GURPS Modern Warfare

Dangerious P. Cats · 12-29-2011, 07:36 PM

For an up-coming campaign I'm running a one shot before character generation to give the players an idea of how GURPS (particularly GURPS's combat) works. The scenario will last as long as the players live (a big part of the idea is to get them to feel like combat has a high chance of killing them), meaning that it will be battle orientated. The problem I have is that two of the campaign possibilities I have are modern warfare type scenarios which I know relatively little about. Outside of getting Tactical Shooting (which is on my to-do list) and reading through High Tech what advice can you offer me about running a modern warfare scenario? The two scenarios I'm looking at are either modern soldiers defending a city from invasion by TL10 Aliens (mostly fighting house to house) or a battle between two modern first world armies (the campaign is based around ww2 happening at TL8 sans nukes). Any help would be appreciated.

Polydamas · 12-29-2011, 09:38 PM

GURPS Tactical Shooting and its bibliography might be a good place to start. Modern combat involving professionals is wierd and requires a fair degree of player knowledge to play out, so it might not be my choice for a one-shot if you don't know much about it.

Polydamas · 12-29-2011, 09:47 PM

Also, will the campaign be about modern operators, or just the one-shot? If the whole campaign will be about it, and the players don't know much about modern tactics, you might even want to have the first session or two of the campaign be a training exercise, where the players learn to have their characters execute the right tactics. Having the weapons be simulators is an easy way to avoid killing too many characters while letting the players figure out what does and doesn't work.

silke_rahn · 12-30-2011, 01:38 AM

Two questions:

Where you inspired by the Modern Warfare threads of Call of Duty?

Are you trying to convert Call of Duty Modern Warfare to GURPS either 3rd or 4th edition?

Kale · 12-30-2011, 02:22 AM

In a nutshell, whoever shoots first usually wins. Most tactics are rigged up to give your side the opening volley. (i.e. ambushes) If you can catch an enemy in the open with minimal cover, they are toast, particularly with small squads.

Otherwise it's all fire and maneuver. Keep your enemy pinned and flank. In terms of game rules, make sure to use suppressing fire and will rolls to allow people under suppressing fire to move or act. That way the PCs can fire on an enemy's cover to keep them pinned, and the enemies can do likewise to the PCs. Again this is why shooting first is helpful.

Sniper tactics are also quite brutal, although you might want to go easy on this since it can insta-kill a PC with no warning. The tradition is to have the sniper off some NPC first so the PCs have a chance to try to do something.

Ultraviolet · 12-30-2011, 02:52 AM

IMHO a thing to remember if you want to simulate "realism" is to enforce suppressive fire as being a deterrent to get up, to actually have it pin soldiers in cover.

After a decade and a half of Spec Ops/Mercenary gaming I find that we have never gotten his to work. Mainly because people let their PCs use the player's knowledge of the rules. Ok, bad Guys have just shot, now it's our turn and we can just pop up and return fire. Unless some of the enemy are using Opportunity fire. Lots of bullets hit around you, but they don't hit! Nothin' to it!

Sure, if someone pours automatic fire the 4th ed rules allows this to be suppressive and have ahiot of hitting anyone walking into it. But I'm talking about the psychological aspects.
We've talked about Fright Checks for near-misses, or even hits. But players aruge that they're crack teams of SEALs and SAS and that stuff is for conscripts. And sure, effects of Frigtht Checks can be crippling. You canbe out of action for a lognt ime, or even faint. Then we talked about needing Will rolls but the game really bogs down with many rolls.

Perhaps something where a shooter declares he is firing for suppression - like to keep an enemy in cover down - and his margin of success is the penalty for the enemy's Will roll. Still this is yet another roll...
Perhaps the GM can rule some MoS needed to suppress and if the shooter gets this the enemy stays down for a while?

