From: bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Bryce Koike)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Thoughts on GURPS
Date: 25 Jan 93 18:19:57 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1993Jan23.020145.35177@rchland.ibm.com> BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com writes:
>In article <2B608A00.6152@ics.uci.edu>, mmadsen@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (Matt Madsen) writes:
>|> The main point I think people need to understand is that, for example,
>|> while strength is less useful in a modern setting than in a medieval one,
>|> that is not reason enough to change the price.  In a mystery campaign you

	People should create characters based on a concept and how
well those characters could work with the setting the GM is using.
The GM should then restrict character creation so that the character
created cannot become too useless or too powerful.  That's how I
feel, and that's how I run my games and character creation.  I don't
allow characters to create Johnny One-Shot mages or Buddy the Mega
Archer Who Has No Other Skills...etc.
	I find them ridiculous, useless, and stupid.  My opinion.

>|> _shouldn't_ have body-builders running around.  It's only when some talent
>|> is less useful, but _expected_ of the characters, that it should have its
>|> price reduced.

	Uh, why not?  As an example, Spencer from the Spencer For
Hire books by Robert Parker is an ex-boxer (I believe...it's been a
long time).  I never reduce prices because it creates an
inconsistency in the way I run my games.  Extra points I can handle.
Altering point costs requires me to keep track of all that crap and
it's not worth it to me.

>If it is EXPECTED that the characters are to have certain talents, shouldn't
>you just give them extra points to use?

	Dunno.  Depends, really.  I mean, if the characters are
expected to take on certain problems that require them to be more
powerful than the "standard" 100 points allow for, then yes, I would
set a higher point limit and advise my players as to what they
should be thinking of when they create a character.
	But if they're going to be playing royalty, say, then I
might increase their point total, but require those "extra" points
go straight to reputation, social rank...whatever...

>Of course the real solution is to back off from the view that
>  1) Everyone should be balanced
>  2) Everyone should have the same point total
>  3) Everyone must follow the rules exactly as written

	Good reason for much of the above:  my players believe that
everyone should have the same point total ("How come HE gets 50 more
points than me?") and I rarely have the time to sit down for an hour
and argue with them.  Too many of them aren't very familiar with
GURPS and so being extremely consistent on my part is far more
desirable than being flexible or what-have-you.

>It would probably have been better if at the start the "rules" for
>RPGs (all of them, not just GURPS) had been called "guidelines" instead.  
>Many people hate breaking the rules of games (or hate those who do break 
>them).

	True, true.  But then again, just about everything in GURPS
is really more of a guideline.  I'd prefer a very consise statement
in the beginning that just about everything in there is optional
(optional in very large letters) and that no one has to adhere to
any of them.  Encourage changing the rules, etc, and things would be
better for GURPS players.  (Anti-GURPSists would still be able to
complain, of course...)

>By the way, is there anyone who has played with any RP game system for
>an extended period of time who hasn't introduced their own house rules?

Depends.  I've been playing AD&D since grade school, so that's about
10 years or so and I've never changed a rule.  I wanted to, I felt
like it, but it was just easier to keep the rules static for me.

For GURPS, I've thought about rule changes, fiddled on my own time
with some, but in the end I kept with a selection of the rules
presented in the basic set.  Like I said, it's easier to run games
very consistently because my players aren't very familiar with GURPS
than to pop down at a session and introduce Bryce's New And Improved
Wounding System, Bryce's Altered Laser Rules, and Bryce's New Magic
System.  I'd like to, but my role-playing time is so limited that
the "advantages" of those house rules would be wasted.  It's really
too bad...


>-- 
>
>- Bill Seurer     Language and Compiler Development      IBM Rochester, MN
>  Internet: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com    America On-Line: BillSeurer@aol.com


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