Firsttime GM, has: plot, needs: pointers, persons and polish

[Elbereth]

Hi :)

I'm completely new at this, but I hope I won't come off as a complete drooling imbecile.

I've been appointed the honorable, yet extremely frightening title of GM, for what will be our group's very first rpg-experience (unless you count years of Extreme Houserule Munchkins)

We're starting out with Gurps Lite, but I would really like to create a scenario that's exciting/complex enough that we'll want to go back to it with a full set of rules later on (without having to make major alterations). I really, really, really want to make a world we can all build on and expand and discuss obscure details in, and not just a quick hack-and-slash setting. Is this even remotely possible to achieve on a first time out, or am I getting in way, way over my head?

I would really appreciate it, if any of you guys have some general newbie-pointers: What should my priorities be, what are common mistakes, what can I wing it through and what should I do absolutely by the book... that sort of thing.

Particularly I'm stumped on a few points:

NPCs - I'm simply not sure how many/how detailed I should make them, and how often they should be encountered in order to make for an interesting game (not including henchmen-baddies, who are pretty much strong-but-not-too-skilled zombie-types that show up randomly) Also, I kindda suck a character creation, but one of the players rock at it - could I give him a general outline and have him make a "sketch" for me to polish off, or is it just a huge stinkin' no-no to outsource GM-duties like that?

Bundles of joy - the point of the plot (at least the first leg of it) is to get from A to B without losing your toddler. A dead/kidnapped/abandoned child will result in instant mission fail and void the scenario. I'm unsure if I should construct the toddlers as NPCs or if I should treat them as priceless objects - objects would simplify the game, but NPCs would allow for more realism.

Unexpected Epicness - the scenario is set in "real world gone borderline apocalypse" and the players have been asked to construct their characters accordingly (specifically I've asked them to base the characters on themselves). I would, however, like to incorporate some sort of unexpected gift of supernatural, superhuman or possibly even magic skill/item somewhere along the plotline, as a special treat for the players (and as a device to drive the plot forward). I just have no idea what it should be. It shouldn't be overpowered, obviously, but it also shouldn't be some weak makes-no-difference-anyway skill. I'm all for the idea of expanding the world with more dimensions, strange magical lodges in the woods and the like at some point, but it would simply be too expansive for a first (or second, or third) sitting. An ideas, especially along the mystery/conspiracy-lines will be much appreciated.

Oh no! It's a plot hole! - I would really like to construct some sort of plot-hole-fixer for emergencies (like the Doctor has his sonic screwdriver or the supercomputer of Agents of Shield). It doesn't have to be 100% believable, but it's obviously not at all feasible that one of the characters should have a super-computer in her pocket or suddenly sprout wings. Any thoughts/ideas/lessons learned?

Gosh, this turned out rather long, didn't it. Thanks for reading this far :)

EDIT: Details added below

Characters:
The players will base their character on themselves, starting off with 50pts, which should allow them to be a bit more fit/skilled/intelligent than normal. Everyone starts out with 15kg of items (or a child), that are present in their actual homes - it's a grab-a-bag-and-run scenario. They will be allowed a small amount of cash and an ID (real or fake if they can make one).

Plot:
What I'll tell the players at the beginning:
The cure for cancer has been found! Unfortunately it turns out there are some unexpected side-effects turning the persons in the trial-program into something like zombies (oh no!). The local hospital in charge is located on an island, and the island is being isolated, to prevent spreading. The characters have discovered some secret documents from Evil Corp (name pending) revealing them to be the bad guys, and as everyone gets screened when trying to leave the island (for obvious reasons) the characters cannot leave the area. They are forced to try to reach a previously agreed upon in-case-of-apocalypse-location. They're divided into pairs, each pair has a toddler they need to get to the aforementioned location.

Further plot points (known only to me):
Evil Corp's involvement may stretch way further than just releasing a barely-tested cancer-drug too soon. They are in it for world domination, and I'd not be surprised if it turns out their ideas are somewhat of the occult...

Bad guys:
Cancer-zombies and Evil Corp. The cancer-treatment works as a sort of cancer itself (*mumble mumble* *bogus science*) - it regenerates tissue at a very high rate, making it close to impossible to kill the infected person (zombie) by, say, piercing the heart. Fortunately for the players the zombies cannot regenerate nervecells, so they only stay alive as long as they have a functioning central nerve-system - so, traditional zombie-killing by decapitation or head-shot is in order. The super-cancer "crowds out" the nerve-cells gradually = zombies get stronger, but dumber (and ultimately clumsier) over time.

