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Old 01-05-2019, 12:18 AM   #1
Gavynn
 
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Default Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

It has been a little while since I had been playing RPGs and when I got back to it, a lot of people around me were playing Fate, so I was too. There are some things I really like about it, and I appreciate what it is trying to do. A friend of mine is a major advocate of the system, and, as he says, it is not trying to simulate reality, it its trying to similate story telling.

But, to my group, it had some problems. Any time we wanted more crunch, it was just never there. How does a grenade work? Make it up. We want to shoot someone in the leg to disable them. How do you do that? It is at best not clear and at worst not addressed. So, we are migrating back to other things.

But, what I do like about Fate is how quickly I can get someone a character to play. It would be great to be able to do that with GURPS and also import some of the Fate feel.

So, what is an aspect in GURPS?

It seems like most aspects in Fate are hybrid packages of advantages and disadvantage and sometimes skills. They’re not templates, and they’re not quite lenses either. I kind of like the idea of putting together a group of advantages and disadvantages, naming them, and then allowing a player to build a character by pulling together a number of these different character packages.

So you build your character by pulling in a “high concept“ package, a “trouble” package, and then one or two other “background” packages. Or something like that. Of course, those would have to be made for the setting.

What do you think?

I am also generally a fan of the Fate point mechanic, but I also found it to be not as well explained as I feel like it should be. But, I feel like if you wrote up more robust version of them, there be nothing to stop you from directly importing them into a GURPS game. Fate points are not exactly buying successes, though perhaps there is something more similar to them in Impulse Buys, which I have not read yet.

Has anyone tried to incorporate something like them into their GURPS game?
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Old 01-05-2019, 12:31 AM   #2
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

Never played Fate but the Aspect idea could be helpful for some, especially cinematic games.
Do they have specific aspects?
If not a starting point would seem to be Higher Purpose and a Talent, Maybe a Wildcard skill.
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Old 01-05-2019, 02:42 AM   #3
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Originally Posted by Gavynn View Post
So, what is an aspect in GURPS?
As you point out, this is the synergetic interaction between the advantages, disadvantages and skills of two characters, or a character and location or a character and object.

Aspects are actually my least favorite part of Fate and why I prefer Fudge to it.

Quote:
I am also generally a fan of the Fate point mechanic, but I also found it to be not as well explained as I feel like it should be.
You may want to look at the rules for Fudge points in vanilla Fudge, since this gives a good "under the hood" look at how they can be made to work.
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Old 01-05-2019, 02:42 AM   #4
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Originally Posted by Gavynn View Post
So, what is an aspect in GURPS?
The closest analog is probably Higher Purpose. Allow your Players to choose Higher Purposes described in the same manner as Aspects and allow them to apply as Aspects would.

Fate Points are roughly analogous to Impulse Points with some limits on how they can be spent.
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Old 01-05-2019, 11:34 AM   #5
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

I'm with copeab: Aspects were one of the things that discouraged me from even trying FATE, though I've been happy with FUDGE. But I would suggest that an "aspect" in FATE is comparable to a "lens" in GURPS. There is material on lenses in Templates Toolkit 1.
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Old 01-05-2019, 11:51 AM   #6
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

I wrote this blog post as a way to emulate Fate's "High Concept" mechanic. Turned out pretty well.
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Old 01-05-2019, 12:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
I'm with copeab: Aspects were one of the things that discouraged me from even trying FATE, though I've been happy with FUDGE. But I would suggest that an "aspect" in FATE is comparable to a "lens" in GURPS. There is material on lenses in Templates Toolkit 1.
Aspects (unless they've changed since Dresden Files/FATE v. 1) don't impart skills or abilities. They simply make you better at doing what you do when your Aspect is invoked.

For example the Aspect, The Building Is On Fire And It Wasn't My Fault, doesn't impart any detective skills, gunplay skills, driving skills, no extra might, endurance, rapport, etc.

However, when something needs to be set on fire? That's when this Aspect shines for Harry. Or when things are completely chaotic and falling apart, he's used to everything being "on fire" and seeing his way through. Also, when collateral damage occurs, he gets blamed, that's the nature of his Aspect, his "connection and importance in the story".
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Old 01-05-2019, 12:53 PM   #8
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice View Post
I wrote this blog post as a way to emulate Fate's "High Concept" mechanic. Turned out pretty well.
A Daredevil reskin is a decent way to do it, but High Concept being an Aspect does involve the Compel mechanic, which (as you note) might fit Higher Purpose a little bit better.

Though, just adding the "vow/code" aspect of Higher Purpose onto Daredevil would also fit perfectly.
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Old 01-05-2019, 01:01 PM   #9
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Originally Posted by Gavynn View Post
So you build your character by pulling in a “high concept“ package, a “trouble” package, and then one or two other “background” packages. Or something like that. Of course, those would have to be made for the setting.

What do you think?
That sounds a bit like how many cinematic GURPS character building work. via templates.

For instance in Dungeon Fantasy. You pick a Race template. Then a "class"-template. And finally a Lense-template for that "class"-template.
Within each template you may or may not have some additional choices to make.

This is a much faster way to build characters. It helps the GM make sure all PC's have some useful skills for the game they are about to run. And also avoid min/maxing. It also helps keep some niche protection.
...but it takes a long time to make them. :)
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Old 01-05-2019, 01:09 PM   #10
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Default Re: Fated GURPS - From GURPS to Fate to GURPS Again

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Has anyone tried to incorporate something like them into their GURPS game?
The closest analogue to Aspects and Fate Points in GURPS seems to me to be covered by GURPS Power-ups 5: Impulse Buys (which is in turn an embellishment of "Buying Success," B347). With it, you use unspent Character/Experience Points to directly affect the outcomes of play: success or failure, margins of success, creating elements in scene ("player guidance"), etc. There are also options for granting spendable Points based on Advantages.

A robust point-economy, with many points granted and spent per session, would, I think, mimic the feel of a Fate session without departing completely from GURPS mechanics.
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