Only 1 player help please
 

Ok so at this moment I have only just recently been introduced to the actual rules of GURPS, and up until that time I had ran "D&D" games but all i actually did was wing it from start to finish. I've been told i have ran some good and very entertaining games, but i never took it too seriously i just sorta tossed everything their way but gave them pretty big challenges. Now i live with my best friend and he has been looking for a way to play a rpg such as D&D or GURPS for a while... but never found anyone, so he's looking to me, and i LOVE the idea of running a game for him. I just want to take it seriously.... and I'm struggling a little bit with a few things, like... how many "monsters" should i send his way at a time or something like that because it's ONLY him and he insists on being a fighter, but being more of defensive (using a sword and board)
and on top of the not knowing how many "monsters", i also don't know how much money to let him end up getting or .. just a few other problems haha... man... any advice you could give, i would GREATLY appreciate.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

My best friend and I did a lot of this when we were in college (shared a dorm room). I GM'd a long-running thief/spy campaign for him. It included both city action and dungeon delving (usually into temples or wizard lairs to acquire something on commission).

A fighter as the sole character is going to be tougher, but perhaps he can be a freelance bodyguard.

As for advice:

• Pitch the encounters to be lethal only if he acts stupidly or has a series of awful rolls (just one critical failure shouldn't get him killed). edit: Of course, they should be tough enough to be interesting

• Keep him poor. Money can unbalance a campaign in a hurry, as I've learned the hard way. Taxes, repair costs, meals, transportation, and supplies (especially expendable magic, such as potions and arrows) can eat up profit in a hurry, and it's your job as GM to see that they do.

• Restrict access to magic, especially permanent magical items. Each one should be a hard-won, cherished treasure, not something that he can replace tomorrow at the magic shoppe across the street. One of the finest items I ever gave my friend was a cursed magic dagger that he got as a reward from a lich for whom he procured something (he had no choice in his employer, by the way). He was forever worried about that curse, but he had no other magic weapon. :D

edit: come to think of it, that's pretty fair advice for any campaign, one player or many. IMO, of course.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Ok Well that is great advice i'll give you that lol, but one thing for example (the main problem i'm having). Monsters, so far i have written up a few bandits for him to kill because they are humans and human stats are easy to roll up... but as for other types of monsters i have no clue... i know very little about what types of monsters to send, how strong to make them, and most of all... how many at once, especially since it's only him lol.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Hey welcome to the wonderful world of GURPS, it's a grand ride.

Now for advice part.

1) I recommend picking up Dungeon Fantasy 1 & 2, it's pretty much GURPS DnD but waaaay better. DF 1 has advice on how much money to give players at char gen, really great templates, items to buy. DF 2 has a section on making skills useful in play etc. I too had some problems with creature stats, DF 2 has a few pre-made monsters that should be entertaining for a little while, but the really helpful thing is the creature template it has.

2) Don't worry about using character points when it comes to making ANY NPC. Character points exist to balance player characters at creation. If you're familiar with DnD you'll know about CR(Challeng Rating), character points ARE NOT a form of CR, so just stat what you think is challenging and fun (DF 2 is a good help with this).

3) Pick up a copy of Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering. This is a handy resource when it comes to writing adventures and offers understanding of different adventure styles.

4) Pick up some graph paper or buy a computer mapping tool. Having a map of the dungeons you make is extemely valuable when GMing.

That's pretty much it, sorry my advice consisted of little more then a shopping list, but I cut my teeth as a GM with the aid of these books (I ran some **** poor Dnd campaigns prior to finding GURPS though).

One last bit of advice is to relax, have fun and have faith that you're doing a fine job as GM

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

You keep asking how many monsters to send up against your guy. Well, there is not one answer for that.

It depends on what kind of monster, and what kind of player, and what kind of character, and what kind of rules you are using.

Let's say you are using GURPS.
Are you using cinematic Mook rules where 1 hit kills the Mook monsters? Or are you using optional rules where the PC can buy successes with character points? Or is the PC very cinematic with extra attacks and all that? Then you could have more monsters than if you didn't have those rules.

But even if you work out on paper how many monsters you think would work...you don't know how your player is actually going to play.

So, as a GM I always have a copy of a player's character sheet. And I'll just run some practice combats by myself using the PC and some monsters/bandits/guards/etc. and see what it is like.