House rules:
We, as a group of card and board-gamers, are huge fans of house rules. I don't think we've ever played a game without changing at least five rules, and then forgetting which ones we changes and prolonged arguments ensue. The arguments are (more than) half the fun in our games, and it's criterion for a successful gaming session. And so, in my all-mighty GM-wisdom I have decided that:
- everyone gets extra skills in one chosen weapon
- the chosen weapon weighs nothing (within reason)
- a character can carry 15kg or a child at a normal walking speed
- a well rested character can walk 25km in a day under normal conditions

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Hi :)

Hey.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

[snip] We're starting out with Gurps Lite, but I would really like to create a scenario that's exciting/complex enough that we'll want to go back to it with a full set of rules later on (without having to make major alterations). I really, really, really want to make a world we can all build on and expand and discuss obscure details in, and not just a quick hack-and-slash setting. Is this even remotely possible to achieve on a first time out, or am I getting in way, way over my head?

This should be very manageable if you build the setting like the plot of a soap opera: a base premise that starts off simple but can expand to include almost anything. Then the players will encounter obscure details one at a time as you make them up, instead of drowning in a sea of exposition at the beginning.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I would really appreciate it, if any of you guys have some general newbie-pointers: What should my priorities be, what are common mistakes, what can I wing it through and what should I do absolutely by the book... that sort of thing.

Your priority should be that everybody, including you, is having fun. If the players' eyes start to glaze over while you read a description of something, cut it short. The most common mistake is trying to use everything in the books instead of treating it as a buffet to choose from. I personally recommend doing everything by the book if you're new to GMing, though the book does recommend winging it if things get bogged down or you don't want to bog things down to look up a rule.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Particularly I'm stumped on a few points:

NPCs - I'm simply not sure how many/how detailed I should make them, and how often they should be encountered in order to make for an interesting game (not including henchmen-baddies, who are pretty much strong-but-not-too-skilled zombie-types that show up randomly)

Appropriate levels of NPC detail is one of the great undead debates around here; somebody will be along shortly to give each possible response, but it boils down to, "Stat them if it makes you happy or makes running the game easier; don't if it doesn't." I personally do. Frequency depends on the needs of the scenario, and how much the players seem to enjoy NPC interaction.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Also, I kindda suck a character creation, but one of the players rock at it - could I give him a general outline and have him make a "sketch" for me to polish off, or is it just a huge stinkin' no-no to outsource GM-duties like that?

As long as the player can be trusted to keep his mouth shut and firewall his own knowledge, outsource away.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Bundles of joy - the point of the plot (at least the first leg of it) is to get from A to B without losing your toddler. A dead/kidnapped/abandoned child will result in instant mission fail and void the scenario. I'm unsure if I should construct the toddlers as NPCs or if I should treat them as priceless objects - objects would simplify the game, but NPCs would allow for more realism.

I'd make each toddler a very simple NPC with a one-note personality using the Dependents Disadvantage rules. Each kid is somewhat problematic in some kid-like way that affects adventuring, whether it's an excess of Curiosity (particularly with regard to putting things in their mouth), a tendency to wander away (Impulsiveness + Short Attention Span), a complete inability to avoid blurting out the truth when grown-ups contradict it (Truthfulness + OPH -1: Brutally Honest), various phobias of common things / an absurdly-low Fright Check even for a little kid, or what-have-you.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Unexpected Epicness - the scenario is set in "real world gone borderline apocalypse" and the players have been asked to construct their characters accordingly (specifically I've asked them to base the characters on themselves).

You'll probably avoid some debate and possibly hurt feelings if you tell them to base the characters loosely on themselves, but make them better / cooler / more capable to the extent that the budget and realism allow. This will avoid arguments of the, "No F-ing way is your IQ really 14," variety.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I would, however, like to incorporate some sort of unexpected gift of supernatural, superhuman or possibly even magic skill/item somewhere along the plotline, as a special treat for the players (and as a device to drive the plot forward). I just have no idea what it should be. It shouldn't be overpowered, obviously, but it also shouldn't be some weak makes-no-difference-anyway skill. I'm all for the idea of expanding the world with more dimensions, strange magical lodges in the woods and the like at some point, but it would simply be too expansive for a first (or second, or third) sitting. An ideas, especially along the mystery/conspiracy-lines will be much appreciated.

We're going to need more information about the nature of the apocalypse before we can suggest thematic special abilities. You mentioned zombies?

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Oh no! It's a plot hole! - I would really like to construct some sort of plot-hole-fixer for emergencies (like the Doctor has his sonic screwdriver or the supercomputer of Agents of Shield). It doesn't have to be 100% believable, but it's obviously not at all feasible that one of the characters should have a super-computer in her pocket or suddenly sprout wings. Any thoughts/ideas/lessons learned?

I'm not sure I understand this question. As far as I know, the gizmos you mention are used as easy fixes for plot complications; a plot hole is another matter.

