Help a noobie understand critical hits

[Colonel__Klink]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I ran 2 PCs through around 15-20 sessions of 1920s noir investigations, including multiple shoot-outs with tommy guns, Browning automatic rifles, and other nasty ordnance.

Neither PC had more than 10 HP, DX over 13, HT over 11, or Combat Reflexes. Their only armor was some DR 5 semi-bullet proof vests. They both did have Luck, but we started from the Action! templates and all of those have Luck. To my memory, I didn't fudge any die rolls.

The PCs survived by using their superior senses to avoid ambushes, taking cover when necessary, and careful shooting of their .38 caliber revolvers. Frankie may have used Rapier Wit a couple of times to flummox foes at close range.

I think you had a bad experience with a test combat, and you're overreacting to the potential lethality. If the PC had Luck, they could have canceled that critical hit. Luck, Destiny Points, or spending CP to buy successes (or cancel other people's criticals, see Basic p 347) give PCs a lot of flexibility to get out of a jam, and that means there are a lot of different ways to build characters in practice.

Instead of having to invent rule after rule after rule after rule to special plead a way out of a problem, wouldn't the solution to be to... solve the problem? Just.... reduce the damage so that you aren't seeing 20d6 potential damage?

I mean I COULD warn all my characters that they *MUST* have luck and this. and that.. and just... fill out their character sheets so they are all the same and say "there! Write your name here." Or... we could increase the margin for failure in the game buy reducing the ridiculous scale of damage and not need special pleading rules to come in and save the day...

I'd rather not watch all the fun and joy fade from my players eyes when I tell them because I liked so many of gurps mechanics all their characters are going to be the same build...