Universal RPG's not Universal?

[amethal]

Would "mutation" just be a new race, covered under the backgrounds section (mind you, this is based on one readthrough -- I'm by no means an expert)? I'm speaking of birth mutations, of course, not "Radioactivity has made me grow gills!" mutations, which would best be handled via talents.

I think mutations are better handled by putting them in a post apocalyptic setting book.

Such as the True20 version of the Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook (which came out fairly recently).

 

[bento]

Right around the same time I posted my earlier comment, GURPS author Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch posted this in a thread on RPG.net.

It comes down to what you're looking to get from an RPG. GURPS says, "You can do anything. Here's the toolbox. Start sawing." If you change genres a lot, and have crazy players who constantly want to roleplay weird PC concepts, it's a good bet. If you have a few favorite game types, and players who stick to genre archetypes religiously, it's probably going to make you gnaw your own leg off. The problems arise when SJ Games' marketing to the first group of gamers is construed as an attempt to tell the second group, "No, really, this game is for you!" We've never said that – gamers have put those words in our mouth – but that doesn't mean we don't catch blowback from what others have said on our behalf.​

 

[buzz]

I read a great comment on some other fora that went like:

GURPS can do any genre... as long as you want that genre to feel like GURPS.

I think you can substitute just about any "generic" RPG for "GURPS" in this sentence and it holds true. It's certainly been my experience with HERO, and to a lesser extent, d20 (various incarnations).

As for too much fantasy... depends on what RPGs you're talking about. As others have said, fantasy is, by far, the most popular RPG genre, and thus "generic" RPGs are inevitably going to spend some time on the subject.

If that bugs you, well... look to RPGs that focus on the genre in which you're interested.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

GURPS can do any genre... as long as you want that genre to feel like GURPS.

I think you can substitute just about any "generic" RPG for "GURPS" in this sentence and it holds true. It's certainly been my experience with HERO, and to a lesser extent, d20 (various incarnations).

Eh...I don't feel that way about HERO- or any RPG, for that matter. In my personal experience, systems don't really stamp the campaigns with a "feel"- that's all up to the GM and his players. Perspectives are entirely subjective, of course.

 

[Thomas5251212]

Eh...I don't feel that way about HERO- or any RPG, for that matter. In my personal experience, systems don't really stamp the campaigns with a "feel"- that's all up to the GM and his players. Perspectives are entirely subjective, of course.

I think its inevitable that system has some impact on this, unless you're of the school that doesn't care about how resolution works at all. A system with fixed hit points says something about how combat is going to play out that's different than an escalating hit point system, and both are different than Toughness save system or some other direct damage resolution. Similarly, linear die roll systems make assumptions about how resolution will range that dice pool systems don't, and that effects play too.

So I don't think you can really write that off; its just a case of what level of sensitivity to the process some people have.

 

[EditorBFG]

Looking at it the other way, how many more people would have complained about a magic system NOT being included than have complained about Adepts and Powers being in the main book?

Leaving people to invent their True20 magic system would have been irresponsible. Making up stats for a mastodon bone as a weapon, I can live with.

 

[Thomas5251212]

Looking at it the other way, how many more people would have complained about a magic system NOT being included than have complained about Adepts and Powers being in the main book?

Leaving people to invent their True20 magic system would have been irresponsible. Making up stats for a mastodon bone as a weapon, I can live with.

Well, arguably a magic system is not any harder to do than a starship system, but I then do have to suggest that there's more campaigns likely to be run where the first was needed than the second. The first poster is welcome not to like that, but reality is reality.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Well, arguably a magic system is not any harder to do than a starship system, but I then do have to suggest that there's more campaigns likely to be run where the first was needed than the second. The first poster is welcome not to like that, but reality is reality.

Well, to heck with "reality" it's over rated anyways.

I just don't like magic in my games so sue me.

 

[Thomas5251212]

Well, to heck with "reality" it's over rated anyways.

I just don't like magic in my games so sue me.

Nothing wrong with that, but when you're the uncommon case, you have to expect these things; games, as a group, aren't going to be targeted primarily at your tastes.

 

[Eric Tolle]

Eh...I don't feel that way about HERO- or any RPG, for that matter. In my personal experience, systems don't really stamp the campaigns with a "feel"- that's all up to the GM and his players. Perspectives are entirely subjective, of course.

I don't think that its an either-or situation. Certainly players and the GM impart their own feel to a game, AND a game's system also contributes a feel to the game. If nothing else, how the players respond both to character creation and the rules set will have subtle repercussions in play. For example, the gritty style of GURPS or True 20 is going to lead me to different actions than in say, Mutants and Masterminds.

System does matter. Not as much, and not in the same way that Forgites think, but it does matter.