GURPS X-Com

[Six_Gun_Sam]

A paranormal beastie prowlin' the woods? Strange invaders taking out the townsfolk? Odd craft landing in the woods?

Strange noises that go bump in the night? Is it time to bump back?

These are the guys for the job...

X-Com

(100 Points)
Male; Age 18; 5'10", 155 lbs.

ST: 11 [10] IQ: 12 [20] Speed: 5.75
DX: 12 [20] HT: 11 [10] Move: 7
Dodge: 6/8 Parry: 8/10

Advantages

Collected [5] (Fright Check: 17); Combat Reflexes [15] (Fright Check: 17); Disease-Resistant [5]; Fit [5] (HT: +1; Fatigue Loss: Normal; Fatigue Recovery: Double Rate); Rapid Healing [5]; X-Com Rank 0 [0].

Disadvantages

Code of Honor (X-Com Creed) [-10]; Extremely Hazardous Duty [-20]; Sense of Duty (X-Com) [-10].

Skills

Area Knowledge-11 [½]; Armoury/TL7 (Small Arms)-11 [1]; Brawling-11 [½] (Parry: 8); Camouflage-12 [1]; Carousing-9 [½]; Climbing-10 [½]; Demolition/TL7-10 [½]; Detect Lies-9 [½]; Driving/TL7 (Automobile)-10 [½]; Driving/TL7 (Heavy Wheeled)-10 [½]; Driving/TL7 (Tracked)-10 [½]; Electronics Operation/TL7 (Communications)-11 [1]; Engineer/TL7 (Combat)-9 [½]; First Aid/TL7-11 [½]; Forward Observer/TL7-10 [½]; Gambling-10 [½]; Gunner/TL7 (ATGM)-14 [2]; Gunner/TL7 (Machine Gun)-14 [2]; Guns/TL7 (Grenade Launcher)-15 [2]; Guns/TL7 (Light Antitank Weapon)-15 [2]; Guns/TL7 (Light Automatic)-15 [2]; Guns/TL7 (Rifle)-15 [2]; Hiking-11 [2]; Intelligence Analysis-9 [½]; Interrogation-10 [½]; Intimidation-11 [1]; Jumping-11 [½]; Knife-11 [½] (Parry: 5); Language English (native)-12 [0]; Leadership-10 [½]; Lockpicking/TL7-10 [½]; Mechanic/TL7 (Diesel Engine)-10 [½]; Motorcycle/TL7-11 [½]; Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Warfare/TL7-11 [1]; Orienteering-10 [½]; Parachuting-11 [½]; Running (Move: 7)-10 [2]; Savoir-Faire (X-Com)-11 [½]; Scrounging-11 [½]; Shadowing-10 [½]; Soldier/TL7-12 [2]; Spear-11 [1] (Parry: 6); Stealth-11 [1]; Swimming-11 [½]; Tactics/TL7-9 [½]; Tactics/TL7 (Infantry)-9 [½]; Teaching-10 [½]; Throwing-12 [4]; Tracking-10 [½]; Traps/TL7-10 [½].

Equipment

X-Com Submachine Gun (cr 3d-1, Skill: 15; 7 lbs.; $340; SS: 10; Acc: 8; Half DMG: 160; MAX: 1900; RoF: 10*; Shots: 30; ST: 10; Rcl: -1; TL: 7 (9mm P); X-Com Helmet (PD 4, DR 5; 3 lbs.; $125); X-Com Protective Vest (PD 2, DR 5; 5 lbs.; $200); X-Com Boots (PD 2, DR 2; 3 lbs.; $80); X-Com Uniform (3 lbs.; $50); X-Com 9x19mm Parabellum ammo (1 lb.; $15; Rounds: 50; Damage Multiplier: ×1; Armor Divisor: 1; Damage Modifier: ×1).

This X-Com operative was generated using GURPS 3rd ed.