And lastly, throw small numbers that you think are easy at first. If the player wipes the floor with those monsters, you can always send in a few more of the same strength for the next encounter...are the same number, but stronger.

It is all a matter of trial and error, of adjusting. You are going to have to adjust anyway, because your player is going to get better at combat the more practice he gets...as will you.

Think of the game as a living thing where you are always reacting and adjusting.

And gosh is monster vague. Kobold? Dragon? Ogre?

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

The Conan stories (especially the REH ones) should be a good inspiration here for adventures for a lone fighter (with NPC help), although Conan might be a higher point character than what you want. Also, despite commonly depicted as running around in only a loincloth, Conan used armor and shield whenever he could get it.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Err, we it looks like everyone is thinking "Fantasy" fighters, is that a correct assumption? Because guns are a great force multiplier. One PC soldier with an automatic weapon and a sack full of rounds can bring the pain.

As a GURPS GM I have often found that one of the best ways to transition players from DnD to GURPS is to run a scenario that DnD couldn't pull off in a million years. I've used the zombie apocalypse, MIB investigations, and low powered supers played out in short story arcs, to get new players comfortable with the system.

You might try one of these options to make his first foray into GURPS a little more memorable than another fantasy fighter.

Personally, I'd make him a Rwandan child soldier, who's village was wiped out by a tribal militia. Maybe he can rescue some captives, maybe he just works his way up the ranks until he takes out a bush general. Either way, it'd be one heck of a ride, and a very memorable story arc. Just stack the odds in his favor by letting him set up ambushes, and face very low skill opponents. It would also be a good idea to never have them aim, it's realistic and your PC doesn't get shot up. Make sure he's got some Luck.

If Fantasy is you thing, then it depends a lot on his point budgets as a fighter, and what campaign conventions you are going with. Since you mentioned DnD, I will assumed it will be fairly cinematic, with him getting extra attack, and probably Weapon Master, and some Enhanced Parry. All of these are good for taking on lots of low skill opponents. Try to keep the skills on the mooks 4 to 6 points below your PC and they will have to resort to telegraphic or all out attacks to threaten him, and he can take advantage of that. Defenses are going to be very important, and make sure he's got a shield so some archer doesn't pick him off.

If you can get his active defenses up above 12-14 he will be very survivable in a street fight, and stand a pretty good chance in longer, higher powered confrontations. Weapon Master will let him make more parries with a higher chance of success.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

The OP said the player wanted a defensive fighter using "sword and board [shield?]". That would seem to indicate a pre-firearm setting.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

The games I ran for solo fighter was okay, He was like a US Marshel type wondering empire lands solving crimes or bring people to justice for the emperor. I kept the number of oppents around two or three at a time, and blanced the damage to the armor he wore (these are the armed mooks). The damge kept around a die, and made sure he kept some healing potions on himself. I give him time to setup his battle plan ahead time. Being Emperor's agent he was able to gather a posse to help capture the wanted when needed (remeber posse members are payed perday (out of his pocket)untill they'er dismissed, the money is gone, or plain quit becuase they dont want to die). Boss(es) fights I have to say are up in the air, Sometimes he was mopping the floor with my people or the villian was chasing him out. Yes he ran because death didn't pay.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

I have to strongly disagree with this. A solo PC, if anything, needs more magic items than if he were part of a regular party. The bulk of them can be potions, though.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

The trickiest thing when there's only one PC is not killing him.

Consider: with a standard adventuring party, if someone injures their leg, and there's no magical healing available, they can perhaps be carried, or the party could set up camp and stay alive by hunting until the injured guy can march again. With a single PC, if he's out in the wilderness, injured, and has no horse or anything to carry him to civilization, he's probably going to die.

Or, in combat: with a standard adventuring party, if one character falls, the rest of the party can fight on, possibly providing cover for the fallen PC. The party can't be defeated except by beating each member, or forcing a surrender. A single PC is easily surrounded by multiple foes, and one hit (killing him, knocking him out, or even crippling him) can spell the end to the campaign.

The player should strongly consider taking an Ally of some kind.. perhaps a faithful, plucky servant, or a combat buddy from a previous war, or something. If he doesn't, you could have a recurring NPC that tends to help out the PC when he appears; perhaps they serve the same cause, but don't always cross paths, or maybe they're friendly rivals!

