tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post5929727510850102673..comments2024-03-28T15:32:19.036-04:00Comments on Dungeon Fantastic: GURPS and system masteryPeter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-39337634053756742912012-10-24T05:05:42.384-04:002012-10-24T05:05:42.384-04:00For me it's a very useful form of involvement,...For me it's a very useful form of involvement, something that encourages the players to think about what their characters are doing - more than the classic D&D "I hit him again, I guess".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-58220444656848531432012-10-23T20:16:19.182-04:002012-10-23T20:16:19.182-04:00Sure, you need to let them know that their actions...Sure, you need to let them know that their actions are more reflected in the system. But I don't think "You can attack with no thought to defense, defend with no thought to attack, or any of 3 shades between that" is really "system mastery." It's pretty basic - you don't need to know much about how they work to get them to work.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-57492704966166722932012-10-23T10:48:52.486-04:002012-10-23T10:48:52.486-04:00I think that while players don't require syste...I think that while players don't require system mastery they do require some sort of conceptual mastery of the bits of the system they work with. That may not mean anything that's in a GURPS book, but - well, for example, I've recently been using a pirates-with-magic scenario as one of my GURPS demo games. A player can look at the numbers and say "wow, these black powder weapons take a while to reload, I won't try to do that in combat - I'll fire once then go in with the cutlass". Or he can use knowledge of real-world tactics to reach the same conclusion. Or I can brief the players that that's a good way to do things - which I now tend to do.<br /><br />Similarly, while the player of a D&D dungeon-bashing fighter at low level doesn't need to know much more than "roll to hit, roll damage", the GURPS player will be better off if he's aware of the possibility of all-out attack/defence - whether that comes from reading the rules, knowing something about hand-to-hand combat, or a briefing from the GM.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-49821654484677675722012-10-21T21:16:53.732-04:002012-10-21T21:16:53.732-04:00I'm not familiar with Risus, except having hea...I'm not familiar with Risus, except having heard the name. I understand the idea of wondering "Why GURPS if I not using all of these options?"<br /><br />But my attitude is, why learn another generic system if GURPS will do it, and I can just dial up or down the complexity? I'd rather dial it down most sessions and then be able to dig out really complex rules when I need them for some special case. I guess I just don't feel like I'm missing out if I don't use everything. It's not an All You Can Eat Buffet, it's your kitchen spice rack - you don't need to use all of it every recipe to justify having all of it for when you need it for certain recipes.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-83554722111522276792012-10-21T13:50:20.418-04:002012-10-21T13:50:20.418-04:00I agree with everything you have to say here, actu...I agree with everything you have to say here, actually. As a GM, I pretty much assume I'll be the one at the table who knows the rules best; ergo my search for a system to call my own. The GM's command of the rules really does make a difference on the quality of the session, as you say. It's always nice to have a player who knows their stuff too (especially if they're mature enough to bring up a rule even when it's not in their best interest), but those experiences have been few and far between, so I usually just figure I'll be assuming the burden by default.<br /><br />My problem with GURPS is that, although one <i>can</i> run it in super-stripped-down mode, as you say, and its core mechanic is indeed much simpler than common gamer wisdom would dictate, I get a sort of "buffet effect" with the system. So much excellent material has been produced for the game, particularly since the advent of e23, that I want to sink my teeth into everything. And that can get a bit overwhelming. Even just looking at the Basic Rules, why not just play Risus or something if I'm going to ignore (or remain ignorant of) most of what's in the book? <br /><br />So I'm poking around in systems that are not as deep to see if that's a better fit. If I come back to GURPS, it will be because of the system's fantastic flexibility and all those tasty dishes on the buffet table--in essence, I will have decided that all the extra investment in terms of reading, digesting, and deciding what to include and exclude will be worth the extra effort.David Larkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133630988557116729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-12932455608416568772012-10-21T11:01:37.374-04:002012-10-21T11:01:37.374-04:00I suspect (and I've asked on his website) that...I suspect (and I've asked on his website) that one of the rules he might have been forgetting was Deceptive Attack.<br /><br />I'm totally in your camp about only the GM needs mastery with chargen. In fact, I've used the "describe your character to me" with a very short set of additional questions to great effect, crit for double-effect on newbies.<br /><br />But . . . I can easily see that forgetting a few combat rules (the aforementioned DA being key) would have the impact he describes. Douglas Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04292678529266123501noreply@blogger.com