They should really fix that in GURPS Horror!

Mercator · 07-12-2009, 10:54 AM

What do you think should be changed in the next edition of GURPS Horror?

I have been accepted for the playtest, and am reading the manuscript right now. It is very good (no surprise, considering the author), and I want to contribute as much as possible to make it even better.

Following on a previous thread by Icelander for Low-Tech, I want to know what experiences people have had with previous incarnations of Horror: what did you miss; what rules should be changed, expanded or removed; what is so good it shouldn't be altered under any circumstance... to make clear what I need, allow me to quote Icelander's original message (edited to remove references to cabaret dancers and ice):

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icelander

I'm not looking for extra material. [...] The main challenge of the playtest will not be how to fill the books, it will be how to avoid making them bloated abominations that threathen to burst their earthly bindings.

What I am looking for are cases where the rules as they currently stand were insufficient to describe something that happened in a game and the forumites discussed how the rules could have been expanded upon. And after having gotten a pretty good answer, it made you think: "Wow, they should totally include that in [GURPS Horror]. It adds next to no complexity to the current rules and it makes it much easier to stat something that was historically common!"

Or even, some contentious subject was discussed for a long time and Kromm (or someone else) finally made a brilliant ruling that wasn't in the books. When asked why it wasn't official, he'd say: 'Okay, that might need looking into. How about we discuss it during the playtest?'

The only aim of this thread is to collect ideas to present at the playtest, not to discuss details of the manuscript with people not on the playtesting list. I will not reveal anything under any circumstances, do don't bother trying. Also, you won't get playtesting credit for participating on this thread; but you might help make Horror better.

So: anything you'd like to share?

Thanks in advance,

M.

Crakkerjakk · 07-12-2009, 11:29 AM

Some way to heal damage done by fright checks, a la this post would be useful for CoC-style games. And I don't think the mythos fright checks from cthulhupunk should be included. They were too extreme.

RedMattis · 07-12-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

Some way to heal damage done by fright checks, a la this post would be useful for CoC-style games. And I don't think the mythos fright checks from cthulhupunk should be included. They were too extreme.

I agree with the linked post.

trooper6 · 07-12-2009, 01:35 PM

I, on the other hand, think Mythos fright checks should remain. They are supposed to be for those things that very specifically drive you mad...like Eldritch Horror. The Mythos fright checks are more than appropriate when trying to model the descent into madness of a Lovecraftian sort of game. You don't have to use it in your games if you don't want to, it is optional. But it is very useful for Lovecraftian games.

Crakkerjakk · 07-12-2009, 01:37 PM

I just don't think it's a descent. It's a step off a cliff. One deep one and you're done for.

David Johnston2 · 07-12-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trooper6

I, on the other hand, think Mythos fright checks should remain. They are supposed to be for those things that very specifically drive you mad...like Eldritch Horror. .

The addition of Terror and Cosmic give a better way to handle insanity-inspiring powers of a true Great Old One. Cthulu fright checks kind of bugged me when applied to vermin like the Deep Ones which were not in fact especially exotic.

vicky_molokh · 07-12-2009, 02:03 PM

I agree about healing psychological damage.

As for the descent into madness, I think the problem is that the Fright Checks are too unpredictable, AND the table is too 'slow', AND there is no way to make fright damage 'cyclic'.

pawsplay · 07-12-2009, 02:20 PM

Fright checks in general need to be cleaned up. For instance, a Will 14 character currently gains no benefit from Resistance to Fear, because of the arbitrary 14 or less cutoff. If fear checks are supposed to be difficult, then let them be.. expand the situations under which they occur and the modifiers that are applied to the roll.

Mercator · 07-12-2009, 02:24 PM

Thank you all for raising the issue of healing psychological Disads! I didn't find it while going over existing GURPS Horror threads. Although I don't quite agree with the way of handling it in the OP, I agree with the basic ideas.

(I haven't read the whole Horror manuscript yet, so it's possible that it's been already dealt with. We'll see...)

M.

David Johnston2 · 07-12-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Fright checks in general need to be cleaned up. For instance, a Will 14 character currently gains no benefit from Resistance to Fear, because of the arbitrary 14 or less cutoff.

Cancels out negative modifiers.

07-12-2009, 11:29 AM	#2
Crakkerjakk "Gimme 18 minutes . . ." Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Albuquerque, NM	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! Some way to heal damage done by fright checks, a la this post would be useful for CoC-style games. And I don't think the mythos fright checks from cthulhupunk should be included. They were too extreme. __________________ My bare bones web page Semper Fi

07-12-2009, 01:35 PM	#4
trooper6 Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Medford, MA	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! I, on the other hand, think Mythos fright checks should remain. They are supposed to be for those things that very specifically drive you mad...like Eldritch Horror. The Mythos fright checks are more than appropriate when trying to model the descent into madness of a Lovecraftian sort of game. You don't have to use it in your games if you don't want to, it is optional. But it is very useful for Lovecraftian games.

07-12-2009, 01:37 PM	#5
Crakkerjakk "Gimme 18 minutes . . ." Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Albuquerque, NM	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! I just don't think it's a descent. It's a step off a cliff. One deep one and you're done for. __________________ My bare bones web page Semper Fi

07-12-2009, 02:03 PM	#7
vicky_molokh GURPS FAQ Keeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kyïv, Ukraine	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! I agree about healing psychological damage. As for the descent into madness, I think the problem is that the Fright Checks are too unpredictable, AND the table is too 'slow', AND there is no way to make fright damage 'cyclic'. __________________ Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper

07-12-2009, 02:20 PM	#8
pawsplay Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! Fright checks in general need to be cleaned up. For instance, a Will 14 character currently gains no benefit from Resistance to Fear, because of the arbitrary 14 or less cutoff. If fear checks are supposed to be difficult, then let them be.. expand the situations under which they occur and the modifiers that are applied to the roll.

07-12-2009, 02:24 PM	#9
Mercator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia	Re: They should really fix that in GURPS Horror! Thank you all for raising the issue of healing psychological Disads! I didn't find it while going over existing GURPS Horror threads. Although I don't quite agree with the way of handling it in the OP, I agree with the basic ideas. (I haven't read the whole *Horror* manuscript yet, so it's possible that it's been already dealt with. We'll see...) M. __________________ Behind the Aegis - My dark fantasy setting in Classical Greece (discuss it here!). Conversion of the supernatural skills in the *Basic Set* to Powers.