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 04-16-2016, 07:19 PM   #1
Zeta Blaze
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Default [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Hi I was taking with one of my friends who keeps insisting you can have an infinite number of defaults chaining together to end in one skill. (using the ridiculous example he claims to have read of using fencing for brain surgery)

He claimed that this was the current state of the RAW and even claims to have herd about it in a magazine published by Steve Jackson

I know he is incorrect for 4th ed but i have been looking through my core book and cant find the exact rule to sight. Also i suspect his claim may have been true at one point can anyone help me find what i am looking for or where he is getting this mistaken impression?

Thanks all!
Zeta Blaze is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2016, 07:28 PM   #2
Litvyak
 
Join Date: May 2007
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

B173 Double Defaults.
__________________
Blog - Role-ing Solo
Litvyak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2016, 07:31 PM   #3
Diomedes
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Dallas, TX
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

The ban on double defaults is in the middle of page 173 of the Basic Set. Perhaps your friend is thinking of the ability to double-default techniques, which is legal provided they're ultimately based on the same skill.
Diomedes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2016, 10:36 PM   #4
Zeta Blaze
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Thanks everyone. At this point i am still curious was this ever different in earlier editions?
Zeta Blaze is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2016, 11:23 PM   #5
MrTim
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Double-defaulting was explicitly disallowed in 3rd edition.
MrTim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2016, 04:40 AM   #6
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Double defaulting is explicitly barred in 1st edition. Page 34 of the Characters pamphlet, bottom of the sidebar.

Edit: I don't have 2nd edition, although it was similar enough to 1st to share an ISBN, so I seriously doubt that this rule was different.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2016, 06:38 AM   #7
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Seems like the thing he might have picked up from someone complaining about GURPS on some RPG forum -- said complainer not even understanding the rules correctly, but nevertheless holding forth about what a ridiculous system it was, allowing fencing to be used for brain surgery...

Quote:
it was similar enough to 1st to share an ISBN
Also similar enough that all the differences were contained in a short Update (much smaller than the 4e Update). I just kept that along with my 1e book, and never felt a need to buy 2nd. It was more like the modern scheme of updating the PDFs with errata than a true second edition.
Anaraxes is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2016, 11:11 AM   #8
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

When would double/triple/etc. defaults result in higher skills than defaulting off the base stat? It seems like fixing a problem that doesn't exist.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2016, 12:05 PM   #9
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
When would double/triple/etc. defaults result in higher skills than defaulting off the base stat?
If a character has a skill at around stat+6 or better, then a double default might well be better than a stat-based default, especially if the character has very different values for IQ and DX.

Also, players who haven't internalised the 3d bell-curve yet are liable to think that effective skills in the 7-9 region are more useful than is actually the case.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2016, 02:51 PM   #10
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: [Basic] Skill double defaults questions.

So one of the leading experts on X is barely passable at something related to something related to X?
I wish there was a way to search what defaults FROM a named skill rather than just what defaults TO it. It would take me an hour to find a nice triple default example to help frame the issue into something I can fully understand.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
basic, defaults, multi edition, rules question

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 06:07 PM.


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