[GoatRider]

Which version X-com are you talking about? The best part of X-com (UFO Defense, the first one) is that the soldiers get better with experience. It's really tough when a rookie on his first mission gets mind controlled by the aliens, turns around and blasts your most experienced squad leader. It's the only wargame I've played where it can really HURT to lose a man. You move your men carefully and use every bit of cover you can find not because it's good strategy, but because you don't want to lose Tim, your best shooter.

[Durandal]

Well, sure my soldiers didn't have IQ12, after all, they shot bushes and each other all the time. ;-)
Now, about X-COM, I think the first two games have an enormous potential for some adventures. Not only shooting aliens to defend the poor goats at the farms, but the free time between the missions, making the security of the x-com envoyees triyng to get more money from the countries, to hunting down the doppelgangers who infiltrate some countries. Now, with the fourth edition, would be a good time to group together some x-com geeks and make a good adaptation. Anyone?

[ChupaThingy]

Originally Posted by Durandal

Now, with the fourth edition, would be a good time to group together some x-com geeks and make a good adaptation. Anyone?

That'd be great! Now I just need to reinstall and play through them a bit again. Think we could post this on GurpsWiki?

[The Benj]

I'm very much in favour of this project. Oh yeah.

Template discussion:

I'd remove Collected (Fright 14 is probably enough) and Disease-Resistant (How you extrapolated this from the game, I've no idea).
I'd bump their ST and HT to 12 and drop IQ to 11.

Code of Honor and Sense of Duty don't seem necessary. What's this "X-COM creed" you mention?

Many of the Skills seem superfluous. Sure, they may come in handy, but why does every soldier have them?
Motorcycle? There aren't any anywhere in the game.
Spear?
Where's the Area Knowledge FOR? I'd say World, so they know where each backwater country they're going may be.
Gambling?
Shadowing?

Brawling 11 and Combat Reflexes gives a Parry of 7.

These are all fairly minor gripes, I might add.

[The Benj]

Psionics:

Pretty straightforward.

3rd ed.:
The Psi-Amp and Mind Probe give you the ability to use any Telepathy you may have, plus probably a Power boost.
The Psi-Amp only lets you use Mind Control.
The Mind Probe only lets you use Telereceive.

This doesn't sit terribly well with the One Skill Only rules, which normally don't let you have Mind Control without its prereqs.

4th ed.:
The Psi-Amp gives you Mind Control.
The Mind Probe... gives you Mind Probe.

Psi Talent is represented by Telepathy Talent.
Psi Skill is a little trickier. You could easily just say that the training one gets is Mental Strength Skill, making you harder to control, but not better at using Psi.

Alternatively, you could treat each of these as limited access to Spells.

The Psi-Amp lets you cast Control Person and Panic (which, strangely, doesn't seem to have a non-Area version).
Or you could expand it (which is fair enough, as this is a tabletop game, not a computer game), allowing access to the Mind Control College. Or even just some of it.
For example:
-Fear
-Panic
-Terror
-Bravery
-Berserker
-Foolishness
-Daze
-Mass Daze
-Mental Stun
-Disorient
-Fascinate
-Forgetfulness
-Permanent Forgetfulness
-Sleep
-Mass Sleep
-Weaken Will
-Loyalty
-Command
-Emotion Control
-Mindlessness

Lots of great stuff in there.

[Six_Gun_Sam]

Originally Posted by The Benj

What's this "X-COM creed" you mention?

Always obey your team leaders orders no matter how silly or suicidal they may seem.

:-D

[The Benj]

Originally Posted by Six_Gun_Sam

Always obey your team leaders orders no matter how silly or suicidal they may seem.

:-D

Hmm....
Sounds like Involuntary Extremely Hazardous Duty to me.

Also seems unnecessary.

[Six_Gun_Sam]

Don't like it? Don't use it.

[The Benj]

Point well made.

It just always struck me that there was no indication of what the internal politics were like. It's not something that ever comes up.