Joseph Paul Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 GURPS settings- There are a lot of them and some are pretty well done. Is it worthwhile for Chaosium -or any one else- to write a setting that GURPS has already covered? I am thinking especially of historical or historical+fantasy settings (Mythic anything). What has SJGames missed in the way of settings? Where are the setting write ups deficient? Lack of pre-gen characters/NPCs? Maps? Adventure hooks if not outright adventures? Too limited on the history? Too limited on the setting's fantasy elements? Is BRP different enough that settings dedicated to it's mechanics would be better than converting GURPS settings? Would a write up on converting GURPS to BRP be a welcome thing? Stats, skills and especially all of those advantages/disadvantages? Joseph Paul Quote __________________ Joseph Paul "Nothing partys like a rental" explains the enduring popularity of prostitution.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycorn Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I think the GURPS settings are mostly pretty good. But I suspect BRP could do their own take on several of them, especially since many are going out of print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 GURPS settings- There are a lot of them and some are pretty well done. Is it worthwhile for Chaosium -or any one else- to write a setting that GURPS has already covered? I am thinking especially of historical or historical+fantasy settings (Mythic anything). What has SJGames missed in the way of settings? Where are the setting write ups deficient? Lack of pre-gen characters/NPCs? Maps? Adventure hooks if not outright adventures? Too limited on the history? Too limited on the setting's fantasy elements? Is BRP different enough that settings dedicated to it's mechanics would be better than converting GURPS settings? Would a write up on converting GURPS to BRP be a welcome thing? Stats, skills and especially all of those advantages/disadvantages? Joseph Paul Interesting question. I am too a fan of gurps setting books. Many of them are excellent. IMO Gurps has missed 2 things. First a detailed good non-tolkienesque fantasy setting. Banestorm is not that bad but it has orcs and elves and other silly Tolkien stuff included. And the strange mixup with real world religions is not everybodys liking. (at least not mine) And second there are not many good adventures. They produced many great setting books but nearly no adventures for them. (not even as pdf) I dont think that a rule conversion Gurps to BRP would be interesting for more than a handful of people. While both systems are quite realistic, BRP is too different in its philosophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Is it too different to convert, is that what you say? I would warmly welcome any conversion rules that allow fro non-BRP supplements to be used for a BRP game. Sverre. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycorn Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Is it too different to convert, is that what you say? I would warmly welcome any conversion rules that allow fro non-BRP supplements to be used for a BRP game. Sverre. I think the basic mechanics are pretty easy to convert. I have some notes somewhere I can post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Twig Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 As I don't own any GURPS material, and don't plan on buying any, I would be happy to see any kind of settings books from Chaosium regardless of what GURPS has done in the past. Quote The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) 30/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I own a large pile of the GURPS stuff and a lot of the good stuff isn't all that mechanically specific... I mean, I figure I can stat up Julius Caesar in BRP just as well as the next guy... but all the info on the settings is invaluable. That said, I'd really like to see BRP develop something of their own 'house' fantasy setting... NOT Tolkienesque... something evocative and flavorful... unique... that could pull in some interested newbies as well as giving Chaosium stomping grounds for a non-licensed set of publications. I don't see the need for lots of different BRP specific historical/cultural books though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Twig Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 There seems to be a lot of ire directed toward Tolkien. Why is that? :confused: A unique setting would be good, but if you get too far out there people won't be able to relate. Look at Tailslantia. People understand what an Elf and Dwarf are. It is a fantasy element that can add a level of comfort to those new to the setting. That said there is no reason you can't play with them a little. Change things up. Dwarfs are farmers instead of miners. Nobody knows the Earth better and they can grow anything. Elves are the master artificers and live in advanced floating cities. Maybe ogres are a slave race created by the elves for manual labor. Trolls might be the Dwarfs answer to the ogre and were actually grown from plants. Hence the greenish skin, ability to grow back limbs (slowly) and vulnerability to fire. I'm