Campaigning through the TL's

~~namada~~ · 09-20-2019, 08:12 AM

I had a weird concept occur to me last night, not something I've tried, but would seem like an interesting way to familiarize oneself with a huge spectrum of what GURPS can do.

*TL;DR*
Simply put - Run a campaign at TL0, then the next at TL1, next at TL2, and so on.
*TL;DR*

The lower TL's (0-4) seem ideal for some Fantasy gaming. Maybe mix things up with a pure historical campaign at one TL. After the End could make an appearance here.

TL5 & 6 seem prime Horror real estate, though 6 could go Steampunk instead.

TL7 is where things get interesting, where several genres would seem the obvious "go-to." I'd say that would be Supers, Action, or Monster Hunters, depending on the decade. Or, run them all in succession. ;)

TL8, I'd say, would be obviously Action & Monster Hunters campaigns. So, maybe skip those at TL7, and run them here instead.

TL9+ is obviously going to be a sci-fi/space campaign, maybe with some Horror/Space standalone adventures thrown in along the way?

...Oh, and the obligatory, Dungeon Fantasy exists, so that's a thing.

Anders · 09-20-2019, 08:15 AM

We seem to have two apocalypses in the Mediterranean area: The Bronze Age Collapse* and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. A case could certainly be made for post-30-years-war Germany (it took some areas 200 years to recover). Not too familiar with the rest of the world, but that gives us After the End at TL 1-2, 2-3 and 4.

*if it occurred - let's not discuss that in this thread.

Stormcrow · 09-20-2019, 08:45 AM

Maybe run a Highlander-style game, with characters starting at TL0, and occasionally jumping to the next TL.

ericthered · 09-20-2019, 09:03 AM

Maybe I'm over-reacting to the word "Campaign", but full campaigns might be overkill. Four session scenarios each week would still take over a year to run, and that's a very tight schedule. If we're just doing those quick scenarios, I'd love to see that sort of play. Be prepared for up to 100% overrun though!

Tech Levels are a very small portion of what can change from gurps game to gurps game. Consider not only the presence or absence of magic, but also the magic system being used, whether or not the game is cinematic, and super-science.

For running a historical, no magic game, TL0 might be fun... even if its not actually "historical".

If you're looking to play all three of Monster Hunters, Action, and Supers, you could look into making one of them TL6 and set it during world war II, and make your horror game TL 5. You could also play a very light TL9 and play that as your action game, bringing in cool day after tomorrow gadgets.

You'll want at least one super-science FTL Ultra-tech game, and I'd suggest doing a radical hard science fiction game.

OR you can be very silly, and run 13 zombies campaigns, one at each tech level. Use Zombies (Day One) as your starting point. As a benefit, with such short games its not a huge deal if the zombies actually succeed in killing players.

Stormcrow · 09-20-2019, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered

For running a historical, no magic game, TL0 might be fun... even if its not actually "historical".

Oh my god... Someone totally has to run a "super cavemen" game, complete with all the usual super powers and secret identities.

"By day, he's just mild-mannered Thokk, who always takes up the rear when the Black Bear tribe is on the mammoth hunt. But when the evil Gork of the Sabre-tooth tribe threatens to conquer the Black Bears, Thokk becomes SUPER UGG, with his powers of flight and super strength!"

dcarson · 09-20-2019, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Oh my god... Someone totally has to run a "super cavemen" game, complete with all the usual super powers and secret identities.

Captain Caveman before he got frozen.

RyanW · 09-22-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered

If you're looking to play all three of Monster Hunters, Action, and Supers, you could look into making one of them TL6 and set it during world war II, and make your horror game TL 5. You could also play a very light TL9 and play that as your action game, bringing in cool day after tomorrow gadgets.

Maybe
TL 5: Western Action
TL 6: Pulp Horror
TL 7: Silver Age Supers
TL 8: Monster Hunters

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered

You'll want at least one super-science FTL Ultra-tech game, and I'd suggest doing a radical hard science fiction game.

