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Old 05-10-2021, 07:30 AM   #1
LoneWolf23k
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Homebrew concept: Compartmentalized Character Sheet

So, I was thinking about the GURPS Character Sheet and how it could be presented to new players, when I realized a good approach would be to compartmentalize it a bit into three parts:

-Core: containing the baseline elements of the character: Attributes, primary advantages, etc.

-Social: Here's where we put the Social Background stuff (Culture, language), but also the appearance modifiers, wealth and influence modifiers, as well as Advantages and Disadvantages that modify social skills, AND the social skills as well. Putting ALL of the "social interaction" thing on one page, so it's easy to find.

-Combat: here's where we put the Strength-based damage characteristics, combat-related Advantages (Strikers, Enhanced Defenses, etc) and Disadvantages (Infectious Attack), plus the combat skills. And maybe an optional Hit Point tracker.

-Magic/Psionics/Powers (Optional): if in a game where supernatural abilities are involved, a whole third page containing the advantages and skills related to a character's supernatural abilities. If Magic, this would be Magery, Thaumatology and the various spells in the Mage's Grimoire. If Psionics, that would be the Psionic Powers and Skills.

Basically, I'd be splitting up the character sheet is to make it easier for new players to get used to the game, by knowing exactly where to go on their character sheet, depending on whether or not they're engaging in social encounters or combat or other roleplaying.
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Old 05-10-2021, 07:58 AM   #2
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Homebrew concept: Compartmentalized Character Sheet

I dunno, I think I'd find that a confusing mess. ("Do you have Electronics Operation (EW)?" "I dunno, is that combat or general skills?")

As it is, the official sheets already divide themselves into themed areas. The standard sheet has personal information at the top, attributes at the mostly-top left, advantages and disadvantages at the lower left, social details at the mostly-top right, and skills at the bottom right. A few basic combat factors are thrown in there in the middle, mostly out of tradition, inertia from the older third-edition character sheet. Then on the back there's weapon stats at the top (I recommend writing your skill level in each weapon in parentheses near the weapon's name), armor and other equipment at the bottom right, notes at the bottom left, and combat reference tables in the middle left.

There are also official variant sheets in the booklet that comes with the GM screen. These include a template variant (extra boxes in the attributes and space taken from armor and possessions to list racial template traits); a warrior variant (weapons stats — including a column for skill — and armor and possessions on the front, with advantages and disadvantages moved to the back, with more room for skills; an extra skills variant (less space for social factors and more space for skills); a supers variant (more room for advantages by sacrificing space for disadvantages and skills); a spellcaster variant (less room for weapon stats and armor and possessions, and no combat reference tables, in favor of spell lists at the bottom of the back page); and a one-page NPC sheet (like what the iconic characters use).
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Old 05-10-2021, 08:31 AM   #3
Daigoro
 
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: Homebrew concept: Compartmentalized Character Sheet

I think it's a good way to organise a secondary cheat sheet, summarising what's on a primary character sheet. In the past I've done that with just a combat cheat sheet, so this would be just adding extra boxes.
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Old 05-10-2021, 10:12 AM   #4
LoneWolf23k
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Homebrew concept: Compartmentalized Character Sheet

Okay, I like the cheat-sheet idea, and it could be a good alternative. Keep the character sheet as is, then add a "Social sheet" for the elements that can be used to alter Reactions, and then a "Combat sheet" for combat-related abilities.
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