GURPS Monster Hunters: what will you do with it?

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

It'll make more sense when you read MH1. "Sidekicks" is used as a genre-specific term there, you see. I knew from the moment I sat down to write the first book that "lower-powered hunters" were going to be a necessary part of the game, so I came up with a specific (if slightly prosaic, admittedly) term for them and stuck to it.

Very cool, does this mean that there will be mixed power-level parties of Champions and Side Kicks like the Heros and White Hats of the Buffyverse RPG?

When oh when will I be able to buy MH 1?

[PK]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Very cool, does this mean that there will be mixed power-level parties of Champions and Side Kicks like the Heros and White Hats of the Buffyverse RPG?

Absolutely. With MH1 + MH4, you can run anything from "all champions" to "mixed power levels" to "all sidekicks (sorry, they prefer to be called 'junior hunters')" with ease. MH4 will even offer some advice for using these options to simulate certain cinematic models; for example, if everyone agrees that "One badass champion leader plus a half-dozen sidekicks," is the game they want to play, but everyone's arguing about who gets to play the champion, MH4 will include rules for troupe-style play so that everyone gets a chance to.

When oh when will I be able to buy MH 1?

Soon, soon. Actually, I was kind of hoping that this contest would run a few weeks longer than it did, to help idle away the time. Damn those smart pants of his. :)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Soon, soon. Actually, I was kind of hoping that this contest would run a few weeks longer than it did, to help idle away the time. Damn those smart pants of his. :)

Dude, goth music, RPG, and comic book based hints? You never stood a chance. Kromm should have picked sports or rap music or something. :)

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Dude, goth music, RPG, and comic book based hints? You never stood a chance. Kromm should have picked sports or rap music or something. :)

Rap would not have helped with each of us bouncing ideas off each other. Sports would have worked, so long as it wasn't basketball.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

Rap would not have helped with each of us bouncing ideas off each other. Sports would have worked, so long as it wasn't basketball.

Dunno diddly about goth OR rap music, but I do know something about sports... snd I've got some contacts who know a good deal more :)

"Did you say--The Living Monolith??" <maniacal laughter>

[griffin]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Absolutely. With MH1 + MH4, you can run anything from "all champions" to "mixed power levels" to "all sidekicks (sorry, they prefer to be called 'junior hunters')" with ease. MH4 will even offer some advice for using these options to simulate certain cinematic models; for example, if everyone agrees that "One badass champion leader plus a half-dozen sidekicks," is the game they want to play, but everyone's arguing about who gets to play the champion, MH4 will include rules for troupe-style play so that everyone gets a chance to.

Great. I like the variety of different games we can run. I'm a huge fan of Buffy/Angel. I also enjoy the idea behind Blade and the Underworld series (though less so with the latter movies execution).

OK, so I hope the period between releases for these isn't too long.
If the titles are fairly descriptive:
MH1: Champions
MH2: The Mission
MH3: The Enemy
MH4: Sidekicks


I find it hard to comprehend how you run a game without at least 1 and 3. I guess you could covert Black Ops, Undead, or perhaps Blood Types to GURPS 4e standards to get some enemies. Unless the Mission is for a specific setting, I don't think that one will be all that hard to come up with for individual GMS and will probably see quite a bit of variation.

For me, I'm already sold on the first four books and will buy them as soon as I can. I've already got Monster Hunters: Load Outs.

Looking forward to the series and hopefully it is as successful and Dungeon Fantasy and Action (especially DF).

[griffin]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Very cool, does this mean that there will be mixed power-level parties of Champions and Side Kicks like the Heros and White Hats of the Buffyverse RPG?

When oh when will I be able to buy MH 1?

Hopefully by Feb 26, happy birthday to ME! ;-)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by griffin

Unless the Mission is for a specific setting, I don't think that one will be all that hard to come up with for individual GMS and will probably see quite a bit of variation.

MH2 is probably like DF2 and Action! 2. It will have all the good advice for actually running the game. Sure GM's can come up with this themselves, but that's true for the whole concept, really.

[PK]

Originally Posted by griffin

I find it hard to comprehend how you run a game without at least 1 and 3.

Ideally, you'll want 1, 2, and 3 to run a MH game, plus 4 if you want either Allies (great for a small group), prefer your hunters to be less badass out of the gate, or just want more variety in your full-powered champions. (More details on these options to be revealed later.) That said, the reason the books are being written and offered a la carte (besides it making them much easier to edit and layout) is that each can be used as a standalone supplement, or in specific combinations.

Examples:

* MH2 + MH3: You could let players build their own characters, without templates, and use the rules and enemies here to run what would essentially be a standard MH game -- just without the assumed archetypes, powers, magic rules, etc.

* MH2 + MH4: You could run lower-level hunters using the cinematic rules, but adapting existing GURPS monsters to fight instead of using the really challenging ones from The Enemy.

* MH1 + MH3: You could use the standard champion templates, powers, magic system, etc., to battle the high-powered MH monsters, but do it without using any of the special rules for investigation, cinematic combat, etc., because you have your own house style you prefer.

Quite honestly, the combinations are endless. Well, that's not true -- there are actually only 1 + 4 + 12 + 4 = 21 combinations, until I write some more MH books -- but you get what I mean. :)

Unless the Mission is for a specific setting, I don't think that one will be all that hard to come up with for individual GMS and will probably see quite a bit of variation.

The Mission is the rules for how to actually run a successful Monster Hunters game! As such, I think you'll find it fairly useful in any such game; were you creating your own a la carte combo (above), MH2 is actually the book I'd recommend leaving out the least.

The rules for investigation alone are (IMO) some of the best stuff I've come up with -- no more players slamming their heads into the table because they can't figure out the GM's complex plot. Now, they get Deduction Rolls (if they have the right skills) to give their characters a chance of figuring out what's going on, even if the players are lost. Combine that with a ton of cinematic rules and a full chapter of nothing but advice for the GM who wants to build an interesting setting and run a nifty campaign full of horror and dark conspiracies . . . well, I'm rambling a bit too much, so I'll just say that I wouldn't discount the value of The Mission. It's not for a specific setting -- it's got several suggested campaign seeds and advice for any setting.

(Credit Due: If my investigation rules are good -- and I dare say they are -- it is only because I stood on the shoulders of a giant. Specifically, Kromm's rules for complementary skills, which I realized could be adapted into a full investigation/deduction framework.)

I've already got Monster Hunters: Load Outs.

Great book! In many ways, it inspired this whole series.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Soon, soon. Actually, I was kind of hoping that this contest would run a few weeks longer than it did, to help idle away the time.

... So... You're kidding about the "weeks" part, right?
*g*