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Old 07-03-2022, 07:59 PM   #1
Drop Bear
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default auditing an old character

with a third of one of my gaming groups away for work till the end of the year and the other gaming group in lock-down the first gaming group has decided to try and bring back an old gurps game. those who still have characters have bean asked to audit them to find out what they would be worth if they where to be made new today given all their XP and other improvements.

I'm looking at mine and thinking 250+ points just looking at him,from his starting 100 in two game years. he wasn't just an Adventurer he had a 60 hr/week job has done some study and was sociable, spend a "season" "Campaigning" with the Army, so he went from Struggling to normal or even comfortable wealth, has built up a good rep and a circle of contacts. to bring this back a bit he upped some stats.

anyone else done this, turned around and because of the paperwork found that your character is worth a lot more CP than you thought?
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Old 07-04-2022, 12:21 AM   #2
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Default Re: auditing an old character

Not GURPS based characters but conversions of old PCs from other systems. Surprise was how low they score, eg average CoC PCs? 50 character points.
Giving an old PC points for work experience, etc might be over-valuing the time spent, ie once you've reached the level of competence for the job, the rest of the time isn't - quite as valuable?
Contacts likewise. Admittedly even I have a couple of [1]s (freq <6, Skill 15)
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Old 07-04-2022, 01:52 AM   #3
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Default Re: auditing an old character

Converting characters from other systems is fairly simple, and I've done it a fair bit. I keep very meticulous XP records going back to 1981, so it's just a matter of working out the equivalent if I'd been giving them GURPS XP session-to-session.

Obviously pre-4th characters look a good bit different converted, with the stat changes, elimination of half-points, and various creations and consolidations. But whether I'd *design* one differently ... eh. I certainly have a much better idea what works and what doesn't than in 1985, but then there's also what works and what doesn't at my table -- and THAT differs from others.
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Old 07-04-2022, 02:01 AM   #4
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Default Re: auditing an old character

We still play 3e, it amazes me the number of skills I picked up for arcs that haven't bean used since.
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Old 07-04-2022, 02:18 AM   #5
Willy
 
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Default Re: auditing an old character

Depends for how much time he did his job. Learning on the job is ruled out in GURPS. As for a good rep and the contacts, depending on your everyday job or hobby you can have a lot of useful contacts.

For me Iīm a mostly stick at home person, but thanks to the my hobby and keeping in contact with likeminded friends, I have quite a bunch of persons which I can call if I need a advice or a little help, sometimes after years. Nobody would endanger his job or do something totally illegal for me, but nevertheless I would get, if asking the right person, more information than is openly available. Or would at least need a thorough research and polishing door knobs. Often other aid is offered with it.

Notice I learned that ruled out is not saying what I wanted to say. Instead of ruled out I wanted to say according to the rules, sorry for the mistake.

Last edited by Willy; 07-04-2022 at 06:53 PM. Reason: Language problem
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Old 07-04-2022, 03:01 AM   #6
maximara
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Default Re: auditing an old character

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drop Bear View Post
with a third of one of my gaming groups away for work till the end of the year and the other gaming group in lock-down the first gaming group has decided to try and bring back an old gurps game. those who still have characters have bean asked to audit them to find out what they would be worth if they where to be made new today given all their XP and other improvements.

I'm looking at mine and thinking 250+ points just looking at him,from his starting 100 in two game years. he wasn't just an Adventurer he had a 60 hr/week job has done some study and was sociable, spend a "season" "Campaigning" with the Army, so he went from Struggling to normal or even comfortable wealth, has built up a good rep and a circle of contacts. to bring this back a bit he upped some stats.

anyone else done this, turned around and because of the paperwork found that your character is worth a lot more CP than you thought?
Well the Who's Who books (1 and https://gurps.fandom.com/wiki/Classic:_Who%27s_Who_2) shows real life people are all over the map and just going from Classic to 4e produces major changes in point totals because for the most part Talents didn't exist in Classic.

