10-01-2004, 08:39 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Detroit
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GURPS Alpha Centauri
Anybody play a campaign of this or run this? I LOVE the computer game, and was wondering if anyone has played the GURPS game...
If so, could we exchange characters/notes/ideas? Yes - I heard the book is only so-so. I had it once, but sold it to buy RAM (sigh) and now am hooked on the computer game again. Transcendence to you... |
10-04-2004, 10:53 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Detroit
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
Wow - NOBODY plays this. Wow.
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10-04-2004, 11:39 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pasco, WA
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
I have the book and have played the game many times. But neither of these contain enough background/setting information to run an Alpha Centauri game without a ton of work on the GM's end. I suppose if I read the novels, I might have more to work with (i.e. a view of the world from a person's perspective, not an omniscient being who only looks at the "big picture").
When I consider the maps I'd have to draw, the social environments I'd have to make up, the impact of higher technologies on daily life, the minutia of dealing with an alien world with a dramatically alien ecosystem (which is barely documented), the ramifications of controllable psi powers... well, I just figure it's a thousand times easier to use the Transhuman Space setting. Alpha Centauri's a great setting, but it needs about ten more books to be playable by anyone besides a really devoted fan with huge amounts of free time. Just my two cents. |
10-04-2004, 03:05 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
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So I was pleased when someone bought the GURPS book for me (can't recall who it was right now), but I can't say I honestly ever considered playing it. It just seemed too obvious that this was a world with a life of its own already (given the number of people familiar with the world setting), but without most of the details of this life to help GMs. I guess I would say that it is sort of like trying to run one of the massively popular D&D settings (like Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms) with people who know and love the world, by using only the basic books. |
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10-14-2004, 07:55 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
I wish the book had had a standard GURPS Space map of Planet.
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11-30-2009, 12:56 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
Hey Guys...
Quote:
Oh ye of little faith ;) - Let me just say, for one, you're right... for another - I AM YOUR MESSIAH - BOW DOWN TO MY GEEKDOM!! Well, or something to that end ;) At any rate, I have been spending (and my head spins at the thought) the last four years GMing Gurps: Alpha Centauri, and I'm just opening up a new group. And yeah, you hate it for the work and you love it for the benefits. At any rate, since I in no way wish that kind of ordeal on anyone else, I here humbly offer up my documents and files so far, for all those interested. I really don't want to brag, but I have an Alpha Centauri file on my PC, size 678MB and growing. Contact me if you would like some of it, here are some of the more useful snippets:
That was the relatively generic stuff. If anyone was interested I could also offer: From my Believer Campaign (subject to preparation, more is coming):
Powerpoint-designed introductions with music and flashy stuff, for every adventure session (mainly to give the players a "previously on" effect, but also to set a beginning for each session; every intro ends with a "Welcome to the Holobooks of Alpha Centauri"; I have listed documents of potential interest to GMs or players under their respective adventures. From Book I ("Unity" Playing the actual Unity departure, the disaster and faction splitup) Chapters 1 through 4 plus Epilogue
From Book II ("Scout Patrol", playing the first exploration attempts around UN Headquarters, and Mind Worm/Spore Launcher confrontations) Chapters 1 through 4 plus Epilogue
From Book III ("Recon Rover", playing the large-scale exploration with a recovered Rover, and the first contact with the Morganic faction)
From Book IV (Colony, now running, the players have advanced far enough in the hierarchy to be among the governing talents for the first Base to be founded outside UN HQ) Prologue Intro Not much as of yet, since the Characters have yet to get past the prologue ^^
Right, that's it for now. I would be thrilled if other AC GMs could come forward with their data for Alpha Centauri, be it generic or specific to their campaign; after all, everything can be useful or, at the least, inspirational, and it can save a hell of a lot of work; even if one has to fit it to one's own campaign, or adjust the rules, it's better than having to write it from scratch. As I said, if you would like to look into any of my stuff, send me a pm, and I will send you everything you like. I would also like to hear other people's experiences with AC, which campaigns have been attempted, what worked, what didn't. Just get things livened up a bit. *started uploading; click above links to download the stuff from rapidshare. Last edited by Phoenix42; 12-10-2009 at 01:31 PM. |
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11-30-2009, 07:48 AM | #7 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: TIE pilot aboard the ISD Butterball
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
I'm new to GURPS (just picked up books about a year ago - I've been ravenously buying up pdfs ever since) but I do love SMAC. A lot.
SMAC GURPS is basically what you get when you've got top-notch campaign writing (thanks to Firaxis) and top-notch RPG rules (thanks to SJGames). I love the setting and I'm glad I bought the book. I have yet to play a single game of GURPS though, but I'm very interested in joining others. If you're GMing an online group, I'd love to sit in or join in. The Alpha Centauri document you have sounds fascinating. May I have a copy? :) |
11-30-2009, 09:59 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
Sorry, I don't do online groups - I've my hands full already :(; but I can send you documents - which ones are you interested in?
Where are you located? Surely one must be able to find a group around your area? Not necessarily Gurps: AC, but gamers are everywhere, aren't we? :D And a quick addendum: As I mentioned, I am working on expanding the AC fauna. If anybody has suggestions or ideas ( internet links for Nitrogen-based life-forms would also be much appreciated), I would be eager to hear them all! Last edited by Phoenix42; 11-30-2009 at 10:04 AM. |
11-30-2009, 10:31 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
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11-30-2009, 12:29 PM | #10 | ||
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: GURPS Alpha Centauri
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Other than that, any creature of IQ <2 should be acceptable, shouldn't it? The point about the plan was that a planet without identifiable animal and plant life is barren and rendered uninteresting; if players want to play scouts, they want to be able to talk about the environment they're scouting in, maybe even hunt game. The main idea would be to "furnish" the Planet a little, give it a bit more life, and add things for survivalists to use. Obviously, no animal is going to present a real danger to Colonists wielding TL8+ weaponry, but it can be a topic of discussion ("he's slower than a furknork") or simply be something to add to food rations if you know how ("see, if you just fry the yellow intestine in iodine paste at 70°, you can eat it without dying of nitrate shock"). Quote:
Last edited by Phoenix42; 11-30-2009 at 12:55 PM. |
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