The first thing you need to ask yourself when you spot a hole in your plot is: Did the players spot it, too? If not, no problem! If they did, the second thing you need to ask yourself is: Do they seem to care? I have cheerfully played many a game and watched many a movie that insulted my logic skills a little if I was having fun and bought in on the general story. If not, no problem! If they do seem to care, or worse, complain about it before you notice it, you have a problem. A quick hand-wave where you hastily make up a setting detail that puts everything right is the most common solution, but in extreme cases a total retcon of a contradictory setting fact is warranted if it stops everybody from not having fun more than doing a retcon will. Worst case scenario, you realize that your entire scenario doesn't make sense and scrap the game, but that's pretty rare if you thought about it in advance.

Good luck!

[T.K.]

Originally Posted by Elbereth

We're starting out with Gurps Lite, but I would really like to create a scenario that's exciting/complex enough that we'll want to go back to it with a full set of rules later on (without having to make major alterations). I really, really, really want to make a world we can all build on and expand and discuss obscure details in, and not just a quick hack-and-slash setting. Is this even remotely possible to achieve on a first time out, or am I getting in way, way over my head?

Hello there!

A scenario doesn't really depends nor necessarily interacts with mechanics...in the sense that you could sit down with your friends and start verbally describing an wonderful world without any rules.

Myself, I don't really like Gurps Lite and would start with full Gurps, but using or actually, not using most rules like advanced combat. The reason for me saying that is since you imply you want to further develop the world and table along, starting with real Gurps would simply be a matter of "Ok, guys...from this session forward we're using Advanced Combat option of Hit Location, ok?" Gurps is modular enough for that to be possible and not break anything, but it certainly would require more study, specially from your part, at this starting stage.

At first when you said hack-slash I thought you meant a medieval fantasy setting, but down your post you refer to current age characters inspired by the players real selfs...so I'll consider you're running an actual game: For a real actual game considering you didn't specify much, I'd go for the "world under the world", where you have an exact real world much like ours, but you have another, hidden, darker, full of secrets world, hidden from the mass eyes.

Why this would be simple to start is because since the base would be our own world, you already know that quite well. You and your players are familiar with it, so everything you "pump up" from there will be much more believable, since it's a well known starting base.

What if Stonehenge IS actually a real augmented ritual place, used by a milenia old order of hermetic magi fighting against real dragons from the netherworld that are trying to come to our reality to enslave the lesser human race?

What if huge companies like P&G, IBM, Mitsubishi are technocratic conglomerates trying to merge their cyborg HITMARK-IV into nether dragons, controlling their mighty power to their own excuse ends?

What if the Templars, the Kumotori Samurai Clan and the Rienzo Fencing School are all a long line of sacred warriors that withstand an oath made in the long past to guard the pathways to the netherworld and this world by a truce made with the Dragonlords of the Netherworld and now something disrupted the pathways AND the dragons, which seem all to be forgotten of the old truce?

BAM! That's only 3min of me thinking here, but just to show you how much could be going outside the "screen" that could be eventually revealed to players, making them get deeper and deeper with these things as the history and plot develops.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

NPCs - I'm simply not sure how many/how detailed I should make them, and how often they should be encountered in order to make for an interesting game (not including henchmen-baddies, who are pretty much strong-but-not-too-skilled zombie-types that show up randomly) Also, I kindda suck a character creation, but one of the players rock at it - could I give him a general outline and have him make a "sketch" for me to polish off, or is it just a huge stinkin' no-no to outsource GM-duties like that?

If I had to tell you something and only one thing...it would be: Your players will ALWAYS surprise you.
So that the history and game don't suffer because of that, you need to have resources.

Only use your time to create stats for NPCs that matter in a stat sense. What I mean is, even if your PCs will have contact with the same dealer throughout the whole campaign, what does it matters for the game, history or players if he's got St-12, DX-10, IQ-13, HT-10?

You certainly or probably need to know his Merchant skill level, his Fast Talk and simple stuff like that, but more than that, much more important is how he talks? Is he cool? Does he stays calm and help them, when the players brake into his shop at 2am bathed in greenish, fetid, ooze, with one of them bleeding?

Now, an antagonist corp cyborg operative, HITMARK-V class, responsible for project ART X-03, Division C02, overseeing the whole deal with the PC-group will probably get down on some bouts with the players and certainly need a complete stated sheet.

Try to focus your time and effort on what matters for each NPC. When you need a NPC out of your pocket but someone not so important or that won't last that long, where is it in? How's the atmosphere of the place he's in? Use the city or place as guideline and most of the time, if not really unique and inovative, you'll get believable characters that will enforce the place where the players are.

