GURPS Powers: The Weird

[PK]

"Existence is false,"
Said the Thing which was not there,
And then It was me.

— (unknown)

It's oft said that GURPS can handle any character concept or unique ability, no matter how strange. And the trifecta of the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Powers give you the tools to create anything you can wrap your mind around.

But some fictional abilities aren't even easy to envision. Some don't just break the laws of physics, but the concept of physics. Many powers fly in the face of science, but a few destroy that face and rebuild "science" from the ground up. When you're ready for this -- ready to embrace new spatial dimensions, evolve life in your own image, and tear away the flimsy curtain that others call reality -- GURPS Powers: The Weird is your guide.

Its eight surreal powers suit anything from bizarre heroes to Things Man Was Not Meant To Know. Use Dimension Control to effortlessly move and scry across our three-dimensional world, or to play with the very concepts of time and space. Turn mere words into memetic commands and weapons with Logos. Hearken back to your evolutionary ancestors, using Mutation to draw upon traits from creatures extant or not. Embrace Void to become the negation of all that exists, or perhaps of "existence" itself. And much more.

But psychedelia is not limited to powers! Dive into the realm of weird science and learn how to craft automata, guide evolution to "craft" living creatures, alter the thoughts of others, transcend space and time, and more -- all through training and techniques. These are codified via a new concept, "Weird-Science Styles," with 11 detailed examples ready to use. Then you'll finally be ready to understand how strange reality itself is: alternate dimensions, higher realms, parallel worlds, reality shards, singularities . . . all waiting to broaden any campaign.

When you're ready to go beyond ("Beyond what?" "Exactly."), you're ready for GURPS Powers: The Weird.

—

Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-0152
Preview PDF: http://www.warehouse23.com/media/SJG37-0152_preview.pdf

[whswhs]

Thank you, PK!

[johndallman]

The book this reminds me of most is Psionic Powers. Like that, it's a big box of worked examples of implementing things with GURPS, with lots of crunchy pieces of general-purpose rules and research as seasoning. The table of skills that appear at various TLs, the extension of Styles to gadgeteering, the clarification of divergent TLs, and the general support for invention and technology done by characters make it useful for much more than weird science.

[Michael Thayne]

First impressions based on skimming:

• Chapter 1 is interesting, though some of it (particularly the new techniques) sets of my game-balance alarm bells?
• Chapter 2 is very fluffy, not really my cup of tea, but I imagine many people will enjoy it.
• Chapter 3 really impressed me. This is the part that most strongly follows in the footsteps of GURPS: Powers, in terms of new advantage modifiers and variants, and new "powers". I didn't think there was much ground left to be broken here, but I was wrong. (Happily!)

[Jürgen Hubert]

First impression: Looks cool, but "Logos" could have used some more advantages.

[dataweaver]

Still making my way through the pdf; just started chapter 2. So far, loving it! GURPS has needed this for a while.

Hmm… it seems to me that Netrunning would also qualify as a Weird Science. Also, I'm hoping it addresses Rubber Science at some point: technologies that don't actually introduce new principles, but perform far better than they have any right to.

[Refplace]

My undigested, I can still taste it impression.
Chapter 1 COOL!
A lot of the Styles need ideas to make use of them, but that's more the scope of a gear book or individual setting.
Some ideas running though....
Ghouls with Ontogenetics for a nice twist on an old foe.
The High Evolutionary and Dr. Pym could work great with these rules. Reed Richards and Tony Stark are more broad and a little less weird.
Some of these could be very powerful, but then that is typical of Gadgeteers.
I'm also thinking there is a lot of fertile ground for various gods and racial powers for High Fantasy settings.
Considering Automata and others based off Runic Magic as an alternate way of doing my dwarven tech. Gnomes could get a Crystal style. Tessaraxis will be used, not sure how yet but maybe a variant of Traders. The mental ones have some nice concepts, if light on constructs and Fae may get some love here too.

Chapter 2 The fluff
Little new here to me but its nicely organized for inspiration and well seeded with references and leads for those looking to explore certain ideas. The length was good, I was filled with random thoughts and buildup but it ended before I got bored. Art was evocative too.

Chapter 3 Weird
Some really odd stuff here and a lot of utility. Either outright or nuggets for other builds.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

Hmm… it seems to me that Netrunning would also qualify as a Weird Science. Also, I'm hoping it addresses Rubber Science at some point: technologies that don't actually introduce new principles, but perform far better than they have any right to.

There is absolutely no reason you can't make up new science styles. I'm not sure how I would do netrunning, but it can't be any stranger than entering the fourth dimension.

[dataweaver]

As I see it, it would actually be over-the-top Computer Hacking, with your inventions being software. And much like several other Styles talk about which Powers they could make available, I could see a Hacking Style making Noumena and Logos available:

Demiurgy, p.33: “Your awareness of noumena gives you power over phenomena: To you, the material world is a virtual reality that you can reshape as if it were a lucid dream.”

Except it's the Net that's a virtual reality that you can reshape as if it were a lucid dream.

And in a world with an Internet of Things, this Style could also justify Machine Telepathy — what Shadowrun calls “Rigging”.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

As I see it, it would actually be over-the-top Computer Hacking, with your inventions being software. And much like several other Styles talk about which Powers they could make available, I could see a Hacking Style making Noumena and Logos available:

Demiurgy, p.33: “Your awareness of noumena gives you power over phenomena: To you, the material world is a virtual reality that you can reshape as if it were a lucid dream.”

Except it's the Net that's a virtual reality that you can reshape as if it were a lucid dream.

You could also perhaps do some aspects of Void in virtual realms.