Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="dbm" data-source="post: 9189151" data-attributes="member: 8014">GURPS has an extensive range of supplements to support what I call ‘combat-spelunking’. The Dungeon Fantasy series has an extensive set of PDFs and there is also a stand-alone box set which obviates the need for the core books if people prefer that option. It does quite a good job, but it’s a very precise game if you are playing it by-the-book. It’s certainly a great option if you want more nuanced and foregrounded martial characters - in GURPS it is much easier to hurt someone on a regular basis with a sword than with magic. And the combat system has extensive options baked-in without them being locked behind feats or similar.One of the most enduring D&amp;D-isms in my experience is strong archetypes, so while GURPS doesn’t implement classes as such, the templates are used to delineate archetypes and create niche protection. Pathfinder for Savage Worlds does a similar thing with ‘class edges’ that replace some of the standard edges in the game. I see a very similar thing in other not-D&amp;D systems where archetype tends to be promoted in some way or other.The other classic fantasy system is probably RuneQuest? I have only played a smattering of this over the years but my understanding is that archetypes are kind of implemented through the concept of cults and guilds. To learn the highest levels of ability (in a system with completely free-form development) you need access to specialist training and access to this is controlled in-character rather than by the rules directly. If you are spending your time and energy rising through the ranks of cult-A then cult-B may not even admit you, and you certainly won’t have the time to rise to the highest levels of both.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="dbm, post: 9189151, member: 8014"] GURPS has an extensive range of supplements to support what I call ‘combat-spelunking’. The [B]Dungeon Fantasy[/B] series has an extensive set of PDFs and there is also a stand-alone box set which obviates the need for the core books if people prefer that option. It does quite a good job, but it’s a very precise game if you are playing it by-the-book. It’s certainly a great option if you want more nuanced and foregrounded martial characters - in GURPS it is much easier to hurt someone on a regular basis with a sword than with magic. And the combat system has extensive options baked-in without them being locked behind feats or similar. One of the most enduring D&D-isms in my experience is strong archetypes, so while GURPS doesn’t implement classes as such, the templates are used to delineate archetypes and create niche protection. [I]Pathfinder for Savage Worlds[/I] does a similar thing with ‘class edges’ that replace some of the standard edges in the game. I see a very similar thing in other not-D&D systems where archetype tends to be promoted in some way or other. The other classic fantasy system is probably [B]RuneQuest[/B]? I have only played a smattering of this over the years but my understanding is that archetypes are kind of implemented through the concept of cults and guilds. To learn the highest levels of ability (in a system with completely free-form development) you need access to specialist training and access to this is controlled in-character rather than by the rules directly. If you are spending your time and energy rising through the ranks of cult-A then cult-B may not even admit you, and you certainly won’t have the time to rise to the highest levels of both. [/QUOTE]

Verification