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Old 02-07-2021, 01:15 AM   #1
deanjday
 
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Default Kind of new to GURPS help!

Hi guys,
I am a old GM (51yo been a rpg ref since school) and have played many, many games, and have had GURPS on my shelf for a very long time.

But, I have never really played the game or run it. I have always been a fan of it and read parts over the years, I even own quite a few source books for it (both 4th and 3rd edition).

My play group is very stable at 4 players and during the pandemic I have decided when we can eventually get back together to play, I want to stick to one game for a long term campaign.

I have decided probably on a gritty fantasy campaign or a supers campaign but I definitely want to use GURPS.

but I have a few worries or questions about it I wish to share and get some feedback on from your experience.

1. Where do I start? I have a lot of material beyond the core books (Magic, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Powers etc).
I want the campaign to be tailored perfectly, but I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed by all the options, how do you practically narrow it all down?

2. How do I present this all to my players? I have a diverse group and some will love all the character building options the game brings, others will glaze over and sigh and still others will become frustrated unless I present it to them in a way they can understand. I only have one set of books so a character generation session I feel is going to be a long stressful time.

3. How do you run your games and prepare? Again it is probably all the options overwhelming me but how do you as refs prepare for your games and sessions? how long does it take you to convert material such as monsters, enemies NPC's? one of the games I have a lot of experience with is the Hero System, so a detailed rule set does not scare me, but GURPS depending on the genre is even more of a tool kit.

4. Are there any practical tips you can give on getting your campaign off to a good start with your players generally?

rgds
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Old 02-07-2021, 01:37 AM   #2
Ulzgoroth
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

How much setting concept have you got that you're invested in at this point?

Because for a fantasy campaign one of the most obvious steps and prospective stumbling blocks is picking your magic rules. The easy thing to do is pick one (or maybe two or three) of the prefabricated systems (standard GURPS Magic or one of its main variations, Sorcery, Divine Favor, Ritual Path Magic, Psi, etc.).

And assuming you haven't already set your heart on supernatural concepts that you can't fit to one of those, that's probably a good choice. If you can't, you may have some interesting times there...
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Old 02-07-2021, 02:01 AM   #3
deanjday
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

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Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
How much setting concept have you got that you're invested in at this point?

Because for a fantasy campaign one of the most obvious steps and prospective stumbling blocks is picking your magic rules. The easy thing to do is pick one (or maybe two or three) of the prefabricated systems (standard GURPS Magic or one of its main variations, Sorcery, Divine Favor, Ritual Path Magic, Psi, etc.).

And assuming you haven't already set your heart on supernatural concepts that you can't fit to one of those, that's probably a good choice. If you can't, you may have some interesting times there...
I am probably going to go with a fantasy setting of my own, but drawing from lots of stuff I like such as wheel of time, game of thrones, warhammer etc.

I would love the magic to be quite unique and maybe multiple types for even greater interest but at this point as i said feeling a bit overwhelmed with the sheer options.
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Old 02-07-2021, 04:45 AM   #4
Dr. Beckenstein
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
Hi guys,

1. Where do I start? I have a lot of material beyond the core books (Magic, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Powers etc).
I want the campaign to be tailored perfectly, but I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed by all the options, how do you practically narrow it all down?
First: No campaign will ever run perfectly. Esp. when you change to a new rule set. Your players will understand this.
In General, you will "need" only the core books. For fantasy, Magic, Fantasy and maybe Low Tech will be useful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
2. How do I present this all to my players? I have a diverse group and some will love all the character building options the game brings, others will glaze over and sigh and still others will become frustrated unless I present it to them in a way they can understand. I only have one set of books so a character generation session I feel is going to be a long stressful time.
Make the PC of the enthusiasts with them, and prepare some ready characters with the others, maybe based on the archetypes in Fantasy. You can also find ready-made characters in the web.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
3. How do you run your games and prepare? Again it is probably all the options overwhelming me but how do you as refs prepare for your games and sessions? how long does it take you to convert material such as monsters, enemies NPC's?

For me - I have a general idea how the campaign will develop and prepare the adventures one-by-one. Re-using NPC and monsters (change the names, add one or two different skills) saves a lot of time.
This page has a lot to work with

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4. Are there any practical tips you can give on getting your campaign off to a good start with your players generally?
IMO it is best to start in medias res. Do not bore the players with a long description, give them something to do.
And start simple. The first adventures should be about small threats like bandits, so you and the players get an understanding of the world and the rules.

