Advice on using GURPs to replace 4E?

[Ashrem Bayle]

I would start off with:

Basic Set: Characters
Basic Set: Campaigns
Fantasy
Magic

I'd skip Fantasy and Magic. Fantasy really isn't that helpful to veteran fantasy GMs and Magic is a book about only one way of modeling magic in GURPS.

At least, don't get Magic until you've seen the "default" magic system in the Basic Set and are sure that's how you want to do it. If so, it's really good.

My self, I'd instead recommend Powers. That book covers alternate magic systems, psionics, super powers and pretty much anything else. It's my favorite GURPS suppliment. Coupled with the Basic Set, it's more bang for the buck than most any other RPG game book.

Martial Arts is also very good. Don't let the name fool you though, it focuses on more than just the "Asian" styles, including even stuff for knights and modern soldiers.

You might also consider the Crucible Campaign Setting.

 

[Nikosandros]

My self, I'd instead recommend Powers. That book covers alternate magic systems, psionics, super powers and pretty much anything else. It's my favorite GURPS suppliment. Coupled with the Basic Set, it's more bang for the buck than most any other RPG game book.

Between Powers and Thaumatology (another book that's focused on magical systems) you have awesome tools to build your own magical systems. However, the process might be a bit daunting for a GURPS newbie. It might be better to stick with the pre-made system at first. After all, it's a rather decent system.

 

[jdrakeh]

I'd skip Fantasy and Magic. Fantasy really isn't that helpful to veteran fantasy GMs and Magic is a book about only one way of modeling magic in GURPS.

I think you're overstating things a bit. Frex, while it's true that Magic presents a single system of spell casting as a default, it also presents dozens of options for modifying that system of spell casting to reflect different fantasy settings and genres.

As for Fantasy, the one thing that it is really useful for is teaching people how to model fantasy in GURPS (which isn't always obvious to somebody migrating to GURPS from non-generic systems). I didn't think that I needed it either and balked when people over on the SJG forum suggested it. I was wrong.

 

[Mad Hamish]

I've never had that much to do with GURPS (I think I own one editions rulebook and have a couple of supplements) but my impression is that it's generally been better at the gritty end of combat than the 4th ed D&D end so I'm not sure that it's a great fit for replacing 4th ed.

 

[coyote6]

Given enough points, and permission to buy the right abilities, GURPS can get fairly silly-crazy cinematic. However, it's still going to differ from any version of D&D.

Edit: And the base rules are certainly grittier than D&D 4e!

 

[pawsplay]

I've been working, by and by, on a 3.5 conversion guide, using nothing but the two main books and GURPS Powers and Martial Arts.

GURPS Magic is good, but doesn't speak to D&D style magic very much. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy stuff is probably cool, but isn't needed unless you want to strip down the game a lot. GURPS Fantasy is, well, it's extremely awesome, but you don't need it unless you just really want one of the best RPG genre guides to fantasy ever written.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

My experience stems from GURPS 3rd ed., but should be applicable nevertheless.

What GURPS fails to emulate is the power growth typical to D&D. GURPS-characters start out more capable the D&D-1st-level types, but won't reach the high end of the power scale so smoothly.

If you hand out Character Points as often as XP in D&D, the characters will quickly be extremely powerful. If, on the other hand, you are more stingy, the players will have to wait quite a long time until their characters grow in a noticable way.

 

[The Lost Muse]

My experience stems from GURPS 3rd ed., but should be applicable nevertheless.

What GURPS fails to emulate is the power growth typical to D&D. GURPS-characters start out more capable the D&D-1st-level types, but won't reach the high end of the power scale so smoothly.

If you hand out Character Points as often as XP in D&D, the characters will quickly be extremely powerful. If, on the other hand, you are more stingy, the players will have to wait quite a long time until their characters grow in a noticable way.

That's mitigated to a certain extent in the new edition, as the costs for advancing ability scores are flattened, and point costs are better balanced overall. It's still going to take a bit longer to become more capable at skills the character is already good at, but as you previously stated, GURPS characters tend to be pretty strong out of the box.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Thanks to all replies, certainly food for thought. I will pick up the basic GURPs PDFs anyway and take it from there...deleted sarcy, but unnecessary, PDF comment.

We don't like it too gritty but I am a pretty experienced DM so I should be able to fudge like hell

Cheers to you all.

EDIT: we might try a one shot GURPs lite anyway, if we can fit it in (oh real life, how you get in the way of gaming!)

 

[ArghMark]

This may be slightly off topic, but you may want to give Warhammer 2nd ed a quick look. Its more similar to 3.5 with feats and special abilities, but there are some interesting tactical features; all out attacks giving bonuses to hit, deliberate parries or defensive stances and the like.

And as ex-wargamers, you could pull out the minis for little battles quite quickly I expect.

As for GURPS, I only played it as a traveller game, and it was rather bloody; one character got unlucky and after hours of character creation (partly the GMs fault - no one had any idea how to play the game) died in the first round of combat. The player didn't come back to that game.

I have to agree with others though; from my perusal of the rules if you have a lot of points you can do high fantasy quite well.