To GURPS, or not to GURPS?

[NMatuzic]

Hi,

I am planning a new fantasy campaign soon with a bunch of friends. Originally I was thinking about running it in 4E D&D, but upon further reflection, I'm not so sure.

There are a few reasons why, including (but not limited to):
- Essentials & 4E, and all my confusion between the two
- The computerisation influence on the 4E rules (ie, things seem to have taken a lot of influence from MMORPGs and the like, eg class "roles")
- My own world setting, which leans more towards realism than the exaggerated heroism of D&D

So basically I'm thinking about running it in some other gaming system. I recently played in a Star Wars GURPS game, and really enjoyed going in depth for character creation and then how suprisingly streamlined the game itself actually played.

As such, I'm strongly considering a switch to running my campaign using GURPS. What I'd like to know is this:

1) Based on the (admittedly little) information I've provided, do you think GURPS is a better fit that D&D for my campaign?

2) I'm a fairly rusty DM, and have little experience (just the Star Wars game) of GURPS. Can I learn GURPS and run a decent campaign at the same time?

Many thanks in advance for any help or suggestions. Please feel free to ask for more info if you need it to provide a better assessment.

Cheers!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, HERO would be my first choice...

That said, gritty & realistic is where GURPS excels, and that WOULD make it a better fit for your campaign as you've presented it. Besides the basic core rulebook, you'd probably find the Martial Arts and Magic supplements to be of most use to you.

If you can handle any edition of D&D, you can probably handle GURPS' complexity. I learned it pretty easily, and the latest edition seems to be the best ever.

And for more in depth advice, Jürgen Hubert is probably the most knowledgeable source on ENWorld.

[MENTION=7177]Jürgen Hubert[/MENTION] , you out there?

 

[NMatuzic]

Thanks for the advice!

I also posted this question on another forum, and Jurgen posted a reply there, hence why he's not said anything here.

I have decided to go with GURPS, and I hope the players will like my decision (otherwise it may be rethink time! =P)