GURPS Monster Hunters: what will you do with it?

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

Got this image of Red getting @#$%^ because Jack Harkness just will not die.

Jack: Stop doing that!
Red: Then stop getting back up! *boom*

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by The Cardinal

:D I'm flattered :D
- maybe I should consider doing an e23 GURPS4e "reload" of this old baby...

Might not be a bad idea!

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I imagine they're calibrated to be at least moderately resistant to fire from modern automatic and anti-tank weapons. If you don't have GURPS High Tech, assault rifle damage is generally from 5d to 7d, and they have ROFs around 10. Relative to even a moderately experienced DF character, that's a lot of hurt.

Resistant to anti-tank weapons? Really? I didn't know it was covering giant monsters in such depth...

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Resistant to anti-tank weapons? Really? I didn't know it was covering giant monsters in such depth...

Given that it has multiple volumes, it is not unreasonable to think that such targets might be covered.

[The Wrathchild]

I can only say that this seems to be something that will be able to lend inspiration to my current campaign - I very much look forward to seeing it!

[safisher]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

"Screw this. Let's just tell the police about it and let them deal with it," completely out of the equation. If the cops, National Guard, etc., try to deal with this menace, they're just going to die -- this falls squarely on your shoulders, so stop whining, cowboy up, and go kick some evil tail!

Woohoo. Bring it!

[safisher]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I imagine they're calibrated to be at least moderately resistant to fire from modern automatic and anti-tank weapons. If you don't have GURPS High Tech, assault rifle damage is generally from 5d to 7d, and they have ROFs around 10. Relative to even a moderately experienced DF character, that's a lot of hurt.

Sure. Give the pedestrian MH designs a DR12-25, a level of two or hardened armor for the tougher ones, maybe some susceptibility to specially-prepared hunter bullets (which they'll have to learn about in the first place) and so forth. Combine that with Injury Tolerance and it can quickly become a problem for gun toting hunters. You can get more exotic, too -- like say a snarling beast that naturally alters probability so your gun misfires whenever it gets in a certain range. Yeah, 4e is a gigantic sandbox for monster creation . . .

[blacksmith]

Originally Posted by safisher

Sure. Give the pedestrian MH designs a DR12-25, a level of two or hardened armor for the tougher ones, maybe some susceptibility to specially-prepared hunter bullets (which they'll have to learn about in the first place) and so forth. Combine that with Injury Tolerance and it can quickly become a problem for gun toting hunters. You can get more exotic, too -- like say a snarling beast that naturally alters probability so your gun misfires whenever it gets in a certain range. Yeah, 4e is a gigantic sandbox for monster creation . . .

For myself I think that I would lean more toward high levels of regeneration and IT:DR not special damage type. This can be susceptible to enough machine guns though, once you start hitting it 20 times per round it is hard for even extreme regen with HP over 20 to keep up with that even if each hit only does 1-2 points of damage.

[safisher]

Originally Posted by blacksmith

For myself I think that I would lean more toward high levels of regeneration and IT:DR not special damage type. This can be susceptible to enough machine guns though, once you start hitting it 20 times per round it is hard for even extreme regen with HP over 20 to keep up with that even if each hit only does 1-2 points of damage.

It just depends on how tough you want them to be. What I was saying is that (hopefully) PK's rules wizardry will surface in the monster write-ups. Either way, I'm thrilled by the news of this new series.

[PK]

Okay, I was thinking I could walk away from this thread for a while, but there's just too much activity here to ignore! I suppose it won't hurt to comment on a few things . . .

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

Care to give any hints as to what point values the templates are, or at least a ballpark?

Hmm... let's just say, "More expensive than a delver, less expensive than a black op," and leave it at that for now.

Originally Posted by Randyman

The biggest thing I liked about Black Ops was that the PCs were (conceptually) literally the best that humanity could be - not by accident, but by the hardest of hard work on top of natural gift. As long as the templates in MH convey that "Ultimate Pro From Dover" tone, I'm good. :)

Several do, yes. But you've also got to make room for those who are "the best" because they have a special edge; e.g., being a reformed monster or possessing special abilities. Inhuman and empowered heroes are a huge part of the genre as well, after all -- see Angel, Hellboy/BPRD, Constantine, Night Watch, etc.

That said, the series will explicitly support any GM who wishes to restrict certain abilities. If you pick up MH and decide (as GM) that you're only allowing normal humans who are strictly "badass via training," you'll still find more than enough templates, options, rules, etc., to create and run a diverse group of hunters. (Just like you could run a Night-Watch-style game where everyone has to be a reformed monster or empowered human, and still be able to put a team together.)

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

I personally prefer that relatively ordinary people with enough preparation and luck can take down some of the lower powered monsters.

The lowered-powered ones? Sure. I'm beefing up zombies a bit, for example, but in a contest of Sheriff vs. Slow Zombie, the Sheriff is almost certainly going to win. Now, in a contest of Sheriff vs. 20 Slow Zombies, the outcome is far less certain.

While I like my psychic gun-fu spec ops as much as the next guy, I'd also like for there to be enough wiggle room for me to run some "up and coming" style games.

Ah, then you're going to love MH4.

Originally Posted by SimonAce

if calling the police or SWAT is not an occasional option than its too cinematic

It all comes down to believability. Not realism, mind you, but believability in the sense of "suspension of disbelief."

To whit, let's say that in a game, the heroes occasionally find themselves so overwhelmed that they retreat and instead call in the police or SWAT. That means that the police/SWAT are the cavalry -- they're better-equipped to deal with this monster menace than the PCs are. So why on earth are the PCs risking their lives to do it? Eventually, it becomes harder and harder to believe that this crew of "ragtag monster hunters" is really doing a better job by getting involved themselves than if they'd just figure out what's going on, inform the police, and move on.

Even if the group doesn't regularly call in SWAT, this paradigm sends the clear message that the buck stops with the police, not with the PCs. If things get really bad, it's ultimately someone else who will need to fix it, not the supposed "monster hunters." IMO, that takes away a huge chunk of responsibility and ownership, even if the team never once makes that 911 call.

And to be clear, there may be some groups who enjoy the game even if the "climax" of the adventure frequently consists of them backing off and calling for someone else to clean up their mess. But I just can't believe that's a common thing.

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Resistant to anti-tank weapons? Really? I didn't know it was covering giant monsters in such depth...

Nah, no giant monsters initially -- it's hard to keep The Secret when you're fighting Godzilla in the middle of downtown. This is more about dealing with the crazy amounts of damage that SMGs, assault rifles, etc., can deal out.