What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS?

Gaidheal · 03-03-2010, 05:01 PM

Hi!

I apologize if I have missed a huge thread somewhere on this but my searching hasn't turned up a complete answer, so I'm asking this outright.

I ignored GURPS, pretty much, for the first three editions, for various reason but am now the proud owner of 4E almost exclusively off the back of THS, actually. Somehow I missed THS when it first came out but a year or so ago I came across it (and discovered some old uni friends had even been involved in some of the books), was extremely impressed, bought GURPS 4E and tracked down the THS main rulebook. I'm in the process of acquiring the other books I want (High Frontier and In the Well, primarily) but clearly it was all originally written for 3E.

I'm sure it is not a huge problem and I know about Changing Times (and I have been able to skim a friend's electronic copy) but what are the issues for the THS books with the change in rulesets, how might I best go about using the older texts and what should I consider doing, in addition to getting hold of Changing Times?

I already have the latest Ultra-Tech, Bio-Tech and shortly will have the modern day tech one (name escapes me as I type this), just to save you advising me about those. :¬)

whswhs · 03-03-2010, 05:29 PM

Shell-Tech is a big help if you want a campaign with lots of characters in cybershells or bioshells.

Bill Stoddard

Gaidheal · 03-03-2010, 05:47 PM

Aye, thanks for pointing that out but I forgot to mention that I have access to that through the friend, I figure that will be enough if I don't get it myself - most of the time the shells come up at character creation or when I'm prepping 'bad guys', I'd have thought.

Really, I am wondering about the nitty-gritty, like how the stats have altered and if there are wellknown pitfalls when trying to use the older stuff. I'll end up with a lot of 'notes' for character creation as it is, since I can't expect my players to chug through book after book to find what they need and I'll keeping some things out of reach.

sir_pudding · 03-03-2010, 05:52 PM

Except for the trimmed version of VE2 that appeared in In The Well and the spacecraft almost everything is covered by Changing Times and Shell-Tech. The next installment of GURPS Spaceships is supposed to have conversions of all the published spacecraft.

Gaidheal · 03-03-2010, 06:01 PM

Ah, okay. It's likely not too bad then. I tend to run 'vehicle light' games, as in; "It's a space bus guys, you get to Mars after a couple of days of increasing boredom... so, what now?"

Partly because unless it's the first time they have travelled in this way or their characters happen to be the C22 equivalent of 'train spotters', they probably neither notice nor care about the nitty gritty with the vehicles and partly because I find that narrative-based, abstract, vehicle combat works best for avoiding lots of tedious rolling and arguments about who gets hit where and what the relative speeds and positions are.

Whome? · 03-03-2010, 08:02 PM

Oh - I just LOVE Transhuman Space - the main book is by far the best produced main book I've ever bought.

I bought "Changing Times" myself - with that you are good to go.

The Gurps regular converstion guide helps also:

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-2.html#SS2.4

As does this guide:

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ludography.html

Basically, most of the worldbooks are filled with background information and converstion is easily accomplished.

Phil Masters · 03-04-2010, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaidheal

I already have the latest Ultra-Tech, Bio-Tech and shortly will have the modern day tech one (name escapes me as I type this), just to save you advising me about those.

There are some detail differences between the tech in the original TS books (as updated in Changing Times) and the treatments of similar topics in the current Ultra-Tech and Bio-Tech. I tend to favour using a lot of the latter where feasible, and I made some notes on the subject:

And I'm going to stick a flagrantly self-interested neck out and say that you do really need your own copy of Changing Times...

Gaidheal · 03-04-2010, 09:11 AM

Heh!

I will get my own copy (hard copy) of Changing Times, don't worry. If only because I am something of a completionist, too (damn those OCD tendencies!), my main concern was that at least with access I would be able to plan the game and probably run it just fine, too.

Spaceship books are fun to read and can be nice to look over but I'm quite serious when I say that for a realistic game (by my standards, at least) I don't want anything beyond what's needed to calculate travel times, really. I'm firmly of the opinion that combat between space vessels is quick, lethal and probably not too interesting to run:

"Okay, your shipboard AI gives you a 17% chance of surviving this encounter and regrets to inform you that you have insufficient endurance to outrun the aggressor even if you had superior acceleration, which you don't. He hopes that you all have recent backups."

Gaidheal · 03-04-2010, 12:21 PM

Okay, I will look at that material shortly but I'm going to be infuriating and toss out another concern that I've been having.

Naturally, given the age, some of th information in the 3E era books is dated, what's changed with regards to our astronomy and cosmology knowledge that now contradicts the material and does anyone have a nice handy 'update' guide?