12-29-2011, 07:36 PM	#1
Dangerious P. Cats Join Date: Sep 2007	GURPS Modern Warfare For an up-coming campaign I'm running a one shot before character generation to give the players an idea of how GURPS (particularly GURPS's combat) works. The scenario will last as long as the players live (a big part of the idea is to get them to feel like combat has a high chance of killing them), meaning that it will be battle orientated. The problem I have is that two of the campaign possibilities I have are modern warfare type scenarios which I know relatively little about. Outside of getting Tactical Shooting (which is on my to-do list) and reading through High Tech what advice can you offer me about running a modern warfare scenario? The two scenarios I'm looking at are either modern soldiers defending a city from invasion by TL10 Aliens (mostly fighting house to house) or a battle between two modern first world armies (the campaign is based around ww2 happening at TL8 sans nukes). Any help would be appreciated. __________________ There is no "i" in team, but there is in Dangerious!

12-29-2011, 09:38 PM	#2
Polydamas Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central Europe	Re: GURPS Modern Warfare GURPS Tactical Shooting and its bibliography might be a good place to start. Modern combat involving professionals is wierd and requires a fair degree of player knowledge to play out, so it might not be my choice for a one-shot if you don't know much about it. __________________ "It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature

12-29-2011, 09:47 PM	#3
Polydamas Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central Europe	Re: GURPS Modern Warfare Also, will the campaign be about modern operators, or just the one-shot? If the whole campaign will be about it, and the players don't know much about modern tactics, you might even want to have the first session or two of the campaign be a training exercise, where the players learn to have their characters execute the right tactics. Having the weapons be simulators is an easy way to avoid killing too many characters while letting the players figure out what does and doesn't work. __________________ "It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature

12-30-2011, 01:38 AM	#4
silke_rahn Join Date: Nov 2007	Re: GURPS Modern Warfare Two questions: Where you inspired by the Modern Warfare threads of Call of Duty? Are you trying to convert Call of Duty Modern Warfare to GURPS either 3rd or 4th edition?

12-30-2011, 02:22 AM	#5
Kale Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Cowtown, Canada	Re: GURPS Modern Warfare In a nutshell, whoever shoots first usually wins. Most tactics are rigged up to give your side the opening volley. (i.e. ambushes) If you can catch an enemy in the open with minimal cover, they are toast, particularly with small squads. Otherwise it's all fire and maneuver. Keep your enemy pinned and flank. In terms of game rules, make sure to use suppressing fire and will rolls to allow people under suppressing fire to move or act. That way the PCs can fire on an enemy's cover to keep them pinned, and the enemies can do likewise to the PCs. Again this is why shooting first is helpful. Sniper tactics are also quite brutal, although you might want to go easy on this since it can insta-kill a PC with no warning. The tradition is to have the sniper off some NPC first so the PCs have a chance to try to do something. __________________ FYI: Laser burns HURT!

12-30-2011, 02:52 AM	#6
Ultraviolet Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Århus, Denmark	Re: GURPS Modern Warfare IMHO a thing to remember if you want to simulate "realism" is to enforce suppressive fire as being a deterrent to get up, to actually have it pin soldiers in cover. After a decade and a half of Spec Ops/Mercenary gaming I find that we have never gotten his to work. Mainly because people let their PCs use the player's knowledge of the rules. Ok, bad Guys have just shot, now it's our turn and we can just pop up and return fire. Unless some of the enemy are using Opportunity fire. Lots of bullets hit around you, but they don't hit! Nothin' to it! Sure, if someone pours automatic fire the 4th ed rules allows this to be suppressive and have ahiot of hitting anyone walking into it. But I'm talking about the psychological aspects. We've talked about Fright Checks for near-misses, or even hits. But players aruge that they're crack teams of SEALs and SAS and that stuff is for conscripts. And sure, effects of Frigtht Checks can be crippling. You canbe out of action for a lognt ime, or even faint. Then we talked about needing Will rolls but the game really bogs down with many rolls. Perhaps something where a shooter declares he is firing for suppression - like to keep an enemy in cover down - and his margin of success is the penalty for the enemy's Will roll. Still this is yet another roll... Perhaps the GM can rule some MoS needed to suppress and if the shooter gets this the enemy stays down for a while? __________________ Playing GURPS since '90, is now fluent in 4th ed as well.