And never forget the most important rule: It's a game - have fun!
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Old 02-07-2021, 05:29 AM   #5
Anaraxes
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

You might get some use of out How to Be a GURPS GM. This book does have some of the standard general advice on GMing, but to me its real value is that it addresses a lot of the topcs you're asking about specifically in GURPS terms -- what to think about and options to look for for campaign feel, type of game, how to introduce players to GURPS, and so on. Not to try to sell you yet another book, but this question is exactly why the book was written.

I'd second the advice about no game being perfect. I get the feeling, and that striving is a good thing. Just don't let it paralyze you. A game that's being played with people having fun is better than one that's just sitting on the shelf being fiddled with occasionally because it's not yet perfect.

For character generation, in any system, I always try to get players to simply describe their character to me in plain English, not game mechanics. Who are they? Why do they adventure? What are the cool things the player imagines them doing during the game -- what's their schtick? Once that character concept is defined, then you can go looking for things that fit. Trying to do it the other way around, browsing through the books looking at individual traits and mechanics and trying to come up with something to exploit them, is generally just going to get bogged down in the vast sea of detail. If you know who the character is, then it's much easier to find matching traits, and then trim and cut a bit to fit the point budget.

Optional rules and so on are mostly a matter of game feel. Is it gritty, where you want characters to fear bleeding to death, take a long time to recover from serious injury, account carefully so they don't run out of food and supplies in the middle of nowhere? Those are all optional rules; you can use them or not. Do you want the game to be more "cinematic", like a movie, with big damn heroes that get away with improbable things? Then you'd be more interested in advantages like Luck, Serendipity, or Gizmo, and use different options, particularly a lot of the Impulse Buys options (story/hero/destiny points in some form, single-point expenditures to alter die rolls). As with characters, a good place to start is just describing what you want in plain English; then find the rules that seem to fit that feel, rather than comparing all of them and trying to imagine how they work in every combination.

GURPS has shamelessly borrowed most good ideas that show up in other game systems and tossed them in an option somewhere (all those magic systems, all those Impulse Buys), so you can pick and choose to suit the games you want to run and the stories you want to tell. The unfortunate side is -- as you realize -- that all that picking and choosing becomes a world creation task in and of itself, rather than having everything prepackaged for you for one specific genre and style of game. And it does help a lot to have experience with GURPS to make those choices. (Hence the How to Be a GURPS GM book. There's at least some bit of insight shared there.)

Last edited by Anaraxes; 02-07-2021 at 06:03 AM.
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Old 02-07-2021, 05:55 AM   #6
DangerousThing
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
How do you run your games and prepare? Again it is probably all the options overwhelming me but how do you as refs prepare for your games and sessions?
My preparation consists of rereading the scenario I've already written. Or at least the notes that I've written. I've been running GURPS since the first edition came out, so I have a good handle on the rules. And I fake it if I forget something.

Quote:
How long does it take you to convert material such as monsters, enemies NPC's?
Converting other game's materials is usually simple for me, but mainly because I toss out the inconvenient details. I look at the monster or enemy and pick out their high points and low points.

Example: an enemy soldier who is good with a blaster pistol and bad with hand-to-hand combat, but otherwise is quite durable. Not a boss enemy, but above the mook level.

I would think ST=9, IQ=10, DX=12, HT=13. Add a few skills: Beam Weapons (Pistol)-13, Brawling-9. Combat Reflexes. As he's an enemy that they probably won't be speaking with, I might leave it at that. If he shows up again, I might give him an advantage or two, but nothing large.

When running a game, don't make the players roll for every single thing, like mounting a horse. If they have the riding skill, then they should be able to mount a horse, unless this is an unbroken wild horse or something. Let the characters show off their skills.

One interesting alternative rule from Pyramid magazine is "Take it to 11." This is the assumption that (outside of combat) the players roll 11. It cuts down on a lot of silly rolls. Some players really like this, some hate it.

Another thing to remember about GURPS is that the combat system can be extremely dangerous. Even a mook will occasionally get a critical hit. With guns (or swords), this can severely wound a character. I strongly suggest that you run some sample combats by yourself and see.

One of the better strategies in combat is to get behind another character. Then your opponent has a bad or even no defense roll. Read the combat rules, and make sure that you are familiar with them. If possible, get together with one of your players and practice it.

