Gurps is still AWESOME

[Mark Skarr]

I've, recently, introduced 3 people to GURPS and shown a 4th how to actually play a game as opposed to playing the ruleset.

All of them love it. One of them, a D&D "convert," agrees that it is miles above and beyond D&D, but his other group is incapable of handling it. They're barely able to handle the complex choices that D&D gives. I've offered to put together some DF stuff to show them (as much as I hate fantasy, I'm all for getting people into GURPS), but he's certain they wouldn't want to try.

[Mr_Sandman]

GURPS is pretty awesome. If you like to mashup genres and make your own worlds, I don't think there is a better system.

I'm about to introduce a few new folks to GURPS with 1930's pulp adventure, with occult overtones and hidden magic. I've been playing a game with them for a couple of months -- D&D 3.5 with a good bit of house rules. I was a bit frustrated at first with the restrictions of the class/level thing, and lack of tactical options/cool moves in combat, especially for low level characters. But I decided to just relax, go with it and enjoy the game. Now I've interested a few of them in trying out GURPS.

The GM of the D&D game already seems pretty impressed with GURPS' flexibility and wide range of options for character creation. First session is next week. I hope to show them how awesome GURPS can be. We'll see how it goes.

Originally Posted by RyanW

I'm in the process of creating a setting to introduce some folks to GURPS. Old West Monster Hunters, FTW!

Monsters and six-shooters, sounds like fun.
Here's a story you might like to check out, if you haven't yet: "Dead's End to Middleton" by Natania Barron. It's old west monster hunting, with some steampunk mixed in.
pdf: http://escapepod.org/2011/01/01/the-...-escape-pod-3/
mp3: http://escapepod.org/2010/12/30/ep27...-to-middleton/

[dgrm4]

It would be so great to see Gurps get more and more players in the game. The system is so well done and all the hard work put into it over the years and all the fan participation and the history of the game. But all that aside, or all that inclusive...the bottom line is the Gurps system is a very special game system that can just about make any idea of yours come to life and feel like it 'makes sense'. It is truly a wonderful and unique game system that needs more positive exposure!

[Whome?]

In the hands of a gifted GM - there are no limits to what you can do with Gurps. DnD however, is similar to a board game - it plays in a similar way everytime no matter who is playing it.

Joining a DnD or Pathfinder game and showing them how much better Gurps is - I've actually had happen to me. I pulled DnD out of the closet and ran it at my LGS just for kicks and a Gurps gamer played in it. Every week we tried to play this Gurps guy kept telling us how much better Gurps is and it got old. Finally I had to tell him I'm the biggest Gurps fan in the world - but it is fun to take an old RPGs like DnD and Traveller - oh and Cyberpunk 2020 - and Call of Cthulu out of the closet and play them.

I did that also with Classic Traveller and the same thing happened - Gurps fans got in the game and told me what they though of Classic Traveler's ancient game mechanics.

So - in the future I'll just convert these old gems to Gurps 4e and call it good.

Because of e23 and the fact that 95% of Gurps releases are done now on e23, I would myself not try to get a Gurps game going at the LGS - I'd run some Gurps games at the local Gaming convention and handout flyers advertizing the fact that I'm looking for players for a regular weekly Gurps game.

What would be fun is moving this game to a LGS once it is going and see if this gets them to carry the full selection of Gurps 4e hardbounds.

To me - if I am going to be a player in an RPG - the group is by far the most important factor - followed by who the GM is.

I myself run only Gurps 4e now because its the best RPG ever in my opinion. A good GM with a good system like Gurps is a hard combination to beat.

[demonsbane]

Originally Posted by whswhs

You know, I hear this sort of thing all the time. I've never done things that way. I hand around a list of campaign I might be interested in running, and invite people to pick the ones that sound good, and then I run a couple that are popular. But I don't offer just one system (well, lot of GURPS!), and I don't think my players tend to choose on the basis of system. I'm just saying, "Here's what I want to do and what settings I want to explore; tell me which ones you think are cool." And as far as I can tell, my players are generally willing to try out a new system if the campaign sounds fun.

Agreed. I think that this is the most sensible approach in most cases.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by whswhs

The thing you have to realize is that THS doesn't dictate a theme or a story type. You can do anything from soap opera about eloi dilettantes to gritty combat. The one recurring trick is to look for ways to make the advanced tech relevant to your theme; if it's not, there's no good reason to use the THS setting.

Dunno exactly what it is, but there's some common factor to Car Wars, Reign of Steel, and Transhuman Space that leaves me cold. Vorkosigan seemed so uninteresting that I haven't even finished reading it. Maybe 'technophobia' is part of it, but I really liked War Against the Chtorr and Uplift *shrug*

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by dgrm4

Let me just say this....hexagons are the WAY TO GO! NO DOUBT.

What made you change your mind?

[Mark Skarr]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

What made you change your mind?

He played a game with hexes as opposed to a grid.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

He played a game with hexes as opposed to a grid.

When he posted that he was apparently doing both. Here he seems to think that showing a preference is over-obsessive, and that none of the reasons that others gave for preferring hexes was relevant. Obviously he has a strong preference for hexes, now, and I'm curious what specifically made him change his mind. It might be useful for explaining the difference in the future to people that are equally underwhelmed by the geometric argument.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Mr_Sandman

Monsters and six-shooters, sounds like fun.
Here's a story you might like to check out, if you haven't yet: "Dead's End to Middleton" by Natania Barron. It's old west monster hunting, with some steampunk mixed in.
pdf: http://escapepod.org/2011/01/01/the-...-escape-pod-3/
mp3: http://escapepod.org/2010/12/30/ep27...-to-middleton/

Much appreciated, I'll have to give that one a read when I've got more time.