Novice GM running GURP fantasy odyssey

[DwarvenHeart]

I'm ready to break free from class based systems. A group of enthusiastic and forgiving players are ready to follow me into GURPS 4e. The 2 core GURPS 4e, Mass Combat, Banestorm, Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies, GURPS: Magic, and the Galarion campaign setting from Pathfinder are what I’ll use. I even got “GURPS for Dummies” as a gift. I’m not fond of the Banestorm setting and plan on making the d20 Galarion setting more grounded. A small group of adventurers won’t be taking on armies, dragons, or sieging castles on their own.

My goal is for the PC’s to role-play from young, strong but inexperienced characters to the experienced, dinged up leaders and legends we love to read about. Only a few disadvantages will be allowed early on. Disadvantages will occur during game play.

Example

1. The critical hit will caused the loss of and eye or a hand.
2. The near death will cause the phobia of spiders or darkness.

Every creature, setting, and scenario I can find will be thrown at them. I want it to feel realistic. Gaps of time when war and adventure can’t be found will be filled with realistic studies and real world skills. These times won’t be role-played obviously.

Riches will be measured in more ways than gold: land, titles, allies, rights to trade routes, access to libraries of spells, and fighting techniques that make one’s sword become aflame. Basically all the things a d20 system can’t give because players are always waiting for the next level, the next feat, or prestige class.

[DwarvenHeart]

... is advice to make this happen. I don’t have a module so it’s all me.

• Advice?
• Is there a character sheet for cities? Like the campaign planning sheet is used for campaigns.
• Should I buy the City Stats book?
• Any other books I need to read?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by DwarvenHeart

... is advice to make this happen. I don’t have a module so it’s all me.

• Advice?
• Is there a character sheet for cities? Like the campaign planning sheet is used for campaigns.
• Should I buy the City Stats book?
• Any other books I need to read?

The character sheet for cities is the heart of the City Stats book.

Depending on what kind of fantasy campaign you want, GURPS Fantasy might be useful to you; it's basically an entire book of advice on how to plan a fantasy campaign and build a world for it.

If you want significant combat, I strongly recommend GURPS Martial Arts, which is filled with useful optional rules. You might then go on to get the Martial Arts supplement for Banestorm.

Bill Stoddard

[Jovus]

I also strongy, strongly, strongly recommend GURPS Orcslayer, Harkwood, and Fantasy Adventures (all out of print, but I'm pretty sure all of them have PDFs on e23). They are all previous-edition books, and the first two are set in Yrth, but they all contain some really good adventures that, at the very least, you can pick apart for ideas.

[ULFGARD]

Originally Posted by Jovus

I also strongy, strongly, strongly recommend GURPS Orcslayer, Harkwood, and Fantasy Adventures (all out of print, but I'm pretty sure all of them have PDFs on e23). They are all previous-edition books, and the first two are set in Yrth, but they all contain some really good adventures that, at the very least, you can pick apart for ideas.

I'd second this. I used my own spin on Harkwood for the first adventure in a game world that I had only briefly outlined. That was 10 years ago. I've renamed some of the stuff (and it wasn't Yrth, so...) to avoid confusion. But the adventure worked well -- it's got what you're talking about: social aspects, combat, etc. There's a tournament involved in it which is GREAT for teaching new players (and yourself!) how combat works. It can even be a place to try out some optional rules and see how they work without putting characters' lives at risk.

As for anything else -- there are a dazzling array of cool supplements that might help your campaign. I'd try playing a bit and decide where you want to go. Start small, as they've said elsewhere. I'd amend: start small, build outward from there. That goes for optional rules as much as for campaign details, especially if you're looking for a long-term campaign.

Eventually you'll want to play with the options that appeal to you, be they social intrigue (Social Engineering), big battles (Mass Combat and/or Martial Arts, depending), or magical variations (Thaumatology, Urban Magics, and Magical Styles). Fantasy is helpful for game world design, but more so at the outset than for an existing campaign (though it still helps). I'm a big fan of the DF line, which I plunder from shamelessly for my campaign (but with caution, since it's explicitly "non-serious"). All that can wait and be retconned into a game world.

[DwarvenHeart]

Originally Posted by Onkl

This seems awfully harsh if the characters don't have easy and cheap access to means to mend these wounds. Critical hits will occur and a PC must be quite powerful (With access to corresponding equipment) to regrow an eye or a hand with the standard Magic rule set.

I can see your point. I believe I'll give the players the choice when something traumatic happens to them whether they would like to spice up their character with a disadvantage and get some points back.

Originally Posted by ULFGARD

start small, build outward from there.

Don't worry everyone. That's my plan of attack entirely. Story is my focus, hence the system choice. I hope to guide (but not railroad) my party from lowly fisherman and the like to heroes and adventurers.

You all can stop reminding me to use only what I can handle of the rules. Only one of the 3 combat chapters in the core book will be used in its entirety. The other two will be lucky if I use 3 rules from it.

What I'm curious about is pit falls all of you found when trying out fantasy, or starting GURPS in general? I'll tell you one of mine... (next post)

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by whswhs

The character sheet for cities is the heart of the City Stats book.

Ooh. Someone should make a sheet for this. I think I'll make a sheet for this. Unless someone has done it already?

[Mateus]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Ooh. Someone should make a sheet for this. I think I'll make a sheet for this. Unless someone has done it already?

As long as I know there isn't one. It would be a great product! And woul be greater if they made it as a fiable pdf =)

[quarkstomper]

I once started off a fantasy campaign by having the characters all attending a village fair. This allowed them to participate in contests, encounter pick-pockets, deal with the owlbear that accidentally broke out of its cage in the petting zoo, etc. Low level encounters an mostly non-hazardous opportunities to try out their skills. And by distinguishing themselves in the Grand Melee/Archery Contest/Pie-Eating Contest, they brought themselves to the attention of the Patron who would hire them for the Adventure.

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by DwarvenHeart

... is advice to make this happen. I don’t have a module so it’s all me.

• ...
• Any other books I need to read?

Low-Tech, the Low Tech companions, and Social Engineering.