You'll see as you get more confortable and skilled, you'll create unique npcs faster and easier.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Bundles of joy -

Just get their most distinctive traits up and roll along with the rest: Is one of the kids ill-behaved and prone to tamtruns (which could lead to trouble of many sorts)? Is one of them a mini-genius and can even help the players thinking some thing they're letting slip (Here's a resource for you, the GM, that you can use this guy to keep the plot going if they're stuck, as long as it doesn't get much far away from what a smart kid could do/think)?

Middle of the ground here. No need for full stats, but they need some believable traits. They're protecting the kids, make them like (or hate) them!

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Unexpected Epicness -

What I like to do before a campaign stats, is defining power sources (you can get more during game development, but at least the starting power sources should be defined).

What I mean with that is, following my example above: Magic (orders of magi, rituals...)
Alien/xeno-bioism (Dragons could be very well treated as aliens and the Netherworld could simply be what we call Space ^_^)
Technology (cyborgs, AIs, robots developed and built by the big corps, probably trying to mimick/steal the previous 2 sources);

With that, you can more easily sort what is what and gravitate players to whatever makes sense for the campaign/world/scenario/game.

One thing I like to do that players like a lot and also help prevent power creeping, is uniqueness. Players love to feel unique, not necessarily in the scenario, but certainly among the player group.

What I mean with that is you could, once again following my example above, get one player to deal with technology and even turn himself into a cyborg during play while another player could discover to be the heir of a Templar knight and be able to break a magical seal inside himself to unleash mystical powers while the other could eat a dragon heart or be taken by them to the Netherworld and come back...changed.

The effect in the game could very well be the same for all these 3...let's take something very blend like +2 STR gained as their "power". The new cyborg would have nanites added to his muscle fibers while the templar heir would be able to invoke the ancient seals of his order and be blessed by the Ancient Mantle of Haratul the Might while the last one would turn his eyes into complete pitch purple while invoking a gibberish language of the outsiders with his arms being covered with a hazy purple energy of beyond.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Oh no! It's a plot hole! -

Make your world alive! What's happening in the world, not really related to the players?
Create single paragraph happenings and write those together into some easy-access list. That is your plot cheat list.

When the players slow down (not always, a good game flow requires slow down moments so they can notice when things pace up!) you can quickly glance at this list and see if you can link anything of that together with their current moment and place.

Maybe an NPC you just casually built just to be attending the info desk of the small road hotel they stopped by for the night could actually be a on-the-run magi, possessing info on one of the keys to a pathway to the netherworld that's not being used by the invading dragonlords...


These are just random ideas and blabbering of my part...but I assume it can help you get the feeling

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Hi :)

Howdy. :)

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I'm completely new at this, but I hope I won't come off as a complete drooling imbecile.

Fear not, for I am a droolig imbecile and you appear nothing like me. You're safe. :)

Originally Posted by Elbereth

We're starting out with Gurps Lite, but I would really like to create a scenario that's exciting/complex enough that we'll want to go back to it with a full set of rules later on (without having to make major alterations). I really, really, really want to make a world we can all build on and expand and discuss obscure details in, and not just a quick hack-and-slash setting. Is this even remotely possible to achieve on a first time out, or am I getting in way, way over my head?

Nope, you're right about where you need to be. If your doing a modern game set in the modern world, alot of its done for you.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I would really appreciate it, if any of you guys have some general newbie-pointers: What should my priorities be, what are common mistakes, what can I wing it through and what should I do absolutely by the book... that sort of thing.

Have Fun, as G&A said. All other goals are secondary.
Stick to the rules. They are there to guide and assist you. They are not a jail, but a frame.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

NPCs - I'm simply not sure how many/how detailed I should make them, and how often they should be encountered in order to make for an interesting game (not including henchmen-baddies, who are pretty much strong-but-not-too-skilled zombie-types that show up randomly) Also, I kindda suck a character creation, but one of the players rock at it - could I give him a general outline and have him make a "sketch" for me to polish off, or is it just a huge stinkin' no-no to outsource GM-duties like that?

Npcs I recomend:
Primary and Secondary Stats, Combat Skills and Damage. Any other primary Skills RELEVANT TO THE PLOT. More than that is often a waste. Less than that can be filled in either on the fly or at a later date.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Bundles of joy - the point of the plot (at least the first leg of it) is to get from A to B without losing your toddler. A dead/kidnapped/abandoned child will result in instant mission fail and void the scenario. I'm unsure if I should construct the toddlers as NPCs or if I should treat them as priceless objects - objects would simplify the game, but NPCs would allow for more realism.

Do the Primary and Secondary stats. Period. (Remember those are gonna be some low numbers because its a toddler. If your Toddler has ST 10, they're as strong as a full grown man!). More easily, since the only thing that can really happen is that the toddler can die/get lost, then just Do HP, HT, BS, BM and Size Modifier -1. Bam. Done.

