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Old 01-17-2019, 04:26 PM   #1
Kromm
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Default GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

They took all our guns
And locked us in the kitchen
Time to get cookin'
— Mac "Iron Chef" Steel, in Take-Out V: Tall Order
As every action fan knows, when something that could be dangerous shows up on screen, smart money says it will be burning, crushing, dismembering, or otherwise doing something terrible to somebody by the end of the scene, act, or film. Maybe it'll be an accident – but probably not. More likely the hero will be meting out hastily improvised justice to a villain who foolishly believed he had the upper hand.

When this happens, the GM can just "roll and shout" to keep the action moving . . . but gamers being gamers, that won't always be satisfying. On the other hand, delving into detailed, realistic rules is a surefire way to derail a GURPS Action campaign, which should be a cinematic, seat-of-the-pants affair, not physics homework. GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger splits the difference.

This is an A-Z guide to Bad Things to do to enemies using a vast number of objects that aren't technically weapons – or simply by cleverly exploiting the environment. It provides the GM with advice on when and how to put this stuff into the game, plus dice-based methods of determining what's there when the players turn a throwaway description into the cornerstone of a cunning plan. It offers players ways to use obscure skills and clever tactics to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Most important, it provides stats for the cinematic results.

Whether it's simple pleasures like pushing someone down an elevator shaft, or a complicated scheme involving a shark, a live wire, and an overpressurized oxygen cylinder, GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger has you covered better than that lousy sidekick who handed over his gun to the villain's goons.

WARNING: Contains action violence. Use in realistic campaigns at your peril. You have been warned!


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Old 01-17-2019, 04:50 PM   #2
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

This sounds amazing.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:11 PM   #3
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

I was initially a bit puzzled by this, but after reading a good chunk of it I'm really glad to have it. It answers tons of "how do you handle that?" that are going to naturally come up in lots of campaigns. For example, I'd recently been wondering about how much damage rocket exhaust ought to do, and "use thrust damage for the vehicle's ST" is a nice answer. Many of the rules, while not hyper-realistic, seem like they could be "good enough" in many realistic campaigns, where the GM might otherwise be completely at a loss for what to do.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:15 PM   #4
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

I grabbed this as soon as I saw it came out, and have been reading it all afternoon, and I must say, I love this. It's basically Jason Bourne's Christmas Wish Book, or more precisely, the book for the GM whose players want to be Bourne.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:15 PM   #5
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

This series is just going to continue to fill all my modern-ish gaming needs, isn't it?
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:21 PM   #6
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! More Action! I always want more Action!
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:33 PM   #7
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

There's only one word to describe this:

AWESOMESAUCE!
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:53 PM   #8
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

Oh god just take my money now, Kromm! Though I love dungeon delving, Action! is where it's at for bang-on fun rules that work in [1]any[/i] cinematic setting. Thank you!
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:52 AM   #9
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
There's only one word to describe this:

AWESOMESAUCE!
I second this wholeheartedly. Picked it up as soon as I heard about it, started reading and loved it.
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Old 01-18-2019, 01:12 PM   #10
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Default Re: GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
There's only one word to describe this:

AWESOMESAUCE!
indeed

Quote:
Originally Posted by DouglasCole View Post
when folks say "with Pyramid gone, we can do fun stuff," this is what it means.
This could be for the better, series like Action and Dungeon Fantasy carry a greater air of legitimacy to encourage inclusion, and splitting into 10-20 genre series can be easier to remember numbers than a 100+ overall thing.
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