The PC should probably face intelligent enemies who prefer to rob or capture him rather than kill him; if he's fighting beasts or mindless undead or something, try to set it up so that he's helping a team of NPC monster hunters or something, so that they can help him if he gets in over his head. Avoid making him fight too many enemies alone, unless you give him the chance to ambush them or use some other tactic that makes the fight more fair (to him).

And, of course, there's no reason why everything has to be a straight-up fight, even if he is a fighter. There are lots of problems that can't be solved with a sword, and if he's going to be adventuring alone, he'll need to become a jack of all trades. Make him talk his way out of trouble, or use stealth to avoid large groups of enemies. Involve him in courtly intrigue, or give him murder mysteries to solve. Put him in charge of raising a peasant army, equipping them, training them, leading them into combat, and rebuilding a ruined fortress. Remember, there's a pretty robust skill system, some of the advantages are only useful outside of combat, and character advancement doesn't depend on giving him piles of gold and tons of monsters to kill for XP.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Even a plucky animal companion (ie relatively cheap Ally) can help in thses cases. A dog might run for help, and lead someone to the injured traveller, a horse could do the same, or drag/carry him. A horse has the added advantage of allowing him to bring along more supplies when he travels.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

As far as monsters go, you can't judge combat ability by point value, but you can compare combat ability. How likely are they to hit each other, and how likely are they to successfully defend? How much damage do they do when they hit? You should be able to get a rough idea how much of a challenge the PC can handle. Try to give him fights that are fairly easy at first; it'll give both of you a chance to get the hang of GURPS combat, and if you make things too easy, you can always create tougher fights later on.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

A good normal hit to the viatls can render a character unconscious even if fully healed when hit. And unconscious can equal death in a lot of situations.

Powers offers Hero points as an option to let a pc get out of situations. offer a bunch for starting characters and make it clear the number will be redcued, poosi bly to zero once they get the hang of the system.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Well so far I'm loving the advice, and yes I strongly agree that not everything involves a fight... BUT as for when he does fight, because he is a brilliant guy and loves puzzles and such.. but he also longs for combat as well. So I was more of looking for what to do about combat. When I said that I was recently introduced to the rules of GURPS... I meant it more of just introduced to rules of any RPG honestly.. when I said I winged it I really did from start to finish wing it not using any stats or anything, combat was always sketchy but it worked in a weird way. Now that i have read the full Basic Set book (part 1 and 2) for 4th ed. and also now have a bunch of other books such as dungeon fantasy books I'm learning more and more but most examples I've seen are for a party where as I only have 1 party member. Since this was the 1st game I planned on using stats and rules with I wanted to fully transfer to GURPS because it seems so much better than what I was doing lol. He was asking if he could pick up a healing spell or something like that, or a hireling that could possibly heal, but very weak so he would have to protect said hireling. Part of me wants to say sure why not because you might need it, but the rest of me says no because I'm not sure if that is ok or not, well anyways thanks for the advice on everything so far, I really love hearing from experienced GMs and would love to hear more, so keep it coming.. I appreciate all of it :D

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

A hireling that can heal is fine. Or him picking up a healing spell is also fine...this is GURPS and you can do mostly anything thing. The catch is that is all costs points. And you said he is a 150pt character? It is going to costs some points for him to be able to cast that healing spell. And you've only given him 150pts? Maybe give him 200pts? That could let him get some Magery and healing. Perhaps he was a priest but quit the order? Or maybe he's a Paladin type? What is his character concept and background anyway?

One of the strengths of GURPS is that it isn't a class system, that means the characters can be complex and multifaceted. They can be fighters who dabble in Magery. They can also sneak around a bit...they can be really good at dancing. The point ceiling and concept are your limits!

If you are worried about the enemies you are putting him up against, here is some more concrete advice-

Make a fighter, who has the exact same stats as the PC then subtract 1 to everything. Then have you and the player do some practice arena fights. It will let both of you get a feeling for combat before you actually get into the game, in a consequence free zone, as it were. Then you could throw a couple different combat situations in there. Try 3 really weak (compared to him) kobolds. Try 1 really tough (compared to him) monster.

