[Diatribe] Bringing the GURPS

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

True, particularly during character generation, but I find that it's immensely helpful, as a practical matter, for at least some of the players to have the books. Frequently, players will want to know what the traits on their character sheet mean (Does this skill mean I can do X? What do I roll against for advantage Y?) or something about the range of what's permissible to try (Can I aim for his uvula? What's the penalty for a flying thumb strike?). I can tell them if I remember or look it up if I don't, but it's far better for them to look it up on their own so I don't have to interrupt the flow of what I'm doing or hand over the book I'm using or might need to use at any moment.

I agree. It is useful if there is more than one set of books around the table. And most of the time some of the players will end up buying some of the books after we've been in the campaign for a while. Which I appreciate. Then a number of them all end up wanting to GM--and start buying lots and lots of books. Mua-ha-ha-ha. That's how I bring the GURPS!

[panton41]

Originally Posted by trooper6

In GURPS the player need buy 0 books.

.........

That doesn't work for a classless system. You don't say. Make a fantasy character--150 pts--Go!

To the first part, since I use primarily PDF and I prefer people to not only make their characters in GCA I also prefer them doing it on one of my computers I just let them use the PDFs that are already on the machine they're making the character on.

That kind of segues into the second part, I prefer to be the one actually creating the characters rather than letting my players, who typically only want to play and not spend hours creating a character in a system they don't know, do it. I've gotten into a system of giving the players homework of a character write up of about 2-3 pages including a life story that points out details that might be on a character sheet and yanno what? They prefer it that way. Go figure.

Even if I don't do a write up I'll sit there and create the character with them face to face (or chat to chat) in order to make it how they'd like it.

[Steamteck]

Originally Posted by shawnhcorey

You are wrong; I did make some suggestions on how to improve things. They got ignored.

And that's what I mean when I said magic is all or nothing. As soon as you say "magic" everything else gets ignored. If you place restrictions on magic, they get ignored. If you try to enforce them, you get, "Lighten up, dude, it's just a game." In other words, they get ignored. You either get the whole chapter on magic or you don't do magic at all. It's all or nothing. Everything else gets ignored.

Wow! That has absolutely positively never happened to me. Different people different groups different experiences. I personally had no idea what you meant until you explained it. I've never had trouble restricting magic or having it become overwhelming. I guess its just different play styles and groups.
Maybe if you write down some campaign guidelines and review characters it would help. ( Wow! I've never heard of mass ignoring of the GM's guidelines. I'm surprised you can run at all under those circumstances.)

[riprock]

Originally Posted by The Final Door

It's Other People that need to care. If we don't care, they don't care, and you can't introduce the game to hundreds of players on your own dime (I presume). Neither can I. A quick'n'dirty solution is needed. If they never get that, most will never enter our world, where we can actually talk to them about the game. Bye-bye new players, hello existing and diminishing group. Bye GURPS.

This is the problem.

TRPGs are not easy to transmit.

I have had limited success recruiting players. My GURPS Steampunk campaign just died of player emigration. I need at least one more new player, and I need a more solid time commitment from my existing players.

Computer games are very easy to transmit. Pop in a CD and hit START. (Or type in the correct URL and hit the Flash button, or log into Facebook and start raising crops...) Rolling actual dice and counting pips ... that's like ... math or something ... it's way harder than World of Warcraft.

Possibly I need World of GURPScraft so that I can recruit more easily...

[The Final Door]

Originally Posted by riprock

Possibly I need World of GURPScraft so that I can recruit more easily...

Mmmmm..... yummy idea ;)