I'm a newbie gearing up to run GURPS 4e for my group (I've been playing HERO System though, with its similar complexity). I have two months to prepare and am running in a custom far-future earth setting in which at least tech level 8-9 will be available to the players.
I'm looking for advice on which rulebooks I should read through and what I should focus on past the core rules.
Setting is sci-fi in an era well after a post-apoc scenario occurred to the previous TL11 setting. Basically shit hit the fan and someone attempted a reset button with a nanite swarm that buried most of the old-tech. Things have stabilized somewhat and societies have re-formed in a new Earth with drastically different environments and ecosystems.
I was looking at Space (for tech, players will be limited to Earth for the time being), Biotech, and Ultratech. Power armor, mecha, landships, ancient cities, genetically engineered species, etc are somewhat uncommon but available.
My plan is to release a source book to players a week or two before the game with templates and basic setting info.
Uh, congrats. Sounds like you have everything figured out. Glad to see other people are playing GURPS. Happy gaming!
Evan King
Any specific questions you've got, OP? It sounds like you've got a pretty solid foundation and method for prepping the campaign, after that the rest should fall into place smoothly and easily. Can't think of anything glaring you're missing, but you might want to skim through the GURPS Mega at some of the Pyramid stuff that could be fun/helpful or just neat to draw inspiration from. Even just enemy factions or something to sprinkle in.
Here's a list of the "series 3" (4th edition) Pyramid issues, and the titles of the articles each one contains. Fuller descriptions of those articles can be found in the samples of each Pyramid issue on the Warehouse 23 website, or in the issues themselves (of course). forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=115624
Good luck, and have fun OP.
Angel Powell
Honestly, dude, I'd pick up a copy of Mook's book, "How to be a GURPS GM". Excellent, informative read.
As for the books you've pointed out >Space Has more world-building (literally, planets) and setting advice than it does useful tech-tables.
>Biotech, Ultratech Ehhhh. Has tech-tables aplenty for TL 11 games, but they are a point of contention on their quality. Can get pretty cartoony, which may or may not be what you want. If the elements are uncommon but available, I'd pick and choose elements. Use at your own risk. Honestly, I'm torn on what to suggest other than making up a few things using the basic set.
If the tone is meant to be post-apoc gritty, with rare glimpses into the glorious, fallen empires of the past, then I'd recommend After the End the most, make up the tech. If it's meant to be a romp through the environment with cool toys, then sure, get the tech books.
Lucas Reed
That sounds like a lot of work. Be careful of overworking yourself with GURPS, it's easy to become too ambitious and burn out.
I'd trim down what I initially need to that which only concerns the players. Then I can use the rest of the sourcebooks when they become relevant to the game.
Furthermore, if it is something that's only relevant to the GM, I'd blatantly and unapologetically "cheat" by just making up a few numbers if necessary.
Henry Williams
OP, I'd also recommend High-Tech. Even though the world is TL8-9, a lot of the most pervasive tech in common use (I imagine; it's your world, but speaking in terms of plausibility) would still be of "modern" make, even if just dressed up a little. It's a good catalog.
Also, please look into the GURPS Action! series. Specifically Action 1 and 2 (ESPECIALLY Action 2), though the other stuff is good too. These are invaluable resources for running an action packed, cinematic (but still fairly 'realistic' if you want to use that word), streamlined game, pretty much regardless of timeline/tech. Fantastic advice, great tools for simplification. Just look at 'em.
Luis Parker
Ultratech weaponry tends to be ridiculously lethal, so I'd recommend using Optional Wounding Rules from High-Tech p.162.
Jaxon Lopez
High Tech is a REALLY good book, and should be useful for a scattered-tech post apocalyptic earth. the After The End books also offer a lot of material you might want to use.
That's really ambitious, if you'd like to post your sourcebook when you are done I'd be curious to see it.
Josiah Bennett
I'm morrified that (from what I understand) because magic and ultratech didn't sell well, sjg doesn't plan on putting anything else on PoD.
Joshua Taylor
Do they have any connection to the fanbase at all? Do they read their forums? I know SJGames has made bad business decisions before, but that one just floored me. Open with Powers and Martial Arts. Open with a strong game. Then put junk like Magic and UT on later.
Apparently thus far their PoD books have net lost them money. I did buy high-tech and thaumatology.
I considered ultratech and magic, but >1. I will *never* use them, and >2. My one purchase won't prove shit.
Powers and martial arts would have been the logical starting point.
Camden Fisher
More and more I want to get my own home perfect-bound book printing setup going for all the unavailable out of print games I want.
Ayden Long
>Lost them money
How even is that possible? Lulu makes a killing on that kind of thing for consumers. What kind of expenses are involved that would overtake the gross and put them in the red?
That makes me sad, because I want to buy GURPS books in hardcover from SJGames, but unless I want to choose from their poor selection, I'm stuck with third party providers.
Jayden Campbell
How the FUCK do you LOSE MONEY on POD? The point is you LITERALLY DON'T PRINT ANYTHING WITHOUT DEMAND.
Lulu B&W interior color casewrap hardcovers run $18 each. Even if you can't get any better deal then that SJG could make $12 a book charging thirty dollars each. But they should absoloutly be able to get a better deal then what any asshole with a PDF can get from Lulu.
Alexander Gray
The cost of manors converting them for PoD has apparently been higher than their share of the profits from PoD in the first few months. Very low sales volume.
Nathan Jones
Theyre not hardcover. Amazon doesn't do hardcover on demand. They're perfect bound softcover like you see for 96 page supplements.
Nolan Fisher
Man hours* fucking phone.
But yeah. They're seriously dropping the ball on gurps. If I understand correctly, the dungeon fantasy revised boxed set is the last attempt before they give up on print gurps products entirely.
Ryder Roberts
Lulu's cheap and the books are durable.
Expect around $20 for B&W interior hardbound books that are acutely a little more durable then most RPG rulebooks and $50 for color interior with glossy 70# paper.
Expect to spend $500 for a crappy perfect binding machine and $200 for a printer, or $10,000 for a professional setup.
Aaron Nelson
I already have a $250 laser printer.
I was just going to build some binding blocks with a vice and do it manually.
Lulu was nowhere near that cheap here last I checked (everything is expensive in Canada, and these days the conversion is too shit to buy from the usa to make up for it, plus import taxes).
What are the legals on lulu'ing a purchased pdf?
Hunter Johnson
USA? It's perfectly kosher to have something you've bought printed, but you can't publish it or sell it to other people as your own. I don't know Canadian rules but I think that it's legal there too.
They got a bad deal then. Also, how many man hours did they burn on taking stuff they had lying around and getting them ready for a different print format? I feel like a professional would knock out properly formatted PDF for the interior and PNGs for the covers in a hour.
I believe it's a tough business, but sometimes SJG talk about GURPS makes it sounds like they are going The Producers on it.
Colton James
>Amazon doesn't do hardcover on demand Ewww.
Kevin Baker
Dont play dumps its the drumpf of pnp play D&D5e its 1. Epic 2. balanced (lol80guns) 3. Not a rule mess 4. And esport
Thabks to be of service!! For more questioms ask eg