sure I could come up with more, but I should probably save that for the Settings forum. Quote The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) 30/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atgxtg Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I think the Tolkien hostility is partly D&D backlash, along with the fact that many fantasy RPG staples are little more than LOTR rip offs. People DO NOT understand what a elf or dwarf is, they know the D&D versions, and assume that those interpretations are universal. I used to run in a more Mythic Earth type setting, and the players found out the hard way that the Tuatha de Daan and the Alfar are not D&D "elves". Quote Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorloc Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Nor are Aldryami or Mostali anything like Tolkien elves and dwarfs... At least RoleMaster had over a dozen Fey races, but only one was playable... the standard Tolkien elves with loads of special abilities, far superior to any human and especially dwarf. Quote The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done." George Carlin (1937 - 2008) _____________ (92/420) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 In one of my favorite games elves and dwarves were just humans modified by tyrannical mages to fit certain functions, ie dwarves were miners, elves were woods-runners, etc. The only game effect was modified stats and skill bonuses, about on a par with Stormbringers' nationality modifiers. Elves and dwarves in name only. I don't think the Tolkein clone syndrome is all that common, really. There are only so many different takes on humanoids, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I like Tolkien fine... I'm just tired of all the 'twee' copies I've seen... the elves always having the same sorts of culture (Windsack Morningdew invites you to his enchanted treetop abode) and the vaguely Gaelic/Scandanavian motifs... At one point I tried playing World Of Warcraft with my friends and it was like being trapped at a Renaissance fair(e)... if one more person says, 'Well met' to me I'll scream! On the other hand, if the races were a LOT more like the original folklore... or something like the setting for the Leviathan/Chronopia games... that would be appealing to me... much less 'twee'... and yet possibly familiar enough to draw people in... I remember some old ad from a White Dwarf (before it became an catalogue) that mentioned a game where the elves were scary and had no souls... don't remember the name but THAT intrigued me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triff Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I think the basic mechanics are pretty easy to convert. I have some notes somewhere I can post. GURPS conversion notes would be welcome! :-) SGL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 There seems to be a lot of ire directed toward Tolkien. Why is that? :confused: Its not directed toward Tolkien personally or against his books. (these were not great fantasy but ok) Its rather against the fact that 90% of todays fantasy (book and roleplaying) is infested with Tolkiens creatures. It seems that some writers are thinking that Fantasy without elves and orcs is not Fantasy. Such shallow attitudes restricts creativity and hinders the genre to develope more interesting and diverse settings, if you know what I mean. A unique setting would be good, but if you get too far out there people won't be able to relate. Look at Tailslantia. Whats wrong with Talislanta? Its a a well done setting, IMO. People understand what an Elf and Dwarf are. It is a fantasy element that can add a level of comfort to those new to the setting. That said there is no reason you can't play with them a little. Change things up. A thousand years humankind was without Tolkinesque Elves and Dwarfs in their mythological stories and they loved them too and were also comfortable to those. No need to reintroduce Tolkien creatures today in nearly every Fantasy book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tal Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 GURPS conversion notes would be welcome! :-) SGL. There is conversion notes in the back of Gurps Cthulhupunk between Gurps 3rd Ed. and CoC. Quote 141/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Its not directed toward Tolkien personally or against his books. (these were not great fantasy but ok) Its rather against the fact that 90% of todays fantasy (book and roleplaying) is infested with Tolkiens creatures. It seems that some writers are thinking that Fantasy without elves and orcs is not Fantasy. Such shallow attitudes restricts creativity and hinders the genre to develope more interesting and diverse settings, if you know what I mean. Exactly! It's to the point that when you say 'fantasy' to someone the picture that comes up in their head is elves and dwarves and orcs... and the genre is so much richer and deeper than that. I know Chaosium needs people to buy into the system but I'd hope they could be a bit more creative than to jump on the same old, overcrowded, bandwagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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