From: dhoberma@pearl.tufts.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.cyber
Subject: RE: RTG Cyberpunk vs. GURPS Cyberpunk
Date: 11 Sep 92 04:27:13 GMT
Organization: Tufts University - Medford, MA
Content-Type: text
Archive-Name: rgc592
Content-Length: 3806
Apparently-To: rec-games-cyber@uunet.uu.net

The pros and cons of GURPS cyberpunk vs R.Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020.

RTG's Cyberpunk is built for the genre. It is fast, easy to learn and play 
, filled with a lot of background material. It has cyber genre specifics like    
the concept of humanity loss. The more cyberware you get the less human you
are psychologically. If you go over the edge, you go pyschotic, become an 
NPC with a totally inhuman outlook. 
It provides a background generator for characters to devise a past to go with
their character, filled with friends, enemies, lovers and tragedy. It helps
flesh out the characters (if the player puts some thought into stringing
together the lifepath he/she rolls up.
Combat system is pretty good, fast and playable (although if you buy the
RTG set email me about some fixes I recommend). Not perfect, but then no
system is. For the most part it works very well.
I have run RTG campaigns for several years and have enjoyed them immensly.
(one caveat: keep the gun escalation factor under control. it is easy to 
get powerful guns, but make it tough to get the assault rifles, etc.
RTG is good about giving you a concealability code...where you can stash it 
unnoticed.
The background for the game is excellent, it may be just the thing for the GM
who doesnt have the time or desire to design every facet of his or her world.   
It gives lists and descriptions of megacorporations (like Arasaka: everyone's
favorite megacorp enemy) "news" articles about life in the 2020's, an excellent
equipment list including most everything you'll start with 
(from guns n armor to houses and smart cars)

The GURPS Cyberpunk has its points as well.
It is part of a larger system, so strange bits of other genre stuff can be
worked in (I'm running a sci-fi  campaign with psionics and cyberware).
The system is point based, creating characters probably takes longer in this
system, but the disad/ads give the pc a unique sort of personality that RTG
doesnt deal with. On the flip side, there is no lifepath generator. But who
said a pc needed a table to create a past? (just a cattleprod :) )
The netrunning stuff is probably easier to deal with in GURPS, the programs
are treated kinda like skills. It also provides excellent info for GMs who
dont want a virtual reality worldnet ala Sterling and Gibson. 
in RTG, there are classes (of course these are only defined by their packaged
skills, and it is easy to design your own..)
GURPS gives excellent template ideas for characters instead of classes.
The Cyberware is pretty good, not much different than what you find in RTG.
But here is the catch. You have to decide whether to make the pc's pay points
for the cyberware (I recommend it) and/or cash (adjusted by how rare you want
cyberware to be. Unfortunately GURPS doesnt have anything dealing with the
psychological effects of cybernetic implant.
The background in GURPS is more like a huge organized list of suggestions for
settings, explanation of common elements in cyberpunk games. As usual, the
suggestions and modular background are great, but you still have to do work to
set up the specifics of the game (like the recent
history...corporations..people..)

	So I dont know if that helps you any. If you couldnt tell I like them
both. If you are JUST looking for a standalone cyberpunk RPG, I would say
go with RTG 2020 (because you dont need any other books). If you already have
GURPS BAsic, I would say GURPS Cyberpunk is worth picking up. Maybe the info
I provided will help.
	Feel free to email me (you and anyone else) with an interest in 
cyberpunk/sci-fi games or systems.

	  Dhoberma@pearl.tufts.edu
	.just wait until I get on UNIX! I'll make a REAL SIG FILE!
	
	"you know, they say sometimes people go crazy on these long voyages,
	they get SPACE MADNESS!!!"
		- Command Ren Hork