Other RPG Systems

[copeab]

It would be a long list were I to mention all the games I've played more than once. In the last fifteen years, I've almost exclusively run GURPS. I currently run two online GURPS chat-based games, one slightly non-canonical Deadlands and the other weird WWII (currently Dec 2, 1941, with the PCs in Honolulu). The only other games I've run the last five years (one session of each) is BESM, Talistlanta, d6 Star Wars and Fudge. I had a campaign that ran from 2003-7 which was a police campaign in a setting roughly based on Shadorun (but more like Dark Conspiracy), which also used GURPS 3e.

[Rainbow Six]

Back in the 80's I played / GM'd Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthullthu (sp?) regularly...also played Star Trek very occasionally...havent' been active in any of them for years though...

[Adm.Lee]

Currently play: D&D 3.5, as it's what most of my friends will play.

Have played in the last 2 years: GURPS (a cross between Space:1889 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Serenity RPG.

Have played/run a lot: Space:1889, T2k, Merc 2k, D&D 1st & 2nd ed., Top Secret.

Have played/run a little: other GURPS, 2300AD, Morrow Project, Recon, Rolemaster, Star Trek/FASA, Star Wars (d6)

Have, but not yet played: GURPS Prime Directive, D&D 4e (inevitably, I will be assimilated!)

My trouble is that I have 2 groups of RPing friends: the ones I am closer to as friends, who won't touch anything but D&D; and the ones I can get together only rarely, who will play other stuff.

[Marc]

As a GM I'm currently running Twilight:2000 (v2.2), Traveller: The New Era and GURPS. This last one for ancient, medieval or fantasy adventures or campaigns. I used to run (and I hope to run again in the future), Star Wars D6

And, as player, GURPS, Call of Cthulu and...I'm afraid I have been asimilated, too...D&D, D20.

[spielmeister]

Originally Posted by Marc

As a GM I'm currently running Twilight:2000 (v2.2), Traveller: The New Era and GURPS. This last one for ancient, medieval or fantasy adventures or campaigns. I used to run (and I hope to run again in the future), Star Wars D6

And, as player, GURPS, Call of Cthulu and...I'm afraid I have been asimilated, too...D&D, D20.

I've been asimilated too... for now. I'm running D&D 4e. but with a decidedly AD&D/old style Gygaxian klunky feel to it. Main reason is because most of my players (who are also good friends in real life) are really into it. Surprisingly, it was the break I needed and it really served to give me a fresh perspective in GM-ing (or DM-ing, in D&D speak).

I also ran a Traveller free trader campaign set in the Spinward Marches in 1112. I planned to run it through to the convergence point between the classic traveller canon timeline and that of the Megatraveller timeline (the assassination of the Emperor and the resulting rebellion) but the campaign withered away after 3 months of intense gaming. I think it was GM burnout. I used Gurps 4e. Interstellar Wars as my rules platform but liberally cribbed stuff from all extant editions of Traveller (not to mention other SF rpgs including Star Frontiers).

I'm glad to see that lots of players in our forums are into Traveller too.

My Twilight 2015 game set with the Chinese incursion of Luzon sort of petered out too but not until the players made it past one of the last mechanized offensives which was stopped before it got to Clark AFB/Subic Bay. (GM burnout is a very common problem with me, but my friends are understanding) I also used Gurps 4e here.

I've recently revisited both versions 1 and 2 of Twilight and am falling in love with them again. I'm open to the idea of running another escape from Kalisz epic.

Amongst the other games i've had a chance to run or play in the past 5 years were Fading Suns and classic AD&D. I'm hoping my gaming life picks up a bit in the next few months as I may have to go on hiatus again when my wife gives birth to our second baby.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by spielmeister

My Twilight 2015 game set with the Chinese incursion of Luzon sort of petered out too but not until the players made it past one of the last mechanized offensives which was stopped before it got to Clark AFB/Subic Bay. (GM burnout is a very common problem with me, but my friends are understanding) I also used Gurps 4e here.

