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Title: Gurps Basic Set by Steve Jackson Games, Steve Jackson ISBN: 1-55634-357-4 Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: February, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (26 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: My Favorite System
Comment: Some of you might remember a game called "The Fantasy Trip". This fantasy game was my first introduction to what would evolve into Gurps. I loved TFT, and I love Gurps even more so. I've been playing Gurps so long, I've had to replace my rule book twice from use. My current copy's spine is being held together by duct tape and is due to be replaced (here's a tip, if you buy this book, buy the hardcover. It will last longer than the soft) I love it for what it is meant to be: at its best, a flexible engine that can be applied to any genre. At its worst, it can be heavily munchkinized.
Gurps has a point based character creation system. Players assign points to basic attributes (Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity and Health)which have a base line of 10. The lower the score, the worse the attribute and vice versa. These four "building blocks" serve as the basis for all skills. Skills are neatly arranged in an easy to use format. Aside from skills and attributes, points are assigned for advantages. Advantages are just what they sound like, those things which give a character an edge. Disadvantages and quirks can be taken to give the player more points to spend on attributes, skills and advantages. It is disadvantages and quirks which give personality to the characters. The list of skills, advantages and disadvantages in the basic book isn't exhaustive, but comes close. Quirks are left to the player's imagination.
Skill resolution is easy. Roll three d6. Matching the skill level or lower indicates a success. Going over will result in a failure. Rolling exceptionaly well (low) or exceptionaly bad (high) could result in either a critical success or critical failure. Crits add to the enjoyment of the game.
Rules for combat are easy in their simplest format; however, there is an advanced combat system to supplement the basic combat system. If the advanced combat system is used, expect long, drawn out battles. Steve Jackson has a rule for just about anything, and if used, they will slow down play. Another word of caution. Munchkins will take forever making a character as they min/max everything and tweak their points to get every last possible advantage.
Gurps offers a workable system for psionics (Gurps: Psionics is a worthy expansion to the "basic" system in the main rulebook) but magic is one of the game's weak points. Magic is built on the concept that easier spells must be learned before harder spells (with this I agree) and that casting spells is physically exhaustive. Spells cost fatigue points and this score is derived from the character's strength. Now this I have a problem with. I realize that there must be a controlling factor, but unless your mage is Arnold or has a butt load of mana stones (mana is the energy for spells)she isn't going to last long in a battle. Gurps: Magic and Gurps: Grimoire do not offer much to fix this problem. Most players of Gurps end up tweaking the magic system to suite their taste.
There isn't too much genre information in the main rulebook; however, the self-sufficient geek with plenty of time on his hands could get by with just the main rulebook. I'd recommend purchasing at least Compendium I & II along with Vehicles and Martial Arts (just because MA kicks butt).
Gurps is well supported. There are rules expansion books (Compendiums I & II, Vehicles, Psionics, Martial Arts, Magic). Gurps does offer world books ranging from Space, Horror, Supers and Fantasy. Some of these I like (Space is good, Horror isn't bad) some I do not (I've never been an IST or Yrrth fan) but all of them give enough information that the GM can adapt his or her favorite genre settings for play (most DnD worlds convert easily). In some cases this has been done for the GM. Gurps: Discworld for instance is based upon Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Gurps also has a number of their own world's (such as Cabal). Steve Jackson games have put out a number of "period" books such as Greece, Aztecs and Russia. Overall, there is a wealth of supplementary material offered.
The Skinny: The rules are usuable in any genre. There is very little genre information in the main rulebook. That is left to the creativity of the GM, or can be obtained by purchasing some of the vast supplementary books offered. Gurps offers a highly detailed character generation system. This can be bad, if you do not like long character creation. Skills resolution is simple. Combat comes in two forms: quick and dirty with no attention paid to realism, and long and detailed with lots of realism. The Magic system bites and is the only reason I won't give Gurps 5 stars. Overall, something for everyone.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very Impressive RPG System
Comment: I must confess that I am fairly new to GURPS, but I am an enthusiastic convert. I have played, or experimented with, numerous RPG systems over the years, such as Dungeons and Dragons, Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Chivalry and Sorcery, and others. While all these systems have their strengths, and certainly their weaknesses, I must say that I think GURPS is the best overall RPG (Role Playing Game) system that I have ever seen. What makes it so great is the brilliant way in which it manages to combine simplicity with great depth, realism and flexibility. Once a character is created almost everything you will need to play that character is on the character sheet. There is not much need for constant reference to dozens of different tables and charts, as in some other systems. GURPS also allows you to simulate any gaming environment you can imagine, from traditional medieval fantasy to futuristic sci-fi or space opera. The book is well organized, and the material is presented in a clear readable format. I find that I can quickly and easily find most of the information I am looking for. The artwork is consistently decent; apparently almost all of it comes from the same artist. Also, unlike many RPG books, the typos are refreshingly kept at a minimum. As are all of the GURPS books I have seen, this is a professionally put together product.