Also, Dungeon Fantasy is geared towards 250pt PCs. If you are feeling a bit more 150pts...also give a look to Banestorm. That defaults to 150, is a really neat setting, and will give you more templates and monsters and what not that might fit better into your vision.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Well right now I'm allowing him to be 200 points, considering 250 though, and as for the arena advice for practice i'm going to do that it sounds like a great idea. I'm leaning more towards the hireling or like someone who is forever in debt to him or something like that, with healing spells. That way he can have a little interaction, have someone to save the day if it hits the fan or lol.... to cause him trouble at "convenient" moments lol. He can get healing spells if he wants too but I feel like I'm going to give him a hireling.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Also just to mention this, I have a program called GCM (GURPS character maker) and it is just AWFUL... (at least I find it to be) we were making characters to see and got everything we could need for only 125 points... and I mean everything we could possibly find in it. It was depressing. Sooo now I'm going by hand (pencil and paper) using the Basic Set book for all of the stats, I would love to go and buy GURPS character assistant, I've heard great things of it. As for that though I can't afford to buy it lol. So yeah just thought I'd mention that we are using everything by hand haha.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Have you tried GURPS Character Sheet? It is platform independent and free.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/gcs-java/files/

I quite like it.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

Maybe this e23 thingie will be useful to you in your 1-player gaming:
http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=XRP6200

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

If you want to avoid killing give him a regeneration/regrowth magic item or wish to give him the advantages. Slow 1 hp / 1 hour or so it means if he can limp away or crawl away or heck even stay still long enough he'll get better and you can throw some battles you wouldn't under normal circumstances because you don't have to avoid killing him. It keeps the game from turning into a campaign of attrition.

I often use it for my oft foolish 12 year old child in games.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

I'd suggest giving him an escape clause power or item that allows him to get out of a particularly bad situation... but has limited or better yet, GM controlled (thus intelligent) uses.

Some Examples:

• A teleportation device. Perhaps it has to be attuned to a particular spot with expensive reagents, or it takes significant time. But it should not have a time-limit... so if the PC forget's to attune the object, it might send him back to the tavern room (now occupied) that he was staying at 3 games ago. He doesn't know how to control it... or it's emotion triggered, fear is a good one. If he ever has to use his "escape clause", make sure the game is a bit tougher afterwards... the enemy has time to regroup, finish the evil ritual, what-ever. If he teleports too much, an enemy can always send spies to find out how... then set up an ambush at his "return site".

• Another good one is the power of premonition... gives him for free the ability to see "signs and portents", give him intuition and/or danger sense. Then if a game goes horribly wrong, let him "wake-up" from it... it was just a vision. He ofcourse has no control over what is and is not a vision. Be sure there are penalties for assuming he'll "wake-up"... permanent injuries after a series of rekless acts is good, or even impose a "shaken" state for the remainder of the game after he wakes up (meaning he'll have to be even more cautious)... after all, he knows that death can very likely occur.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

RPGs are somewhat unique in that they emphasize the group of adventuring heroes. This pattern can be found in lots of stories, of course (Lord of the Rings, super teams in comics, military stories) but the general narrative pattern in all of fiction is the single hero: a gumshoe, a martial artist, a vampire, a super-hero, what-have-you.

When designing scenarios for the group-of-heroes, you can be sort of "character agnostic", that is, you can think up challenges that are interesting or difficult in-and-of-themselves, and let the group collectively figure out how to solve them, giving each character a moment in the spotlight, (or helping each other suffer through failure)

With a single character you really have to design the scenarios with that character in mind. You end up, in effect, having to play exactly to that character's strengths, and only occasionally pressing against his/her weaknesses. So, it would help to work with the player during character design.

Think of it like this: nobody wants to see Columbo getting the crap kicked out of him by a bunch of pajama-wearing mooks, and nobody wants to see Bruce Lee figure out who poisoned the gardener at the country club! The same principle applies here; there's only two of you playing, so it ought to be interesting and enjoyable, not a high-lethality grind.

Whatever the character is should determine the kind of trouble he/she gets into.

Re: Only 1 player help please
 

The key to one-player and one-GM games is to tailor the game to the player.

You've got to communicate better than when you game for a group, because if that one player misses information, it greatly impacts the game.

You can't do the inter-party conflict like in a regular game.

You also can't have as many treacherous NPCs as in a regular party game.

Provide a mixture of challenges, but use those challenges which work for the player. It looks like you have a player who is playing a defense-oriented fighter, so maybe some hold some territory adventures (like being on guard in capture the flag) would be fun.

The hireling is a good idea. With only one player, there's no group camadrie so if you give the player a loyal sidekick and don't mess with the sidekick, then you've got a way to get them to roleplay. You also have, if done with discretion, a way to remind the PC of missed information.

Good luck!