The Beauty of GURPS

[Stormcrow]

I don't know if I can put into words what I find attractive about GURPS, but I can list some topics that get my attention. I think they show that my priorities are rather different than many around here.

Anything to do with wealth, cost of living, jobs, acquiring equipment. The generic $ has always tickled my fancy, as has the monthly get paid/pay cost of living/spend leftover cycle.

Technology Level when it's not being abused as a technology simulator.

Representing societies with society types, CR, and equipment LC.

Presentation of settings using the above parameters.

Monetary and character point awards and methods of character improvement.

Low-starting-point campaigns and characters, including not overusing disadvantages.

Reaction and influence rolls.

Ways to declutter and simplify the presentation of GURPS characters, creatures, and equipment on paper.

Ways to harness the daunting Tech books.

The details, combinations, and possibilities of the standard magic system, especially regarding enchantment spells.

[Black Leviathan]

GURPS has nice mechanics but there are peers out there in the gaming world. I think a lot of that is about what you like and even within GURPS there are people who value the mechanics differently.

Being able to build a character defined by flaws is huge for me in my later years in the hobby. It just makes it so much clearer how to articulate a character's needs and decide actions. I'm also more pleased with the way GURPS does incremental character growth, how you can gatekeep certain advances that don't make sense within the scope of a campaign. The BUILD ANYTHING aspect of GURPS character generation is nice, but ultimately you just need to be able to build what you need and sometimes all that mudslide of advantages and disadvantages that don't often work in a campaign is often more of a detriment.

The real beauty in my mind is how well GURPS allows you to bake tight detail into any imaginable game world, the politics, the organizations, the magic and technology, exotic playable races, any tool or weapon is easy to create and use.

[Anders]

It's also made by a nice company. There are RPG companies out there that have shady business, shady personnel, or just don't seem to care about the customers. Not all gaming companies would have provided new rule books, sight unseen, to everyone who had bought those with faulty binding. The moderators/staff are friendly and answer questions without grumbling. Good customer service.

[kirbwarrior]

It works.

No, really. I've played with a ton of other systems. I've helped people make new systems. And all of the others fall into one of three camps;
A) The system is both too rigid and doesn't follow Rule Zero or only pretends to. This works perfect fine with video games (in fact it is kind of required) but roleplaying is bigger than that.
B) The system only pretends to work. The rules are pseudo guidelines and things aren't really thought out.
C) The system does work, but it's so ingrained into one setting that it only works there. And I've only found one system that does that so well that I'd use it over GURPS.

GURPS isn't the best system (I'm not sure there is one). But it's the one that I can sit down to roleplay and have no worries about.

[SimonAce]

Originally Posted by whswhs

On one hand, sure. I've run a campaign where all the characters were built on 1600 points (and one player dropped out because he couldn't come up with even a thousand point build).

But on the other, Alexander seemed to be endorsing the idea that you need 250 points to create a competent and playable character, even in a realistic campaign, at least as a subordinate assertion. And I think that provides an overly narrow view of what GURPS can do, one that excludes the option of running relatively low-point campaigns. I've found that to be a viable option, so I wanted to speak up for it.

I'm glad you did . GURPS plays decently at any point level even zero is fun with the right group and right buy in.

Now 1600 points though that would require some skill if only to avoid "Jim Bob the Reality Ripper." or the PC's turning into the Authority.

[a humble lich]

I want to second the comments on how polite he GURPS community is. The forum is really well run, and it is nice to see various authors posting here. Now I assume that is just part of the scheme that the Dicordians at SJG have in their plot for world domination, but it is still nice to see.

Also, I also really like the various quotes that are in the books. Especially for books like Monster Hunters, they really help set the tone by referencing the sort of fiction which inspired the setting.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by SimonAce

Now 1600 points though that would require some skill if only to avoid "Jim Bob the Reality Ripper." or the PC's turning into the Authority.

That campaign had an ancient Greek woman superwarrior, a force manipulating psi, a shapeshifting dragon, a risen devil, and a high-end telepath with minor telekinesis and a compartmentalized mind. But their mission statement was to restrain supers who were more powerful than they were.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by SimonAce

I'm glad you did . GURPS plays decently at any point level even zero is fun with the right group and right buy in.

Now 1600 points though that would require some skill if only to avoid "Jim Bob the Reality Ripper." or the PC's turning into the Authority.

Nah, we did that late in 3e and a different sort of thing (briefly) in 4e. You underestimate the ability of Gurps to soak up pts in useful details. I made a 1600 pt Archmage who knew 500 spells and use to pal around with Nicola Tesla. Then in 4e I made a 1000pt genetically engineered warrior-accountant.

Breaking Gurps has to be done deliberately and with the most unbalanced characters. With balanced characters it can go very large indeed.

[Tyneras]

1. Internal consistency. This makes it fantastic for kitchen sink campaigns, which allows me to have my own vast extended universe without the need for any weird conversions.

2. Under the hood access. As 4E has matured, this has gotten better and better. A "new" thing might be presented as a single ability, but right there is a breakdown of exactly how it works, and a player could build the same with RAW. Psionic Powers, Sorcery (especially the enchanting system) and Divine Favor all leap to mind as examples.

[FeiLin]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Anything to do with wealth, cost of living, jobs, acquiring equipment. The generic $ has always tickled my fancy, as has the monthly get paid/pay cost of living/spend leftover cycle.

Yeah, I agree. Perhaps not the most commonly praised aspect, but I enjoy the fact that characters can have jobs and be away for a few months and have players roll a few dice to see how it went.

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

Being able to build a character defined by flaws is huge for me in my later years in the hobby. It just makes it so much clearer how to articulate a character's needs and decide actions. I'm also more pleased with the way GURPS does incremental character growth, how you can gatekeep certain advances that don't make sense within the scope of a campaign. The BUILD ANYTHING aspect of GURPS character generation is nice, but ultimately you just need to be able to build what you need and sometimes all that mudslide of advantages and disadvantages that don't often work in a campaign is often more of a detriment.

The real beauty in my mind is how well GURPS allows you to bake tight detail into any imaginable game world, the politics, the organizations, the magic and technology, exotic playable races, any tool or weapon is easy to create and use.

Flaws is a big one for me, too. I feel that's where a lot of other games (especially on the game end of role playing) dont much encourage that, which makes the characters rather bland. Of course, while nothing really prohibits it, the way it's integrated in GURPS may make even the most die hard power gamer scour the basic set for non-intruding flaws which can then be exploited by the GM or players. My brother was doing this with a Conan-esque barbarian which ended up devastating but hilarious...