The basic game mechanics are not complex, and once understood allow you fairly easily simulate almost every conceivable situation. For example, there are straightforward rules on determining whether or not an archer's bowstring has snapped when an arrow is loosed, or for determining if a sword breaks on a parry, or how much damage a shield can take before it is no longer any good. Indeed, the combat system can be as simple or as complex as you want it. In the advanced combat system the body is divided up into at least six areas where one must designate what kind of armor is being worn. A character may have on a helmet and a breastplate, but if he has not armored his arms and hands or legs and feet, those areas, while relatively harder to hit, will be more vulnerable to taking serious or critical damage, if they are struck. This combat system can be used to create a more sophisticated tactical environment than any of the other systems I have played, which more often than naught reduce combat to a series of dice rolls where opponents merely stand toe-to-toe with each other swinging back and forth until one is no longer standing. In GURPS different weapons have different advantages and disadvantages depending upon an adversary's armor. Thus in combat you must consider how an opponent is armored and what weapon they are using vs. your armor and weapons, and act accordingly. Also, in each turn you must also decide how best to move. For example, should you try a feint maneuver to fake your opponent out, stand back in an all out defense, or do you make an all out berserker charge heedless of your own defense? The rules also let you decide whether you want to try and merely wound or disarm your opponent, rather than kill them. While my examples above focus on primitive or hand-to-hand combat, the rules for advanced weapons, such as automatic rifles, futuristic beam weapons, and explosive devises are equally detailed, realistic, and playable.
So far, in my admittedly limited experience with GURPS, one of the only areas I can offer any genuine criticism is with the limited number of attributes. To achieve simplicity GURPS uses only four attributes, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Health. In my mind, the Intelligence attribute is entirely too generic, and tries to cover too many different character traits. In addition to representing raw IQ, the Intelligence attribute also represents such divergent character qualities as willpower, discipline, wisdom, and education. On this one point I think GURPS sacrifices realism for simplicity. Certainly a character's raw IQ is not identical to his or her willpower or mental discipline. Also, intelligence is not identical to wisdom or even education. All is not lost, however, for supplemental rules in "Compendium I" do allow for the addition of a Willpower attribute. Also an individual game master can easily insert additional attributes, as they deem appropriate. This criticism being noted, I should state that it will not stop me from using the system, and tweaking it as I see fit. This is one of the strengths of GURPS in that the rules and basic mechanics are given in such a way that they can be fairly easily adapted to any style or system of play; thus the "G" for "Generic" in GURPS.
Everything you need to play GURPS, with the exception of dice, is contained in this one basic book. The supplements are excellent and add additional rules and details for various types of campaign environments such as futuristic space, fantasy, supers, Feudal Japan, horror, Ancient Rome, or you name it. Whatever your gaming preference, GURPS can accommodate you. I highly recommend this system for anyone interested in RPG adventuring. Steve Jackson Games definitely has their act together!
Rating: 4
Summary: Good, but not the greatest
Comment: If you're out and about, lookin for the basic rules and standards of the Role-Playing Game 'GURPS', then this is what you should get. That is, if you have the cash to spend on it. Amazingly enough, this covers more than just the basics, it also allows the player and GM's to go deeper into the game development and rules, the rabbit hole is only as deep as you want to explore in this case.
However, the biggest problem I see is that if you download GURPS Lite from Steve Jackson Games Website, and then simply buy the expansion guides (i.e. GURPS Martial Arts, GURPS Japan, GURPS High Tech) you'll get about the same volume of information for a lot less and posibbly have a better gaming experience.
If you want to go exploring into the world of GURPS, and really want to know your stuff, then this is the book for you.
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Title: GURPS Compendium I : Character Creation by Sean Punch, Steve Jackson, Dan Smith ISBN: 155634290X Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: May, 1997 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Gurps Magic: A Tome of Mystic Secrets for Fantasy Roleplaying by Steve Jackson, Dan Smith, C. Bradford Gorby ISBN: 1556342861 Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: March, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Gurps Compendium II: Campaigns and Combat by Sean M. Punch, C. Bradford Gorby, Dan Smith ISBN: 1556343272 Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: December, 1996 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: GURPS Space by Steve Jackson, William A. Barton, David Pulver, Sean M. Punch, Lloyd Blanekenship ISBN: 1556343906 Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: 13 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Gurps Martial Arts: Exotic Combat Systems from All Creatures by C. J. Carella, Sean M. Punch, Lillian Butler ISBN: 1556343140 Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Pub. Date: February, 1996 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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