When you play Gurps, you play with a detailed system. A system focused on the level of minutiae that gives you an excellent platform to campaign and worldbuilding. If you prefer detail over abstract, then Gurps is recommended.
With Gurps 4th Edition, the ruleset is split into both a Characters book, focused on players and character building and Campaigns, focused on the rules needed by Gamesmasters, such as combat game mastering. Let’s take a look at what Campaigns has to offer.
Combat rules
Whilst you can get by and the enjoy the lighter combat rules contained in the Characters book, Campaigns offers a far more detailed set of rules. There is nothing wrong with simplicity and abstract rules if that is your preference. Indeed, a good set of simple rules can encourage and open the door for a more storytelling approach which can be enjoyable and fun. But the lack of details won’t always give you that sense of completeness and realism. So, if realism is your bag, this added set of rules will help.
The combat rules break down a series of combat options, from different types of actions you can take to a more detailed approach to using weapons, armour, and injury. The rules taken as a whole do work well, but you will find a steeper learning curve and a need for rules referencing to work the effects of injuries as an example. But if it’s what you want, then there are detailed rules on a variety of concepts, conditions and hazards, this also includes a focused look at injuries, illness and fatigue.
Finally, there is also a section on tactical combat which I’ve personally not used, as combat in most scenarios has been small scale and tactical, but it’s there if you need it.
Overall, this is a detailed combat system, which may be too much for some. Personally, whilst the level of detail can get in the way of a flowing combat, I do like it. There are rules for shock and the impact of wounds so that combat feels more realistic and not abstract.
Useful tips and hints on being a GM (Gamesmaster)
Being a GM is a lot of fun, allowing you be creative, but it is a challenge. I have found there is always something to learn about the craft. Gurps Campaigns gives plenty of food for thought on how to create settings and campaigns, starting with some basics like dealing with players, awarding bonus character points and the like.
Much of the skill in running campaigns involves creating compelling and credible settings. The more this is done, the greater the immersion into the game world. As Gurps is a generic system with a strong focus on human characters, it makes a great system for real-world, historical, or futuristic campaigns. These games still require credibility and a degree of research into your chosen campaign setting eg Victorian Britain or ancient Rome is highly recommended to help bring the game alive.
Game worlds
There is a good section on creating game worlds. You could use an existing setting that is familiar such real-world Earth in a particular historical setting or even Earth in a re-imagined
setting eg involving psionics or magic or alternate history themes. Gurps can though also be used for fantasy and sci-fi settings and there are additional sourcebooks that cover a variety of topics to help.
Either way, to bring the world to life requires credible settings, encounters and storylines. Even a setting like modern day London, will need thought given to the characters and events that are portrayed. Of course, in a well-known setting, it can be easy to research things like the cost of public transport or property prices, but the work still needs to be done to research and build a credible environment to adventure in and where Gurps Campaigns helps is to provide a series of sections that take the GM through aspects of world building.
Think about it. What does a good setting require? Think about the following questions…
Who lives in your setting or game world? What are the prevalent laws, religious traditions, customs and the political groups?
What about currency, culture, science and technology? What about clothing, food, work and leisure? Do you have maps? What about travel, history and the geography of your world?
The more removed from an established setting, whether the real world or established fictional one like Middle-Earth, Faerun or the like, the more thought and preparation will need to go into world-building. Gurps Campaigns helps you here and whilst many RPG ruleset give a basic primer on what is roleplaying and how to do it, Gurps Campaigns offers more detail, which is very useful for some subjects like economics as they are given little thought in some systems.
Finally
I could go on about different topics and headings, but the simple reality is Gurps is a very good, generic and detail focused system. It works across varied settings and despite the potential for the complexity to get in the way of a more free flowing storytelling and roleplaying experience, it really doesn’t have to and Gurps Campaigns reminds you of this right at the start of the book with reference to skill checks. These should only be made when there is a chance of meaningful failure or gainful success. It’s a great topic to start early on with and lay the foundation with.
If you want the tools to build and run a game that allows you to focus in on detail, then Gurps Campaigns can work for you.
About the author:
As well as playing board games, Neil has been playing a variety of roleplaying games since 1982, including creating campaigns as a GM and espousing the art and craft of being a good GM and the therapeutic value of games generally.
