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Old 10-02-2015, 02:54 PM   #11
apoc527
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

I have about $200 to spend on GURPS PDFs as soon as my budget allows for it. Soon, soon...I will be starting with Action 4.
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Old 10-02-2015, 03:28 PM   #12
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

I really like this one and second the notion of this treatment for MH and DF.
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Old 10-02-2015, 04:02 PM   #13
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

I was actually looking for DF stuff when this seemed to pop up out of nowhere last night. Definitely a good buy!

It seems like you could easily mix and match Skill Sets with the Psionic Packages from Psis, if you wanted to add psychic powers to your action game.
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Old 10-02-2015, 04:04 PM   #14
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

I will definitely be using this in future Action games that I run - I have players who like a bit more flexibility (well, they play full-on GURPS too!), and when I'm writing demo scenarios I can fine-tune things a bit more.

Outside the Action arena, I'll be doing what I already do with Action 1, and use the templates here as shopping lists for the sort of skills a character in a particular role ought to have.
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Old 10-02-2015, 04:41 PM   #15
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
But it's all there! The difference is that you can specialize a lot more. The whole point is that you build up your background in detail rather than being forced to use one of a handful of one-size-fits-all lenses – maybe your intelligence guy was a language expert who worked behind a desk (Linguist), and perhaps your criminal was subtle rather than seamy (like Femme Fatale). The rules still support the GM imposing a specific background if it suits the campaign; see pp. 7-9.
I like the fact that the Lenses from Action volume 1 weren't compatible with 100% optimization. That tends to be what "flavour" means. It means "a game-mechanical aspect of the character that is not 100% optimized for the character's functional conflict-role".

It's like making a Dark One Wizard in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. They get High Manual Dexterity. HDM isn't a trait that fits the Wizard role. If you want to make an optimized dungeoncrawler Wizard, you'd spend those points on something more directly useful.

But HDM isn't harmful. It's 10 points out of a 250 point budget, and it can be put to use in making a slightly off-key Wizard that's still highly functional in the dungeoncrawling paradigm, so it's not actually 10 wasted points, but more like 10% or 30% out of the 10 points wasted.

A little waste is fine. A little waste is good. Perfect, single-minded, obsessive optimization tends to lead to boring characters, and with a fairly generous budget of 250 points it's not needed.

Same with the Action 1 Lenses, but not same with the Action 4 25 point Lenses.
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Old 10-02-2015, 04:55 PM   #16
Langy
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by sonic232 View Post
This exactly. It'll really help me out with helping players pick out their disadvantages in freeform creation. I think DF and MH need this treatment, too. The Pointless systems in the Alternate GURPS Pyramid articles are one step, but I think they should be re-done to be more like this!
This and Pointsless (that really needs a better, and universal, name) have very different design goals. Pointsless can allow you to make characters in a very short amount of time and significantly reduces not only the number of choices you have to make but also the amount of things you need to record - it's what GURPS Lite should be.

Action 4 is more about retaining the level of detail that normal GURPS has and presenting more choices than Action basic but less than full GURPS.
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Old 10-02-2015, 05:01 PM   #17
Litvyak
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
I like the fact that the Lenses from Action volume 1 weren't compatible with 100% optimization. That tends to be what "flavour" means. It means "a game-mechanical aspect of the character that is not 100% optimized for the character's functional conflict-role".
I don't know... I found the fact that a Wheelman with the Criminal lens couldn't get the skills needed to actually steal cars more annoying than "flavourful".
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Old 10-02-2015, 07:02 PM   #18
Tinman
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

I got Action 4 & I love it!

I think it's very useful for a lot more than just action.

The disadvantage lists are great, but even more useful are the lens/training groups. The can be added to a higher or lower level character for just about any campaign. Need a swat team? Check. Need Merc's to assault the PC's? Check. Need gang-bangers as opponents for your urban college campaign? Got that too.

Also useful for making PC's. I'm adding a couple of space based ones for my Modern-Day Space-1889 based campaign. (Solar system as in Sp-1889 but tech & science of today.)
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Old 10-02-2015, 08:04 PM   #19
Langy
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Litvyak View Post
I don't know... I found the fact that a Wheelman with the Criminal lens couldn't get the skills needed to actually steal cars more annoying than "flavourful".
What skills would a Wheelman Criminal lack that are required for stealing cars in your opinion?
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Old 10-02-2015, 08:19 PM   #20
Litvyak
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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What skills would a Wheelman Criminal lack that are required for stealing cars in your opinion?
Lockpicking if you don't want to be driving around in a stolen car with a conspicuously busted window. Electronics Repair (Security) for disabling tracking systems.
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