Ei Spielmesiter!
How about the GURPS 4ed in modern/futuristic setups? I was tempted to use GURPS 3rd edition to run a WWII mini-campaign and a short Traveller scenario, but I was afraid that the short turn time (1 sec.) would slow down too much the rhythm of a modern combat.
And, if you know the 3rd Edition of GURPS, what do you think about changing from GURPS 3rd Edition rules to the 4th edition ones? The change is worth the trouble?

[headquarters]

started out with those play by yourself books at the kitchen table when I was 8 or 9 ,scribbling away and furiously sipping my glass of milk .went on to to do some dnd ,but after I fell in with the general I was embroiled in several ADnD campaigns,tried my hand at Warhammer ,call of Cuthulu,ParaNoia,top Secret -in which I ran a merc campaign and secret agents of Edwardian Britain campaign ,and after that found Twilight and have stuck with it ever since ,albeit with detours into merc that have been fun .

Mostly as a player in other systems ,and mostly as a GM in the Twilight v.2.0 rules./merc setting .

Speaking of which -Friday this autumns FtF weekend kicks of -a typical -players poised to attack a vastly superior enemy,hounded by relentless super villains and plagued by internal strife -type of do.
Really looking forward to it !

[spielmeister]

Originally Posted by Marc

Ei Spielmesiter!
How about the GURPS 4ed in modern/futuristic setups?

Hey Marc!

So far, since I got my Gurps 4e books and got the group to switch from 3e, we've only played twilight 2000 as a modern/futursitic set up. We also did a 3 month game set in ww2. It was set in the Eastern Front about August 1942, just in front of Stalingrad and the players were russians. Everyone in the group got hyped on this after seeing Enemy at the Gates and the russian tv series Strafbat (sp?). 4e held up reasonably well in both set ups.

Originally Posted by Marc

I was tempted to use GURPS 3rd edition to run a WWII mini-campaign and a short Traveller scenario, but I was afraid that the short turn time (1 sec.) would slow down too much the rhythm of a modern combat.

Yes, 3rd ed would be an excellent choice for a ww2 campaign (what theater of operations will you play in?) as well as Traveller. One thing going for you is the wealth of 3e ww2 sourcebooks out there (very informative stuff too, and great reading), as well as traveller 3e sourcebooks too. If you are not picky with the system (3e vs. 4e) 3e is good for traveller as 99% of gurps traveller sourcebooks are 3e and it does not look like they'll convert them to 4e. And the wealth of choices is staggering: mercenaries, naval action, merchants (ala firefly), exploration, skullduggery, you name it....

well, the 1 sec rounds put me off in the start but you learn to run with it. in my ww2 game, I even houseruled a 5 second and 10 second combat turn where people simplify their moves into 'long actions'. I borrowed these time frames loosely from the t2000 rules.

Originally Posted by Marc

And, if you know the 3rd Edition of GURPS, what do you think about changing from GURPS 3rd Edition rules to the 4th edition ones? The change is worth the trouble?

Well Marc, I've played both eds (3rd more extensively because I had it for a longer time). Changing over from the 3rd to 4th ed was a good shift all in all. Yes, it was worth the trouble (and the cost too- the books were rather pricey, ouch!). I was one of those buyers who got a bum set of the 4e players book (the spine was defective). Nice thing is SJG replaced it free of charge so in effect, i ended up with 2 4e players books on my shelf. Coming from a country where products liabilities laws are virtually not enforced, I found this a refreshing change, to say the least!

Although the mass of gurps sourcebooks are in 3e, the background info is still good and the conversion (if you really want to do it) is not difficult. Me, I'm rather rules light so I make more use of common sense and logic to make the changeover.

Off the top of my head, here are some changes from 3e:

1. Ranged combat: snap shot ratings have been dropped; ACC bonuses were generally lowered.

2. Ranged combat: auto wpns fire has been cleaned up. You now resolve autofire bursts with one 3d6 roll as opposed to burst group rolls in 3e. combat moves faster in this regard.

3. char gen: they put in talents and perks to up your skills.

I gotta run. Sorry if this is rather spotty, please feel free to PM me if you have any questions on gurps and I'll see what i can do to help you out.

cheers!

spielmeister