Path: think.com!wupost!uunet!mcsun!ieunet!tcdcs!maths.tcd.ie!gandalf
   From: gandalf@maths.tcd.ie (Peter McEvoy)
   Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
   Date: 13 Apr 92 11:17:01 GMT
   Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
   Lines: 34

   Netters...
       OK, so I'm a hardened AD&D veteran, and I'm beggining to see the
   light . The trouble is, I'm having a bit of a problem deciding which
   game system to change to. So, seeing as the group hasn't been
   fragmented into loads of itsy bits, I thought I'd ask the net to
   describe some of the other systems around, both fantasy and science
   fiction (I'm really an ardent Aliens fan). So, if you could spend afew
   minutes describing your favourite systems background, mechanics and
   product avialability, I'd be very appreciative. This is coming from a
   guy that has been playing for more than 10 years and that has finally
   seen that AD&D isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The system I have settled on is GURPS.  I have played or GMed GURPS in a
variety of genres, and it seems to fit my style of play well.  First off,
the rules are written to provide a variable level of detail depending on
what's appropriate to the situation and your campaign.  For example, combat
can be run using the "basic" combat rules, which are similar in complexity
to AD&D (although more flexible), and there is a set of "advanced" combat
rules which you can use to run combat down to the simulation level, with
rules and modifiers for things as specific as retreating while defending,
point costs of moving on various terrain, and so on.  There are rules for
targeting specific hit locations, and specific effects for hits in various
locations, crippling, bleeding to death, bracing yourself against something
while aiming, and almost anything else that you can think of.  Personally,
I tend to run combat using the "basic" rules, but allowing the players to
choose "advanced" options if they want.

The reasons that I chose GURPS are that (1) game play is quite fast once
you know the system, (2) it can handle any genre reasonably well, so I
don't need to learn any more game systems -- I can focus on learning new
genre-specific material and use the rules that I know, (3) character design
is quite flexible, allowing players to play the characters they want,
rather than the characters that the system forces them to play (personal
preference), and (4) it's a consistent, flexible framework of rules, so it
is easy for me to add new skills, advantages, etc., as I like.

Of course, there are other good systems.  My personal preference is for
"generic" systems, where GURPS and Hero stand out.  Hero is nice from a
philosophical point of view, but the game mechanics struck me as being
overly complex without any real benefit.  But perhaps you like phased
combat systems and multiple types of hit points to keep track of...  This
isn't meant as a "flame", but just as my personal opinion.

   I'm looking for a system with a detailed combat system: yes something
   that takes ages to work out, but has things like armour locations, and
   called shots ("Yeah, I want to jump on the table kick the first guy in
   the face and dive on the other with my knife.."). You see I want to
   get away from the hit miss hit miss hit miss hit miss hit hit die
   format of AD&D, and especially into a system that has more sensible
   scenarios than the ones a certain AD&D company produce (come on guys,
   who really enjoys playing Temple of elemental evil or Ruins of
   Greyhack modules?)

There aren't that many GURPS adventures (perhaps 15 in all, spread across
several genres) though I am trying to do something about that.  But since
GURPS uses normal units (seconds, yards, pounds) things are pretty easy to
convert unless they are based on a peculiarity of the system they were
written for.  AD&D adventures tend not to convert well because they "feel"
like AD&D adventures no matter what rules you use.

   If responce is big (and I hazard a guess that it will be), I'll try
   and compile a list of good reviews for later post.

   C ya,
       Pete.
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   gandalf@maths.tcd.ie  |'God created the integers, all else |
   mpmcevoy@unix1.tcd.ie | is the work of man' - Kroneker.    |
   ------------------------------------------------------------

- Laird
--
- Laird Popkin, Thinking Machines

Connection Machine: Massively parallel supercomputer.  Also a cool black
cube with more blinking lights than you can shake a stick at.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp