new player group here

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by racefrog

Hey All,
We are a group of 5 or 6 DnD players looking to change things up. We got gurps lite and the 2 basic books for characters and campaign. We are making 150 point characters w/ 75point penalties(5 of which can be quirks). GM is going with a modern setting, but adding vampires and werewolf type stuff in there. We have made a bunch of characters, but one of our players wants to make a plant monster that is 5 small plants that sometimes form up into 1 human shaped/sized monster. Was just wonder if anyone on here would be able to help w/ that, or maybe just give suggestions. The idea he likes the best so far is to make 5 small 30-40 point characters.

Thanks!

Welcome to GURPS, you're gonna have a great time.

The plant creature question seems to be answered so let me just chime in and say.....

Yes, Horror is AMAZING. Specifically its treatment for WHY things are scary and the numerous Templates it has in there for Monsters to kill.

Id also like to Second Dougs advice on dropping the dissad limit a bit and bumping up the Point total instead. Ive always had good luck with counting only 'listed' dissads towards the limit and not counting ability score adjustments (frex: Selling off Will etc).

Since you're new to GURPS, What I might recommend is taking A -15 point dissad and either a -10 or 2x -5. Thats not a lot of Dissads, but it WILL allow you and your players to focus on them in play. You can then elevate your point total to around 175-200 without hamstringing new players and new characters as Doug has indicated.

Finally, if your going 'modern' then Action! has to be at least mentioned as a possibility.


Nymdok
p.s. The more you tell us about your setting and players, the more we can help :)

[kmunoz]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

Since you're new to GURPS, What I might recommend is taking A -15 point dissad and either a -10 or 2x -5. Thats not a lot of Dissads, but it WILL allow you and your players to focus on them in play. You can then elevate your point total to around 175-200 without hamstringing new players and new characters as Doug has indicated.

That would be my advice as well. I find that players who are either unfamiliar with RPGs or more familiar with D&D-style games are not as comfortable (at least at the start) with playing their disadvantages. So when I introduce a new group to GURPS I usually tell them to pick exactly one disad, usually a social glue disad. If they want to pick more then I let them make their case but I strongly advise them against it.

I know that's not everyone's cup of tea, though. A lot of folks think more extensive use of disadvantages creates more well-rounded characters. I find that to be true only if the players are consistent and don't need hand-holding in that regard. (And for those who argue that as a GM I should be making sure the disads are played, I reiterate that these are new players and it's not my job to humiliate them in front of the group.)

[ericthered]

-75 is always a huge number of disads. Character disadvantages top out once you hit -50, meaning you either go bonzo or you have what monster hunters and super villains refer to as "Weakness": Vulnerability to silver, inability to enter buildings without asking, totally disabled by glowing green rocks, old war wounds, the inability to walk around town (because I'm a dog or horrible monster), or glasses.

There really are several ways to build this.

What happens if an mini-plant dies? Is it gone? will it grow back? That decision really effects cost.

[racefrog]

wow thanks for all the help, we got the plant character taken care of with duplication1 and shared resources, that will keep his turn from getting to long.

we dropped the disadvantage to -25, and upped the points to 200.

our first game session was just a mess of us going over rules and putting characters together, quite fun. next meet is on the 25th, I'm sure ill have more questions then. I really do appreciate the help.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by racefrog

wow thanks for all the help, we got the plant character taken care of with duplication1 and shared resources, that will keep his turn from getting to long.

we dropped the disadvantage to -25, and upped the points to 200.

our first game session was just a mess of us going over rules and putting characters together, quite fun. next meet is on the 25th, I'm sure ill have more questions then. I really do appreciate the help.

Your welcome and good move on lowering disads and raising points.
First games are usually like that :) Even if everyone knows the rules people often spend a lot of it going over character ideas. Different people doing things can get others to change thier minds as well.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by racefrog

our first game session was just a mess of us going over rules

Welcome. The GURPS ruleset has an internal logic so it gets easier. However, if combat will be a significant part of your game, it's worth running some arena fights. If you can't get the group to do it, run 'em solo and you become the guru. I'd recommend using figures on a hex map; after you do that a few times, you'll be able to visualize the map even when you don't use it.

Some things to try, a 50pt spearman vs a 50pt swordsman, to get a feel for how to use reach. Don't overlook the fact that spears are cheap enough to be fine quality for the same price as a sword. Also see what you can do with Brawling and Wrestling. Then try 200pt characters with skill in the range of 20 so you can see what you can do by soaking penalties (for things like Rapid Strike, Deceptive Attack, or called shots) - if you ever roll against an adjusted skill higher than 16, you are wasting it. Try all the maneuvers: Evaluate, Feint, Attack, Move-and-Attack, All-Out Attack (and get the free Combat Cards from Warehouse23). Also figure out how to maneuver to reduce the other guy's defenses - step to the non-shield side, try a run-around attack, get the high ground, feint and follow up with a deceptive attack.

Make sure you understand shock, stun, and knockdown. Being stunned and on the ground is really bad; on the other hand, when that happens to your foe, it's a good time for all-out attack. Once you hit your foe, bad things happen to him beyond just loss of hit points, and that means it's easier for you to hit him again. On the other hand, if bad things happen to you, go for all-out defense with extra effort.

Try an Old West style shootout, too. The range penalties seem complicated for about half a dozen times, and then you'll internalize the table. 200 yards? -12. (Because 2yd is no penalty, and you add -6 for every 10 times range.) Understand aiming and bracing, and understand that you'll always be taking an all-out attack when aiming at long ranges. Yeah, that's only +1, and extra turns of aiming are only good for +1, but every +1 lets you shoot 50% farther.

Really, if you do this, you'll postpone your real game by one session, but it'll pay big dividends. If you don't have time for an arena game, check out Douglas Cole's blog gamingballistic.blogspot.com, especially melee academy and GURPS 101.

Good luck!

EDIT: And get Action 2, for a quick guide to handle all the action scenes that come up in a typical adventure.

[mook]

Originally Posted by racefrog

our first game session was just a mess of us going over rules and putting characters together, quite fun. next meet is on the 25th, I'm sure ill have more questions then. I really do appreciate the help.

Welcome to GURPS, racefrog.

Sounds like you have things well in hand, but you or your group may still find this series of "New to GURPS" posts helpful in learning the basics and getting up and running.

Sounds like a fun game -- enjoy!

[racefrog]

thanks agin, if anyone is near San Antonio, Texas your welcome to join us.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by racefrog

thanks agin, if anyone is near San Antonio, Texas your welcome to join us.

I wish I were in SAT, but I'd need a job before I could move. You hiring?

[Gef]

Hey mook, I hadn't seen your blog before, but it's awesome. You just save me a lot of work with your one-page comprehensive combat options reference. (It needs Defensive Grip and Reversed Grip, though. Hopefully you can single-space the posture table to make room.)