Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

For what it is worth, I based an entire campaign premise on Orcslayer - and even expanded the details involved in why the orcs were taking human prisoners, and why they desperately needed something that humans did well, that the Orcs did not...

Food production.

I then back tracked with the idea (and this was before GURPS BANESTORM came out) that if the Orcs originally were populous and were beaten by the Humans, it was probably because they lacked social cohesion (not unlike the plains indians of America way back when, as well as numerous other tribal organizations that meet up with a well organized invading group).

Long story short? The mover behind the scenes as revealed by the latter part of Orcslayer, had to engage in a war of unification with the orcs in order to take on the humans at Castle Defiance. From there, the orcs needed to keep the humans alive to work the farms so that the orcs who crossed the great desert, could re-invade Caithness and perhaps grab it back from the Humans.

To do all of this however, the orcs had to master the arts of mining - otherwise, they'd be fighting against iron armed humans with little more than bone and stone and wood.

In any event, I detailed the number of manors in operation in support of the humans at Castle Defiance. I also determined the number of humans on the Defiance side of the Great desert, and from there, had a working background that I could use for the players.

So - Orcslayer wouldn't be a bad product to upgrade to 4e status, but it would also make for a nice Gazeteer style product where the region is detailed in more depth. Problem is? With the introduction of GURPS BANESTORM, much of what I had worked out, would either be worthless, or, of no value in the big picture, because Castle Defiant falls to the Orcs by fiat rather than leaving that option to the GM. (Of course, any GM can change things as they see fit - but a module that goes against published material, isn't a very smart move - another reason I really dislike GURPS BANESTORM in general).

Ah well. Nuff said.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

Read Orcslayer this morning; perfect Saturday fare with a couple of cups of tea. :)

Yes, what a great introductory adventure. I can see the opening encounter played with complete beginners being hopelessly confusing... exactly as it should be for young squires faced with their first taste of danger. I'd have the Lord give them a firm dressing down afterwards, regardless of how well they think they did.

I like the way that the PCs would all be fighters first and foremost, leaving the complications of magic, religion and thievery to later adventures. After running through this your new players would have a pretty solid grasp on GURPS gameplay and the combat mechanics.

I also really like the frequent suggestions for feeding replacement characters into the game, with good reasons as to why they'd inherit the motives for pushing on to the goal. While I'm usually overly caring about my players' alter egos, this is one story where you could comfortably let the dice decide, and the tension build.

I get what you're saying about the fit with the 4e Banestorm, Hal, and how that would have mucked up your campaign. But tweaks to this story as an introductory game would only be needed if you wanted to run this in the current period (i.e. 2005+). If you're happy to set it back in 1985 it would still fit, and if it turned into a campaign, well, you'd have years to engineer the changes the way you'd want them.

Graham

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

I think I once read that Steve Jackson doesn't own the rights to all of his designs. One of the early pseudo-RPGs, probably either Man-to-Man or The Fantasy Trip, was done as a work-for-hire or was later sold to the publishing company, or something. I'm not sure, though. Early GURPS history has never interested me much.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

Wow, an Orcslayer Introduction Adventure with included "lite rules" for the 4e would be so great!! Please make it true, I'm pretty sure a lot of person would be happy to buy that thing! Me too, of course :)

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

Ordered and downloaded!

Might convert this using the orc stats in DFA1.

Just glancing over it, I can't help but wonder if some of these rules, such as foraging, didn't make their first appearance (or nearly so) here if this preceded GURPS Basic Set, 1st edition.

The artwork is good. I like the lizard man on page 14 and the mountain valley in the crater on page 21. The several NPC character sheets were a nice addition as were the several battle mats.

All-in-all, it looks like a great purchase, especially for $2.95!

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

I have begun the GURPS indoctrination of my youngest son (12), and I'm using this adventure to do it. :)

I used the CGA template to built a fairly stock 150pt sword and shield fighter. Because he's the only player, I also gave him 1d6 healing potions, and all enemies automatically fall unconscious at 0 HP.

It has been good so far and he's survived the first 2 scenarios with only minor complications. I have run him through single combats before, but this is the first time he's playing an adventure.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

I agree that GURPS lite + adventure + some counters and maps would be a great product to physically put on the shelves, and Orcslayer looks like a good adventure for that. Maybe a 4th edition update could also alter the details so it's not the Yrth/Banestorm setting? Perhaps a better solution would be to update it for "modern" Yrth, but...

I have always noticed that the free Caravan to Ein Arris does not take place on Yrth. It also struck me that the new DF adventure has setting names and features that resemble the Ein Arris setting a good deal. Maybe a 4th edition Orcslayer could be reconstructed to be comparable with those adventures.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test II, The Fantasy Trip, Tollenkar's Lair... those were all precursors of sorts, from SJ's days with Metagaming.

The adventures are fairly easy to convert to GURPS. I actually played Death Test as a GURPS solo adventure not too long ago. It was fun, a very bloody hackfest, but fun.

Orcslayer... I really should run that one again. Maybe when my kids get a little older.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

It would appear the answer to that is, yes. I was checking out the What's Hot on e23 for this month, and lo and behold, there is GURPS Classic: Orcslayer.

I played some more with my son, and it's working so well. I'm genuinely convinced this adventure should be part of the staple for those new players looking at GURPS. If I was running my son through Caravan to Ein Arris, I know it would not be so smooth. I really think SJG should consider this book for update to 4th ed. Very little would actually have to be changed, the character sheets, some NPC's stats, and the odd rule change like using Per instead of IQ for a vision check.

So, with that in mind...

I'd like to entertain a question and hopeful get some interesting ideas/discussion. If you were to update Orcslayer to the 4th ed Banestorm timeline (ie 2005), how would you do it?

In the current timeline Castle Defiant fell to the orc's because King Conall of Caithness failed to send reinforcements in time to prevent it's fall. Castle Defiant is now the stronghold of Bulgaren the dwarf and his orc followers.

Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS
 

The quality of the scanning wasn't good enough (some parts were outright black instead of grey, making such sections impossible to read), and the PDF cardboard minis were missing (that was last time I asked . . . about two years ago). I guess they removed the product from the e23 store because some of these reasons.