What is your Opinion of GURPS?

[Wombat]

Over the years I have picked up something like a dozen GURPS supplements. SJG has made some of the best supplements for any game system around -- Russia, Swashbuckler, Cabal, Steamtech, Goblins, Transhuman Space, Discworld. Whether silly or serious, these supplements really get the job done and kick the imagination into high gear.

The system itself has always felt far too "crunchy" and mechanical for my tastes (then again, the AoO rules of 3e are in the same camp, as far as I am concerned). The rules favour a more mechanical, scientific view of the universe than I am often comfortable with, but this is primarily a matter of taste. Overall GURPS is far from my favourite system, either to run or to play a character in. OTOH, I was in a fine GURPS Tekumel game for about a year -- hey, you get just the right group of players and just the right GM and any game can be fun!

 

[Mark]

What do you think of GURPS?

The name makes me giggle.

Any pitfalls of GURPS?

The name makes me giggle.

Advantages?

The name makes me giggle.

Disadvantages?

The name makes me giggle.

Things to avoid?

Giggling.

 

[Psion]

Over the years I have picked up something like a dozen GURPS supplements.

So have I...

... but I'd never use GURPS as an engine to run any of that stuff, except MAYBE the gritty/realistic space SF stuff. Maybe.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Someday, I'll have to get around to combining elements of D&D3(.5)E, GURPS, and Alternity, and possibly elements of other systems (e.g., instead of getting points for taking disadvantages, I like the idea of buying disadvantages for the sake of future roleplaying opportunities).

Someday...

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I will join with the vocal minority who really enjoys making gurps characters. I love it because once I get a character concept in my mind, I just make it. I don't have to try to shoehorn it into some combination of classes and decide how to fit the other abilities from those classes into the idea, or worry that the thing I really want to do is a cross class skill to the class that everything else fits in with, or find that the feat that fits my conception's fighting style has stat prereqs that make me rework the basics... I just pick the skills and advantages (and disadvantages if needed) that make up my concept and see what levels I can buy them at. The points aren't hard to keep track of, and I almost always end up with soemthing that looks really close to my orriginal idea.

In terms of min-maxing, I've never seen a more tweaked character in any point based system than the "I got a broken PrC from dragon, cheese levels in two others to qualify and the pre errata feat from a supplement" D&D character's I've played with. Gurps characters, in my expereince, are rarely combat monsters. But ymmv...

I miss GURPS. And hero. *sigh*

Kahuna Burger

 

[Cowpie Zombie]

In terms of min-maxing, I've never seen a more tweaked character in any point based system than the "I got a broken PrC from dragon, cheese levels in two others to qualify and the pre errata feat from a supplement" D&D character's I've played with. Gurps characters, in my expereince, are rarely combat monsters. But ymmv...

I miss GURPS. And hero. *sigh*

Kahuna Burger

If you miss it, why not play it? I'm actually getting excited about GURPS 4e coming out and it's causing me to seriously consider setting aside my d20 Modern for awhile...

 

[The Cardinal]

GURPS is my favorite system - since 1993 or so.
And the 4th edition (coming in August) probably will become my *only* system for the next decade (at least)...

 

[Sir Elton]

GURPS is my favorite system - since 1993 or so.
And the 4th edition (coming in August) probably will become my *only* system for the next decade (at least)...

I tend to run the game favored by my players.

My favorite game system is Ars Magica, tweeked for taste, of course. Ars Magica has the best Magic System for any game, and I have yet to figure out how to combine it with 3x successfully.

 

[The Cardinal]

I tend to run the game favored by my players.

...which would also be GURPS (for about 75% of my players)

 

[Kahuna Burger]

If you miss it, why not play it? I'm actually getting excited about GURPS 4e coming out and it's causing me to seriously consider setting aside my d20 Modern for awhile...

sadly I have had very bad player availability since I moved out of cambridge. I did run a really fun gurps discworld campaign there for a while. Right now most of my gaming is online and in fact here on ENworld... so there's kinda a player bias for d20.

Even my own hubby can only be convinced to play D&D. sad kahuna...

Kahuna Burger