Fantasy RPG: GURPS or D&D?

[Turjan]

I've got a friend who regularly leads GURPS sessions and likes the system very much. On the other hand, he prefers a different system which is relatively similar to D&D (but not common in the U.S.). He loves GURPS, because it's very flexible. But he thinks that GURPS isn't suitable for any long term campaign. It's good for adventures that are supposed to last for just a few sessions, but then the rules can't handle more eperienced characters very well.

In the end, it comes down to what you expect of a game. D&D's steep increase in character power isn't everyone's cup of tea; therefore, you have to decide whether you like that or not. On the other hand, D&D as a ruleset is flexible enough to allow you to cut down that race to power so that it fits your liking. If you are planning on a campaign that will guide your players' characters on a path that is set for years, then the choice would be D&D. It's up to you .

 

[d4]

But he thinks that GURPS isn't suitable for any long term campaign. It's good for adventures that are supposed to last for just a few sessions, but then the rules can't handle more eperienced characters very well.

oh i don't agree. i've played in multi-year GURPS campaigns, and they all went swimmingly. my old group also did a GURPS fantasy campaign that started at 350 points, and we still had no problems. i don't think GURPS has any more problems with "high-level" characters than D&D does.

 

[Turjan]

oh i don't agree. i've played in multi-year GURPS campaigns, and they all went swimmingly. my old group also did a GURPS fantasy campaign that started at 350 points, and we still had no problems. i don't think GURPS has any more problems with "high-level" characters than D&D does.

Well, that friend of mine means the GURPS rules don't cover many problems during high level play, thus leaving the DM with the task to decide everything on his own. Don't get me wrong - he loves GURPS! He loves it because of its flexibility. I really enjoy all the wacky ideas for RPing he realizes just by using GURPS, because he thinks it's the best fit for that style of play. But as far as long campaigns go, he finds it lacking.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Someone correctly pointed out RPG.net on the whole are notoriously anti-d20.

I guess you could say that their hate of d02 know no limit.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

 

[Nightfall]

Sokay Jezter. I appreciate the laugh.

 

[Taladas]

Azgulor, I was going to say that you should stick with Gurps since that seems to fit the style that you want to run but then I noticed that you already have the books for D&D. And I thought maybe you should run D&D.

It would give you and your group the chance to try the new system and see if you like it, not a bad thing IMHO. And as has been pointed out there is a ton of support out there, just the free stuff online is staggering.

Worst case, it doesn't work. Then you can go back to Gurps and possibly convert the campaign. And you tried to expand your gaming horizons.

Best case, it works. And now you have two systems to use.

Just a thought.

 

[KenM]

GURPS has been using the same ruleset for over 10 years, you don't have to worry about buying a new set of core rules every few years. Unlike DnD.

 

[Darkness]

Much as I love D&D and GURPs, Fantasy HERO owns both of them so bad, it isn't funny.

Not to mention that HERO is kinda like GURPS without its flaws, nor mentioning the creeping HEROization of D&D.

 

[Piratecat]

The main draw of D&D is something completely independent of a specific rule set: just about everyone knows how to play D&D. It can be really tough to find new players for a non-D&D game, and that's something to keep in mind when you're planning a new gaming group.

 

[Celtavian]

re

.

Give GURPS a read sometime. You can simulate certain things in GURPS that D&D just doesn't do very well IMO. , in GURPS you have true combat skill, not just attack skill but defense skill as well. For example, a fight between two highly skilled swordsman can really last a long time. And if it does last a longtime, they have fatigue rules so being in good shape really is important to a fighter in GURPS.

The GURPS combat system is so much better at simulating combat compared to D&D's combat system. It is much more interactive. I was utterly shocked when that D&D turned the generic Parry into a feat called Combat Expertise. Every single fighter or fighter-type in D&D should inherently have Combat Expertise IMO. Doesn't it ever bother you that a Wizard using Total Defense and a Fighter using Total Defense gain exactly the same defense bonus in melee combat? It's an easy rule to use, but anyone with a half a brain would know that a skilled swordsman could defend himself far better than a wizard or a rogue. Things like this in the D&D combat system don't sit well with me. I actually prefer many 2nd edition combat rules (specifically from the Combat and Tactics) over 3rd edition rules, though I do think iterative attacks is a vast improvement over ThacO.

I've played D&D for years though. The strength of the game has always been the ease of play and huge amount of campaign material. If D&D didn't have these things going for it, I would be playing another game system, probably GURPS or Hero System. I use GURPS almost exclusively when simulating Special Ops, Cops, or Spy campaigns. The system suits my needs better for those genres.