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Old 09-26-2019, 05:53 AM   #1
Almenac
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Default Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk?

How well do you think GURPS is suited for Cyberpunk games? Is it easy to run? How does it compare to other CP names like original Cyberpunk 2020, Shadowrun, Interface Zero/Savage Worlds or others?

I like my cyberpunk gritty and dangerous and I think GURPS would fit the bill nicely. It also has the gear lists that I like in the genre. But at the same time CP should have a certain fluidity, danger and attitude. GURPS is sometimes accused of being a little bland and slow if especially at more modern tech levels. What I'm basically trying to ask is does it feel right?

Have you run Cyberpunk games in GURPS and how did it work out? Would you recommend it over other systems?

Last edited by Almenac; 09-26-2019 at 11:32 AM. Reason: Missing question mark.
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Old 09-26-2019, 06:05 AM   #2
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

I got outvoted on our Shadowrun campaign, and we're playing it in 3e Shadowrun instead of GURPS, but I think it would have been better here.

Before the sale ends, maybe grab a copy of the relevent pyramid?

I've done a number of ultratech campaigns including using implants, but never anything with a well-developed net. I think the key for implants is pre-defining the available implants rather than allowing players to create free-form from advantages. Ultratech and biotech have good guidance here.
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Old 09-26-2019, 06:09 AM   #3
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

You may also want to look into this setting, where the U.S. has become a fascist state under the rule of the "Provisional Government."
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Old 09-26-2019, 06:14 AM   #4
WingedKagouti
 
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

They haven't released a version of Cyberpunk for 4th Edition, but you could always look at these books for 3rd Edition:

http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...ssic-cyberpunk
http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...sic-cyberworld

Or this issue of Pyramid:
http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...h-21-cyberpunk
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:09 AM   #5
Turhan's Bey Company
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

I co-ran a cyberpunk campaign for a while back in 3rd edition days, which I think went pretty successfully. Indeed, the house rules and equipment my group put together led to my first more or less professional involvement with SJ Games.

GURPS will certainly give you extensive equipment lists, and given the deadliness of combat, it carries danger with it. But I find that "feel" and "attitude" are very personal reactions or aspects of the campaign setting rather than the rules proper. If you've played GURPS, you already know how the rules feel, and if you haven't, nobody can tell you what your experience will be. And a lot of your play experience will come from world building rather than the underlying rules engine. One of the things we did, for example, was a lot of branding. Rather than buying generically named equipment from Ultra-Tech, we came up with a bunch of company and product names, so there was a wide range of specifically named weapons based on the item and various measures of quality. One manufacturer produced mostly Cheap items, another more or less standard ones, yet another Fine quality, and so on (say, instead of "heavy pistol, 10mm CLP," a choice of Chiba Arms N-23, Rockwell 10mm, or Kiribati 535C). But since GURPS is a toolkit, adding that kind of flavor is on you. You won't get it from the published text.
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:39 AM   #6
Almenac
 
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post
I co-ran a cyberpunk campaign for a while back in 3rd edition days, which I think went pretty successfully. Indeed, the house rules and equipment my group put together led to my first more or less professional involvement with SJ Games.

GURPS will certainly give you extensive equipment lists, and given the deadliness of combat, it carries danger with it. But I find that "feel" and "attitude" are very personal reactions or aspects of the campaign setting rather than the rules proper. If you've played GURPS, you already know how the rules feel, and if you haven't, nobody can tell you what your experience will be. And a lot of your play experience will come from world building rather than the underlying rules engine. One of the things we did, for example, was a lot of branding. Rather than buying generically named equipment from Ultra-Tech, we came up with a bunch of company and product names, so there was a wide range of specifically named weapons based on the item and various measures of quality. One manufacturer produced mostly Cheap items, another more or less standard ones, yet another Fine quality, and so on (say, instead of "heavy pistol, 10mm CLP," a choice of Chiba Arms N-23, Rockwell 10mm, or Kiribati 535C). But since GURPS is a toolkit, adding that kind of flavor is on you. You won't get it from the published text.
Thank you, excellent points!

Very good advice about the branding. I instantly got the appropriate feeling for the weapons :)
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:58 AM   #7
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

It really depends on what flavor of cyberpunk. In general, it is a good system if you treat cybernetics as advantages that cost points, as money is too cheap in GURPS to serve as a good game balancer. For example, a TL9 character with Multimillionaire 2 possesses $300 million in personal assets, $60 million of which may be in adventuring gear. Even if you are charging $15,000 per CP, they can easily purchase 2,000 CP worth of cybernetics without much trouble for the cost of 100 CP of Wealth.

In addition, I would not worry too much about the 'realism' of the implants as long as they are not inconsistent with the TL of your setting. At TL9, a gauss rifle can deal 6d×2 (3) pi damage with Accuracy 10 and Range 2400/10,000. A comparable advantage would cost around 180 CP, so a cybernetic internal arm rifle with comparable functionality would be allowable as long as the character paid the points for it. The fact that it is compact, undetectable, and unremovable makes up for its great cost (just get a Weapon Mount, Payload, and Signature Gear if you want one that is large, detectable, and removable).
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Old 09-26-2019, 08:31 AM   #8
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

I'll chip in another vote for Pyramid 3/21 the Console Cowboys article alone is worth the cover price.
Most of the feeling comes from the setting, Cyberpunk for Third Edition was good but I disliked the netrunning rules as too clunky. Replace those with the article mentioned above though and I think its very playable.
Also Transhuman Space is kind of like Cyberpunk but more futuristic and more Bladerunner.
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My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
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Old 09-26-2019, 11:18 AM   #9
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

A point relevant to cyberpunk is how much gun combat is there going to be? I've played in Shadowrun 3e, SLA Industries and a couple of Dark Heresy campaigns that were cyberpunk-ish. All in their native systems and all did gun combat very badly.

Gurps does gun comabt pretty good. That 1 second Turn that people think is too short for dungeoncrawling is about right for gun combat where the longer Turns found in other systems demand aphysical behavior from guns.
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Old 09-26-2019, 11:19 AM   #10
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Default Re: Is GURPS good system for cyberpunk

You may find this link useful:

https://edgerunners.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

It contains both session reports as well as extensive lists of equipment, vehicles, cyberware, homebrew hacking rules, templates and more.
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