Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-05-2019, 11:49 PM   #1
Gavinfoxx
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Default GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

So what are some good books for doing a wide variety of bio-whatever settings?
From high minded biotech, to gritty biopunk stuff, to making the bug eyed monsters that use 'biology is an excuse for anything!' like the zerg or tyranids, to magical biological stuff like in geneforge, to organic spaceships of various types of space opera, to supers which have biomancy of one sort or another, to designing giant biological monsters (kaiju?), to the sort of 'ki/life-force' side of things, etc. etc.

This is a LOT of different themes, and my question is... where are the various different versions of these themes hidden?
Gavinfoxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 01:44 AM   #2
AOTA
 
AOTA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Olathe, KS
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

I'd say the GURPS Biotech might be the best place to start. http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Bio-Tech/
__________________
Bob Gilson
Mib#3477
Formally Bobzilla
GURPS Checker for Prime Directive
AOTA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 03:53 AM   #3
Phil Masters
 
Phil Masters's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: U.K.
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Transhuman Space: Bioroid Bazaar and Transhuman Space: Bio-Tech cover the use of bio-tech in a specific setting in some detail.

http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-6715
http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-6716
__________________
--
Phil Masters
My Home Page.
My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.
Phil Masters is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 06:31 AM   #4
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Bio-Tech is, of course, the first go-to here. For making alien races, Space, or possibly Template Toolkits 2: Races (don't have that, so can't comment, but sounds appropriate), could be useful. For some of the crazier biological powers, Powers (and Powers: Enhanced Senses) and probably Supers would be indispensable; some of the mutations from After the End 1: Wastelanders may also be of use. The Spaceships series - particularly SS7 - would be useful for creating bioships, and incorporating SS4 (while ignoring the SM limits on Robot Legs) may be of use designing kaiju, although I suspect Powers/Supers/AtE may be of greater use there. Ki/life force abilities are primarily a Powers/Supers thing, although Martial Arts handles some and you can find a handful in various Dungeon Fantasy materials (as Martial Artist power-ups). Also Powers: Chinese Elemental Powers, if those fit for your concept.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 08:24 AM   #5
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
Bio-Tech is, of course, the first go-to here. For making alien races, Space, or possibly Template Toolkits 2: Races (don't have that, so can't comment, but sounds appropriate), could be useful. For some of the crazier biological powers, Powers (and Powers: Enhanced Senses) and probably Supers would be indispensable; some of the mutations from After the End 1: Wastelanders may also be of use. The Spaceships series - particularly SS7 - would be useful for creating bioships, and incorporating SS4 (while ignoring the SM limits on Robot Legs) may be of use designing kaiju, although I suspect Powers/Supers/AtE may be of greater use there. Ki/life force abilities are primarily a Powers/Supers thing, although Martial Arts handles some and you can find a handful in various Dungeon Fantasy materials (as Martial Artist power-ups). Also Powers: Chinese Elemental Powers, if those fit for your concept.
That's quite a compendious list, but I would suggest that if you want "crazier biological powers" there are also some good ones in Powers: The Weird.
__________________
Bill Stoddard

I don't think we're in Oz any more.
whswhs is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 08:26 AM   #6
Gavinfoxx
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Where do I find bits and pieces of how to make a race of telepathic (or radiotelepathy, whatever) bug bio-monsters, with a bunch of inherent biological powers, and how they can function with a full mobilization command economy, (how do you get the worker castes to be able to do what they have to be able to do without making them intelligent?) and how they actually go about functioning in a way that doesn't completely break verisimilitude?

I mean like Starcraft's Zerg, or 40k's Tyranids, or Starship Trooper's Bugs, or other various examples of this?

Yes, using 'instinctive' magical powers/superpowers would be fine for this, but I don't know which ones would be necessary to do what TVTropes calls 'Horde of Alien Locusts'?

I'm also very very interested in figuring out how to simulate the societies, items, magics, and processes in the Geneforge series, for a more magical take on the concept of artificial life with lots of biopowers.

Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 10-06-2019 at 08:39 AM.
Gavinfoxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 08:59 AM   #7
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Gurps Psionics is a nice supplement for good plug and play type leveled psychic powers.

In Gurps Zombies, Horde Intelligence acts to allow relatively mindless drones to operate in groups as if they were smarter.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 11:41 AM   #8
Refplace
 
Refplace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

All the books recommended so far are good, but it sounds like Powers is your best approach for what your looking for. Template Toolkit Races is another strong recommendation in my mind.
/for drones I would go with slave mentality if they have no initiative, reprogramable if they follow a set of orders.
Leaders would get Mind Control with limitations like drones only.
Telecommunication or Signals to communicate.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more!
My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
Refplace is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 01:05 PM   #9
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
. . . designing kaiju, although I suspect Powers/Supers/AtE may be of greater use there.
There's also the Giant Monster Design System on pp. 102-5 of GURPS Weird War II, although that's for 3e.
johndallman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 03:38 PM   #10
Gavinfoxx
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Default Re: GURPS books that are good for biotech/biomagic/biopunk?

What I'm trying to get at is...

If you're using GURPS as a way to simulate a setting, or at least describe average entities within a setting, what would it look like?

Like, what abilities would the 'civilian/industrial' side of an aggressive biological hegemonizing swarm? How would they mine minerals, to obtain what they need? Process them? Take over a biosphere? Build buildings? Maintain group cohesion and control? Take over a planet? Launch to the next one? Integrate useful genetics via some sort of lego genetics? How would they specifically get and keep hegemony, and usefully have the means to expand and exploit everything they come in contact with? What powers or abilities would HAVE to be in the worker and overseer castes?
Gavinfoxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.