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Old 11-20-2021, 08:52 AM   #1
SilvercatMoonpaw
 
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Default [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

On another forum I got into a discussion on violence in TTRPGs, and now I'm trying to think how to do that in GURPS. Since one of the standard help techniques of this forum is to recommend products, I'm going to straight up ask which ones people recommend.

The idea isn't to make violence undesirable. I'm looking specifically for products that will be a help setting up and running activities where no one is expected to be physically hurt (accidents happen). Anything else is fine: exploration, social encounters, non-violent competitions, etc.

Thank you for your time.
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Old 11-20-2021, 09:05 AM   #2
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

Social Engineering helps set up all kinds of social interaction, several supplements to it as well.
Its easy enough to set up a campaign or genre where violence is discouraged, especially if healing or medical care is limited.
GURPS Mysteries helps with detective stories.

A social campaign requires different GM skills than a combat focused one but pretty much any genre could work for you.
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Old 11-20-2021, 09:10 AM   #3
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
A social campaign requires different GM skills than a combat focused one....
Considering my combat-focused ones weren't rousing successes, if I'm bad at social ones it's only a lateral move.
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Old 11-20-2021, 09:14 AM   #4
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

GURPS Locations: Worminghall could work as a fantasy campaign setting with minimal violence; its emphasis is on the training of student mages. In a way it's ancestral to GURPS Social Engineering: Back to School.

Various other Locations titles also provide material that could be used for nonviolent campaigns.

There's usable material in GURPS Thaumatology. The chapter on Path and Book magic, in particular, is actually easier to use in a nonviolent campaign.

You might think about GURPS Horror. Not all horror turns on physical threats.
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Old 11-20-2021, 11:07 AM   #5
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

How about "Action: Exploits"? Is that any good for non-combat?
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Old 11-20-2021, 11:43 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

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Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw View Post
How about "Action: Exploits"? Is that any good for non-combat?
Yes. It covers a lot of cinematic action movie stuff and some of that does not involve violence or especially combat. It does have stuff for combat but the entire series is really focused on making things dramatic. Typically this involves shortcuts or quick rolls over lengthy tactical choices.
Exploits is probably the most useful item in the series for non-cinematic or other genres too.

When thinking about any GURPS book and if it would be useful to you I recommend downloading the free preview PDF which includes the table of contents.
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Old 11-20-2021, 11:47 AM   #7
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
...and some of that does not involve violence or especially combat.
That's actually fine, so long as it's not mostly about combat, which it doesn't sound like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
When thinking about any GURPS book and if it would be useful to you I recommend downloading the free preview PDF which includes the table of contents.
I do, but header titles don't always paint the full picture.
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Old 11-20-2021, 01:24 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

I'd also throw in Monster Hunters: The Mission, for its extensive investigation rules, as very useful for non- or low-combat game.

My current game is 1920s murder investigations, and typically combat is limited to a few punches or judo throws each session. Guns get drawn a bit, but mostly for intimidation purposes.

Mysteries, Social Engineering, Action: Exploits, and MH: The Mission are pretty much my go-to reference works.
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Old 11-20-2021, 01:36 PM   #9
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

My recommendations:

GURPS Social Engineering. The go-to work for social interactions, where violence usually consists of cutting remarks and crushing retorts. Other volumes in the Social Engineering may be useful in specific situations and types of campaigns.

GURPS Action 2: Exploits. Lots of material for action-adventure tropes not necessarily including violence, like chases and infiltration.

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures. Most DF books are wildly out of place on this list, but this covers a wide range of environmental hazards and other issues involved in cross-country travel and survival.

GURPS City Stats, Boardroom and Curia, and Realm Management. Guidance for dealing with organized societies in various ways.

The Hot Spots series, the Disasters series, the Transhuman Space series, and the Locations series. Not for rules as such, but rather for providing adventuring contexts which aren't necessarily predicated on hitting people. The Hot Spots series, for example, provides setups for political adventure and trade, while Disasters provides material but non-combat challenges. That said, they depend on you wanting to pursue those particular kinds of challenges or settings.

EDIT: Oh, and GURPS Mysteries. How'd I miss that one?
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Old 11-20-2021, 03:31 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Sell me] Non-combat GURPS titles?

The Low Tech series has quite a bit that's completely unrelated to violence. In addition to what's in the main book, Low Tech Companion 1: Philosophers and Kings is pretty much absent of violence (and a lot of the information is more-or-less systemless). Low Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics is similar - the "violence" part there is only in terms of rules for making weapons and armor (but the rules are really for making any sort of crafted goods) and some hunting/butchering rules (which may not fit into what you're thinking of as "violence" anyway).
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