GURPStalk

How do the 350+ skills in GURPS work out in play? Pat and Che discuss the extensive skill system in GURPS, emphasizing its versatility for various settings and genres. They highlight the importance of skill selection for long-form play, focusing on character development and the specific context of the game world.  Pat and Che discuss the challenges of managing skills in the GURPS system, emph...

What's happening in the host's campaigns? Che and Pat discuss their recent GURPS gaming experiences, with Che sharing his excitement about running a GURPS-powered game set in the world of Karameikos, which had its first successful session.  They note that the system encourages detailed world-building through character bios and mechanical choices, leading to the creation of new organizations,...

How does a new GM overcome points paralysis? Pat and Che discussed strategies for managing point allocation in GURPS, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience and starting with smaller, simpler campaigns. They advised new GMs to experiment with character creation, focusing on attributes and skills before moving to disadvantages and advantages. For superhero campaigns, they recommended sta...

What's the problem with surprise in GURPS? WARNING! There's some fruity bad language in this one! Che and Pat discussed the implementation and mechanics of surprise and initiative rules in GURPS, including how these rules interact with various character advantages and combat systems. They explored modifications to combat reflexes and coolness mechanics, with Pat proposing new approaches to address...

What are Frequency Rolls and how can we use them effectively? Che and Pat discuss the frequency of appearance mechanism in GURPS, which determines how often NPCs like allies, contacts, patrons, and dependents show up in adventures. They discuss how to apply frequency rolls for NPCs, advantages, and disadvantages in open-world GURPS campaigns without defined adventures. Pat explains that GMs n...

Enhancements and Limitations? What the heck are all these modifiers about? Pat and Che discuss GURPS Limitations and Enhancements, particularly how they can be used to create supernatural abilities and powers. Pat explains that limitations like "costs fatigue" or "unreliable" can reduce point costs and balance abilities, while enhancements like "reduced time" or "ranged" can modify abilities to wo...

Why are Disadvantages at the heart of roleplay? This episode Che and Pat are discussing character creation in GURPS with a focus on disadvantages as meaningful roleplaying elements rather than just point sources. They emphasise that disadvantages should reflect character depth, create interesting dilemmas, and be limited to a reasonable number to maintain playability while adding flavour to charac...

What are Advantages and how on Earth do you select them for your campaign? In this podcast episode, Pat and Che discuss the different types of Advantages in the game system, categorised as mental, physical, and social, with further classifications as mundane, exotic, or supernatural. They review specific examples including Absolute Timing, Acute Senses, Affliction, Allies, and supernatural ab...

What's all this stuff about social background at the beginning of the Basic Set rulebook? In this episode, Pat and Che discuss approaches to starting and maintaining roleplaying campaigns in GURPS, emphasizing the importance of establishing setting context, social backgrounds, and character goals before gameplay begins. They explore how often overlooked elements like status, wealth, cultural famil...

Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss today's topic: What are Character Points and what can I spend them on? What's the point of these points? Pat and Che discuss the mechanics of character creation in GURPS, focusing on point allocation for attributes, advantages, and disadvantages. They explored different campaign settings and power levels, comparing t...

Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss today's topic: Isn't the GURPS combat system fiddley and difficult? Isn't it really complicated to run fights? We discuss the combat system in GURPS, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness.  Pat explains the simplicity and ease of use of the GURPS combat system, highlighting its one-second round concept. H...

Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss today's topic: What's is it with GURPS and the 3d6 roll low mechanism? Isn't that complicated and fiddley to deal with? We discuss the mechanics and simplicity of the GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing System) dice rolling system, particularly the 3D6 method. We emphasize that the system's bell curve nature mirror...

Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss today's topic: We've got our campaign idea fleshed out. How do we avoid analysis paralysis when our players sit down to make characters? We discuss character creation in role-playing games, focusing on a structured process that involves collaboration between the Game Master and players. We explore how this process ca...

Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss today's topic: We're going to run our long-form game using the GURPS Fourth Edition rules. How do we get started setting up a campaign? We discuss the challenges and joys of adapting existing game settings to GURPS for long-form play, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the system's strengths while acknowledgin...

We're here to talk about GURPS - the Generic Universal Role-Playing System published by Steve Jackson Games - and using it to run long-form roleplaying campaigns. Co-hosts Che Webster (Roleplay Rescue) and Patrick Mullen (Cry Havoc T2K) discuss topics arising from using the game system. The show is aimed at intermediate users of the rules who wish to progress towards deeper and more immersive role...