Resolved,There is no point to statting up anything that is not a PC

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

I don't have a problem with this sort of streamlined, shorthand statting, because you are re-using small numbers of simple traits that are already well established and worked out, so that anything not detailed can be expected to be at default value with little or no loss of accuracy. The same thing couldn't be said of more varied and capable adversaries like Anita Blake's monster parade or Lords of the Sith.

It's true, Darth Vader needs more than "Lightsaber-18, Force Choke-20, Bad Temper (12)". A more complete list of advantages, disadvantages, and skills are necessary for a fleshed-out NPC. But I think the important distinction is that, if he's not someone where relative point value matters (i.e, an Ally, Patron, Dependent, or Enemy), then the actually point value of his traits don't matter. For example, for Vader's Force Choke, I'm just going to write down that it's an opposed roll of Vader's Force Choke skill vs. the target's HT, and every turn the target loses, they suffer Suffocation. I don't need to sit down and work out how to do that with Innate Attack or Affliction or whatever, because I'm playing a game where Vader's points don't matter, and no PC will be buying the ability.

Trying to use the character creation rules to fully stat out NPCs is a trap that newbie GMs fall into a lot in GURPS - lord knows I certainly did! So I think, in circumstances like the original thread, where we've got a relatively unknown poster coming in and asking how to build something with points, the standard advice is absolutely useful to trot out, to save another person the enormous headache of trying to build everything by the book.

Now, admittedly, the advice can be given out a little too liberally at times - if a long term poster comes in asking for a precise build, we should probably assume they already know to minimize their workload, and are asking for a good reason.
But if we can save a new GM's sanity, I say go for it! :-)