[Magic] RPM, Paths, Realms - So many variants, but which one to choose?

JaJacob · 09-10-2017, 09:04 AM

Hello everyone!

I'm at my wits ends, so I turned to forums, hoping I could get some help and feedback.

Background
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After years we finally got a group going again, this time me at the helm. I have my setting, we already even had a first session, but I just can't decide on which magic variant would work best for us. My players are inexperienced when it comes to any GURPS magic system.

The setting is bronze age, Sumeria themed, 100-150 pts. The world is permeated with winds of magic, condensing into magical storms. Civilization is divided into two - the ones living in city states, which are protected by ancient towers (basically lighting rod for magic) and the ones outside, that learned to live through the storms. I want to make magic feel hazardous and primal/evil in the eyes of normal populace.

I would like to hear from RPM, effect shaping and Realms players and GMs which system worked for them the best or if there were any shortcomings during their sessions.

Magic variants
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Sorcery - I liked the structure of advantages and how improvisation ties in. From what I read the casting wasn't what I wanted though.

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RPM - my current favourite. I like the ease of making new rituals (once you get into it) and freedom it comes with, since I want to use my own Paths. From gameplay, while I do like the slower ritualistic style, I dislike relying solely on charms during combat time.

I thought about some alternations, which I would like feedback:

Lose or limit necessity of charms by using threshold instead. Keep energy gathering for difficult rituals and as a way of safer & slow casting.
But I don't want gathering to be completely without risks.

I'm not sure how to tie energy gathering with threshold. Instead I was thinking about introducing corruption or reactive reality depending on Path used.

With RPM I'm just slightly worried about book keeping all the numbers (especially with threshold, corruption and reactive reality) as well as players improvising.

I'm also worried about turning the dials - if I change one thing, what happens to the other ones that I didn't think about in the moment?

What about bonuses grimoires, places of power, even just Ritual Adept working with tally? Maybe allowing only Ritual Adept access to tally? Do I just "forget" it exists if I won't have an idea how to implement it?

Did anyone run threshold RPM with free variable access or adepts?

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Effect shaping (RPM) - Anyone using this variant? How does it compare to classic RPM? It seems it would be easier to cast faster, since you don't need energy. But at the same time, not that usable during combat. Could it work with threshold or corruption? Add the penalty to skill towards threshold perhaps?

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Realms - They seem to be very similar in RPM, but even more freeform. It seems like it would be hard to manage during the game and I couldn't find much information about it. Is this someone's favourite system?

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Path/Book - It seems like it is fairly similar to RPM and frankly I skipped reading too much into it, because of that.

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TL;DR: I'm leaning towards RPM with threshold, leaving energy gathering (no variable access required) that causes corruption or reactive reality.

Flavor I'm looking for is dangerous magic, combat ready and flashy, limited thanks to tally, but keeping some flavor of RAW RPM.

09-10-2017, 09:04 AM	#1
JaJacob Join Date: Sep 2017	[Magic] RPM, Paths, Realms - So many variants, but which one to choose? Hello everyone! I'm at my wits ends, so I turned to forums, hoping I could get some help and feedback. Background ------------------ After years we finally got a group going again, this time me at the helm. I have my setting, we already even had a first session, but I just can't decide on which magic variant would work best for us. My players are inexperienced when it comes to any GURPS magic system. The setting is bronze age, Sumeria themed, 100-150 pts. The world is permeated with winds of magic, condensing into magical storms. Civilization is divided into two - the ones living in city states, which are protected by ancient towers (basically lighting rod for magic) and the ones outside, that learned to live through the storms. I want to make magic feel hazardous and primal/evil in the eyes of normal populace. I would like to hear from RPM, effect shaping and Realms players and GMs which system worked for them the best or if there were any shortcomings during their sessions. Magic variants ---------------------- Sorcery - I liked the structure of advantages and how improvisation ties in. From what I read the casting wasn't what I wanted though. ------------------------------------ RPM - my current favourite. I like the ease of making new rituals (once you get into it) and freedom it comes with, since I want to use my own Paths. From gameplay, while I do like the slower ritualistic style, I dislike relying solely on charms during combat time. I thought about some alternations, which I would like feedback: Lose or limit necessity of charms by using threshold instead. Keep energy gathering for difficult rituals and as a way of safer & slow casting. But I don't want gathering to be completely without risks. I'm not sure how to tie energy gathering with threshold. Instead I was thinking about introducing corruption or reactive reality depending on Path used. With RPM I'm just slightly worried about book keeping all the numbers (especially with threshold, corruption and reactive reality) as well as players improvising. I'm also worried about turning the dials - if I change one thing, what happens to the other ones that I didn't think about in the moment? What about bonuses grimoires, places of power, even just Ritual Adept working with tally? Maybe allowing only Ritual Adept access to tally? Do I just "forget" it exists if I won't have an idea how to implement it? Did anyone run threshold RPM with free variable access or adepts? ------------------------------ Effect shaping (RPM) - Anyone using this variant? How does it compare to classic RPM? It seems it would be easier to cast faster, since you don't need energy. But at the same time, not that usable during combat. Could it work with threshold or corruption? Add the penalty to skill towards threshold perhaps? ----------------------------- Realms - They seem to be very similar in RPM, but even more freeform. It seems like it would be hard to manage during the game and I couldn't find much information about it. Is this someone's favourite system? -------------------------- Path/Book - It seems like it is fairly similar to RPM and frankly I skipped reading too much into it, because of that. -------------------------- TL;DR: I'm leaning towards RPM with threshold, leaving energy gathering (no variable access required) that causes corruption or reactive reality. Flavor I'm looking for is dangerous magic, combat ready and flashy, limited thanks to tally, but keeping some flavor of RAW RPM.