Skills - maybe this game isn't what I'm looking for

[adaman14]

I have just started playing GURPS and really thought it would be the RPG for me but now I am not sure. I have DX 11 and Riding Horses as a skill. Every time I mount a horse I need to check my skill? 1 in 3 chance to fail and then what happens if I fail? Dang, a normal person without the specific skill fails to even mount the horse 95% of the time? I am starting to be afraid to do anything in the game.

[Refplace]

Routine use generally gets a +4 bonus. Also look at the Riding skill.
Modifiers: +5 if the animal knows and likes you; +1 or more for a mount
with the Mount skill (p. 210);

So its pretty easy to ride any trained horse and trivial one you know well and your used to each other.

[adaman14]

Where is the +4 if it is a routine situation rule? Thanks - edit: found it.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by adaman14

I have just started playing GURPS and really thought it would be the RPG for me but now I am not sure. I have DX 11 and Riding Horses as a skill. Every time I mount a horse I need to check my skill? 1 in 3 chance to fail and then what happens if I fail? Dang, a normal person without the specific skill fails to even mount the horse 95% of the time? I am starting to be afraid to do anything in the game.

Firstly, if there's no meaningful result from the roll, you shouldn't be rolling - just assume success (Campaigns, p.242). Secondly, routine day-to-day skill use will generally have large positive modifiers (Campaigns, p.325).

[Johnny Angel]

Originally Posted by adaman14

I have just started playing GURPS and really thought it would be the RPG for me but now I am not sure. I have DX 11 and Riding Horses as a skill. Every time I mount a horse I need to check my skill? 1 in 3 chance to fail and then what happens if I fail? Dang, a normal person without the specific skill fails to even mount the horse 95% of the time? I am starting to be afraid to do anything in the game.

I'm inclined to believe that mounting a horse in calm and uncontested circumstances is simple enough that it either doesn't require a roll at all or is rolled with a significant bonus to skill.

Similarly, a character with driving skill is able to walk into a parking lot and start their car without a struggle.


Is there some reason that the character is under duress? Trying to control a horse while traversing up a narrow and treacherous mountain pass might (at the GM's discretion) require a roll.

Likewise, trying to run to a car an escape from an angry mob piling onto the outside of a vehicle might require a driving roll.

Page 8 of Basic Set: Characters mentions this. It is also mentioned at the top-right corner of page 171. (Campaigns elaborates further.)

"...what happens if I fail?"

That depends.

What is the situation? What was the character attempting to do? Did you fail by a little bit or fail by a lot?

[adaman14]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Firstly, if there's no meaningful result from the roll, you shouldn't be rolling - just assume success (Campaigns, p.242). Secondly, routine day-to-day skill use will generally have large positive modifiers (Campaigns, p.325).

Hmm, seems we have different rule books.
P242 is something about spells so I will take your word for it. P325 is the second page of the quick combat rules, so again I will take your word for it.

[adaman14]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angel

I'm inclined to believe that mounting a horse in calm and uncontested circumstances is simple enough that it either doesn't require a roll at all or is rolled with a significant bonus to skill.

Similarly, a character with driving skill is able to walk into a parking lot and start their car without a struggle.


Is there some reason that the character is under duress? Trying to control a horse while traversing up a narrow and treacherous mountain pass might (at the GM's discretion) require a roll.

Likewise, trying to run to a car an escape from an angry mob piling onto the outside of a vehicle might require a driving roll.

Page 8 of Basic Set: Characters mentions this. It is also mentioned at the top-right corner of page 171. (Campaigns elaborates further.)

"...what happens if I fail?"

That depends.

What is the situation? What was the character attempting to do? Did you fail by a little bit or fail by a lot?

Very GM dependent so the game I am in is a series of checks, albeit with modifiers but it is becoming tedious and a comedy of errors. Not much time to adventure.

[Donny Brook]

By TL2 in most societies that use horses, most horses that are commercially available/active as riding animals would have Mount +0 or more.

[Johnny Angel]

Originally Posted by adaman14

Very GM dependent so the game I am in is a series of checks, albeit with modifiers but it is becoming tedious and a comedy of errors. Not much time to adventure.

I can see how that could be tedious.

I've been in D&D games like that too.

Is the GM (and group) new to using GURPS?

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by adaman14

Hmm, seems we have different rule books.
P242 is something about spells so I will take your word for it. P325 is the second page of the quick combat rules, so again I will take your word for it.

Yeah different editions can push stuff to a different spot.
The Table of Context is useful but GURPS supplements have awesome indexes and you can find most things that way too. As long as you recall enough about the thing your looking for to use the right keyword.
I have a blog and much of it is aimed towards GURPS newcomers.
https://refplace.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_28.html
Just ignore the personal or political stuff if its not to your taste. I divy things up pretty well I think and the political stuff pulls a few new people into GURPS, plus I dont want to manage two separate blogs.