01-26-2023, 10:13 AM | #131 |
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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01-27-2023, 08:28 PM | #132 |
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Re: GURPS 5E?
There's a lot of interesting suggestions here. I'd agree with incorporating Kromm's ten changes. But I think if there's a 5th edition the goal should be to make the system newbie friendly.
I think one way to start that would be to alter how the game is presented. Instead of opening with a massive toolkit and then supplements to help run genres, go in the other direction. Put out a GURPS Action rpg, a revised Dungeon Fantasy rpg, a Monster Hunters rpg etc. Each with its own customized trimmed down version of GURPS. Combine that with the modular character generation system from Delvers to Grow (which would work better if you were sticking to a genre) and you would have a quick and simple way for newbies to get into GURPS while taking full advantage of GURPS detailed combat and character generation. As it stands, GURPS is implicitly tweaked for every genre and game world. Different mechanics are used and different skills are emphasized for Action vs Dungeon Fantasy vs etc. If you introduce people to GURPS mechanics for a basic genre, it's easier for someone to get the essence of the rules. You can add in a toolkit for all the rules but I would not build the games around everyone starting with the massive toolkit and figuring things out from there. To compare, Chaosium has the Basic Roleplaying system and even has the Big Gold Book to use as a tool kit. But you don't need it to play Runequest or Call of Cthulu. If you look at Hero Games, Champions Complete & Fantasy Hero Complete sell better than the underlying toolkit books for Hero System 6th edition, at least at DriveThruRpg. Most people don't have the time to plow through a few hundred pages of rules. And don't tell me anything about llteracy standards dropping. Look at rulebooks from the 1980s and they tend to be much slimmer. If we must have a core book, I would make it much shorter. Don't try to include everything - use genre books for that. So ideally we'd need two books to handle a given genre. I am not a gaming professional so I could easily be completely delusional here. But if a 5th (or even 4.5) edition is to be more than a personal project it needs to appeal to new gamers and that means low barriers to entry. Last edited by Infornific; 01-27-2023 at 08:28 PM. Reason: Fixing a typo |
01-29-2023, 10:22 AM | #133 | |
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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This notional "Player's Book" would be a complete if basic ruleset in and of itself that purposefully lacks all of the distracting optional complexity that is spread around everywhere in the 4e Basic Set, so it could be used to run very simplified versions of the game alone. Then, once new players and GMs have those rules absorbed they would almost certainly expand into the more complex rules. I already mentioned an "Advanced Traits" book, but maybe the GMs book should even be deliberately titled "Optional Rules" or "Optional Complexity"?
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I'd need to get a grant and go shoot a thousand goats to figure it out. |
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01-29-2023, 07:00 PM | #134 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Toronto
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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What that did for me was caused moments for me where I was kinda lost reading through the module turned into "Oh, now I get it, that makes sense how that works!" moments as I watched the play-through. Plus, not everyone has to be in the same location...as I've seen in the very few streams that I've watched. |
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01-29-2023, 07:54 PM | #135 | |
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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There's also the issue that GURPS is implicitly treated as a tool kit with each genre operating under different rules (e.g., who can taking Striking ST and under what condition.) Simplifying the core and making complexity more clearly optional might help new gamers to make that a little more explicit and give them a better sense of how to use GURPS. |
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01-29-2023, 08:09 PM | #136 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Panama
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Re: GURPS 5E?
If you make GURPS into a few starter games, each one in a differnet setting or genre it will no longer be Generic, nor Universal.
For it to be GURPS it must be like it is right now, able to handle different genres and eras. It may have separate introductory books like dungeon fantasy, but even dungeon fantasy rpg is not exactly GURPS. |
01-29-2023, 08:25 PM | #137 | |
Join Date: Jul 2021
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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My objectives would be: 1. Simplify. 2. Streamline 3. Make things consistent 4. Speed matters -- make things run faster. Examples:
There are lot of things that need to be looked at. It is NOT a trivial task. It probably can't be done in less than a year at best. Probably more like 3. That's a LOT pf resources to sink into doing a new edition. Unless there are a LOT more people looking to come play GURPS it probably won't be worth the expense and risk. The one major thing GURPS lacks is a blockbuster background that can be used to market the game and capitalize on things like videogames and movies. For instance, Vampire: The Masquerade has the World of Darkness background to capitalize on -- it's gotten a TV series, and a few videogames done. FASA got a few videogames done for Mechwarriors, Mech Assault, and Shadowrun. That fizzled out for FASA, but the potential was there. Videogames, movies, and TV provides deep pockets. Off course, there is that sell out factor and making a deal with the devil ... But hey, deep pockets. More resources to fund TTRPG games. |
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01-29-2023, 08:34 PM | #138 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: GURPS 5E?
You aren't going to streamline nor speed up anything built as Powers. The Powers system should probably be on the table as something to be left out of a simplified version of the game. It is the most complex art of the game bar none.
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Fred Brackin |
01-30-2023, 06:37 AM | #139 |
Join Date: Jul 2021
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Re: GURPS 5E?
The spells would look similar to the way they are now. They'd just be BUILT with Powers for consistency and logic. All of the underlying details would be stipped away. Whenever spells need to be added there's a detailed system that would allow the addition of spells. This is instead of just compare to other spells and guestimate. All the heavy lifting would be done by SJ Games staff.
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01-30-2023, 06:49 AM | #140 | |
Join Date: Jul 2021
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Re: GURPS 5E?
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