I just started reading into GURPS recently, and so far it looks pretty damn good.
People on here (outside the GURPS thread) always seem to bitch and say they have played it and it was bad, and then never give any details.
>People who have played it and don't like it: >What was the problem? Why didn't you like it?
Looking for information about the game that is not biased by being all by the people who like GURPS, and looking to hear legitimate complaints, rather than meme-bitching.
>What's actually wrong with GURPS? Please be specific rather than just making broad generalizations.
Joshua Foster
I've never played it myself, but I think that it possesses a massive sprawl of mechanics that slows the game down and puts people off.
Mason Murphy
Yeah, that's what I typically hear from people who have neither played nor read it.
But it has a hell of a lot less mechanics to read than Pathfinder, and tons of people play Pathfinder.
GURPS basically has two core books, and then the GM can include optional mechanics from other books, which are well organized so he can basically do it a book at a time.
If he wants more detailed martial arts? Theres a book he can use to expand the martial arts rules.
If he wants to let people have super powers, theres a super powers book that lets players design whatever power they want.
If he wants a certain magic system, he picks the one he wants to use.
If he wants historical weapons and armor, there's a book for that too.
From what I've gathered reading the books and talking to the people who play it, most of the time you're only gaming with a couple of books (based on what the GM is including), and therefore the mechanics aren't that sprawling.
Carson Evans
The game itself is solid, but there are some materials for it that are profoundly bad. And if you include past editions you have that one vehicle rules system, which has been a punchline for decades.
Plus people can be put off by the sizeable backlog of books for it. In it's own way it's a barrier for entry, even if most players won't end up reading or thinking about 3/4 of it.
And then of course you have people annoyed with the refrain of 'play GURPS' whenever there's any discussion of systems.
Bentley Miller
>but there are some materials for it that are profoundly bad Such as?
James Roberts
NTGB
I hear GURPS ultra tech is rather worthless. Supposedly a Poor selection of gadgets and crappy guns and armor.
Brody Gomez
>People suggest GURPS when you ask what system to play.
>It's often one of the better options to cover something that doesn't already have its own game. >As you mention, this has nothing to do with the actual quality the game.
Christopher King
The main problem with Ultra-Tech's guns and armor is that it fails to be generic. It's all designed around a setting where lethality has far outpaced protection, so most armor is generally useless against weapons at the same tech level.
There are also some internal balance issues - for example, TL10 gauss weapons get beat out by TL9 conventional guns with certain upgrades.
Gadgets are pretty abysmal. The stats are all just arbitrary and none of it really feels solid. High-Tech's gadgets are much more satisfying and it's a shame that the sci-fi stuff feels so shallow.
That said, the book is still good as a reference point for stating your own weapons and gadgets, and has a lot of valuable discussion of technologies and how they effect society.
Juan Parker
This is partly true, and once you actually get into the game things move much more quickly than other popular systems, largely because very little math is required by players and dice are consistent. The game's worst feature is chargen. See this: The pointbuy is incredibly bloated and unclear to new players. You know how many games have ability scores, and then a class, and then more specific skills? Well, GURPS has ability scores, and then skills. The problem arises when players are perusing through the skills to create the character they want (fine if you've got an idea/are a creative person, terrible if you're unsure of what you want to be, since there aren't "classes") and pick out some stuff, only to realize that they wasted their points by getting too specific. GURPS has a basic rule that abilities in general skills will give you a discount compared to the specific skills within the umbrella, and if new players don't realize this (they never do) the GM will lean over their shoulder like they're a retarded child and carefully explain this, or, they'll just roll with the character they made and wonder why they died so quickly.
Just my two cents on why this game isn't more popular (besides the disgusting name)