Dont do a full sheet of ads and dissads. Just ROLEPLAY the charachter. Dont get so obsessed in an orgy of rules that you forget to play the GAME.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Unexpected Epicness - the scenario is set in "real world gone borderline apocalypse" and the players have been asked to construct their characters accordingly (specifically I've asked them to base the characters on themselves). I would, however, like to incorporate some sort of unexpected gift of supernatural, superhuman or possibly even magic skill/item somewhere along the plotline, as a special treat for the players (and as a device to drive the plot forward). I just have no idea what it should be. It shouldn't be overpowered, obviously, but it also shouldn't be some weak makes-no-difference-anyway skill. I'm all for the idea of expanding the world with more dimensions, strange magical lodges in the woods and the like at some point, but it would simply be too expansive for a first (or second, or third) sitting. An ideas, especially along the mystery/conspiracy-lines will be much appreciated.

The more supernatural/magical/weird you get the futher you press the immediacy of needing the Basic Set. BEFORE YOU BESTOW THESE POWERS, get the basic set and work out some powers that you'd like to hand out.

As for ideas....Radiation? Mutated Virus? Alien Tech? Magical Cataclysm? Military Experiments?
:::Steeples Fingers::::
Tell me more about zis apocalypse so zat I may analyze it......

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Oh no! It's a plot hole! - I would really like to construct some sort of plot-hole-fixer for emergencies (like the Doctor has his sonic screwdriver or the supercomputer of Agents of Shield). It doesn't have to be 100% believable, but it's obviously not at all feasible that one of the characters should have a super-computer in her pocket or suddenly sprout wings. Any thoughts/ideas/lessons learned?

The greatest and easiest plot hole fixer is Deus Ex Machina/GM Fiat.

However, like all things, only do it sparingly and in the most emergency situations.

The problem with Plot-Hole fixers like Sonic Screwdrivers is that they're so useful that its odd to not use them every time for everything.

My personal advice is forget about plot holes. Play the Game. What happens happens. Dont overanalyze it.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Gosh, this turned out rather long, didn't it. Thanks for reading this far :)

Are you kidding? We live for this stuff. :) Post away and many someones will come along with more advice than you need......I may even be that guy.


A few other bits of advice for simpler combat.....

Everyone Gets Ambidexterity and High Pain Threshold... They are in Lite and let you keep from fudging with Handedness and Shock penalties. DOnt bother charging them for it. If everyone gets it, its the same as free.
Simplify their combat options to Do Nothing, Attack, Change Posture, Ready and Move. Exclude AOA, AOD, Wait, and Move and Attack.
Simply Thier Postures to Laying Down and Standing Up. It takes 1 Change posture Manuver to get up.
All wounding modifiers are x1.

Other than that, you should be good to go. Now go write a Setting and Plot that people want to PLAY.

Nymdok

[Brandy]

If you've got 8 bucks to plunk down, can I recommend Robin's Laws? It's an easy read and has lots of good advice. http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws/

Also, don't be shy about asking for help on these boards. It's a good, supportive community (even if we can get bogged down in the minutiae of GURPS sometimes).

[Wicked Lurker]

Hey there!

I'll just give some super brief pointers for GM'ing GURPS.

Starting with Lite was a good idea. Don't feel forced to start the real deal right away since it is a LOT to digest and, unfortunately, lack a bit of streamlining here and there.

Don't feel the need to make character sheets for every NPC you have (or, in fact, any!). It really does not matter. All you need to know is what these guys are about, names probably, a couple of words on backstory and maybe one or two skills.

A writeup could look as simple as:

John Randall
1.8m, heavy built ex cop
Hp 14, Per 11, Move 4 (due to an old leg wound), Basic Speed 5.
(all other attributes 10.)
Pistol 12, First Aid 12.


Slightly paranoid. Has found refuge in a mall recently and is not too friendly to trespassers. Had a sister (lost) and was married (wife died).

Do not feel compelled to build NPC's on point budgets etc. This was a mistake I made at the begining that I only later realized. You don't need that detail. It's better to invest this time in story/npc backstory development instead imo.

have fun!

[Elbereth]

I love you guys already (in a geeky non-romantic sort of way of course). I'm completely floored by your immidiate and enthusiastic helpfulness. I've edited my original post to include what I've come up with thus far.

I'm sorry this post got rather quote-heavy, but it's too close to my bedtime for eloquence.

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Appropriate levels of NPC detail is one of the great undead debates around here; somebody will be along shortly to give each possible response

Ha!

