Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-06-2021, 10:21 AM   #21
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

I tell my players not to take common sense. I lack the ability to tell if I failed in my description or if the player is being reckless, and thus give "are you sure?" warnings by default. sometimes I say its a free campaign advantage if it makes them feel better.



I usually forbid phobia. Usually they get replaced with some other disadvantage that doesn't involve fright checks, like a vow to avoid the object of fear.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2021, 02:08 PM   #22
Mr_Sandman
 
Mr_Sandman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: L.I., NY
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

I don't outright forbid anything, a lot depends on the specific campaign. That said, a player would have to make a very strong case for Weirdness Magnet. I also discourage too many Enemies, Dependents, and other traits that have frequency of appearance rolls. If there are a lot of those, I find that I have trouble including them all in a way that both feels organic to the events of the game, and is worth the points. If a player wants these things in their character's back story, I encourage them take them at quirk level, then I can work them in as it makes sense to me.
Mr_Sandman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2021, 02:29 PM   #23
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw View Post
I have to agree: it feels like something a majority of PCs in a group should have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
In my IOU game (and contrary to the book) I gave everyone Weirdness Magnet because everyone on campus effectively struggles with the effects of that Disad.
This is basically my own reason for tossing it. It either makes the game entirely about the person with Weirdness Magnet, which can be no fun for the rest of the players, or it's a feature of the game world in which case everyone who is a PC has it for free.

I'm somewhat more lenient with Origin Magnet, as there are NPCs who I'll give it to - but it's still generally not a PC trait.
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2021, 02:32 PM   #24
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Sandman View Post
I don't outright forbid anything, a lot depends on the specific campaign. That said, a player would have to make a very strong case for Weirdness Magnet. I also discourage too many Enemies, Dependents, and other traits that have frequency of appearance rolls. If there are a lot of those, I find that I have trouble including them all in a way that both feels organic to the events of the game, and is worth the points. If a player wants these things in their character's back story, I encourage them take them at quirk level, then I can work them in as it makes sense to me.
Oh, don't get me started on GMs who can't tell the difference between Contact (+ the Friend perk) and Dependent! Yes, my char's Friend had infiltrated the local gang to act as a Contact to feed my char information. That doesn't mean every other adventure has to be to bail him out of trouble!
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2021, 02:35 PM   #25
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I tell my players not to take common sense. I lack the ability to tell if I failed in my description or if the player is being reckless, and thus give "are you sure?" warnings by default. sometimes I say its a free campaign advantage if it makes them feel better.
Yeah, I think that's a good way to run it. Personally, my own intent is to probably disallow the trait, but anytime a player tries to have their character do something that I feel the character would know better than to do, I'd have them make an IQ-based roll on a relevant skill (someone trying to use their sword as a crowbar would roll against IQ-based Broadsword, for example). On a Failure, let them do the thing; on a success, warn them their character should probably know better ("[Your character] realizes trying to pry open the chest with his/her sword is rather likely to end with a snapped blade, are you certain you want him/her to try it anyway?"). As you note, this is basically giving the characters Common Sense for free, but making it more "this character would know better" than "a typical person would know better" or even "I, the GM, thinks it's a stupid idea."

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I usually forbid phobia. Usually they get replaced with some other disadvantage that doesn't involve fright checks, like a vow to avoid the object of fear.
Yeah, unless I find a Fright Check Table I actually like, I'd be inclined to do this as well.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2021, 08:19 PM   #26
Racer
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London, UK
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

- Stupid
- Very Stupid

This applies for PCs , Players & observers who will not remain quiet during play actions .
We even had an ' I've been Stupid ' lamented placard to wear around the neck .
In one memorable Sci Fi & Swashbucklers type game , we had to go out & photocopy it multiple times as 62.5% of those taking part had been extremely stupid in a chase scene . We even had a small yellow 'Stupid PC' tag that was placed on Characters that had pulled something dumb & were being run by someone else next session .

I think I recall hearing Swordboy's cat Bisto* got carded & removed from games hut for knocking over an entire Wargame battle set up ... Mrs Swordboy was not impressed with them afterwards ... cat was so annoyed it took days to remove it from it's collar .

