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<blockquote data-quote="uzirath" data-source="post: 7612205" data-attributes="member: 8495">I would start off with GURPS because it's the system I know best. (I have done this exact thing many times over the years with different groups of coworkers.) If I'm going to be managing the rules behind the scenes, then I need a system that I know well. Most RPGs, GURPS included, have a very simple core mechanic of trying to roll higher or lower than a target number. With GURPS, you roll three dice and aim low. I usually use a marker to highlight key numbers on the character sheets of new players. I also have digital copies of all the characters on my laptop so I can look up anything I need to during play. I've never had a new player complain about complexity. Every once in a while, I've had a group who wanted more complexity than they could actually digest. This usually relates to combat. Everyone wanted tactical combat with every optional rule from GURPS Martial Arts, but nobody read the books and mastered the details. In these cases, we have developed play aids to make things run faster. For example, I have a few custom sets of laminated combat cards that players can use to select combat maneuvers. (They're based on the <a href="http://www.warehouse23.com/products/gurps-fourth-edition-combat-cards" target="_blank">free set</a> distributed by SJG.) Slap a card down in front of you during your turn and we're off to the races.If the &quot;fire&quot; in this metaphor is &quot;complex game mechanics,&quot; then I would say that my job as GM is akin to being the engineer who manages the ship's boilers. The rest of the crew have different jobs and should enjoy the voyage without getting burned.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="uzirath, post: 7612205, member: 8495"] I would start off with GURPS because it's the system I know best. (I have done this exact thing many times over the years with different groups of coworkers.) If I'm going to be managing the rules behind the scenes, then I need a system that I know well. Most RPGs, GURPS included, have a very simple core mechanic of trying to roll higher or lower than a target number. With GURPS, you roll three dice and aim low. I usually use a marker to highlight key numbers on the character sheets of new players. I also have digital copies of all the characters on my laptop so I can look up anything I need to during play. I've never had a new player complain about complexity. Every once in a while, I've had a group who wanted more complexity than they could actually digest. This usually relates to combat. Everyone wanted tactical combat with every optional rule from GURPS Martial Arts, but nobody read the books and mastered the details. In these cases, we have developed play aids to make things run faster. For example, I have a few custom sets of laminated combat cards that players can use to select combat maneuvers. (They're based on the [URL="http://www.warehouse23.com/products/gurps-fourth-edition-combat-cards"]free set[/URL] distributed by SJG.) Slap a card down in front of you during your turn and we're off to the races. If the "fire" in this metaphor is "complex game mechanics," then I would say that my job as GM is akin to being the engineer who manages the ship's boilers. The rest of the crew have different jobs and should enjoy the voyage without getting burned. [/QUOTE]

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