Hack n' slash?

[Bruno]

Our group doesn't go faster with D&D than GURPS combats, that's for sure. Even with people who have been playing D&D 4e since it came out, and GURPS 4e only once or twice, both systems had us clearing two or three combat encounters per session (GURPS 4e DF style, for maximum compatibility of comparisons even).

I would hazard a guess that we might even be faster with GURPS if I could get them to play as much of it as they do D&D 4e.

Definitely part of the "problem" is that people have more choices right out of the gate in GURPS. D&D ties the number of things you have to choose between to your level - either directly (extra class features, spells/powers per day) or indirectly (more feats from more levels, more magic items with more funky conditions). A level 1 2e or 3e fighter is often looking at "I whack it with my longsword!" as his only attack option other than "I try to grapple it! ... where are the unarmed combat rules again?" 4e characters get a few more options out side of the gate, but out of the four things your character gets to do at level 1, one you can only do 1/day and one you can only do 1/fight so those options tend to get whittled down quickly. As you get higher in levels, more options are unlocked - but by that point you're already familiar with your "old" options so you only need to figure out how to integrate your "new" options.

Even ignoring techniques and all the little optional flags and switches, basic GURPS combat floods you with more options from point one. Guy With Sword has the choice of Attack, All Out Attack, All Out Defense, Move and Attack, and he has to combine those ideas with whether to Thrust or to Swing his sword, and oh, he has a shield and he could bash or slam with it instead of attacking with his sword, and he has to keep track of facing too (something D&D 3e and later have abandoned completely). He even has to make choices when attacked: Whether to dodge, block or parry and whether to Retreat or not!

But if you get into the full system, there's a LOT more to wade through. GURPS gives you the chance to use almost everything relevant to your skill right out of the gate - but with say only 1 point in the skill, you're Very Bad at most of those options, making many of those options "false choices". Even with a 14 or a 15 you can get frustratingly low hit chances.

One of the biggest things I've found for speeding up people starting in GURPS is to only put down on their sheet techniques or options that they have a 12 or higher in, and that leave their defenses at a reasonable level too. I don't even put down All Out Defense unless the character is a Berserker - even the guys in my group who don't like GURPS and have only played a few times know that AoA is an Admiral Akbar choice[1].
Once they get familiar with things, they're welcome to start layering on options and taking all the risks they want. But a player who's being stressed out by having too many choices to make under time pressures and frustrated by finding out which ones are bad the hard way is one who's going to strongly dislike your game system.

NPCs get no techniques at all unless they've maxed them out, and I only max out techniques on NPCs that will be the bread-and-butter of their fighting style.

[1] "It's a trap!" I prefer to have new players find out it's a trap by demonstrating it with some mook monsters rather than having their PC crippled by it.