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16. Rolls, Defaults, and Reactions
01:04:01||Season 1, Ep. 16How can we use the GURPS skill system to deepen our experience in the Otherworld?Pat and Che discuss the mechanics of skill-based gameplay in GURPS, focusing on when players and the Game Master should roll dice for perception and information skills. They also discuss the mechanics and benefits of quick contests in role-playing games, focusing on their use in resolving instantaneous actions and adding uncertainty and tension to gameplay. They go further to discuss the concept of default skills in a game system, focusing on how skills function without training and how they relate to attributes. They explore how default levels are calculated and emphasize the importance of defaults in making the game a universal role-playing system.Pat and Che discuss NPC reactions in role-playing games, focusing on a system that uses numerical values to determine NPC behaviour towards players. Pat explains how he uses social skills and dice rolls to influence NPC reactions, while Che mentions the influence rolls and quick contest rolls as alternative methods. They also discuss the use of reaction tables in role-playing games, particularly for simulating interactions between player characters and non-player characters. RPR PATREON: patreon.com/rpgrescueGOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/
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15. Skills and Tests
57:25||Season 1, Ep. 15How do the 350+ skills in GURPS work out in play?Pat and Che discuss the extensive skill system in GURPS, emphasizing its versatility for various settings and genres. They highlight the importance of skill selection for long-form play, focusing on character development and the specific context of the game world. Pat and Che discuss the challenges of managing skills in the GURPS system, emphasizing the importance of tailoring skills to specific campaigns rather than trying to memorize all available skills. They discuss the use of skill checks and difficulty modifiers in this game system.GURPS Skills Categories Freebie: GURPS Skill Categories | Warehouse 23OR warehouse23.com/products/gurps-skill-categoriesOR via sjgames.com/gurps/resourcesRPR PATREON: patreon.com/rpgrescueGOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/14. Campaign Update I
47:08||Season 1, Ep. 14What's happening in the host's campaigns?Che and Pat discuss their recent GURPS gaming experiences, with Che sharing his excitement about running a GURPS-powered game set in the world of Karameikos, which had its first successful session. They note that the system encourages detailed world-building through character bios and mechanical choices, leading to the creation of new organizations, patrons, and story elements. Che emphasizes the beauty of having multiple narrative threads and the flexibility to adapt the setting based on player input. They also touch on the complexity of managing character motivations and the initial setup of the campaign, which involved a mystery investigation. Pat shares his own experience of improvising a complex random encounter involving Roman magic users in his Memento Mori campaign, emphasizing the value of spontaneous world-building in gaming. They discuss their approach to game mastering, focusing on how to handle player characters exploring a world with random encounters and organic story development.Big thanks to UberGrog for the kind call-in!GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/13. Big Bag 'o' Points
41:03||Season 1, Ep. 13How does a new GM overcome points paralysis?Pat and Che discussed strategies for managing point allocation in GURPS, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience and starting with smaller, simpler campaigns. They advised new GMs to experiment with character creation, focusing on attributes and skills before moving to disadvantages and advantages. For superhero campaigns, they recommended starting with street-level scenarios and gradually increasing complexity. Che suggested sitting down with an experienced GM to learn the process, while Pat highlighted the value of using bio sheets and organic advantages in character creation.Big thanks to Alex for the call-in that inspired this episode!Please be aware, we're moving to a bi-weekly release schedule after this episode.GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/12. Surprise!
51:36||Season 1, Ep. 12What's the problem with surprise in GURPS? WARNING! There's some fruity bad language in this one!Che and Pat discussed the implementation and mechanics of surprise and initiative rules in GURPS, including how these rules interact with various character advantages and combat systems. They explored modifications to combat reflexes and coolness mechanics, with Pat proposing new approaches to address balance and realism issues in the current system. The conversation concluded with discussions about GM flexibility in implementing surprise mechanics and adapting rules to create engaging combat scenarios.Pat's Surprise Rules: Major Renovations: Tuning Up the Rules – Cry Havoc!OR t2kcampaigns.com/2024/05/22/major-renovations-tuning-up-the-rules/Thanks to Matt for the question!GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/11. What's the Frequency?
27:11||Season 1, Ep. 11What are Frequency Rolls and how can we use them effectively?Che and Pat discuss the frequency of appearance mechanism in GURPS, which determines how often NPCs like allies, contacts, patrons, and dependents show up in adventures. They discuss how to apply frequency rolls for NPCs, advantages, and disadvantages in open-world GURPS campaigns without defined adventures. Pat explains that GMs need to determine when to make these rolls based on their campaign structure rather than relying on the vague concept of "per adventure". They emphasize that these mechanics create opportunities for roleplaying and complications while taking pressure off the GM to arbitrarily decide when elements like contacts, dependents, or enemies appear in the game. GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/10. Enhancements and Limitations
29:49||Season 1, Ep. 10Enhancements and Limitations? What the heck are all these modifiers about?Pat and Che discuss GURPS Limitations and Enhancements, particularly how they can be used to create supernatural abilities and powers. Pat explains that limitations like "costs fatigue" or "unreliable" can reduce point costs and balance abilities, while enhancements like "reduced time" or "ranged" can modify abilities to work differently. They agree that while these mechanics might seem complicated to newcomers, they're valuable tools for fine-tuning characters, and recommend mastering the basic system before diving into these options.GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:gurpstalk@pm.meTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/