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

I'd make each toddler a very simple NPC with a one-note personality using the Dependents Disadvantage rules. Each kid is somewhat problematic in some kid-like way that affects adventuring, whether it's an excess of Curiosity (particularly with regard to putting things in their mouth), a tendency to wander away (Impulsiveness + Short Attention Span), a complete inability to avoid blurting out the truth when grown-ups contradict it (Truthfulness + OPH -1: Brutally Honest), various phobias of common things / an absurdly-low Fright Check even for a little kid, or what-have-you.

Originally Posted by T.K.

Just get their most distinctive traits up and roll along with the rest: Is one of the kids ill-behaved and prone to tamtruns (which could lead to trouble of many sorts)? Is one of them a mini-genius and can even help the players thinking some thing they're letting slip (Here's a resource for you, the GM, that you can use this guy to keep the plot going if they're stuck, as long as it doesn't get much far away from what a smart kid could do/think)?

Originally Posted by Nymdok

Do the Primary and Secondary stats. Period. (Remember those are gonna be some low numbers because its a toddler. If your Toddler has ST 10, they're as strong as a full grown man!). More easily, since the only thing that can really happen is that the toddler can die/get lost, then just Do HP, HT, BS, BM and Size Modifier -1. Bam. Done.

This is gold - just what I needed.

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

You'll probably avoid some debate and possibly hurt feelings if you tell them to base the characters loosely on themselves, but make them better / cooler / more capable to the extent that the budget and realism allow. This will avoid arguments of the, "No F-ing way is your IQ really 14," variety.

I've given them 50pts to start off, with instructions to go nuts-but-reasonable and "any disputes will be settled by loud arguments, with the owner of the game (GM) having the last word"... as per usual when we play board and card games.

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

We're going to need more information about the nature of the apocalypse before we can suggest thematic special abilities. You mentioned zombies?

Originally Posted by Nymdok

As for ideas....Radiation? Mutated Virus? Alien Tech? Magical Cataclysm? Military Experiments?
:::Steeples Fingers::::
Tell me more about zis apocalypse so zat I may analyze it......

Originally Posted by T.K.

At first when you said hack-slash I thought you meant a medieval fantasy setting, but down your post you refer to current age characters inspired by the players real selfs...so I'll consider you're running an actual game: For a real actual game considering you didn't specify much, I'd go for the "world under the world", where you have an exact real world much like ours, but you have another, hidden, darker, full of secrets world, hidden from the mass eyes.

I've added the plot details (that I have so far) to my original post :)

"world under the world" is a perfect description of what I want the game to feel like - even if those "under worlds" won't be revealed until later on.

Originally Posted by T.K.

Myself, I don't really like Gurps Lite and would start with full Gurps, but using or actually, not using most rules like advanced combat. The reason for me saying that is since you imply you want to further develop the world and table along, starting with real Gurps would simply be a matter of "Ok, guys...from this session forward we're using Advanced Combat option of Hit Location, ok?" Gurps is modular enough for that to be possible and not break anything, but it certainly would require more study, specially from your part, at this starting stage.

Originally Posted by Nymdok

The more supernatural/magical/weird you get the futher you press the immediacy of needing the Basic Set. BEFORE YOU BESTOW THESE POWERS, get the basic set and work out some powers that you'd like to hand out.

The main reason for using Gurps Lite is that the basic set is relatively expensive. I'm not at all averse to spending the cash (and time) if we like it, but it's simply too much, when there's still a risk that we'll all run away screaming half way through the first setting (though I obviously expect we'l love it) I might follow your advice and get the real thing right away anyway - the campaign-building info in Lite feels close to non-existing.

Originally Posted by T.K.

Try to focus your time and effort on what matters for each NPC. When you need a NPC out of your pocket but someone not so important or that won't last that long, where is it in? How's the atmosphere of the place he's in? Use the city or place as guideline and most of the time, if not really unique and inovative, you'll get believable characters that will enforce the place where the players are.

You'll see as you get more confortable and skilled, you'll create unique npcs faster and easier.

Originally Posted by Nymdok

Npcs I recomend:
Primary and Secondary Stats, Combat Skills and Damage. Any other primary Skills RELEVANT TO THE PLOT. More than that is often a waste. Less than that can be filled in either on the fly or at a later date.

Thanks for all the tips. Character creation seems slightly less frightening - almost managable - now.

Originally Posted by T.K.

One thing I like to do that players like a lot and also help prevent power creeping, is uniqueness. Players love to feel unique, not necessarily in the scenario, but certainly among the player group.

Yay! I know the players, and I have a pretty good idea of what they think of as "the coolest superpower/time period/fictional character ever". Shouldn't be too hard to find a common denominator that allows for different manifestations - a sixth sense, an epic swiss army knife, extra skill-points, +2 IQ for all...

Originally Posted by T.K.

Create single paragraph happenings and write those together into some easy-access list. That is your plot cheat list.

