Gurps Basic Set

GURPS is an unbelievably adaptable set of role-playing game rules. "GURPS: Basic" is a book of the core rules which are used by a massive number of other GURPS books. Whether you want to play modern day intensely realistic spy adventures, wild futuristic space opera, heroic sword and sorcery fantasy, four-color super heroes, tales from the Wild West, or anything in between, GURPS will let you do it. GURPS features one of the most flexible, open ended character generation systems ever developed.Yet despite its universal adaptability, it's still easy to learn to play and run. The basics of GURPS can be explained in about 15 minutes. There's even a "GURPS: Lite" available =free= online that has an even simpler version of the basic system. The entire system lets you design and build whatever and whenever and whomever you want. There are no classes or levels - you create exactly the type of character you want. You use character points to decide what you want to build. The only limitation is in how many points you want to spend.GURPS uses only standard six-sided dice that anyone can get almost anywhere. What's even better, you only need three to play. You roll three dice to hit - if you roll low, you generally hit, and if you roll high, you generally miss. What could be simpler?Then, to add to your enjoyment of your new RPG system, GURPS Worldbooks are something that describes a specific universe to adventure in, such as "GURPS: Discworld" or "GURPS: Lensmen". GURPS Sourcebooks are something that helps you build a specific genre, such as "GURPS: Old West", "GURPS: Fantasy", or "GURPS: Space". There are enough Worldbooks and Sourcebooks for GURPS for anyone to build just about any universe their hearts desire, and, what's even better, you only buy what you need. Not planning a fantasy adventure? Then you won't need "GURPS: Fantasy". Not adventuring in the Final Frontier? Don't buy a copy of "GURPS: Space". Hate Super Hero campaigns? Forget the "GURPS: Supers" book. But if you do need additional background material, it's there. Many of the Sourcebooks have a related Worldbook. For example, the recently released "GURPS: Castle Falkenstein" already has a world building supplement - "GURPS: Castle Falkenstein: The Ottoman Empire". Even more player and game master support is available online thru the "Pyramid" newsletter - which also covers other gaming systems besides GURPS.Steve Jackson Games continues to licence popular games and worlds for use in their system, including the currently available "GURPS: Traveller", (based on Marc Miller's original game) which already has many supplements, "GURPS: Myth" (based on the popular computer game), "GURPS: Alpha Centauri" (another computer game to RPG conversion), GURPS: Planet Krishna (based on some of L Sprague DeCamp's SF books), "GURPS: New Sun" (based on Gene Wolfe's SF series), and others are coming. Older books have covered such diverse material as Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld",

I agree with other reviewers that GURPS is probably the best system on the market. It lacks both the restrictiveness of D & D et al. and the clunkiness of Storyteller. The character creation rules are extremely flexible. True, it can take a while to get the hang of creating GURPS characters, but I found it to be worth it. The most common complaint about the system is that combat is too complicated, but most of the rules are really optional. When I started playing, I used a sort of "pidgin GURPS" until I figured out the more advanced stuff. You can play GURPS with the Basic Set only, but the other books can be very useful depending on what kind of a game you're running. Compendia I and II are always useful, but the others can vary:Fantasy: GURPS Magic is _vital_ for any fantasy campaign. Grimoire is OK, but not as useful. Compendium I is necessary for designing nonhuman races. The currently released "GURPS Fantasy" is for a specific world that I never found too interesting, but watch for the upcoming GURPS Fantasy Campaigns.Science Fiction: Ultra-Tech is good, as is Compendium I for the reasons described above. Space is very useful, but not as necessary as you might think. I've heard that Aliens is great, but haven't been able to find a copy.Other/General: High-Tech is a useful reference. Religion is one of my favorites; it's useful for any world-builiding efforts. As for GURPS Illuminati, I really can't say anything about it except that I liked it. They could be watching me...

GURPS is one of the finest role playing systems i have yet used. It wins my selection as best roleplaying system for low-fantasy, historic, and modern genre stories. GURPS lets a player design a character that really resembles what they want. The core rules elegantly describe most things a person would think to do. An excelent balance is struck between realism and simplicity. On the downside, GURPS begins to break down when humanity is not the norm within the stories you wish to tell. In the copious library of GURPs suppliments, designers seem to have wildly different ideas of how to deal with super-human and alien abilities in a character. For such settings, Champions/the Hero System often works better, in my experiece. GURPs, by virtue of its richly detailed character creation system, is also a poor choice of systems for genres where Life Is Cheap. Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu and R.Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020 pull off that genre element with much more panache.

One thing stands out in mind when reading this book, Centere. because(trying not to sound predujiced) if you take ANY role-playing game and say it's better than gurps, it's not because it can be used in the gurps system. it comes down to the simple fact that if you buy this, any other book you see in the store you can just say "wow, that would be fun in GURPS", not "oh, i wish i could but that". the rules are easy to follow with there being a "easy" and "realistic" mode for combat and more, it has one of the most important things ever in a rule book, lots of exaamples, and is packed full of amazing pitchures. If you only buy one book in your lifetime, this is it since everything can be melded into it.

I have played nearly every major role-playing game there is, from D & D to Rolemaster. One of the things that I find so frustrating about other games is their ridgidity. You must adhere to defined character classes. You must use these occupations and skill groups. Not so with GURPS. You can create any character, with any set of abilities and skills, from any setting or time period. If you want to make a concert pianist from Germany in the 18th century, or if a techno-soldier from the future is more to your liking, this is the system for you. The game also excels in its simplicity. Gone are the cryptic dice-rolls like 2d4 and 5d8, or the strange systems found in Shadowrun and Star Wars. All your rolls are done with 3d6. Combat is simple and realistic, but can easily be altered to a much more involved format if that is your taste. Skills are realistic, easy to use, and interesting. You can play with just the basic set, or you can purchase any one of the many! excellent supplements for more detailed play. If that wasn't good enough, you can also get a computer program for character creation that makes it even easier. Stop reading this review and BUY THE BOOK!