And above all, have fun!
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Old 02-07-2021, 06:05 AM   #7
dcarson
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Have them download or email them copies of Gurps Light http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/
that will give them much of what they need to build a simple character. Then ask what they want for the character that isn't covered.

To help think about what you want to allow in the campaign the Trait Sorter is useful http://www.sjgames.com/gameaids/gurps/sorter/
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Old 02-07-2021, 06:28 AM   #8
Emerald Cat
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
1. Where do I start? I have a lot of material beyond the core books (Magic, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Powers etc).
I want the campaign to be tailored perfectly, but I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed by all the options, how do you practically narrow it all down?
Just because you have a lot of material beyond the core books doesn't mean you have to use it. You could keep things simple and stick to the Basic Set.

A good first step for paring the content is to figure out what feel you're going for. That will make it a lot easier to figure out what rules you need for the game. Since this is the first time your group is playing GURPS, I'd recommend a minimalist approach.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
2. How do I present this all to my players? I have a diverse group and some will love all the character building options the game brings, others will glaze over and sigh and still others will become frustrated unless I present it to them in a way they can understand. I only have one set of books so a character generation session I feel is going to be a long stressful time.
My advice would be to use optional templates. That way, the players can build their characters without having to dive into the full rules of the game.

For example, for a fantasy setting a player could build a character by choosing a racial, occupational template, and social background template. Using this approach, they can build their character in only 3 choices.

I'd highly recommend Template Toolkit 1: Characters for an entire book of advice on this topic.

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Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
4. Are there any practical tips you can give on getting your campaign off to a good start with your players generally?
Use templates. That will make it easier for first time players to get into the game. Also, if a new player drops into the game it makes it possible to add them quickly.
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Old 02-07-2021, 07:17 AM   #9
Donny Brook
 
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
...
1. Where do I start? I have a lot of material beyond the core books (Magic, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Powers etc).
I want the campaign to be tailored perfectly, but I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed by all the options, how do you practically narrow it all down?
Go with fantasy not supers. GURPS is great for supers, but character creation would be challenging for your newbies.

Have as clear a sense of your setting as possible.

Arbitrarily limit the rule/source books you will use and simply ignore anything specifically labelled optional unless you already have it in mind that you want to use it. I would suggest just Basic Set plus the book for whichever magic system you choose.

Quote:
2. How do I present this all to my players? I have a diverse group and some will love all the character building options the game brings, others will glaze over and sigh and still others will become frustrated unless I present it to them in a way they can understand. I only have one set of books so a character generation session I feel is going to be a long stressful time.
One size need not fit all. And be warned that GURPS character creation is usually a more in-depth procees than many other systems. For those interested in doing it themselves, let them, possibly equipped with templates, but vet their results carefully. For those not interested in DIY, you can get an outline and build them for them. Do not have a full-group chargen meeting.

Quote:
3. How do you run your games and prepare? Again it is probably all the options overwhelming me but how do you as refs prepare for your games and sessions? how long does it take you to convert material such as monsters, enemies NPC's? one of the games I have a lot of experience with is the Hero System, so a detailed rule set does not scare me, but GURPS depending on the genre is even more of a tool kit.
I would not really 'convert' anything because its cumbersome. Instead build fresh but 'inspired by' your originals.

Quote:
4. Are there any practical tips you can give on getting your campaign off to a good start with your players generally?
You can trust your previous experience on this point. GURPS is a very complete rule system, but very good for not imposing its rules over your vision for the setting/campaign.


P.S. If you want advice choosing a magic system it would help to give us more details about the feel of your setting.
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Old 02-07-2021, 07:40 AM   #10
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Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

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I would love the magic to be quite unique and maybe multiple types for even greater interest but at this point as i said feeling a bit overwhelmed with the sheer options.
First, it would be a good idea to consider what you and your players find fun in a magic system, and then what would be a good fit for the setting. Does spell-casting benefit from high intelligence? Must spells be cast spontaneously on the spot or prepared in advance, or are both viable options? Are mages limited to spells they've already studied, or are they capable of creating new spells on the fly? How specialized is a typical mage, and how specialized are player mages? Etc.

I would advise you to keep things simple for your first campaign and only use one magic system. You and your players will be new and learning the entire system in this first campaign. Introducing multiple magic systems may be overwhelming to the group.
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