Discussion on GURPS 4E Revised or Database

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

Well I'd argue that any grittiness or realism is still very much subjugated by the narrative requirements and character tropes involved. i'd also argue that the subversion of genre troupes is done for comic or dramatic effect rather as an appeal to realism.

I'll agree that especially iconic characters and/or dramatic/comic effects trump realism in the Discworld, but that's because they effectively have/grant powers, in GURPS terms. Sam Vimes can defeat supernatural manifestations of darkness with his supernatural Sam Vimes morality, keeping watch on the darkness inside him. Narrativum is a real thing there and grants you powers according to a Power Modifier and everything.

It is, however, nowhere near infallible and, in fact, manipulating narratives is a magical path to power fraught with danger. So it fits much better into a rules set where the default is that dangerous things have harsh consequences unless a supernatural effect intervenes than it would into a system where all outcomes are narrative and reality is plastic.

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

Also Toon and BESM really aren't that close. More over the range of available RPGs really isn't just GURPS, BESM and Toon.

Certainly not. But I've found games like the SAGA system, d20/D&D or Mutants and Mastermind to be more complex than GURPS, in that there are more exclusive gamist mechanisms which don't correspond to anything benchmarked in reality and are thus not easy to understand for someone without the frame of reference provided by a thorough grounding in the game system.

The most complex game system I've used is AD&D 2nd edition with all the Player's Option books in play. The only systems I know which are simpler than GURPS to grasp for a newcomer are Kobolds Ate Your Baby, BESM, Toon and the one I always forget what is called but is really simple.... damn it! No, it's gone.

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

Anyway I guess we can agree to differ on this one

Yes, but what fun would that be? How would you then become convinced that not only can GURPS do GURPS Discworld, it is the best system I have yet seen to play Discworld in? :)