Again: Yay! I will endavour to not make all of them "and then a magical box fell out of the sky" ;)

Originally Posted by Nymdok

Everyone Gets Ambidexterity and High Pain Threshold... They are in Lite and let you keep from fudging with Handedness and Shock penalties. DOnt bother charging them for it. If everyone gets it, its the same as free.
Simplify their combat options to Do Nothing, Attack, Change Posture, Ready and Move. Exclude AOA, AOD, Wait, and Move and Attack.
Simply Thier Postures to Laying Down and Standing Up. It takes 1 Change posture Manuver to get up.
All wounding modifiers are x1.

This simplifiers combat a lot. Brilliant!

Originally Posted by Bookman

If you've got 8 bucks to plunk down, can I recommend Robin's Laws? It's an easy read and has lots of good advice. http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws/

Also, don't be shy about asking for help on these boards. It's a good, supportive community (even if we can get bogged down in the minutiae of GURPS sometimes).

I will definitely consider it - it seems affordable and accesible (two of my favourite things)

And hey, getting bogged down in the minutae is what is so appealing about Gurps.

Originally Posted by T.K.

If I had to tell you something and only one thing...it would be: Your players will ALWAYS surprise you.
So that the history and game don't suffer because of that, you need to have resources.

I count on them to surprise me. Even if it's scary being the one everything falls on in the end.

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I love you guys already (in a geeky non-romantic sort of way of course). I'm completely floored by your immidiate and enthusiastic helpfulness. I've edited my original post to include what I've come up with thus far.

I'm sorry this post got rather quote-heavy, but it's too close to my bedtime for eloquence.

And we love you from afar with an unrequited reverance usually only found in the longing gaze of a cat as the can opener whirrrs.....

Originally Posted by Elbereth

I've given them 50pts to start off, with instructions to go nuts-but-reasonable and "any disputes will be settled by loud arguments, with the owner of the game (GM) having the last word"... as per usual when we play board and card games.

50 points is as legit as anything. Since you are starting at such a low point value, if you do go on to get the Basic Set, be permisive in what you let them buy later when they have more things to spend it on.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

"world under the world" is a perfect description of what I want the game to feel like - even if those "under worlds" won't be revealed until later on.

Creepy sub world of corporate conspiracy is a great place for a lot of fun!

Originally Posted by Elbereth

The main reason for using Gurps Lite is that the basic set is relatively expensive. I'm not at all averse to spending the cash (and time) if we like it, but it's simply too much, when there's still a risk that we'll all run away screaming half way through the first setting (though I obviously expect we'l love it) I might follow your advice and get the real thing right away anyway - the campaign-building info in Lite feels close to non-existing.

Thats EXACTLY THE POINT. If you like Lite, c'mon back and buy the Basic Set. If you dont, no hard feelings. :)

Just based on what you've described, I can without hesitation recomend Basic Set, Powers, Zombies, Bio-Tech, High Tech and probably ACTION!.

But one step at a time. YOu have LITE. Grow your campaign to the limits of those rules....
Then add Basic Set...then grow to those rules.
Then add whatever you like...and grow to those rules.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Thanks for all the tips. Character creation seems slightly less frightening - almost managable - now.

There is nothing frightening about CharGen. It can be one of the richly enjoyable games before the game. Its kinda like the way when people got thier Nintendo Wiis and would fiddle with making the Miis look as close to themselves as possible and then delight when they got it that way.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Yay! I know the players, and I have a pretty good idea of what they think of as "the coolest superpower/time period/fictional character ever". Shouldn't be too hard to find a common denominator that allows for different manifestations - a sixth sense, an epic swiss army knife, extra skill-points, +2 IQ for all...

Well, you know your players and that is probably the most important component for running any game. Thats a GREAT start.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

This simplifiers combat a lot. Brilliant!

If simplified combat is what you're after, then that will help. However, if you ever desire more detail and subtler choices theres Martial Arts, Technical Grappling, Tactical Shooting and a host of other 'gritty' additions that you can choose to purchase or not use as you see fit for your group.

Simple vs Detailed combat is a choice that must be made for every table and every campaign at that table. Some like it, some dont. Some think it fits Spec Ops games but not Dungeon Fantasy or Sci Fi. You'll make your choice in time. For now, just have fun!


Nymdok

[Joe]

Always great to see another GURPS group starting!

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Hi :)
I would really appreciate it, if any of you guys have some general newbie-pointers: What should my priorities be, what are common mistakes, what can I wing it through and what should I do absolutely by the book... that sort of thing.

For me, priority number one is: keep the pace up.

This may not apply to you, but many first-time GMs I've played with are worried about suddenly drawing a blank. Sometimes I've seen first-time GMs panic at the thought of this. Then they freeze up and begin to stall the action (without ever really intending to). They're worried about running out of material, so they slow down; they resist bringing the scene to an end; they become reluctant to throw new situations at the characters, or to allow the plot to move ahead.