I imagine with clever use of Talents many of these character would be cheaper than the conversions say.
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Old 07-04-2022, 03:12 AM   #7
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Default Re: auditing an old character

My character is a TL3 Mason, when traveling from job to job he beats up on bandits, rescues kidnapped maidens, recovers stolen Relics, repairs busted mills and collapsed bridges. he works a 60 hr week then at the end of the day he is down the Masons lodge drinking singing, dancing and playing his recorder. the Church like him because he gives them reduced rates and knows his scripture that he can recite in "Not Latin". the Nobles like him because the Church vouches for him, he follows the Treasure Trove Laws, has prevented Kidnappings, Assassinations and a Coup. the commoners like him because he fixes their infrastructure and chapels to pay for room and board wile on the road and the army likes him because he saved them during the last campaigning season.
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Old 07-04-2022, 07:40 AM   #8
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Default Re: auditing an old character

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Originally Posted by Willy View Post
Depends for how much time he did his job. Learning on the job is ruled out in GURPS. As for a good rep and the contacts, depending on your everyday job or hobby you can have a lot of useful contacts.
How do you figure that? The Basic Set provides explicit rules for learning on the job. In fact, when I wrote GURPS Social Engineering: Back to School, one of the things Kromm and I discussed was how to limit on-the-job learning so that it didn't produce unrealistically high skill levels—the effects of on-the-job learning need not be trivial!
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Old 07-04-2022, 03:14 PM   #9
Willy
 
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Default Re: auditing an old character

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
How do you figure that? The Basic Set provides explicit rules for learning on the job. In fact, when I wrote GURPS Social Engineering: Back to School, one of the things Kromm and I discussed was how to limit on-the-job learning so that it didn't produce unrealistically high skill levels—the effects of on-the-job learning need not be trivial!
First I havenīt bought the mentioned Social Engineering PDF and not read anything from the whole Social Engineering line.

Surely GURPS has quite good rules for learning on the job, and it should be limeted in a way that person just working 20 years in a job didnīt get automatically grandmastership as a carpenter. But it is possible to go from apprentice level to master.

Some job have several relevant skills, any self employed blacksmith will also learn automatically enough merchant skill to run his business successfully or get broke. A Paramedic will have a lot more relevant skills and maybe get a critical success in the monthly job roll and is rewarded with a contact because he rescued someones important child. The job tables and templates show many jobs have several relevant skills.

I wouldnīt give for secondary skills enough points to become a master in this skill, but over many years even secondary skills can go up 1 or 2 levels and not more.

Also if you use time sheets for time spend not adventuring, your job just covers so much hours a day there is a weekend and time after work you spend not cooking, washing and going to the supermarket. If the sample PC worked 5 days 12 h long he had a weekend to relax and recreate, pursuing what he likes. This hobbys can lead to interesting skills and other benefits.

That is just a reality check, you get better on your job and learn a lot about this job and related things, but and in this point you are absolutely right he shouldnīt get a superhero. Imagine yourself in you youth and now and compare it point wise, you were never adventuring but still learned a lot, made contacts and friends, lived your life and are now hopefully pointwise more CP worth than in your youth. Or not, depending on age and health.

Basically I would rule a PC can get 4 levels in the main job skill and 2 levels in secondary skills over learning on the job, but not more because improving skills is more and more difficult, in fact you have to hone your skills by constantly working on them.

Same goes for patrons, contacts and wealth levels. Getting a not so powerfull patron ( like your old master who taught you the trade ), a few friends as contacts, and 2 wealth levels may be appropriate. You canīt have more because free time is limeted and friendships need to be cultivated, taking some of your time. Same goes for hobbys like martial arts, you will never get this way as skilled as Bruce Lee, even if your talent is as big or greater, you just lack the time for this and your main focus is your Job! I would limit skills used as hobby to 1 level, and wouldnīt allow more than 3 different hobbys or 4 closely related, just for the lack of time. If said hobby martial artist says to the GM that he is totally dedicated to this hobby he could get a +2 in the main skill and 1 in 2 related, maybe even learning a technique 1! with 1 point in it, but thatīs it.

Last edited by Willy; 07-04-2022 at 03:23 PM. Reason: added text
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Old 07-04-2022, 03:38 PM   #10
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Default Re: auditing an old character

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Originally Posted by Willy View Post
First I havenīt bought the mentioned Social Engineering PDF and not read anything from the whole Social Engineering line.
Well, to repeat my primary point,

The Basic Set provides explicit rules for learning on the job.
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