Not quite as bad as The Hubcap of Shame , but you get the idea .

- Functionarily Illiterate as frowned upon . When players with I.Q. of 120-180+ try to play characters in modern settings , it causes no end of trouble for organisers .
And leads to 'who taught Shrek & the other Ogres to read then ?' futile debates that derail games .

It might be funny in Discword but not so much in Far Far Away ...

* Bisto : named after gravy granules of same colour grey/brown .
__________________
Five Gauss Guns on a Camper !!!
The Resident Brit .
Racer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2021, 02:10 AM   #27
Opellulo
 
Opellulo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Rome, Italy
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
My general requirements for disadvantages are:
  • Don't have a disadvantage list that means you have to be continually dragged into the story (e.g. Chronic Depression).
  • Disadvantages should give you penalties. If a disadvantage, when it comes up, will annoy the entire party, you don't get to take points for it (a common problem with Enemies, Kleptomania, etc).
  • Disadvantages are not excuses for the spotlight. If the main effect of the disadvantage is that the GM has to spend a bunch of time dealing with it, think again (e.g. Weirdness Magnet).
  • No disadvantages that just kill you or remove you from play when they come up.
Pretty much this...

There are some disadvantages that are a hassle to manage for a GM and/or than can totally hijack a campaign. Also there is a certain type of player that uses disadvantages as an excuse to be annoying to everyone... Yes, that's a different problem, but still one that unrestricted disadvantages can easily enable.
__________________
“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?”
Opellulo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2021, 08:39 AM   #28
Prince Charon
 
Prince Charon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
I'm somewhat more lenient with Origin Magnet, as there are NPCs who I'll give it to - but it's still generally not a PC trait.
Origins Magnet as a disadvantage possessed by the main villain of the campaign (or just the main villain of the first few sessions) could be an interesting hook, with most or all of the PCs being people who got powers as a result of the villain's crimes (or of one specific crime, e.g. they were all in the bank that he was using his new invention to rob to get the money for a patent lawyer, and the Gadget has 'Temporary Disadvantage: Origins Magnet' on it...).
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
Prince Charon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2021, 09:03 AM   #29
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
Origins Magnet as a disadvantage possessed by the main villain of the campaign (or just the main villain of the first few sessions) could be an interesting hook, with most or all of the PCs being people who got powers as a result of the villain's crimes (or of one specific crime, e.g. they were all in the bank that he was using his new invention to rob to get the money for a patent lawyer, and the Gadget has 'Temporary Disadvantage: Origins Magnet' on it...).
That's basically how I use it. Usually it's working with the players ahead of time going "this guy has/could have Origins Magnet; who wants to have an origin story played out?"
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2021, 10:11 AM   #30
Alden Loveshade
 
Alden Loveshade's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hmm, looks like Earth, circa CE 2020+
Default Re: Which traits are Forbidden in your games?

There is no trait in GURPS that I forbid for all campaigns. There are traits I won't allow for specific campaigns; i.e., this is a historical Old West campaign set in a Tech Level 6 town, so nobody gets High TL.

I've ran GURPS games ranging from Old West to Supers to Medieval/Modern Day/Futuristic Fantasy to Monty Python to Paranoia to Time Travel to Infinite Worlds to Space/Science Fiction/Space Espionage/Space Rock and Roll to World War II to Horror to Steampunk to Gilligan's Island.

I saw Weirdness Magnet mentioned more than once as something forbidden. I certainly don't think it works for all campaigns, but it was a foundational trait in a long-running two-GM Supers campaign. One of the PCs had it. That, and various PCs' Enemies, led to most of the adventures. To me, Weirdness Magnet can be one of the most fun Disadvantages in GURPS.
__________________
Kerry Thornley: Dwarf Planet Eris, Discordianism, and The John F. Kennedy Assassination Without Thornley, there would never have been the Steve Jackson Games edition of Principia Discordia
Top 12 Clues You're a Role-Playing Old-Timer My humorous (I hope) article that also promotes SJGames/GURPS
GURPS Fantasy Folk: Elves My first GURPS supplement
Alden Loveshade is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
advantages, disadvantages

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.