This sort of thing is the death of a fun session!

So I would say: keep the pace up! If in doubt, just throw in something quite new and unexpected. If this means making up whole new elements of plot, right on the spot - elements that might not really make much sense at the time - just do it anyway! The point is to have fun during the session. You can clean up the plot-mess later.

Most of all: if you're ever drawing a blank, just ask yourself: what's the most fun thing that could happen at this very moment? - and do that.

That's my two cents, anyway. Good luck with your session! I'm sure you'll have a blast.

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Elbereth

EDIT: Details added below

Characters:
The players will base their character on themselves, starting off with 50pts, which should allow them to be a bit more fit/skilled/intelligent than normal. Everyone starts out with 15kg of items (or a child), that are present in their actual homes - it's a grab-a-bag-and-run scenario. They will be allowed a small amount of cash and an ID (real or fake if they can make one).

Ok, seems legit. Be sure to read GL pg 5 and 22 For Basic Lift and Encumberance rules.

15 kilos is about 33 pounds...so everyone needs to buy up to ST 13. (13*13/5=34) to be able to tote 15 kilos with no movement penalties.

Bam. One less house rule to remember.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Plot:
What I'll tell the players at the beginning:
The cure for cancer has been found! Unfortunately it turns out there are some unexpected side-effects turning the persons in the trial-program into something like zombies (oh no!). The local hospital in charge is located on an island, and the island is being isolated, to prevent spreading. The characters have discovered some secret documents from Evil Corp (name pending) revealing them to be the bad guys, and as everyone gets screened when trying to leave the island (for obvious reasons) the characters cannot leave the area. They are forced to try to reach a previously agreed upon in-case-of-apocalypse-location. They're divided into pairs, each pair has a toddler they need to get to the aforementioned location.

Further plot points (known only to me):
Evil Corp's involvement may stretch way further than just releasing a barely-tested cancer-drug too soon. They are in it for world domination, and I'd not be surprised if it turns out their ideas are somewhat of the occult...

Ok. Again, Seems legit. Did you pick an Island? Go trolling around the world on Google Maps and just pick one. Ill help you look, but I need to know what size of Island are you looking for? Look at Hawaii or Japanese islands to get a feel for the size your looking for.

Originally Posted by Elbereth

Bad guys:
Cancer-zombies and Evil Corp. The cancer-treatment works as a sort of cancer itself (*mumble mumble* *bogus science*) - it regenerates tissue at a very high rate, making it close to impossible to kill the infected person (zombie) by, say, piercing the heart. Fortunately for the players the zombies cannot regenerate nervecells, so they only stay alive as long as they have a functioning central nerve-system - so, traditional zombie-killing by decapitation or head-shot is in order. The super-cancer "crowds out" the nerve-cells gradually = zombies get stronger, but dumber (and ultimately clumsier) over time.

Dont get too obsessed with this. GURPS lite doesnt cover hit locations, but Basic Set Does. Your options, since you're not yet ready to jump in and but the Basic Set just yet, but are already looking at hit locaitons is to either

Assign what you think is an appropriate modifier to hit the head
Go Pay 5$ for the Gurps GM screen which has that info (and sooooooo much more).
Go pick up the GM screen at your FLGS (if you have one). Never hurts to have a screen to roll behind and its chock full of rules that you'll probably be using soon enough any way. Think of it as a bridge between LITE and Basic Set.

Are they concious and coherent as this disease progresses?

Originally Posted by Elbereth

House rules:
We, as a group of card and board-gamers, are huge fans of house rules. I don't think we've ever played a game without changing at least five rules, and then forgetting which ones we changes and prolonged arguments ensue. The arguments are (more than) half the fun in our games, and it's criterion for a successful gaming session. And so, in my all-mighty GM-wisdom I have decided that:
- everyone gets extra skills in one chosen weapon
- the chosen weapon weighs nothing (within reason)
- a character can carry 15kg or a child at a normal walking speed
- a well rested character can walk 25km in a day under normal conditions

For your house rules, if those are part of the fun, then go right ahead! But I will say this...

• Extra Skills in one Weapon, is already covered by Spending Points on them.
• Saying the weapon weighs nothing is your discretion. As long as it applies to all pcs, dont bother charging for it.
• The Encumbrance rules I covered earlier.
• How far someone can Hike in a day is covered on GL pp22-23. With BM of 5 the Chars can go through Jungle (the way I envision your island) at 10 x 5 x .2 which is about 10 miles a day or around 16 km. If its less like Dense jungle and more like Tropical Forrest, then that brings us to about 25 miles/day. Your 'rule' of 25 km a day is somewhere between that.

Nymdok