Favorite Generic/Universal Systems

[Descronan]

Of the "brand name" RPGs, my favorite is Savage Worlds. However, I built my own system that fits somewhere between d20 and Savage Worlds on the Rules Lite/Heavy spectrum. It fits the feel that I am looking for in a typical game. It is realistic enough to keep me grounded yet fictional and cinematic enough for action-hero pulp games.

I'm looking for reviewers/play-testers if you are interested, PM me.

[Ceo_Druidechta]

And, as in the GURPS case, skills over 100% provide a safety margin against various penalties ... but what if there aren't enough penalties? Shouldn't a guy with an adjusted skill of 120% have some sort of edge over the guy with 99%?

Actually, in GURPS, you can take penalties on your rolls to get enhanced results. Depending on what you're doing, you may not be able to improve things much, though. When picking a lock, you can do it in a fraction of the normal time, but there isn't a lot else you can do that really matters. But if you want to show off by picking every lock blindfolded, with a hairpin, using your toes, then go for it.

In combat the potential to improve results by taking penalties is dramatic, though. A swordsman with ludicrous skill can make Rapid, Deceptive, Committed Attacks, while targeting vital areas through gaps in armor, becoming a whirlwind of death.

And if the players have enough points to play with that they can afford master-level skills without taking dangerous weaknesses in other areas, then the GM should be putting them in situations where high skill penalties are unavoidable. Otherwise the adventures aren't scaled to the power level of the characters.

---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 PM ----------

I'm a fan of GURPS. I like how the rules try to simulate the action in a general way, rather than reducing everything to abstractions. I find I can use it to run everything I want to GM, and resolve things fairly quickly and smoothly.

I used to use BRP for Call of Cthulhu, and GURPS for everything else. The rules-light nature of BRP is a point in its favor, and I like the innovative experience mechanic. But the randomness of the system sometimes caused issues, and some rules were a little too abstract. The rules for double-barreled shotguns caused some scowling in my group, for instance.

CoC turns out to be an easy setting to convert to GURPS. Once you get the hang of it, you can read an adventure written for BRP and convert stats to GURPS in your head. So I just didn't need to use BRP. And I prefer to devote as much of my limited brainpower as possible to the campaign, not to keeping multiple systems straight.

---------- Post added at 10:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------

I notice some people comment that they like GURPS for some genres, but not for superheroes. I wonder, are they talking about the current edition of GURPS? The Supers sourcebook for 3e was one of that edition's low points, but the 4e version is much better. I can't say a lot about it, since I don't GM Supers games. But I find it is much better liked. I have a copy, but I only mine it for ideas to use in other genres.

People sometimes say "GURPS" when they mean "GURPS Third Edition". Considering that 3e was retired nearly a decade ago, that seems strange to me. If you don't specify an edition, the implication should be 4e. But not everyone seems to see it that way.

[Reggie2602]

For me the answer's ovious- it's HERO all the way for me baby!!

[girtablilu]

I would have said GURPS early in 2004, but then I found out all my books were about to be worthless with the 4E coming out. Since then I found BRP (Basic Roleplaying) in 2008 and have been happy with it.

[nijineko]

3e gurps is forward compatible with 4e gurps...

[Ceo_Druidechta]

I would have said GURPS early in 2004, but then I found out all my books were about to be worthless with the 4E coming out. Since then I found BRP (Basic Roleplaying) in 2008 and have been happy with it.

I don't see why you would need to change systems just because a new edition came out. Steve Jackson won't track you down and beat you up if you play the wrong edition of GURPS. And most 3e books can be used with 4e. The 3e crunch books are useless in a 4e game, but the setting and genre books are easy to convert. I use the 4e rules exclusively, and own every dead-tree 4e book. After getting rid of every 3e book that was rendered obsolete, I still have more than twice as many of them. And I never had a full set of 3e books, by any means.

Edit: And when I say, "3e crunch books are useless in a 4e game", I just mean the 4e versions of those books work better. Some of the 3e crunch books actually can be used in 4e, with a bit of hand-waving. For instance, the core magic system is almost identical, so the old Magic and Grimoire are usable pretty much as-is. With a little common sense, you can convert the weapons and armor in High Tech and Low-Tech, though what you get will be less realistic than what is in the 4e books. The number of 3e books that simply cannot be used with the 4e Basic Set is not that large. I don't recommend mixing editions like this, but in the early days of the 4e era, some of us were doing it, while we waited for books to get updated. I switched to 4e as soon as the Basic Set came out, then phased out my 3e crunch books over a period of years, as the new-and-improved editions were released.

That said, I kind of like BRP, and used to use it for Call of Cthulhu, while using GURPS for everything else. But since GURPS does everything BRP does, it was pointless for me to keep on using both of them.

[Ceo_Druidechta]

Deleted by author

[nijineko]

thank you for the better description of how/why 3eGurps is forward compatible. =D if i had time to play it, i would look for some people to game with.