Dice Of Doom: GURPS Review

[Psychotime]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Not all that complicated if you're sensible about it. At least when I make a character, even when I'm writing it out by hand, I do the calculation and write it on the character sheet. If you don't do that ahead of time, I can see how it would be an unhappy complication at the game table. Since the character sheets have a place to write it out though, it seems silly not to do it.

That's pretty hilarious when you realize you do the exact same thing for DnD. How he could mess it up I have no clue.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

They know. They also have podcasts that deal with GURPS. They think combats take forever, but the point is somewhat undercut by their not using Feints and Deceptive Attacks.

It's worse than that Jim. They were using feints, their problems the went Right into Tactical Combat with all the bells and whistles on, With first time GM and Players. They seam to miss there was Light and Basic Combat as well an that most of the rules in what he call the book for DMs are 'Optional'

He he noted you can grab Racial Templates from other sourcebooks to make the GM's job easier, they missed you can grab Archetype templates form those same books to my the player's job easier and less overwhelming.

The asl misted they did quite have to make u Walking on Clouds, it just Walking on Air (Accessibility, clouds)

[SolemnGolem]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Aside from that, there's no monster manual.

Right, the monsters are there if you're willing to go to a couple of different sources for them. I think the main observation was that there is no "big book of monsters" in GURPS the way there is for DnD.

I fell into the same rut when I started with GURPS too. GURPS gives you more of a general idea of monsters and then encourages you to tweak, customize, or even build your own from the ground up. For a newcomer, that was somewhat intimidating. Now, three years into playing, I've got enough of a solid grasp to feel confident about monster-smithing.

[Psychotime]

In my opinion, asking for the Basic Set to give you monsters is the same as asking for it to give you player characters. It does neither. Only the tools to make what you want, limited by the GM's set rules.

You don't ask for World of Darkness to give you Bullywugs, and you don't ask for Champion to give you Drizzt. You don't ask for something outside of a specific genre to give you something related to it, so why would you expect something genre based out of the backbone books of a system that's main feature is the fact that it HAS NO GENRE?

You're completely missing the point of what the system is even about!

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by Psychotime

...asking for the Basic Set to give you monsters is the same as asking for it to give you player characters. It does neither...

It does both. B.456-461 has monsters and animals to use as monsters (sadly lacking dmg statistics in their write-ups). B.308-323 has PCs, built on wildly varying point totals but clearly meant for the same campaign.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Mr_Sandman

From my reading, the writing presents it as over-complex because you have to:
1. Determine your swing or thrust damage.
2. Determine how that is modified by the weapon.
(Both of those should be done in advance and marked on the character sheet, and shouldn't really affect how long it takes to run a combat much.)
3. Subtract the DR of any armor. Applying an armor divisor if your weapon has one. (The armor divisor doesn't really apply very often in sword fights.)
4. Apply a wounding multiplier to determine the final injury.

It reminds me a bit of how my wife found Exalted combat to be so very complicated because:
1. You needed to find your attribute on the sheet
2. You needed to find your skill on the sheet
3. You needed to find your weapon modifier in the book
4. You had to add these all up and roll them.

The rest of our group, even years after playing, would sigh with exasperation and point out that this had all been worked out for her and was already on her sheet as a single value.

(And she's never had that problem with any other system. I'm a little mystified as to why she simply couldn't learn that her attack roll was "14 dice," or whatever it was. But then, I'm equally mystified by Dice of Doom's inability to simply write down their damage value on their sheets, in the spot where damage values go. And don't tell me it's because they play D&D. You have to look up the die you roll in D&D too, which is found in a weapon table. Most people simply note it down and remember it).

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

He's coming from the D&D camp, where skill at parrying is built into your hit points and your AC. I'm more comfortable with Active Defense because I cut my teeth on a BRP clone.

Yeah, I smelled a lot of that too. "It's frustrating when you make your roll and nothing happens." It's frustrating when you make your roll and whittle a couple of HP off your opponent too, bub. You have to know how to use the system.

[Psychotime]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

It does both. B.456-461 has monsters and animals to use as monsters (sadly lacking dmg statistics in their write-ups). B.308-323 has PCs, built on wildly varying point totals but clearly meant for the same campaign.

You're right. It certainly isn't much but the fact is that they do exist.

[Veton]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

And I was just about to ask for help statting the characters from that series before finding this thread.

They did a pretty good job, but ponies should have more than 10 ST :).

I feel like a lot of their stats for her were off. Highest skill is Brawling, at 18? And many of the disadvantages (Callous, Easy to Read, Selfish, Truthfulness) don't really apply.

...Yes that is what bugged me the most don't you judge me.

[Kalzazz]

To be fair I dont tend to write down my characters damage either

I have however memorized that the damage chart is on pg 16

[Daeglan]

You know you guys could go to their site and share this info with them. Might get a second review out of them. Might improve their view on GURPS. Just a thought. Or you could spend time here preaching to the choir. Just a thought.