only a handful get to go every year, and no one comes back (except, presumably, the spaceship crew).

Here's the question: the people that the US sends are very exceptional. Each one beat out ten million other applicants. They have to be qualified in more than one field and in exceptional physical shape. One major character, who is just an average (in fact, fairly junior) member of the mission is, besides being an archaeologist, an Olympic fencer.

So what kind of stats should I expect for the game? My GURPS products are pretty old (like, more than ten years), and I think that the calibration of the stats has changed, especially with regard to DX and IQ. What does someone in their 20's who is one in ten million look like in terms of GURPS points and stats?

[The Fox]

I've nudged this thread over to the GURPS boards. Should get it some more attention there.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by earlofwessex

I've just finished reading SM Stirling's Lords of Creation series ("The Sky People" and "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings"). As always, his in-depth world-building makes for very gameable fiction, especially with GURPS. I recommend the books, btw, they are both pretty short and his Mars is the most thoroughly conceived ancient-martian-canal-civilization I have encountered.

My question is for those of you more experienced with GURPS. In this series there really is life on Mars and Venus much as it was conceived of by early sci-fi writers. Venus is wild and filled with dinos, sabertooths (saberteeth?), etc. and Mars has canals and airships. The cold war is fought indirectly, with each block getting missions to both planets by the early '80's. Only a handful get to go every year, and no one comes back (except, presumably, the spaceship crew).

Here's the question: the people that the US sends are very exceptional. Each one beat out ten million other applicants. They have to be qualified in more than one field and in exceptional physical shape. One major character, who is just an average (in fact, fairly junior) member of the mission is, besides being an archaeologist, an Olympic fencer.

So what kind of stats should I expect for the game? My GURPS products are pretty old (like, more than ten years), and I think that the calibration of the stats has changed, especially with regard to DX and IQ. What does someone in their 20's who is one in ten million look like in terms of GURPS points and stats?

Just give them 200 points or more starting CP, and allow minimaxing. You'll get plenty of characters with IQ and/or DX in the 12-13-14 range, depending on how jack of all trades they want to be.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Just give them 200 points or more starting CP, and allow minimaxing. You'll get plenty of characters with IQ and/or DX in the 12-13-14 range, depending on how jack of all trades they want to be.

Personally, I'd set 12 as a lower limit for attributes as well; no one gets picked for these missions unless they are above average in every respect.

[aesir23]

Man those are good books. I'd say that these characters are in the 250-300 range, above average at everything and expert in at least 2 fields.