TFT vs. GURPS?

Bill_in_IN · 05-22-2023, 10:45 AM

This thread is not to bring out favor for one game system over the other. It's really to help with my ignorance of GURPS as it pertains to the various references to GURPS in our TFT discussions.

I have not had much exposure to GURPS. We were excited when it first came out in the mid-late 80's. It was basically seen as TFT 2.0 since it had gone out of production in 1984. I bought the basic rules and we generated a handful of characters with different weapons skills. It's my understanding that GURPS has seen some major revisions since then and that may make my memories and perceptions of it obsolete.

We started out like we did for TFT with arena battles--one-on-one and group battles. We liked that it offered more granularity with respect to combat resolution, weapon damage (and 'To Hit' options), and armor effects. But the increase in granularity seemed to bog down combat resolution making more slow and laborious as compared to TFT. We didn't like the separation of ST and Hit Points which was seen as a very D&D thing to do (LOL!). Adding that with the fact that we had been so deeply invested into TFT, we stopped playing it and continued with TFT.

However, we did find that the various adventures that were published for GURPS were far more compatible than the D&D adventures so far as converting them into TFT. So, like D&D, GURPS became a resource for our Classic TFT play.

So, can members here that are far more familiar with GURPS tell me if my perception of GURPS is wrong or outdated? It seems to me that GURPS is still being referenced as a source for pursuing more granularity in ideas for addressing new House Rules. Am I reading the GURPS references in these forums correctly?

05-22-2023, 10:45 AM	#1
Bill_in_IN Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: Indiana	TFT vs. GURPS? This thread is not to bring out favor for one game system over the other. It's really to help with my ignorance of GURPS as it pertains to the various references to GURPS in our TFT discussions. I have not had much exposure to GURPS. We were excited when it first came out in the mid-late 80's. It was basically seen as TFT 2.0 since it had gone out of production in 1984. I bought the basic rules and we generated a handful of characters with different weapons skills. It's my understanding that GURPS has seen some major revisions since then and that may make my memories and perceptions of it obsolete. We started out like we did for TFT with arena battles--one-on-one and group battles. We liked that it offered more granularity with respect to combat resolution, weapon damage (and 'To Hit' options), and armor effects. But the increase in granularity seemed to bog down combat resolution making more slow and laborious as compared to TFT. We didn't like the separation of ST and Hit Points which was seen as a very D&D thing to do (LOL!). Adding that with the fact that we had been so deeply invested into TFT, we stopped playing it and continued with TFT. However, we did find that the various adventures that were published for GURPS were far more compatible than the D&D adventures so far as converting them into TFT. So, like D&D, GURPS became a resource for our Classic TFT play. So, can members here that are far more familiar with GURPS tell me if my perception of GURPS is wrong or outdated? It seems to me that GURPS is still being referenced as a source for pursuing more granularity in ideas for addressing new House Rules. Am I reading the GURPS references in these forums correctly?