GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks

[Kromm]

"Normal" is a lie
And our universal quirk
Is denying that

— Some dude with crazy-eye

If the GURPS Power-Ups series has a secret, it's that "power-ups" refers not to powering up your character, but to stepping up your game. The latest volume, GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks, illustrates this perfectly: Quirks lower your character's point value. Adding them doesn't give you more plusses or funkier abilities, but rather greater power to describe your alter-ego and tell an interesting story . . . though if the plusses really matter to you, you can also rack up five extra points with which to buy stuff!

"But," you might think, "quirks are user-defined and really minor, so who needs a guide?" Let's break that down a bit. The headache with freeform traits is that no two gamers see eye-to-eye on exactly how they should work; for instance, one person's "minor" is too often another's "trivial" or "crippling." As for who needs a guide, just ask any player whose vivid mental picture of a PC's foibles is at odds with full-fledged disadvantages, or who needs a few more points but is short on ideas . . . or the GM who wants to turn a dozen generic NPCs into individuals in mere minutes, or who wants to make sure that extra points aren't free points. Quirks explores all of these topics – and more – in depth.

Most important, though, Quirks is a catalog. If a quirk appeared in a GURPS supplement prior to February 2013, you can safely assume that it's included. The ones with official names and rules? All here. Long, wordy, vague ones? They're here, too – perhaps not in their complete, verbose glory, but definitely in a concise, generic form with plenty of specific examples from published sources. And readers who crave all-new content will enjoy the many quirks the compiler gleaned while answering GURPS questions and running GURPS campaigns over the past 28 years.

Why delay? Master the quirks of quirks today!

—

Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-0145

[whswhs]

It was very well timed! I'm doing the final character review for an upcoming campaign, where the players spend those last few points, and this gives them the chance to fill more Quirk slots, or rethink the ones they have.

I'm amused to see that the volume didn't come out as GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks. I suppose that would have been really terrible marketing!

Bill Stoddard

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I'm amused to see that the volume didn't come out as GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks. I suppose that would have been really terrible marketing!

"GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks," "GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks," and "GURPS Quirks" were all in the running for the title. What eventually settled the matter was the observation that perks, Talents, and enhancements had all been collected as GURPS Power-Ups volumes, establishing that series as the home of traits catalogs. GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys was the final nail in the coffin, covering as it does things that burn points rather than increase point totals. We definitely did worry that "GURPS Power-Downs" would put people off, though!

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Kromm

We definitely did worry that "GURPS Power-Downs" would put people off, though!

That sounds like a nice collection of (temporary) debuffs to affect characters in many settings. After all, reduced speed/damage/casting speed/etc are common in video games, and people love to emulate those!

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

"GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks," "GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks," and "GURPS Quirks" were all in the running for the title. What eventually settled the matter was the observation that perks, Talents, and enhancements had all been collected as GURPS Power-Ups volumes, establishing that series as the home of traits catalogs. GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys was the final nail in the coffin, covering as it does things that burn points rather than increase point totals. We definitely did worry that "GURPS Power-Downs" would put people off, though!

I for one am really happy that you are using Power-Ups as a trait catalog. :-)

[Steven Marsh]

From my point of view, I also think of it as a "power-up" because quirks give you character points. If being Cynical (p. 20) means you get an effective +4 in Guns (from default to attribute), then that's definitely a "power up."

On a personal note, I'm delighted that -- I believe for the first time -- some of my own material has made it into an official GURPS-title-branded supplement (Point-Spending Quirks, p. 21).

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Steven Marsh

From my point of view, I also think of it as a "power-up" because quirks give you character points. If being Cynical (p. 20) means you get an effective +4 in Guns (from default to attribute), then that's definitely a "power up."

On a personal note, I'm delighted that -- I believe for the first time -- some of my own material has made it into an official GURPS-title-branded supplement (Point-Spending Quirks, p. 21).

...Hmmm. I like those. One of my players has a character with this for Guns(Shotgun).

[PK]

Originally Posted by Kromm

"Normal" is a lie
And our universal quirk
Is denying that

— Some dude with crazy-eye

Can I just say that this is my favorite haiku to date?

Originally Posted by Steven Marsh

From my point of view, I also think of it as a "power-up" because quirks give you character points. If being Cynical (p. 20) means you get an effective +4 in Guns (from default to attribute), then that's definitely a "power up."

Same here. Such was actually my first argument in favor of us putting this book in the Power-Ups series -- yes, we're talking about drawbacks, but from a purely game-mechanical standpoint, the reason you take them is the tradeoff of +5 character points for the "onus" of having to roleplay a more interesting adventurer. That's pure win-win, and hence, a clear "power-up" to me.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Kromm

"GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks," "GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks," and "GURPS Quirks" were all in the running for the title. What eventually settled the matter was the observation that perks, Talents, and enhancements had all been collected as GURPS Power-Ups volumes, establishing that series as the home of traits catalogs. GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys was the final nail in the coffin, covering as it does things that burn points rather than increase point totals. We definitely did worry that "GURPS Power-Downs" would put people off, though!

psh... Blarg 'em if they won't buy it just because of a marketing gaffe!

*sigh* Another chance at stardom shot down :/
Mostly kidding :)

You know, I miss that hack guy you used to quote all the time.

"Curse you, Red Baron!"

[Joe]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I'm amused to see that the volume didn't come out as GURPS Power-Downs 1: Quirks. I suppose that would have been really terrible marketing!

Originally Posted by Kromm

We definitely did worry that "GURPS Power-Downs" would put people off

Chortle. Great decision to go with Power-Ups, I think.

On a vaguely related note, I sometimes wonder whether GURPS Low-Tech would perhaps have sold better if it had been called something a bit less deflating. The phrase "Low-Tech" has the virtue of accuracy, but it doesn't really get the pulse racing in the way that High- or Ultra-Tech does. GURPS Sharp Swords, Gleaming Armour, and Other Amazing Medieval Stuff, anyone?