I mean, obvious one right off the cuff is Pluto's demotion and the finding of Eris.

sir_pudding · 03-04-2010, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaidheal

I mean, obvious one right off the cuff is Pluto's demotion and the finding of Eris.

That's really just a terminology issue, nothing in THS precludes the treatment of both as dwarf planets.

03-03-2010, 05:01 PM	#1
Gaidheal Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Hi! I apologize if I have missed a huge thread somewhere on this but my searching hasn't turned up a complete answer, so I'm asking this outright. I ignored GURPS, pretty much, for the first three editions, for various reason but am now the proud owner of 4E almost exclusively off the back of THS, actually. Somehow I missed THS when it first came out but a year or so ago I came across it (and discovered some old uni friends had even been involved in some of the books), was extremely impressed, bought GURPS 4E and tracked down the THS main rulebook. I'm in the process of acquiring the other books I want (High Frontier and In the Well, primarily) but clearly it was all originally written for 3E. I'm sure it is not a huge problem and I know about Changing Times (and I have been able to skim a friend's electronic copy) but what are the issues for the THS books with the change in rulesets, how might I best go about using the older texts and what should I consider doing, in addition to getting hold of Changing Times? I already have the latest Ultra-Tech, Bio-Tech and shortly will have the modern day tech one (name escapes me as I type this), just to save you advising me about those. :¬)

03-03-2010, 05:29 PM	#2
whswhs Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Shell-Tech is a big help if you want a campaign with lots of characters in cybershells or bioshells. Bill Stoddard

03-03-2010, 05:47 PM	#3
Gaidheal Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Aye, thanks for pointing that out but I forgot to mention that I have access to that through the friend, I figure that will be enough if I don't get it myself - most of the time the shells come up at character creation or when I'm prepping 'bad guys', I'd have thought. Really, I am wondering about the nitty-gritty, like how the stats have altered and if there are wellknown pitfalls when trying to use the older stuff. I'll end up with a lot of 'notes' for character creation as it is, since I can't expect my players to chug through book after book to find what they need and I'll keeping some things out of reach.

03-03-2010, 05:52 PM	#4
sir_pudding Wielder of Smart Pants Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ventura CA	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Except for the trimmed version of VE2 that appeared in In The Well and the spacecraft almost everything is covered by Changing Times and Shell-Tech. The next installment of GURPS Spaceships is supposed to have conversions of all the published spacecraft.

03-03-2010, 06:01 PM	#5
Gaidheal Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Ah, okay. It's likely not too bad then. I tend to run 'vehicle light' games, as in; "It's a space bus guys, you get to Mars after a couple of days of increasing boredom... so, what now?" Partly because unless it's the first time they have travelled in this way or their characters happen to be the C22 equivalent of 'train spotters', they probably neither notice nor care about the nitty gritty with the vehicles and partly because I find that narrative-based, abstract, vehicle combat works best for avoiding lots of tedious rolling and arguments about who gets hit where and what the relative speeds and positions are.

03-03-2010, 08:02 PM	#6
Whome? Join Date: Jan 2006	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Oh - I just LOVE Transhuman Space - the main book is by far the best produced main book I've ever bought. I bought "Changing Times" myself - with that you are good to go. The Gurps regular converstion guide helps also: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-2.html#SS2.4 As does this guide: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ludography.html Basically, most of the worldbooks are filled with background information and converstion is easily accomplished. Last edited by Whome?; 03-03-2010 at 08:11 PM. Reason: typo

03-04-2010, 09:11 AM	#8
Gaidheal Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Heh! I will get my own copy (hard copy) of Changing Times, don't worry. If only because I am something of a completionist, too (damn those OCD tendencies!), my main concern was that at least with access I would be able to plan the game and probably run it just fine, too. Spaceship books are fun to read and can be nice to look over but I'm quite serious when I say that for a realistic game (by my standards, at least) I don't want anything beyond what's needed to calculate travel times, really. I'm firmly of the opinion that combat between space vessels is quick, lethal and probably not too interesting to run: "Okay, your shipboard AI gives you a 17% chance of surviving this encounter and regrets to inform you that you have insufficient endurance to outrun the aggressor even if you had superior acceleration, which you don't. He hopes that you all have recent backups."

03-04-2010, 12:21 PM	#9
Gaidheal Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	Re: What needs to be done for GURPS 4E THS? Okay, I will look at that material shortly but I'm going to be infuriating and toss out another concern that I've been having. Naturally, given the age, some of th information in the 3E era books is dated, what's changed with regards to our astronomy and cosmology knowledge that now contradicts the material and does anyone have a nice handy 'update' guide? I mean, obvious one right off the cuff is Pluto's demotion and the finding of Eris.