How do the 350+ skills in GURPS work out in play?

Pat and Che discuss the extensive skill system in GURPS, emphasizing its versatility for various settings and genres. They highlight the importance of skill selection for long-form play, focusing on character development and the specific context of the game world.

Pat and Che discuss the challenges of managing skills in the GURPS system, emphasizing the importance of tailoring skills to specific campaigns rather than trying to memorize all available skills. They discuss the use of skill checks and difficulty modifiers in this game system.

GURPS Skills Categories Freebie: GURPS Skill Categories | Warehouse 23

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DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

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What's happening in the host's campaigns?

Che and Pat discuss their recent GURPS gaming experiences, with Che sharing his excitement about running a GURPS-powered game set in the world of Karameikos, which had its first successful session.

They note that the system encourages detailed world-building through character bios and mechanical choices, leading to the creation of new organizations, patrons, and story elements.

Che emphasizes the beauty of having multiple narrative threads and the flexibility to adapt the setting based on player input. They also touch on the complexity of managing character motivations and the initial setup of the campaign, which involved a mystery investigation.

Pat shares his own experience of improvising a complex random encounter involving Roman magic users in his Memento Mori campaign, emphasizing the value of spontaneous world-building in gaming. They discuss their approach to game mastering, focusing on how to handle player characters exploring a world with random encounters and organic story development.

Big thanks to UberGrog for the kind call-in!

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Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a new GM overcome points paralysis?

Pat and Che discussed strategies for managing point allocation in GURPS, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience and starting with smaller, simpler campaigns. They advised new GMs to experiment with character creation, focusing on attributes and skills before moving to disadvantages and advantages. For superhero campaigns, they recommended starting with street-level scenarios and gradually increasing complexity. Che suggested sitting down with an experienced GM to learn the process, while Pat highlighted the value of using bio sheets and organic advantages in character creation.

Big thanks to Alex for the call-in that inspired this episode!

Please be aware, we're moving to a bi-weekly release schedule after this episode.

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THANKS:

Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the problem with surprise in GURPS?

WARNING! There's some fruity bad language in this one!

Che and Pat discussed the implementation and mechanics of surprise and initiative rules in GURPS, including how these rules interact with various character advantages and combat systems. They explored modifications to combat reflexes and coolness mechanics, with Pat proposing new approaches to address balance and realism issues in the current system. The conversation concluded with discussions about GM flexibility in implementing surprise mechanics and adapting rules to create engaging combat scenarios.

Pat's Surprise Rules: Major Renovations: Tuning Up the Rules – Cry Havoc!

OR t2kcampaigns.com/2024/05/22/major-renovations-tuning-up-the-rules/

Thanks to Matt for the question!

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Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

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Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are Frequency Rolls and how can we use them effectively?

Che and Pat discuss the frequency of appearance mechanism in GURPS, which determines how often NPCs like allies, contacts, patrons, and dependents show up in adventures. They discuss how to apply frequency rolls for NPCs, advantages, and disadvantages in open-world GURPS campaigns without defined adventures. Pat explains that GMs need to determine when to make these rolls based on their campaign structure rather than relying on the vague concept of "per adventure". They emphasize that these mechanics create opportunities for roleplaying and complications while taking pressure off the GM to arbitrarily decide when elements like contacts, dependents, or enemies appear in the game.

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Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enhancements and Limitations? What the heck are all these modifiers about?

Pat and Che discuss GURPS Limitations and Enhancements, particularly how they can be used to create supernatural abilities and powers. Pat explains that limitations like "costs fatigue" or "unreliable" can reduce point costs and balance abilities, while enhancements like "reduced time" or "ranged" can modify abilities to work differently. They agree that while these mechanics might seem complicated to newcomers, they're valuable tools for fine-tuning characters, and recommend mastering the basic system before diving into these options.

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THANKS:

Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are Disadvantages at the heart of roleplay?

This episode Che and Pat are discussing character creation in GURPS with a focus on disadvantages as meaningful roleplaying elements rather than just point sources. They emphasise that disadvantages should reflect character depth, create interesting dilemmas, and be limited to a reasonable number to maintain playability while adding flavour to characters. The conversation also covers adapting content from other game systems to GURPS, creating custom disadvantages, and the importance of self-control rolls in gameplay.

Big thanks to Frank T for the call-in!

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THANKS:

Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are Advantages and how on Earth do you select them for your campaign?

In this podcast episode, Pat and Che discuss the different types of Advantages in the game system, categorised as mental, physical, and social, with further classifications as mundane, exotic, or supernatural. They review specific examples including Absolute Timing, Acute Senses, Affliction, Allies, and supernatural abilities like Blessed and Psychometry, explaining how these function in gameplay and how frequency roles determine how often social advantages like allies appear in long-form campaigns.

The hosts also address listener questions about character advantages/disadvantages, recommending collaborative character creation focused on concept-appropriate traits rather than overwhelming players with all available options. Pat explains that in a mundane spy campaign like "Sandbaggers," characters should focus on social advantages and realistic human attributes rather than exotic or supernatural abilities.

Big thanks to Ty for the call-in!

GOT A QUESTION?

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THANKS:

Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:

https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/

Logo by MJ Hiblen:

https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:

The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.