I would be tempted to use (or at least take inspiration from) Transhuman Space for TL 10, or some point earlier in its timeline as TL 9.

RyanW · 09-22-2019, 10:14 AM

A thought just occurred to me to make this a little different.

Run a campaign through the TLs like this (probably not all TLs), that looks like it's a campaign spanning centuries through the same setting. The twist is that the mini-campaigns are being played in reverse order. The setting is in decline, and each mini-campaign is set in the ruins of the one after it.

09-20-2019, 08:12 AM	#1
~~namada~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2006	Campaigning through the TL's I had a weird concept occur to me last night, not something I've tried, but would seem like an interesting way to familiarize oneself with a huge spectrum of what GURPS can do. TL;DR Simply put - Run a campaign at TL0, then the next at TL1, next at TL2, and so on. TL;DR The lower TL's (0-4) seem ideal for some Fantasy gaming. Maybe mix things up with a pure historical campaign at one TL. After the End could make an appearance here. TL5 & 6 seem prime Horror real estate, though 6 could go Steampunk instead. TL7 is where things get interesting, where several genres would seem the obvious "go-to." I'd say that would be Supers, Action, or Monster Hunters, depending on the decade. Or, run them all in succession. ;) TL8, I'd say, would be obviously Action & Monster Hunters campaigns. So, maybe skip those at TL7, and run them here instead. TL9+ is obviously going to be a sci-fi/space campaign, maybe with some Horror/Space standalone adventures thrown in along the way? ...Oh, and the obligatory, Dungeon Fantasy exists, so that's a thing.

09-20-2019, 08:15 AM	#2
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: Campaigning through the TL's We seem to have two apocalypses in the Mediterranean area: The Bronze Age Collapse* and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. A case could certainly be made for post-30-years-war Germany (it took some areas 200 years to recover). Not too familiar with the rest of the world, but that gives us After the End at TL 1-2, 2-3 and 4. if it occurred - let's not discuss that in this thread. __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius*

09-20-2019, 08:45 AM	#3
Stormcrow Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ronkonkoma, NY	Re: Campaigning through the TL's Maybe run a Highlander-style game, with characters starting at TL0, and occasionally jumping to the next TL.

09-20-2019, 09:03 AM	#4
ericthered Hero of Democracy Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: far from the ocean	Re: Campaigning through the TL's Maybe I'm over-reacting to the word "Campaign", but full campaigns might be overkill. Four session scenarios each week would still take over a year to run, and that's a very tight schedule. If we're just doing those quick scenarios, I'd love to see that sort of play. Be prepared for up to 100% overrun though! Tech Levels are a very small portion of what can change from gurps game to gurps game. Consider not only the presence or absence of magic, but also the magic system being used, whether or not the game is cinematic, and super-science. For running a historical, no magic game, TL0 might be fun... even if its not actually "historical". If you're looking to play all three of Monster Hunters, Action, and Supers, you could look into making one of them TL6 and set it during world war II, and make your horror game TL 5. You could also play a very light TL9 and play that as your action game, bringing in cool day after tomorrow gadgets. You'll want at least one super-science FTL Ultra-tech game, and I'd suggest doing a radical hard science fiction game. OR you can be very silly, and run 13 zombies campaigns, one at each tech level. Use Zombies (Day One) as your starting point. As a benefit, with such short games its not a huge deal if the zombies actually succeed in killing players. __________________ Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!

09-22-2019, 10:14 AM	#8
RyanW ☣ Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southeast NC	Re: Campaigning through the TL's A thought just occurred to me to make this a little different. Run a campaign through the TLs like this (probably not all TLs), that looks like it's a campaign spanning centuries through the same setting. The twist is that the mini-campaigns are being played in reverse order. The setting is in decline, and each mini-campaign is set in the ruins of the one after it. __________________ RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats.