Rpgreview 17

RPG REVIEW
Issue #17, September

2012
GURPS Special
Interview with Sean Punch GURPS
Dinosaur's Notes GURPS Combat
Revisited GURPS Development
GURPS Narrativism RuneQuest Magic
Skills Recent RuneQuests Console
Games Reviews .. The Dark Knight
Returns Industry News
1RPGREVIEWISSUESEVENTEENSeptember2012
TableofContents
Administrivia,Editorial,Letters
manycontributors
p24
HotGossip:IndustryNews
byWuMingshi
p5
InterviewwithSeanPunch
withSeanPunch
p511
GURPSDinosaursDesigner'sNotes
byStephenDedman
p1214
TheBestDinosaur
bySandyPetersen
p15
GURPS3eCombatSystemRevised
byMichaelCole
p1631
GURPS:FromTheFantasyTripOnwards
byLevLafayette
p3237
NarrativisminGURPS?
byLevLafayette
p3839
LillianSt.John:AParanormalInvestigatoroftheRoaring20s
byEricaHoehn
p4041
RPGCulturalAppropriation
byJohnathanKorman
p4245
RQIII:SpeedcastandMultitarget
byPeterMarcani
p4647
MRQIIandRuneQuestSixthEditionReviews
byLevLafayette
p4855
ConsoleGamesReview
byMattLindus
p5658
MovieReview:DarkKnightRises
byAndrewMoshos
p5963
NextIssue
bymanypeople
p64
Administrivia
RPGReviewisaquarterlyonlinemagazinewhichengagesinamythicaldiscussionaboutbeinginprintwhenthe
editorhassparetime,whichshouldbesometimelaterthiscentury.Allmaterialremainscopyrighttotheauthors
exceptforthereprintingasnotedinthefirstsentence.Varioustrademarksandimageshavebeenusedinthismagazine
ofreviewandcriticism.ThisincludesGURPSbySteveJacksonGames,CallofCthulhubyTheChaosium,RuneQuest
bytheDesignMechanism,theDarkKnightRisesdistributedbyWarnerBrothers,andothers.Anyuseofimages,
materialetc,isnottobeconstruedasachallengetoanyintellectualpropertyandisusedunder"fairuse".Textisin
NimbusRoman,headingsinNimbusSans,frontpageinUtopia.Anyerrorsoromissionsareunintentional.
Editorial
Ithasbeenarguedbybravesoulsthatourhobbyofroleplayingandsimulationgamesmayactuallyhaveeducational
benefits.Inotherwords,peoplecanlearnwhilsthavingfun.Certainly,thereisanappealtothinkerswithinthehobby
andwithinthatgrouptherearethosewhoappealtowards"realism",inthemechanicsofgamesystems.
AttheverytopofthisappealisGURPS,agamewhichhadprideditselfon"realism"fromtheoutset,andofcourseas
aresultmanyofitsadvocatesclaim"youcandoanythingwithGURPS!",whichhasatleastadegreeoftruth.Atthe
veryleast,ifyoucancreateanormalmodelofactivityinyourminditisalmostalwayseasytotranslatetoGURPS
mechanics.
Asaresult,itiswithsomepleasurethatthiseditionof
RPGReviewisdedicated(although,notexclusively,as
always)totheGURPSsystem.Wehavesomeneat
articlestothisend,startingwithaninterviewwithSean
Punch,whoisoneofthemajordevelopersofthe
GURPSsystemthesedays,somedesigner'snotesfor
GURPSDinosaursfromStephenDedman,showingthe
greatscopeofthegame(alongwithanasidebySandy
Petersen,whichweareverypleasedwith!),alengthy
revisionoftheGURPS3ecombatsystembylocal
aficionado,MichaelCole,andreviewofthefour
editionsofGURPSanditsmajorprecursorThe
FantasyTrip,a1920sstyleNPCforGURPS,and
concludingwithapieceonthepossibilityof
narrativisminGURPSperhapsoneareathatitisjust
beginningtomovetowards.
ItreallyisquiteaGURPSfestbutthenagainthere's
somuchmaterialtochoosefrom!
thisclassicgame.
Ofcourse,aswithallissuesofRPGReviewwedo
includealittlebitofdiversityandalittlebitofthe
retrospective.Inthisparticularissuewe'veused
RuneQuestinbothcases,startingwithaRQ3esorcery
articleandwithareviewofthelatestincarnationsof
Ourusualfeaturesarehereofcourse,withexcellentminireviewsofsomeconsolegamesbyMattLindus,areviewofa
verypopularmoviebyAndrewMoshos,andofcourse,theindustrynewsfromtheindefatigableWuMingshi.
Untilnexttime,
[email protected]
Letters
DiasporaTechLevelTables
InthelastissueofRPGReviewatabledescribingthetechlevelsofDiasporaappeared.Duetoanerrortheintroduction
anddescriptionofthetablewasomitted.
Introduction
DiasporaisaFATEbasedgameforhardsciencefictionroleplaying.Theauthorsofthegamehoweverarehowevernot
particularlyknowledgeableaboutreallifephysics(asdescribedbytheStandardModel)orlikelyprogressionof
technology,essentialcomponentsofgoodhardsciencefiction.Ihavenotgivenreferencestofurtherreadinghere.This
tablewasintendedtobethecentrepieceofalargerreviewofDiaspora,pleaserefertothatarticlewhenitispublished.
Inthemeantimeainternetsearchforanyofthescientifictermsusedinthetableshouldprovidesomeinsight.
ThefollowingtablelaysoutasummaryofwhatIimagineisahardSFprogressionoftechnologybasedoncurrent
realworldsourcesscientific(2011).Notethatthisprogressionhaspersonalbeamweaponslikelasersappearinglater
thantheauthorsofDiasporaimaginedattheirtable.Thisisnoproblemexceptthepersonalbeamweaponsinthebook
needtoberelabelledornotused.
Descriptionofthetable.
T:thetechnologylevelofasysteminDiaspora.Tlevelsarevery
broadandseparatedbycapabilitiesinthecoretechnologyofspace
travel.Forthesereasonsalltheothercolumnsaregeneral
guidelinesonly.
Approx.historicalperiod:theperiodofEarthhistoryorpredicted
futureprogressionoftechnologytheTmostresembles.Notedueto
limitationsinthisauthorsknowledgethehistoricalperiodshavea
FertileCresent/WesternEuropebias.Theauthorisawareofthe
unevenadvancementoftechnologyacrosstheEarth.
GURPSHardSFTLs(seeUltraTech2p6):GURPS3rdEdition
technologylevelsadjustedawayfromthecorespaceopera
descriptionsoftheGURPSBasicSetasdescribedinUltraTech2
forthateditionofthegame.Theauthorofthisarticledoesnothave
accesstothe4theditionofGURPSbutisawarethattheTLsare
verydifferentintheneweredition.
Suggested(only)technologies:Thesearearangeofachievements
thatculturesinthisTmighthave.Alltheseitemsarearguably
allowedunderthecurrentstandardmodelofphysics.Aninternetsearchforsomeofthekeywordsusedherewill
informplayersontheincredibletechnologiesthatmayreallybepossibleinthedistantfuture.Oftenthesearemore
fantasticthanthelazywornoutandutterlyimpossiblesciencefictionideasyouseeinthecinema.
KarlBrown
IndustryNews
byWuMingshi
Hoseibo,Mr.Lev,
Laojiao,youseeKickstarterhaveProjectEternityforclassiccomputergame(Baldur'sGate,NeverwinterNight)with
nameObsidianProject?Ormaybepaikiaforyou?Noplayonmouse,takediceandscribbleonpaperinstead?Atleast
RPGReviewhaveconsolegamesreviewnowforpeoplenotinstoneage,lah?
Hey,alsobignewsHorrorontheOrientExpressiscomingbackononKickstartertoo!Notseensince1991,thischoo
choo,tchotcho,gamehavelongjourneyacrossEurope.InothermatterwithscaryCthulhy,PaganPublishingnow
releaseDeltaGreenandsupplementasPDFandPOD,nowseenagainaftermanyyears.MaybesendAngkatan
BersenjataSingapura?IwonderhownationalservicegowithDeepOnes?
TheironcrabannouncepublicplaytestfornewRolemasterandsaytheyrebuildgamesystemfromsmallcoreupwards
andwanttoendsplitbetweenRMClassicandRMSS/FRP.Maybethislikebakchormee,putbestingredients
together?Perhapscenturyegginstead,ar?Youdecide!
Abitthebooksgosplatthisissuing.AlderacstartnewseriesforLegendofFiveRings,oneforeachelementstarting
withAir.Voidcomelastandconsistofblankpages,onlyenlightenedcanseemagicwords.Mingshijoking!Also,
CatalystreleasingbookofmissionsforShadowrunwithnameElvenBlood;youmightthinkbookaboutElfmissions,
la?AndforSavageWorldsthepublisherSavageMojomakeDungeonlands:HeroesAndServitorsbookofpre
generatedcharactersforfantasy.
TheveryinterestingnewswithIconssuperherogamegoingfromfromAdInfinitumandAdamant.Adamantsaythey
nothavetimeorpeopletokeepgoodgamealive,andwanttogivegametodifferentcompanytopromote.ButMingshi
wonder,whynotcombineforces?!OrmaybeMingshihassecretsquirrelinformationaboutsomethinghappenin
future...
TwonewroleplayinggamesthatfallintoMingshi'slap.Firstis"BladeandCrown"byNJWGames,whichbring
together"80srealismandindienarrativism"whichtheveryexcitingforMingshi.AlsoMisfitStudioshavenewgame,
"RogueMage"withfallenseraphsanddevilspawn.
OK,thatisallfrommethisquartering!
Mingshi!xx([email protected])
InterviewwithSeanPunch
withSeanPunch
SeanPunchistheGURPSLineEditorandoneofthedevelopersofGURPSFourthEdition.Inadditiontothesecore
rulebooks,heisalsotheauthorofasmallmountainofsupplementsforthatsystem,includingnineGURPSDungeon
Fantasysupplements.Sitdown,pouradrinkandhavealookattheveryextensivelist:
Assoleauthor:
*GURPSAction1:Heroes[4E]
*GURPSAction2:Exploits[4E]
*GURPSAction3:FuriousFists[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy1:Adventurers[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy2:Dungeons[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy3:TheNextLevel[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy4:Sages[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy6:40Artifacts[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy11:PowerUps[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy14:Psi[4E]
*GURPSPowerUps1:Imbuements[4E]
*GURPSPowerUps2:Perks[4E]
*GURPSPowerUps3:Talents[4E]
*GURPSPowerUps5:ImpulseBuys[4E]
*GURPSThaumatology:MagicalStyles[4E]
*GURPSUndead[3E]
*GURPSWizards[3E]
Ascoauthor:
*GURPSBasicSet:Campaigns[4E]
*GURPSBasicSet:Characters[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasy15:Henchmen[4E]
*GURPSDungeonFantasyMonsters1[4E]
*GURPSGunFu[4E]
*GURPSMartialArts[4E]
*GURPSPowers[4E]
Ascompiler:
*GURPSCompendiumI[3E]
*GURPSCompendiumII[3E]
*GURPSGM'sScreen[4E]
*GURPSLite[3E]
*GURPSMartialArtsTechniquesCheatSheet[4E]
*GURPSUltraLite[4E]
*GURPSY2K[3E]
Asreviser:
*GURPSFantasyFolk,SecondEdition[3E]
*GURPSMartialArts,SecondEdition[3E]
***
HiSean,thanksforagreeingtobeinterviewedforRPG
Review.Wehavealmostastandardorderforourinitial
questiondoyoumindtellingushowyoufirstbecame
involvedinroleplayinggames,andwhatthose
experienceswerelike?
Forme,itallbeganin1979.Iwas12yearsoldandstartingclassesatanewschool.Iwasinaprogramintendedasan
alternativetoearlypromotionforadvancedstudents,andmyentirecohortwerepickedonas"brains"and"dweebs,"
whichledustosticktogether.Thismeantthatweplayedlotsoftabletopgamesatlunch,includingOgreandCarWars.
Oneday,oneofmypalsshowedupwithAdvancedDungeons&Dragons,andwestartedplaying.Ineverlooked
back.Between1979andwhenIlefthomein1990,Imusthaveplayed30or40differentRPGsifitwaspublished
before1990,mygangprobablytriedit.Gaminggroupscameandwentduringthose11years,butallofthemincluded
atleasttwoorthreeofthepalswithwhomIfirstplayedAD&D.
IcametoGURPSviaMantoMan,whichwaspublishedin1985.Thiswasessentiallythelowtechcombatsystemfor
whatwouldbecomeGURPS.MygangplayedalotofitbetweenRPGsessionsin19851986.WhenGURPSwas
releasedin1986,wegotintothat,toonotexclusively,butitquicklygrewonus.
WhyGURPS?Whatisthatattractedyoutothatparticulargamesystemincontrasttotheothersthatwereavailableon
themarketatthetime,andarenow?
AsIsaid,mygangtriedlotsofRPGs.Wegamedinalmosteverygenre,andbetweenus,wehadcopiesofeveryRPG
publisheduptothattime(althoughwedidn'tplaythemall).By1985,alotofushadentereduniversity,andmoneyand
timebecameissues;welackedtheresourcestobuyandlearnsystemaftersystem.Thisputusinthetargetmarketfora
genericgamethatpromisedtohandleallgenreswithonerulesset.
Atthattime,thereweretwo"generic"RPGs:Chaosium'sBasicRolePlayingandHero'sHEROSystem.Thetroubleis,
youhadtobuyeachgenreasitsownstandalonegame,payingforthecorerulesalloveragain.IfyouusedBRP,that
meantbuyingCallofCthulhu,Ringworld,Stormbringer,etc.;withHERO,thatmeantgettingChampions,Danger
International,Justice,Inc.,etc.Also,eachgamehadlittletweaksanddifferences,makinglessonslearnedinoneplace
troublesomeinanotherplace.Eventually,HerowouldsolvethisbyreinventingtheHEROSystemasacorerulesset
butbackin1985,thatwasinthefuture(1989).
Thus,whenSJGamesreleasedGURPSin1986,itwastheanswertoallofourprayers.Truthfully,itcouldhavebeen
terribleandwewouldhavemadeitwork!Fortunately,itwasagoodrulesset,sowecametoplayitalmosttothe
exclusionofotherRPGsby1990.WealsowentaroundtalkingituptootherRPGgroupsandatlocalconventions.
IplayGURPStodayfortworeasons.First,Istillbelievethatit'sagoodsystem.Iunderstandgamerswhoprefergames
thatarefinetunedtoagenre,asetting,and/oraplaystyle,butI'mnotoneofthem.IdoubtthatIwouldhavekepton
playingRPGsifIhadhadtobuyandlearnanewrulesset
foreverycampaign.Second,IstartedworkingonGURPS
forSJGamesasafreelancerin1994andfulltimein1995,
andIfirmlybelievethatalinedeveloperforanRPGhas
nobusinessdoingthatjobifheorshedoesn'tactivelyand
regularlyplaythegamenotplayingleadstogettingout
oftouch,andfromtherethejourneytoterribleproductsis
avery,veryshortone.
DoyouhavefavouriteGURPSsupplementswhichreally
capturethespiritofthegameforyou?
After26yearsofplayingGURPSand17yearsofworking
onit,IhavesuchaholisticviewofGURPSthatI'mnot
surethatIhavefavoritesinthesenseyoumean.The
supplementI'veprobablyusedthemostisGURPSMagic,
andtheoneI'mproudestofwritingisGURPSUndead...
butneitherscreams"Generic!",soneithercapturesthe
spirit.Maybethat'sthething,though:Agoodgeneric
gamedoesn'tlenditselftothissortofreductionwhat
capturesthespiritisthebreadthanddepthofthewhole
library,notanyoneitemontheshelf.
WhatexactlydoyoudoatSteveJacksonGames?What
doesthedaybydayworkofalineeditorandauthorconsistof?
"LineEditor"isacatchalltitle.Thereareseveralbitstoit:
*LineDeveloper.Thismeansalotofadministrativework.Ipostcallsforfreelancewriters(our"wishlist");select
whichfreelancequerieswilladvancetotheproposalstage,andwhichproposalswillbeawardedcontracts;negotiate
contracts;answerfreelancers'practicalquestionsaboutrules,style,deadlines,andsoon;answerfellowstaffmembers'
technicalquestionsregardingcontentandformatting;reporttowhoeverneedsareportonwhat'sdoingwellorpoorly,
andwhereIwanttheGURPSlinetogo;andmuch,muchmore.
*BrandManager.Idon'thavefull"executiveauthority,"butIamthepersonwhotakesinterviews(suchasthisone!),
speaksaboutGURPSinpodcasts,writesalotofGURPSmarketingcopy,postsmanyoftheblogupdatesyouseeon
GURPS,andanswerscustomerquestions.IevengotoconsandtalkupGURPS.Promotingthebrandispartofthejob.
*Editor.Ireviewnearlyallmanuscriptsatsomestagefirstdraft,finaldraft,orpreliminarylayoutinorderto
ensureconsistentrulesandstyle.Idoplentyofhandsoncopyediting.Inslowperiods,suchaswehavethem,Ikeep
oureditorialstyleguidesuptodate.
*StaffWriter.Asourtimeandbudgetallow,IwriteGURPSbooks.Thisisalsoasubtlepartofbeingalinedeveloper
andabrandmanager:Iestablishcanonforotherwriters,andIcreateproductsthatwethinkwillpromoteGURPSwell
atthetimeI'mwritingthem.Thisisactuallymyfavoritepartofthejob!
TellusaboutthedesignprocessandeditingdecisionsthatwentintodevelopingGURPSfourthedition.Whatdoyou
thinkarethemostsignificantcontributionsthatwouldshouldencourageoldGURPSplayersfrompreviouseditions,
andtonewplayersbeingintroducedtothesystem?
CreatingGURPSFourthEditionwasalotofworkforalotofpeople.Wereviewedallthecustomerinputwehad
archivedsinceThirdEditionwasreleasedin1988.Weranonlinepolls.WeskimmedalloftheoldGURPSbooks.We
listedthethingsthatwefeltwerethebestnewrulesideasinthesupplementsandfeedback...andwealsomadelists
ofwhatwefelthadbeenourworstmoves.
Thislengthyprocessledtoanoutline,whichSteveJacksonandquiteafewestablishedGURPSwritersgottohackon.
Thefinalresultwaswhateverybodyfeltwouldmakethelargestnumberof*gamers*happy.Weputegoonholdfor
thatpart.Somepeoplehadnostalgicmemories,adesiretoradicallyrevise,orotheragendas,butbothhighly
reactionaryandextremelyradicalthinkingwerechoppedoff,leavinguswithaplanforasystemthatwouldseem
familiarbutalsoprogressive.
Thenwecompiledandupdated,updatedandcompiled.Theresultswereonceagainsubjecttoseriouspeerreview.It
wouldbenolietosaythattherevisionsinresponsetoreviewtookaslongastheinitialdevelopment.Theresultwas
GURPSFourthEdition.
What'sappealingforfansofoldereditions?Similarideasrationalizedwithoneanother.Manypopularoptionalrules
andlotsofgoodideasfromdifficulttofindsupplementsintegratedintothecorerules.Simplificationsineverything
fromactivedefensestoskills...butalwaystechnicalsimplifications,foreaseofplay,notonesthatcostdetail.Fewer
dicerollsinmanyinstances.It'sjustamorepolishedsystem.
What'sappealingtonewgamers?Twothingsthathaven'tchangedsinceGURPSFirstEdition:First,youcanbuyone
RPG,learnit,andproceedtostartgamingwithoutdiggingdeeptoaffordnewcoreruleswheneveryoustartupanew
campaign,andwithoutaskingyourplayerstolearn*another*setofrules.Second,it'swellsupported.Don'tletthefact
thatwesellmostofthecontentasPDFsdeceiveyouthere'slotsofGURPSsupportoutthere,andmorecomingall
thetime.
What'splannedandupcomingforGURPS,andwhatdoyouseethelongertermfutureofthegameandforthehobby
asholding?
I'mnotsupposedtohinttoomuchatthingstocomeforGURPS,becausethat'sajobformarketing.Everybodyknows
thatwehaveaneweditionoftheDiscworldRPGcomingwithinthenextyear,though,andthatI'mbusywriting
GURPSZombies.WehavemoresupportintheworksforGURPSBanestorm,GURPSHighTech,GURPSMartial
Arts,GURPSThaumatology,andTranshumanSpace.WehavetwomoreGURPSLocationsitemsintheworks.And
ofcoursePyramidwillcontinuetoappearmonthly.
AsforthefutureofRPGsatlarge,that'samixedvision.Ican'tseeRPGsgoingaway,butIdoseethembecoming
progressivelymoredigital.WillthiskilltabletopRPGs?IhopenotIhopetoseeintegrationorcrosspollination.But
honestly,mediahaveneverbeenmoreinfluxthantheyarerightnow,sopredictionsaboutsuchthingsaredoomedto
looksillyjustafewyearsfromnow,nevermindafewdecadesdowntheroad.
Wheredoesthenickname"DrKromm"comefrom?ItsoundslikesomeonewhoassociateswithConanTheLibrarian.
"Dr.Kromm"wasoriginallythemonikerofarecurringvillaininacampaignIranusingVictoryGames'JamesBond
007system(Ipickedthesurname"Kromm"fromaphonebook!).Hegraduallylostbodypartswhichwerereplaced
withcyberneticsbuthedidn'tdie.WhenIplayedincampaignsranbyvariousfriendswhomIhadsubjectedtoDr.
Kromm,IoftenusedthenameformyPC,entirelyasaninjoke.Inallcases,Dr.Krommwasamadscientistofsorts.
WhenIgotonlinein1987,Istartedusing"Kromm"asahandleaspartofthesameinjoke.Hey,itseemedfunnywhen
Iwasageeky20yearold!Itstuck,however,andtothisdayIhaverealworldfriendsandcoworkerswhothinkofme
as"Kromm"...infact,someofthemevenaddressmeas"Kromm"tomyface!
Oh,andConan'sgodis"Crom."We'renotrelated.
PriortojoiningSteveJacksonGames,youcompletedaMScintheoreticalhighenergyphysics.Youcouldbe,for
example,writingpapersonthespeculationsofvarioustypesofbosons,orworkinginasynchrotrontestingwhether
theyactuallyexist.Instead,you'rewritingandeditingroleplayingbooks.Ultimatelydoyouthinkthatwasthebest
choice?Whatdoyouthinkyouwouldbedoingifyouweren'tagamedesignerandeditor?
Ileftphysicsforavarietyofreasons,someofthemeconomicandsomeofthemintellectual.It'salong,complicated
story,muchofitprettyboring.ItsufficestosaythatIchoseemploymentworkingonahobbyoveranuncertainand
possiblyunemployedfutureinphysics,andthatIhavenoregretsaboutputtingcreativeworkaheadofquantitative
work.HadInotmadethatchoice,IsuspectthatIwouldhavefollowedmanyofmyphysicspeersoutofhighenergy
theory(whichofferedfewjobsinthe1990s)andintoeitherbankingordefenseresearch.Thoseotherfieldswouldhave
paidalotbetternopartofRPGpublishingpaysespeciallywellbutwhilemymodestmeanssometimesfrustrate
me,I'mnotamaterialistatheart,soIdon'tregretthecallImade.
MesozoicSafari:
AGURPSDinosaursDesigner'sNotes
byStephenDedman
Carrutherssworeprofuselyandunimaginativelyashe
trudgedacrossthefloodplain.Ithadcosthimasmall
fortuneinbribestosmugglehisgrandfather's
KalashnikovbacktotheCretaceous,andhewassure
thatsmugglinghistrophieshomewouldcostmorestill
assuminganytrophieseventuated.Hehadn'tseenany
dinosaursmuchlargerthanaturkeysincehisarrival,
andallofthosehadescapedintothewetlands.The
longerhetooktobagadinosaur,heknew,themore
likelytheTimecopsweretocatchhimwiththeevidence.
Theweatherwascolderthanhe'dexpected,mostofthe
plantsandsmallanimalshe'dseenhadlooked
suspiciouslymodern,andhesuspectedthattheinsects
wererapidlyevolvingastrainimmunetohisPestguard.
Buthisscannerindicatedmanylargeanimalsonthefar
sideoftheredwoodforestaheadofhim,sohetramped
onwards.
Anhourlater,hewasstaringatahugeherdofelephant
sizedTriceratopshorridusastheymigratedsouth.From
theside,theyweredarkgreymottledwithgreenand
brown,resemblingweatheredrocksencrustedwith
lichenandmoss;fromthefront,however,theirneck
frillswereasshockinglycolourfulasamandrill'snose
orabutterfly'swings.Aheadlikethatonthewallofhisoffice,Carruthersrealised,wouldgivepausetoanyone
questioninghiscourage.Hepickedamiddlesizedsubadultnopointinchoosingaheadlargerthantheroom,after
allandaimedatitsribcage,figuringthattherehadtobeaheartintheresomewhere.He'dheardthatdinosaur
brainsweretoosmalltobetargeted,andhedidn'twishtomarkthatmagnificentface.Heswitchedtheselecttofull
autofire,andblastedawayforthreeseconds.
Tohishorror,theherdsplitapparentlyatrandom,likefourtongazelle.Severalstampededinhisdirection;
Carruthersfiredhislastthreeroundsbeforeturningandrunning.Inhislastmoments,hethoughthowutterlyunfairit
wasthatcreaturessolargecouldbesofast.
ScavengingTroodonsfoundhisremainsjustafternightfall,leavingnothingfortheTimecopsbutthetatteredremnants
ofanenvironmentsuitandatwistedwreckofthegun.
***
GURPSDINOSAURSisabestiaryandchronologyofthe'big,fierceandextinct'fromthetrilobitesofthePaleozoicto
theearlytoolusersofthePleistocene.IintendeditprimarilyasanaidfortheGURPSTimeTravelGMwhowishesto
sendPCstoanyerainprehistoricEarth,butitisalsoasourceofmonsters,lostrealmsandcampaignseedsforalmost
anygenreSupers,Space,AtomicHorror,Fantasy,Cliffhangers,evenCyberpunkandOldWest.
Thoughtheirnamehasbecomeassociatedwitheverythingunwieldyandobsolete,suchasbankruptsuperpowersand
lastyear'scomputers,thetaleofthedinosaursisoneofthegreatestsuccessstoriesever.Meremammalsevolved
alongsidetheearliestdinosaurs,andformorethan165millionyears,survivedbybeingtoosmallforthe'terrible
lizards'tobotherchasing.Longbeforethedaggertoothsanddirewolves,therewerefivetoncarnosaursandman
sizedraptors;beforethemammothsandwoollyrhinos,thereweresauropodsaslongasbluewhales,elephantsized
hornfaces,armoredankylosaursandhugeherdsofhadrosaurs,aswellaspterosaurslargerthanlightaircraftandmarine
reptileswithteninchteeth.Notuntilthedinosaurshadbeengonefor63millionyearsdidhominidsstartbanging
rockstogether.
Aftermilleniaoftheirbonesinspiringmythsofdragonsandothermonsters,dinosaurswererediscoveredinthemid
19thcentury(theword'dinosaur'issome153yearsoldasIwrite),andquicklybulliedtheirwayintopopularculture.
Now,despitebeingextinct,theircommercialdominionisenormous.Soplease,showalittlerespect;don'tjustgoout
thereandusethesewonderfulcreaturesascannonfodder.Takealittletimetoadmiretheirstrength,theirsize,their
power,theirteeth,theirclaws,beforelettingthemdevouryou.Ifatallpossible,pleaseletthesmaller,swifter
predatorsDeinonychus,Utahraptor,Troodon,andsoonmakeacunninggroupattackonyourpartybefore
TyrannosaursandGiganotosaursarriveandintimidatethemawayfromtheirkill.PCswithAK47s,dinosaurlasersand
paralysisriflescantakealotofthefunoutoftheMesozoic,nottomentionseriouslydisturbingtheecologicalbalance.
LostRealmswheredinosaursstillsurvivemightbestbediscoveredbyapartyofpacifisticpaleontologistsarmedwith
nothingbutpocketknives,pickaxes,andfalseteeth.ATerminatorstyletimemachinewhichsendstravellersback
nakedapartfromtheirimplantweaponsandmartialartsskillsmightpresentmoreofachallengeforyourplayers...or
maybeaslightmiscalculation,sendingtouristsequippedforabarbrawlinTombstoneortourneyatCamelottothe
Jurassicfloodplains.Reminddinohuntersofthe'butterflyeffects'possibleiftheykillthewronganimalatthewrong
time(alaRayBradbury's'ASoundofThunder'),orhavethemarriveintheCretaceoustofindtheirluggagereroutedto
theCambrian.Justbecausedinosaursareextinctdoesn'tmeantheyshouldbeharmless...
***
XaotetlstaredpasttheguardtowatchtheGiganotosaurusdrinkingfromthesacredpool,thenreturnedhisattentionto
thepistol."Wetookitfromoneoftheoutsiders,"explainedthesergeant."Theyusedittokilltwooftheguards,butit
isnowapparentlypowerless.Thismanranfromthem,andsurvived."
Xaotetlnodded.Heconsideredfeedingtheguardtothedinosaur,whichseemedtobeperpetuallyhungry,ordepriving
himofhisrationofwaterfromthesacredpoolandlettinghimslowlyageasoutsidersdid,butneitherseemedan
entirelyappropriatepunishmentfordesertion.Hethoughtforamoment,andthensmiled."Cutoffhisfeet,"he
ordered.Perhapsthey'dgrowbackintime,perhapsnot;eitherway,itwouldbenearlyasstrongasymbolofXaotetl's
powerastheGiganotosaurusandothercreaturesthatdrankfromthesacredpool.Thesoldierscarriedtheyoung
guardaway,andXaotetlhandedthepistoltohischiefminister."Haveyouseenoneofthesebefore?"
JuanPoncedeLeonexaminedtheColtrevolvercautiously."Theworkmanshipisexcellent,"hesaidinhisoddly
accentedXijalese."BetterthananyI'veseenbefore."
"Makeitworkagain,"saidXaotetlimperiously,andsmiledevenmorebroadlyasavulturetallerthananyofthe
guardslandedbesidethesacredpool.
***
Individualdinosaurscanlivenupagame,whetherencounteredinahiddenvalleyorstolenfromabiotechlab,butin
myopinion,yougetmuchbettervalueifyoubuyinbulkraptorsattackingincoordinatedpacks,entireherdsof
ceratopsians,orbestofall,acompleteecosystem,fromtoppredatorsondown.ThelostrealmofXijaleendures
becauseofapoolthatbestowsimmortalityandgetsaroundthenormalecologicalproblemofLostRealms
maintainingandfeedingbreedingpopulationsofverylargepredators.AwarmbloodedTrexwouldneedtoeatthe
equivalentofahadrosauraweek;feedingfiftyormorefor65millionyearswouldtake...well,youfigureitout.
BecauseverylittleofEarthremainsunexplored,oratleastunsurveyedbysatellite,lostrealmsarebettersuitedfor
timeswhenterraincognitawasmoreplentiful,orparallelworlds,orperhapsaGURPSSpacecampaignwherethe
PrecursorshaveseededworldswithspecieslongsinceextinctonEarth.Ofcourse,dinosaursinalostrealmhavehad
millionsofyearsinwhichtoevolve...
***
Theairwasrichwithoxygen,pollens,andthesmellofdinosaurs;Reidbreatheddeeplyofit,gladtobeofftheship.
TauDraconisIIIwasmore'Earthlike'thanEarthhadbeenforamillenium,anditwaspleasanttobeabletowalk
aroundwithoutanairmask,heatsuit,ordoseofgravanol.Hestaredatthetroodonasitappearedoutofaclumpof
swampcypress,alengthofbambooinitshands."Okay,soIoweyouabottleofsake,"headmittedtohisscience
officer."It'satoolusingdinosaur.Whatisthat,aspear?"
"Idon'tknow,"shesaidsoftly,asthetroodonturnedandtrottedintheirdirection."Thoseshouldersaren'tbuiltforan
overarmthrow,butaspearwouldgiveitextrareach,maybeenoughtoattackanankylosaurwithoutgettingtooclose
tothetail..."
"Uhhuh.Howlongdoyouthinkit'llbebeforetheyaskusformilitaryadvisors?"
Thetroodon,nowonlyafewmetresawayfromtheATV,lookedathimcuriously,thenraisedtheblowguntohismouth.
ThedarthitReidinthethroat,andadozenarmedtroodonssuddenlydashedoutfromthetrees.
***
IwouldliketothanktheDinosaurSocietyfortheirassistancewiththisproject,andtheirsponsorshipofdinosaur
researchandeducation.Ialsohavetothankthepaleontologists,themuseumstaff,thewriters,andthefilmmakers
(someofthem,anyway)forfuelingalifelongfascinationwiththe'terriblelizards'andotherprehistoriccreatures,and
SteveJacksonandLoydBlankeshipforsuggestingthebook.
Andifyoureallywanttoslaughterdinosaurswholesale,afteralltheeffortthat'sbeenputintobringingthembackto
life,IsuggestyougotoGhostRanchinTexasandtravelbacktothelateTriassic.MoreCoelophysisthanyoucould
pointaminigunat,andafterall,220millionyearslater,who'sgoingtoknow?
TheBestDinosaur
bySandyPetersen
Weallknowwhatthebestdinosauris.Obviously,atyrannosaur.SohereIwillexplainwhyitisthattyrannosaursare
evenmoreterrifyingthanyouhadthought.
1)tyrannosaursreachedadulthoodintheirteens.Oncetheyweremature,theyhadabouta20%todieperyear,mostly
becauseoffightswithothertyrannosaurs.Theirfossilskullsshowtoothmarks,scars,andoccasionallyimbeddedteeth
fromothertyrannosaurs,andthesewerenotfromfeedingbutfromfighting(wecantellthedifference).Thelargest
tyrannosaurfoundSuewaskilledbyaheadbitefromanotherofitsspecies.TheyfoughtALLthetimeandwere
extremelybelligerentandboisterous.
2)theybredextremelyfastforanapexpredatorlargerthanabullelephant.Onefossilassemblageofagorgosaur(a
typeoftyrannosaur)foundanadultwithsevenhalfgrownyoung.That'sseventhathadsurvivedsofar.Grizzlybears
don'thave7cubs.Elephantsdon'thave7calvesatatime.TyrannosaurshadATLEASTthatmanyyoungduringa
breedingseason.Probablymore,ifyouconsiderthattheireggswereprobablyaboutfootballsized,thismeansa5ton
femalecouldhavelaiddozensatatime.
3)theywerebuiltforspeed,believeitornot.Theirbonestructureishighlygracileandlightforsuchanenormous
animal,Theirskullsareanexceptiontheyaremassiveandthickwithhugeneckbones.Therestoftheirbodyisa
quicktransportsystemtogetthatskullwhereitneedstogoupinyourwheelhouse.
4)theyareunlikeothercarnivorousdinosaursinthestrengthanduseoftheirbite.Others,evenlargeroneslike
Giganotosaurus,wereslasherstheirteethweredesignedtostripfleshfrombone,orleavehugegashesintheirprey.
ButTyrannosaursweredesignedtochompTHROUGHbonesandfleshalike,leavingdeepscooplikewounds.
Tyrannosauruscoprolites(dung)arefilledwithbonefragments.Tyrannosaurbitesonprey(sometimessurvived!)
indicatethattheywouldbiteoffTriceratopshorns,andspinalbonesfromduckbills,etc.
Nowyouknow.
GURPS3eCombatSystemRevised
byMichaelCole
Initiative and Turn Sequence

InitiativeandTurnSequencearetwoseparateissues:
Initiative determines the ability to recover from surprise or stunning. It is checked if the person is either
unpreparedforcombat,orhasbeenstunnedthroughcombat.Itisrolledagainsteachturnafterthefirst,andasuccess
meansthatthepersoncanactfullyagain.
TurnSequenceistheorderinwhicheachpersonactsduringameleeturn.Itiscalculatedwhenthecharacteris
designed,andgenerallyremainsconstantduringtheirlife.
InitiativeandTurnSequenceshouldbecalculatedandwrittenatthetopofthecharactersheet.
Initiative
Whenbothsidesofacombatsituationarefullyprepared,suchasinadueloranopenfieldbattle,thereisnoneedto
checkinitiative,andallparticipantsoperateatfullSequencevalue.Butwhenonesideorbothissurprised(GM's
discretion),allmembersofthesurprisedpartiesmuchcheckinitiative.Tocheckinitiative,roll3dvs.IQ,modifiedas
follows:
+1foreachlevelofAlertness(notethatacutesensesdonothelp,onlyAlertness);
+2perlevelofAlteredTimeRateadvantage;
+6forCombatReflexes;
+1forCool,Collected,ComposedorImperturbable(noncumulative);
+1forHyperReflexesifactivated(unlikely);
2forAbsentMindedness;
4forAlteredTimeRatedisadvantage;
3forCombatParalysis;
5forConfused;
2forIndecisive;
+1forTactics(+2forskill20+).
Thisinitiativeisrolledindividually.NotethatasuccessfulDangerSenserollpriortothecombatwillmeanthatthe
individualisfullyprepared,andwillnotneedtorollInitiativeforsurprise.
Initiativerollsarereducedfortheeffectsoffatigue.
Turn Sequence
EachplayerwillcalculatehisorherTurnSequenceasfollows:
BasicSpeed(DX+HT)/4
+2ifthecharacterhasCombatReflexes
2iftheyhaveCombatParalysis
+EncumbranceModifiers
+1ifatleastonepointinTactics.
TurnSequenceisalsoreducedfortheeffectsoffatigue.
Advantages
Danger Sense
15 points
"However,itisimportantnottostareattheenemy,becausehemaysensethestalker'spresencethroughasixth
sense."
US Army Field Manual 21150 Chapter 7 "Sentry
Removal"
Danger Sense is like a sixth sense it gives you a warning about someone's hostile intentions,
butit doesn'twarnyouaboutmechanicaltraps.ThisisachangetoB20.Italsoallowsyoutosenseifsomeoneis
staringatyou.
Sixth Sense 5 points
Thisisacutdownversionoftheaboveitletsyouonlysensesomeonestaringatyou,nothisintentions.Veryuseful
whenalone,butinacrowdedareaitcanbepainintherear.
Offense
Basic Damage from Strength
Basicdamagefromstrengthhasnowchanged. Thenewdamagesareshownin BasicDamagefromStrengthChart
(Page28).
Theprogressionisobvious.Afteraminuteofstudy,youwon'tevenneedtheTablemuchwithjustthedamagefrom
ST10to20youcanfinddamageforanyhigherST.IfST12does1d+1Thrust,thenST72does7d+1.ST122does
12d+1.
StrikersandkicksdothrustdamagebasedonfullSTnochangethere.Butpunchdamagechanges.Insteadofthrust2
damage,usesimplethrust,basedonCombatSTx2/3(rounddown).Forexample,aST10PCcomputespunchdamage
fromST10x2/3=6.6,orST6.That's1d2.
SwingdamageiscalculatedasperthrustforCombatSTx1.5.Forexample,aST10PCcomputespunchdamagefrom
ST10x1.5=15,orST15.That's2d+1.
Torepeat:
Punch damage is figured from Combat ST x 2/3

Kick, striker and thrust damage is figured from Combat ST
Swing damage is figured from Combat ST x 1.5
Combat Skills
ChangesfromGURPSRulesare:
Axe/MaceandTwoHandedAxe/MacearenowPhysical/EasyratherthanPhysical/Average.
Blackjacknowhasanadditional+2tohit(becauseitissoeasy).Youwillneedtheplustohitaspecificlocation
BodyLanguageisnomore.Tryingtospotwhatkindofattackiscomingassoonasispossibleisafundamentalpartof
defenseandshouldbecoveredbyhighskill.TheuseofBodyLanguageindeterminingliesiscoveredbyDetectLies.
BoxingisnowPhysical/EasyratherthanPhysical/Average.
DualWeaponAttackManeuver:Clarificationbothweaponsmustbethesame,andtheattacksandparriesmustbe
aimedatthesametarget.ThismaneuverisconsideredRealistic(differenttargetsisCinematic).
FeintManeuver:Afeintisneverdeclaredattheactiondeclarationstagewhentheactionoccurs,theattackermay
thendeclareanyattacksasafeintpriortotheroll. ThisalsoworkswithAllOutAttacks,inwhichifthefirstisa
successfulfeint,thesecondattacktakesthebonus,aswellasanyattacksintheattackersnextaction.Ifthatisalsoan
AllOutattack,thenheorshemaygetuptothreeattackswiththefeintbonusfromtheonefeint.
Fencing:Thecurrentfencingskill,whichencompassesrapier,smallswordandsabre,nowbecomesaPhysical/Hard
skill,ratherthanPhysical/Average. Therearenowthreenewskills,beingindividualskillsforeachofthespecific
typesoffencingweapons,whicharePhysical/Average.Eachdefaultstoeachotherat4.
Flail:Thisisnowsplitintotwoskills,OneHandedFlail(Physical/Easy)andTwoHandedFlail(Physical/Hard).
Nunchukuisnolongercoveredbythisskill,butisaseparateskill(Physical/Average).Flailsretaintheirhardtoblock
andparryadvantages,butequally,theyarealsodifficulttousetoparryanadditional4inparryingonly.
KatanaisnomoreitiscoveredwithBroadswordandTwoHandedSwordskills.NotethatthestandardKendoonly
teachesTwoHanded.
MainGauche:Thisisastyleoffighting,notaweapon.Thismayonlybeusedifutilisingafencingweaponandskill
withtheprimaryhandotherwiseuseKnifeskill,withoffhandpenalties.
ParryMissileisacinematicskill,notarealisticskill.Inreality,itispureluckifyoumanagetoparryamissile.Note
thatyoucanstillparryathrownweapon,justnotamissile.
RockThrowing:Newskill(Physical/Easy)
Shield:PurelydefensiveshieldispertheGURPSrules,andasdetailedabove,butifyouwishtobeabletoact
offensivelywiththatshield,i.e.,useitforslams,pushesandbashes,thenthatwillbeanewskill.OffensiveShield,
whichwillbePhysical/Average(DefaultstoDX5,Shield2orBucker3).
ShortStaff:Ignoretheparryingstuff(seebelow).
SpearThrowerisnowPhysical/HardratherthanPhysical/Average.
Sumo:ProperSumowrestling,asintheprofessionalstuffinJapan,isPhysical/Hard.
Tackling&Blocking:Newskill,Physical/Easy:
CanbeusedforbothGrappleandSlamattacks
Adds+2tostrengthforGrapples,Takedowns,Slams,Pins,BreakingFree
a)
CanbeusedforParrying
b) Doesnotincludeanylocksorblows
ThrowingStick:Ignorethedamagestatsaswrittentheyareratherexcessive.
Tonfa:Ignoretheparryingstuff(seebelow).
WhipisnowPhysical/HardratherthanPhysical/Average.
WrestlingisnowPhysical/EasyratherthanPhysical/Average.
AlsonotethattheManualDexterityadvantage(CI27)doesnotaddtocombatskills.
Weapon Types
GiventhatthecurrentGURPSdamagetypesorCrush,ImpaleandCut,donotfullyrepresentthepossibletypesof
damagethatcanbeinflicted,thetypesofdamagehavebeenexpandedtothefollowing:
1:Bullet
Projectilesmorethan3mmindiameterthatonlydokineticdamage,andaretravellingat
supersonicspeeds.
2:Energy
Boththermalandkineticdamage,e.g.,laserorplasma.
3:Pellet
Largenumberofprojectilesalllessthan3mmindiameter
4:Cut
Anythingwithanedge,sharporotherwise,designedtopenetrate
5:Impale
Anythingwithapoint,sharporotherwise,designedtopenetrate
6:Crush
Anythingsolidwithoutanedgeornotdesignedtopenetrate. Thisincludessubsonic
bullets,e.g.,fromasling.
7:Hands
"SoftBlunt",E.g.,handorfootcombat,orsandbagsorbillyclubs
8:Teeth
Naturalweaponryusedinabitingaction
9:Claws
Naturalweaponryusedinaslashingaction
10:Explosive
Missileweaponsthatexplodeinabodylocation(notbombs).
Hit Location
Anewhitlocationtablehasbeencreated,whichdoesthefollowing:
Usesapercentilesystem,toalleviatetheissueswithtryingtousea318bellcurvetofitthepossiblelocation
probabilities.
Havemorespecificlocations,toaidindescribingeffects.
Allowsasimplermethodofaiming,inthatinsteadofspecifyingaparticularlocationatalargeminus,andthen
missingcompletelyifyoumiss,whichisnotrealistic,itenablesthepersonaimingtoinsteadaimeitheratthe
Head,ArmsorLegs,andtheadjuststheprobabilitiesappropriately.
Hasamuchwidervarianceofdamagemodifierstorepresentthevarioustypesofweapons.
Thisnewlocationchartisshowninthe ComprehensiveCombatChart. Italsoincludesnotesonwhatadditional

damagecanoccurgivenahitonaparticularlocation.
Assuch,armournowneedstobeboughtbylocationscovered,notjustgeneralprotection.RefertotheArmorType
Table andthe Costs bookletforfurtherinformation. Alsonotethatthe Skull and Ear bothhaveanadditionalbase
DR2.
Defense
Active Defense
Themajorchangeisthatthedefenseneedstobestatedpriortoattacksbeingrolled. Thiswillnothaveanymajor
effectononeononecombat,butwillhaveamajoreffectofcombatwithmultipleopponents.Thedefenderwillhave
tostateagainstwhomheisdefendingandhow.Ifthatattackerfailstohit,thenthedefenseiseffectivelywastedit
cannotbetransferredtoanotherattacker.
NotethatasperB98,youcanonlyblockorparryonceperturn,butyoucandodgeasmanytimesasyoulike.Thereis
nowanewprovisothatforeverysubsequentdodgeafterthefirst,thereisnowacumulative1penalty.
Parryisnowconsideredtobethesameasattackingtheopponentsweapon.Itisnowequaltotheweaponskill
penaltiestohitare(fortheopponentsweaponthatyouareparrying)5forsmallweapons(knifeetc),3forpolearms
andgreatswords,and4forallothers(B110Sidebar).Thisdiffersfromtheoldhalfofweaponskill.
Alsonotethatthoseweaponskillsthathadlistedasa2/3 rdparryarenownodifferentfromanyotherweapon.This
includesShortStaffandTonfa,aswellasKarateandJudo.AlsonotethatJudonolongergetsabonusforparrying
anarmedopponent(B110).
BlockiseffectivelyaparrywithashielditnowworksofShieldskillwiththeappropriatemodifiersasaboveforthe
opponentsweapon,ratherthanhalfskill,howeverShieldskillisincreasedbythePassiveDefensevalueoftheshield,
from1to4,asshownonB76.
ForReference:
Type
PD
Cost
Weight
DR
Buckler
24d
5/20
SmallShield
36d
5/30
RoundShield
42d
5/30
HeaterShield
60d
15
7/40
KiteShield
72d
20
7/50
TowerShield
96d
25
9/60
LargeRoundShield
50d
12
5/40
Notes
Note: - The second value for DR is the actual Hit Points of the shield itself. Damage to the shield over
the DR causes actual damage once all shield hit points are used, the shield falls apart. This
will generally not be bothered with in normal play, as it is way too much bookkeeping.
DodgeusesBasicSpeedx2,i.e.,(DX+HT)/2.Rounddown.Italsohasthesamepenaltiesasaboveaddedone.g.,
dodgingaknifeis(DX+HT)/25,anddodgingaspearisat(DX+HT)/23(itseasiertododgeaspearthanaknife).
Defensivepenaltiesarenowdoubled,defensivebonusesremainastheyare. TheexceptiontothisisthatAllOut
Defencenowaddsa+4toActiveDefence.
Alsonotethatasaresultofthis,successfulfeintsnowsubtractdoublethedifferencefromtheAD.Italsomeansthat
parryingthrownweapons,andparryingwithknivesisnowat2(B99)
RetreatBonusisonlyaddedtotheDodgedefense,nottoBlockorParry.AlsonotethatifyouuseaDodgedefence,
youcannotalsostepforwardsinthesamerounddodgingimpliesputtingdistancebetweenyourselfandyourattacker.
Passive Defense
Isnomore.DonotaddPDtoActiveDefense.DonotrollagainstPD.SaygoodbyetoPD.
Shields:Oneexceptiontotheabove,asnotedpreviously:Doaddashield'scurrentPDvalue(+1to+4)toBlock.This
doesnotaidotherdefenses.It'sabonusthatBlockgainsforthelargesizeofthedefendingobject,justasParrytakesa
penaltywhenattemptedwithasmallknife.
Damage Resistance & Edge Protection
BASICGURPSintroducesaruleforflexiblearmorslikeKevlarandmail:Abulletthatdidnotpenetratethesearmors
stillinflictedonepointofcrushing"blunttrauma"damageforevery5or6rolled.
Thisisadifferent,morecomprehensivewaytohandleflexiblearmorandblunttraumafromanysortofattack:
Edge Protection Score
InadditiontoDRthatnegatestheforceofablow,armorcanofferlesserprotectionthatallowstheforceofablow
through,butpreventsanedgeorpointfrompenetratingthearmor(andthusflesh).
ThisEdgeProtection(EP)ismeasuredinpointslikeDR.Simplyput,DRrepresentsresistancetoanydeformityatall;
EPrepresentsresistancetopenetration.Tough,flexiblematerialhaslowDR,highEP.Tough,hardmaterialhashigh
DR,lowEP.
InArmorTypeTable(Page29)arestandardGURPSarmortypes,reworkedwithnewDRandEPstats.
Setting DR and EP
Themoreflexiblethearmor,themorethatprotectionwilltaketheformofEPinsteadofDR.
ToreworkexistingGURPSarmors,belowarerulesofthumb.However,anyarmorcanvaryconsiderablyfromthat,
especiallyinEP.
Flexiblearmorslikemail:SetEPtoaboutDRx1.5,thencutDRtoathirdorless.
Semiflexiblearmorslikeclothandleather:SetEPtoaboutDR,themlowerDRbyaquarterorso.
Hardarmorslikeplate:SetEPtoaboutathirdofDR,thenlowerDRbyaquarterorless.
Veryhardarmorslikeceramic:UseDRasiswithnoEP,orturnaboutatenthofDRintoEP.
Intheend,thearmor'stotalDR+EPshouldbehigherthanthecurrentGURPSDR(muchhigher,inthecaseofflexible
armors),tomaintainitsoveralllevelofprotection.
Varying EP
EPisinterestinginthatitcanvaryalotmorethanDR.ArmorqualityormaterialwouldaffectDRlittle,butcould
affectEPalot.Cheapmaterialsmightsubtract1ornonefromDR,buthalveEP;highqualitymaterialsmightadd1or
nonetoDR,butofferdoubleorbetterEP.
AgreatexampleofveryhighqualityarmormaterialisFrodo'sDwarven mithril mail,whichsavedhimfromwhat
wouldhavebeenafatalstabinthevitals.Themail'sextremelyhighEPallowedabigcrushingblowtogothrough,but
notthespear'spointitself.
Extreme Cases
AnImpenetrableCoatofArmorbequeathedbythegodsmighthavenomoreDRthannormalarmor,butinfiniteEP.
Youcanbebludgeonedtodeathwearingitfairlyeasilysoifit'sflexiblewithlowDRbutitwon'tbepenetrated.
MakethatathinShirtofImpenetrableMonosilk,andyoucanhavezeroDRarmorthat'sofnovalueinafistfight,yet
willstopaswordfromrunningthroughyou.
Atheoreticalveryhardandstrongbutbrittlearmor,perhapsceramic,wouldhavehighDRandnoEPdamageabove
DRsimplybreaksit.
Cost of Natural EP
Asnaturalarmor,charge1/3thecostofDRtopurchaseEP.
EP in play
Subtract DR normally from damage. These points are absorbed by armor. Damage beyond that, affecting EP, is
crushing damage,eveniftheattackwascuttingorimpaling.Thesepointsdeformthearmorandbruisetheflesh
beneath,butdonotpenetratethearmor.
EdgeddamagebeyondbothDRandEPdoespenetratethearmor.(Ifyou'reusingrulesforaccumulateddamageto
armoranddeterioration,thisissignificant.)Treatasnormaledgeddamage.
TherulereplacestheGURPS"rollof5or6"rule.
Example:You'rewearingchainmailwithclothunderneath,forDR2,EP5.Anaxeblowfor2orlessdamage
doesn'thurtyou.A4pointblow,afterDR,leaves2pointsofcrushingdamage;themailisnotcut.(Ifthataxe
werepoisoned,thevenomdoesn'ttouchyou.)
A13pointblowisreducedto11byDR.Thenext5pointsarecrushingdamageonly,anddon'tcutthemail.The
next6pointsbreakthroughthemailandcutyounormally,for9damageafterthecuttingmultiplier.Youtook
14pointsofdamagefromtheblow(5crushing,9cutting).
A2pointblowfromaclubdoesnodamageafterDR.A4pointblowinflicts2pointsofcrushingdamage;a13
pointblow,11pointsofcrushingdamage.That'sright,EPoffersnospecialprotectionagainstcrushingdamage
thatexceedsDR.
EP and Attack Types
LikeDR,EPmayvarywithattacktype.Forexample,halvebothDRandEPforimpalingweaponsversusmailor
Kevlar(notethatforthesepurposes,bulletsandpelletsareconsideredtobeimpaling).OryourmagicImpenetrable
Coat'sEPmaydroptoalowvalue(evenzero)whenfacedwiththemagicAllPenetratingSword.
Also,weaponsharpnessmayalsoeffectEP.AbluntedgemightdoubleEP;averysharpone,halveEP.(Thisfurther
addstothearmorpiercingabilityoffineweapons,withoutmoredamageadditions.)
EP and Bullets
Aswithedgedattacks,EPrepresentsarmor'sabilitytoturnabulletintoacrushingblow,withoutpiercingthearmor
andenteringthebody.ArmorpiercingbulletswilldivideEPbyasmuchastheydivideDR.
Toughness
[ThisreplacestheToughness(B23)trait]
The GURPS Toughnesstraithasbeenreworked torepresent yourresiliencefrom thickmuscles:you'llshrugoff
punches,yetaknifewillhurtyou.Thatmakesituseful,butdecidedly differentfrom DR. It'sdifferent fromold
GURPSToughnesstoo.ThisnewToughnessisabrandnewthing.
Cost
DivideyourCombatSTby5androunddown.That'syourBaseToughness.It'scompletelyfreeforanycreature.
RacialExtraToughnessabovethebasecosts7pointsperlevel.GURPS'3pointcostofDR(CI32)becomesthecost
toconvertapointofToughnessintoDR.Thatmeansonceyou'veconvertedallyourfreeToughnessintoDR,buying
moreDRmeansyou'llhavetobuymoreToughnessandpaytoconvertittoDR.
Thatputsalimitoncheap,3pointlevelsofDRinthegame;onceanalienraceconvertsallitsToughnessintoDR,
additionalDRwillcost10pointsperlevel(7pointstobuyanotherlevelofToughness,3pointstoturnitintoDR).
Final Note: ST gets cheaper and cheaper as it gets higher. When the cost of ST drops below 10 pts per
level, adjust the cost of additional Toughness accordingly. Price Toughness at x2/3 the cost of
additional ST, and charge x1/3 the cost of additional ST to turn a level of Toughness into DR.
ForNonRacialextraToughness,usethestandard10pointsforonelevel,25pointsfortwo,asdetailedinB23.
The Basics
Whenyou'rehitfordamage,followstandardGURPSprocedures:subtractDRandmultiplytheremainingdamagefor
damagetypeandlocation.
NowsubtractToughnessfromdamage,butonlyuptothebasichitsbeforemultiplications.
Inotherwords,there'snoprotectionagainstthe extra damagecausedbycuttingorimpalingwounds,orforthehit
location;thosehitsarealwaystakenasinjury.Inotherwords,yourToughnessprotectsaswellasDRdoesagainst
punchesandfalls,butlesssoagainstaslashorstab,andmuchlessagainstastaborabullethittingvitalorgans.Try
somenumbersandsee:
Example:YouhaveST16,withfreeToughness3.Youshrugoffapunchof3orlessdamage.Apunchfor5
pointsofdamageinflicts2pointsonyou.
Example:RazktheEvilLizardmanhasDR1,andToughness3fromhisST15.YoupunchRazkfor5damage.
Hetakesonly1point(5minusDR1minusToughness3=1damage).
Youmakea5pointthrustwiththesword.That's4basichitsafterDR.Multiplyby3forvitals:12damage.
Razk'sToughnessabsorbsonly3points;oneofthe4basichitsgetsthrough,asdoall8hitsofextraimpaling
damage.
Younowdeala9pointswordslash,reducedto8basichitsbyDR.Multiplyby1.5forcutting;that's12
pointsforRazktodealwith.AfterToughness,hetakes9pointsofdamage.
Evenalowly3pointcut,reducedto2basichitsbyDR,willhurt.Damagelookstobe2x1.5=3pointsof
finaldamagebeforeToughness.ButRazk'smusclesstopnomorethanbasichits,or2pointsinthiscase.The
extrapointofdamageforcuttinginjuresRazknomatterhowmuchToughnesshehas.
NotethatToughnessdoesn'tprotectvs.poisonordiseasejustwhacks,stabs,pokes,falls,andsoon.
Toughness and Shock
TheShockeffect(aswellasStunningandKnockout)iscalculatedonthedamagedonebeforeToughnessissubtracted.
Inotherwords,youmaybepunchedfor2pointsofdamage,whichwillendupdoingnodamagetoyoubecauseof
Toughness,butyouwillstillbeat2forthenextround.Toughnessallowsyoutoshrugoffthedamage,nottopretend
thatitdidnthurt.
Damage
Stunning and Knockout
AspertheComprehensiveCombatSystem,victimsmaybeeitherstunnedorknockedoutbyattacks.Thisdiffersby
whatisinB127.
StunningischeckedbeforeKnockoutonlyifthevictimisstunnedshouldthevictimbecheckedforKnockout.Note
thatanyautomaticKOincludesautomaticStun.
AnyonewhoisStunnedwillonlybeabletodefendthefollowinground,andallactivedefenseswillbeat4.Foreach
subsequentround,theywillneedtomakeanInitiativerolltoactnormallyagain.
AKOdoesnotnecessarilyimplyunconsciousness,butsimplymeansthatthevictimisoutofplaytheycantakeno
actions,andwillgenerallybelyingontheground.I.e.,akneetothegroincanleavethevictimcurledupinthefetal
position,buttheywillgenerallybeawake.Asolidblowtothestomachcanknockthewindoutandcauseacollapse,
butthevictimwillstillbeawake.ThetypeofweaponandthehitlocationwilldefinetheresulttheGMisthefinal
arbiter.Generally,recoverytakesaboutoneminuteperpointofdamagedone.
Unconsciousness
To keep die rolling down, characters reduced to 0 HT or less do not roll to remain conscious every round.
Consciousnessrollsareonlymadewhen:
Thecharactertakesdamage(even1point);
ThecharacterAllOutAttacks;
Thecharactermovesfastenoughtoqualifyforasprintbonus;
OthersituationsuptotheGM.
NormalcombatactionsdonotforceaConsciousnessRoll.Also,Strong/WeakWillmodifiestheConsciousnessroll.
Oncethecombatends(GMcall),afinalConsciousnessRollmustbemade,at1per3HTunder0,torepresentapost
combatadrenalinecomedown.
Bleeding
AsperB130sidebar,thevictimofacutting,impalingorbulletwouldmustrollagainstHTperminuteorcontinueto
loseHitPointsduetobleeding.Thesearethemodifierstotheroll:
1ifthecharactermovesmorethan1ydperturn
1forhitlocationsGroin,Thigh,Heart/Arterial,Neck
1perHT/2hitstaken
1ifthebleedingwoundisinacrippledlimb
+1ifthecharacterliesstill
+1ifthewoundisinalimbandthelimbiselevated(applicableonlyifthecharacterliesstill)
Afailurecausesthelossof1HP,criticalfailurethelossof3HP.Onacriticalsuccess,thebleedingstopscompletely,
onanordinarysuccess,nopointsarelostforthatminute.Threeordinarysuccessesinarowalsocauseacomplete
stoppingofbleeding.
AsuccessfulFirstAidroll,eitherbythevictimoranassociate,willalsostopthebleeding.NotethattheFirstAid
attempttakesaminute,whichwouldmeansixtycombatactionsperhapsnotabletobedoneduringcombat,however
theFirstAidrollisdonebeforethebleedingroll.
Withthesemodifications,acripplinggunshotwoundinaleg,forinstance,isverybadnewsinthelongruntoget
evenanHT1chancetoresistbleeding,thecharactermustliedownandelevatethehitleg.Acripplinginjuryhas
alreadybroughthimdowntoHT/2,soheshouldprobablyattemptfirstaidduringthefirstminute.Hewillthuslose
the+2forlyingstillandkeepingthelimbup,butatHT/2hecanstillaffordtoloseapointofHT.Ifthatfails,then
waitforthemedics.
Anotherexample:agroinhitfroma9mmpistolmakes2d+2damage,ontheaverage9points.AnaverageHT10
person,makinghisHTrollsforknockdownandstun(50%chanceeach,combinedprobability25%),canreturnfire
after one second of operating at 9, but if he keeps fighting, the collapse after one minute of bleeding can be
catastrophic.HisbleedingrollwouldthenbeHT3(movingfastwithagroinhitdoingmorethanHT/2).Hischanceof
successis16%,soitisverylikelythathe'llbleedforonemorepoint.Afterthat,hehastomakeanHTrollagainst
unconsciousnessandableedingrollatHT4ifhehasfoolhardilykeptmovingon,oratHT3ifheliesdown.Theodds
ofmakingaHT4rollare9%,combinedwiththeunmodifiedunconsciousnessHTrolllessthan5%.Thismeansthat
anaverage9mmFMJhitinagoodbutnotoptimaltargetlocationofanaveragepersonisnotareliablemanstopper
butwillseriouslyinjureandpossiblykillthepersoninatimeframeof515minutes,unlesssuccessfulfirstaidis
appliedbeforethat.
Burns
Whileburnsdonotusuallybleedsignificantly,thekillerinlargeareaburnsisfluidloss:therefore,wholebodyburns
requiretreatmentforshock(30minutes,aspertheBleedingrules)orthevictimwilllose1HTeveryhourforevery5
pointsofdamage.Thisisgenerous:largeburnsaredeadly.
RPGshavealwaysunderratedtheeffectsofinjuryonPCs,andnowheremoresothanlargescaleburns:untilvery
recently,anyonewithseconddegreeorworseburnsoverhalformoreoftheskinsurfacewasalmostcertainlydoomed.
Healing
Allwoundsshouldbenotedastolocationandextent,althoughHPdamageistakenfromthetotal.Thisisbecause
eachspecificwoundmaybetreatedwithafirstaidroll,andeachspecificwoundwillhealatitsownrate.Assuch,if
theplayerfailstodothis,itwillbetohisdetriment.Woundscanbeclassifiedaccordingtoseverity,andeachhasits
ownmodifiertotheFirstAidroll.
Twoformsofdamagearestilladditive:
Maltreatment,deliberateoraccidental,ofanexistingwound,enlargestheoriginalwoundratherthancreatinga
newone.(Seebelow.)
Wholebodydamage,asfromfire,exposure,disease,orpoison,addsintoasingletotalaslongasthevictimis
exposedtothefire,inthehostileenvironment,sufferingfromthedisease,orthepoisonremainsactive.Again,apply
commonsense.Aburnfromatorchorahotironislocalized,notwholebodyburning.It'suptotheGMwhetherto
treatmultiplemagicattacks,fireballsforinstance,asseparateinjuriesorasingleworseningburn.Thelatterismore
realisticbutconsiderablyharderontheplayers.
Damage
SeverityCategory
RollModifier
Superficial
23
Light
48
Serious
9+
Critical
HTisnegative(MoretotaldamagethanHT)
HTisfullynegative(Moretotaldamagethan2xHT)
CleanCrushingInjury
+2
Woundtohead,groinorvitals
Unsanitaryconditions
Burnsdamage
AgeDisadvantagePoints/30
First Aid
AreminderthataFirstAidattempts(otherthantostopbleeding)takesaround30minutesperpersonitcannot
generallybeperformedwithincombat.Eachwoundtakesaboutfiveminutestobandage,andthenthereisthetime
requiredforcalmingthepatient,administeringfluids,treatingforshocketc.
Notes:
Bleeding(seeabove)isconsideredasaseparateindividualwound,regardlessofhowmanywoundswereinflicted
Noinjurymayhavemorethanhalfitsdamagerestoredfromfirstaid
CleancrushinginjuriescannotbenefitfromFirstAidunlesstherehasbeensomecripplinginjurymeaningsome
boneisbrokenorlimbbadlysprained,thatcanbeset.
Gradual Healing
Foreachdayofrestwithadequatefoodandwater,rollvs.HTforuptothreeseparatewounds,plusonceforgeneric
damage,plusonceforbleedingdamage.Asuccessrestoresonehitpoint,andcriticalsuccessrestorestwohitpoints,
andacriticalfailuremeansthewoundaggravatesbyonepoint. Allrollsaremodifiedforseverityasabove. A
successful Physician skill roll adds two toall healing rolls. For bone fractures and critical injuries, refer tothe
ComprehensiveCombatTable.
Fatigue
Extra Fatigue Advantage
Thisnowcosts5pointsperlevel,not3.
Loss of Fatigue
Combat:1pointoffatigueperlevelofencumbrance,pertwominutesofcombat,foranycombatthatlastslonger
than10seconds.Notethattwominutesofcombatis120actionrounds,sothiswillgenerallybepercombatsession.
Movement:1pointoffatigueperlevelofencumbrance,perfatigueinterval,asshownbelow:
Move is greater Upto...
than...
TypeofMove
FatigueInterval
x1/3
Slow("walking")
hour
x1/3
x1/2
Brisk("jogging")
10minutes
x1/2
x2/3
VeryBrisk("fastjogging")
1minute
x2/3
x1
Fast("running")
20seconds
x1
x1+Sprintbonus
Sprinting
10seconds
x1+Sprintbonus
??
ExtraEffortSprinting
1second
Long Term Fatigue

Inadditiontothenormalfatiguethatislostfromphysicalexertion,thereisaformofFatiguecalledLongTermFatigue
(LTF).LTFisusedforsuchthingsasstarvationfatigue(B128Sidebar),fatiguefromlackofsleep(CII173),orfatigue
fromdisease. ThedifferencebetweennormalFatigueandLTFisthatLTFisnotrecovereduntilthesituationthat
causeditisremedied,yougetameal,yougetafullnight'ssleeporyourecoverfromthedisease.
Thisadditionalruleisthatforevery3FPyouloseandrecoverinasingleday,youtakeoneLTFdamage.Thistypeof
LTFistreatedlikestarvationfatigue,inthatyourecover3LTFperfulldayofrestandmeals.
Forhiking,thismeansthat5hoursofnonstophikingwillcostyou1LTF.Ifyouassumethatyourestof30minutes
every3hours,thena6hourhikewillcostyou1longtermFP(andyouwillbeabletoaffordquiteafewdaysofthat
pacebeforeneedingtotakeadayortwooffforrest.
A14hourhike,ontheotherhand,with12.5hoursworthoffatigueloss,willcost4longtermFPperday,andamere
twodaysofitwillhaveyoudraggingorcollapsing.
Effects of Fatigue
InordertomakethelossofFatiguemoreofaproblemintheearlystages(beforeyouarefallingdownwithonly3
Fatigue remaining), I have implemented the following table. It is pretty selfexplanatory, simply determine the
percentageofFatigue(orLTF)thathasbeenlostandassessthemodifiertoanyrollsthataremade. TheGMisthe
finalarbiteronwhetherornotaparticularrollshouldbemodified,butFatigueshouldeffectjustabouteverythingthata
charactercoulddo,physicallyormentally.TheeffectsofFatigueareasfollows:
FatigueLost
ModifiertoallrollsforallSkills&Attributes
<25%(rounddown)
2550%(rounddown)
5075%(rounddown)
75%Unconsciousness
Example:Theaveragecharacterwith10Fatiguewouldsuffernopenaltyforthefirst2Fatiguethathelost.Afterthe
3rdpointwaslosthewouldhavea1modifier,the6thpointwouldbringa2modifier,and8ormorepointswould
givea4modifier,with10bringingaboutnaptime.
Alsonotethatthereisalsoa1tostrengthperpointoffatiguelostthisisinadditiontotheaboverules.
Also,anyExtraEfforts(CII172)areat1perpointoffatiguethissupercedestheaboverules.Alsonotethatany
ExtraEffortscostonefatigue,somultipleExtraEffortsquicklybecomenonproductive.
Recovery of Fatigue
NormalFatigueisrecoveredatonepointpertenminutesofrest. LongTermfatigueisrecoveredintheopposite
mannertothewayinwhichitwasgainedi.e.,fatiguelostduetohoursofsleepmissedwillrequirethatthatsame
numberofhoursofsleepbetakenaboveandbeyondnormalsleep,torecover.Youonlyget6hourssleeponenight(1
LTF(CII173)),thenyouneed10hoursthenextnighttorecoverthatpoint.
Basic Damage from Strength Chart

CombatST
OldThrust
OldSwing
NewPunch
NewThrust
NewSwing
1d5
1d5
1d5
1d5
1d4
1d4
1d4
1d4
1d3
1d4
1d3
1d2
1d5
1d5
1d4
1d3
1d2
1d4
1d4
1d3
1d2
1d1
1d3
1d3
1d3
1d2
1d
1d3
1d2
1d3
1d1
1d+1
1d2
1d1
1d2
1d1
2d2
10
1d2
1d
1d2
1d
1d+2
11
1d1
1d+1
1d2
1d
2d1
12
1d1
1d+2
1d1
1d+1
1d+3
13
1d
2d1
1d1
1d+1
1d+3
14
1d
2d
1d1
2d2
2d
15
1d+1
2d+1
1d
1d+2
2d+1
16
1d+1
2d+2
1d
1d+2
3d2
17
1d+2
3d1
1d
2d1
2d+2
18
1d+2
3d
1d+1
1d+3
3d1
19
2d1
3d+1
1d+1
1d+3
2d+3
20
2d1
3d+2
1d+1
2d
3d
21
2d
4d1
2d2
2d
3d
22
2d
4d
2d2
2d+1
3d+1
23
2d+1
4d+1
2d2
2d+1
4d2
24
2d+1
4d+2
1d+2
3d2
3d+2
25
2d+2
5d1
1d+2
2d+2
4d1
26
2d+2
5d
1d+2
2d+2
3d+3
27
3d1
5d+1
1d+3
3d1
4d
28
3d1
5d+2
1d+3
2d+3
4d+1
29
3d
6d1
1d+3
2d+3
5d2
30
3d
6d
2d
3d
4d+2
Armor Type Table

ArmorType
OldDR
DR
CutEP
ImpEP
HeavyCloth or SoftLeather:Thickcoarsecloth
(serge, bucram) or thin leather, usually worn as
winter wear or asan additional layer under other
armour
Hard Leather: Thick leather or animal hide, of

about5mmthickness.
Quilt:Softarmourmadefromstitchedclothstuffed
withwoolorsimilarmaterial.Itisintendedmostly
tobewornunderotherarmour
Padded:48cmofheavyfelt.Itisintendedmostly
tobewornunderotherarmour
+2
+2
+4
+2
+1(W)
+1(W)
+2(B)
+2(B)
+3(M)
+3(M)
3(W)
1(W)
4(B)
4(B)
5(M)
5(M)
2(W)
1(W)
3(B)
3(B)
4(M)
4(M)
WovenCord:Muchlikemodernmacram
Kurbul or Cuirbouilli: Boiled Leather, hard
leatherplateproducedbytreatingordinaryleather
withboilingoilorwax.
StuddedLeather:Therivetingofstudsintooneof
theabove(Cloth,Leather or Quilt)basearmour.
Hasnoeffectapartfrombeingbulkierandlooking
good.
RingMail:Involvessewingmetalringsontooneof
theabove(Cloth,Leather or Quilt)basearmour.
Bonusesareinadditiontothebasearmourvalues.
Bezainted:Consistsofrivetingmetaltooneofthe
above (Cloth, Leather, Quilt or Kurbul) base
armour.Bonusesareinadditiontothebasearmour
values.
Jezeraint or Scale: Made of either sewing or

riveting overlapping wood, bone/horn or metal
scalestoasuitablebacking(Cloth,Leather,Quilt
orKurbul)basearmour.Bonusesareinadditionto
thebasearmourvalues.
Brigandine:Scalearmourinsideadoublelayerof
leathersoftleatheronscaleonsoftleather.
Lamellar or Splint:Alsoconsistsofmetalplates
orscalesfastenedtogether,butthepiecesarelarger
andthickerandthereisnoleatherlining.
(Chain) Mail: Flexible, allmetal armour of
+1
+1
3
1
interlinkedmetalrings.
SmallGauge Mail: Differs from mail above by
havingsmallerandthinnerrings,whichimprovesits
effectivenessagainstimpalingweapons,butdoesnt
absorb the impact of crushing attacks as well as
standardmail.
Double,Augmented or BarMail:Variantofmail
withringsthatareeitherthickerandclosertogether,
orhavebitsofleatherormetalinthegaps.
Dwarven Mail: Highquality mail produced from

improvedsteelandusingamixtureofpunchedor
weldedringsandordinaryrivetedrings.
20
10
SmallGaugeDwarvenMail:
20
15
Laminated: Metal strips which are

overlapped and articulate upon each
other
Plate:Thick,singlepiecemetalarmour.Itisused
in helms, breastplates and small plates for spot
protection. Fullarticulatedsuitsareveryrareand
expensive.
Heavy/RibbedPlate:Avariationofplatewitheven
greater thickness of armour or transverse/diagonal
ribbings designed to reduce the effectiveness of
blowsdirectedatthearmour.
Standard Combat Procedure

1)
Startwithunmodifiedweaponskill
2)
Applyenvironmentalmodifiers:
3)
a)
Badfooting2(mud,loosegravel,waxedfloorsetc),footdeepwaterorstairs4,deeperwater6(B107)(Negatedby
aimingformissileattacks)
b)
Invisibilityanddarkness(CII70)
Applypersonalmodifiers:
a)
MovementformissileattacksWalking1,running2,x3forcrossbows,x6forbows.
b)
Offhand(ifnotambidextrous)4
c)
Unfamiliarweapon2
d)
Wildswing(attackingtosideorrear)5withamaximumTHof9(B105)
e)
Closecombatwithahandweapon2(B111)
f)
Position:
i)
Crouching,sitting,kneeling2
ii)
g)
Prone4(exceptwithgunorcrossbow)
ShockfromWoundssubtractwhatdamageyoutooklastround
4) MissileAttacksapplyFiring&RangeModifiers
5)
Rolltohit.Rememberwhatthesuccesswas.
6)
Ifhitsuccessful,thenopponentrollstodefend.
7)
Ifdefenceunsuccessful,then:
a)
RollhitlocationonComprehensiveCombatTable
b)
WalklocationbasedonsuccessonTHroll
c)
SubtracttotalDRforthatlocationfromthetotaldamage
d)
ForBullet,ImpaleandCut,damagelessthattheEPatthatlocationistreatedasCrush
e)
MultiplyDamagebythemultipliersandaddtogether.
f)
DamageoverBlowthroughislost.
g)
CheckforStun
h)
IfStunned,checkforKO
i)
CheckforAdditionalDamage
j)
Noteactualwound
k)
Sub
l)
IfHitPointsat0orless,rollagainstHTforUnconsciousness.
tractToughnessfromtotaldamage,andtakefromtotalHitPoints.
m) IfHitPointsatHTorless,rollforDeath
TheMelee,EglintonTournament,Irvine,Ayrshire,JamesHenryNixon,1839
GURPS:FromTheFantasyTripOnwards
byLevLafayette
TherecanbenodoubtthatwhatwasthegoofycodenameGURPS(GenericUniversalRolePlayingSystem)has
becomeanoverwhelmingsuccessinthehistoryofroleplayinggames.Firstpublishedin1986,GURPSwontheOrigins
AwardforBestRoleplayingRulesof1988,andbecomepartoftheOriginsHallofFamein2000.GURPSinnowinto
itsfourtheditionwithhundredsofsupplementstothecoreruleswithatleast1.5millionbooksinprint.Withan
obsessionwith"realitychecking"GURPShasproducedsomeofthefinestintroductorytextsfor"realistic"settings
(e.g.,GURPSSpace),speculativetechnologies,and,mostfamously,historicalsourcebooks.GURPSdoescomewith
itsownhistoryhowever.ThisarticlelooksatthedevelopmentofGURPS,fromitsascendantTheFantasyTrip,and
majorinfluencessuchasChampions,throughthefoureditionsthathavebeenreleased,tosuccessfulgamesthathave
beenheavilyinfluencedbyGURPS.
TheFantasyTrip
ThestoryofGURPSbeginsin1977with"Melee",asingleunitcombat
systemwithahexboardgame.Eachcharacterhadtwocharacteristics,
StrengthandDexterity.Strengthdeterminedhitpoints,whatweaponsa
charactercoulduse,andtheirhandtohandcombat.Dexteritydetermined
weaponskill,abilitytodisengage,andspeed.Dexteritycouldbeadjustedby
armour,woundsandsoforth.Armour,astheindustrywasjustbeginningto
learn,reduceddamage.Thecombatsystemhadfivesecondturns,and
initiativewasbasedonarandomroll.Actionsdependedonwhetherthe
characterwasengagedordisengaged,andfacingwasimportant.Attempts
tostrikewerebasedonrollingunderthecharacter'sadjustedDX(asitwas
alreadycalled)on3d6.Thegamehadcriticalhitsandmisses,anddamage
wasbasedonarandomroll(unadjustedbyStrength).Missileweaponswere
givenrangeincrementsin3hexdiameter"megahexes".Thegameevenhad
anexperiencepointsystem,basedontheabilityoftheopponentand
deadlinessoftheencounter.Thiscouldbeusedtopurchaseimprovements
incharacteristics.
Awellcraftedandinexpensivegame,"Melee"wasfollowedby"Wizard"in1978whichintroducedmagicusing
characters.Itintroducedanewcharacteristic(IQ),butinterestinglyonlyallowedforthesamenumberofpointsin
Melee(8)tobeaddedtothenowthreecharacteristics(FighterswereassumedtohaveanIQof8).Strengthwas
extendedtoincludehowmanyspellpointsawizardhad.Spellcastingwouldcauseanenergydrainthatwasjustas
effectiveatharmasphysicaldamage,whichcouldbeespeciallychallengingwithspellswhichrequiredrenewaleach
turn.Intelligencedetermineshowmanyspellsawizardcanknow,andtheirresistancetoillusionsandcontrolspells.
Duetoinvisibilityandsecretprotectionfrommagic,anewruleallowedfortheintroductionofhiddenmovement;as
thissystemwasslowitwasnotedatthispointthatthegameshouldincludeareferree.Missilespells(e.g.,fireball,
lightningbolt)weretreatedlikemissileweaponsintermsoflineofsightandblocking.Theseweredifferentiatedfrom
"thrownspells"whichtargettedatdistance,butnotdirectlyatthecaster.Over60spellswereprovided,albeitwith
minimaldescription.
Thetwosupplementsunderwentafundamentalreconstructionin1980,withthesimultaneousreleaseof"Inthe
Labyrinth:GameMasters'CampaignandAdventureGuide",alongwith"AdvancedMelee"and"AdvancedWizard".
Asonecanimagine,AdvancedMeleewasanelaboratedversionofitsearlier,thinneredition,whichincludedsuch
marvelssuchasaerialcombat,trampling,andthelike.AdvancedWizardincludedcastingspellsfromwrittenmaterial,
laboratories,alchemy,andplentyofadditionalspells.Combined,thethreebooksconstitutedthecompletesystemfor
TheFantasyTrip(yes,asadolescentboyswegiggledandapedLSDaddledGandalflikehippies).Startingattribute
valueswerethesameaspreviouseditions,butwithSTexpandedtoincludeencumbrance,andresistancetoknock
down,andIQexpandedtoincludeTalents,theequivalentofskills,butwithabinarylevelofdevelopment.The
expriencepointsystemwaselaboratedtoincludeawiderrangeofactivities,withapointbasedpurchasebasedon
complexity,IQlevelprerequisites,andvariablecostbasedonthebroadprofessionsof"Hero"or"Wizard";therewere
closeto100Talents,brieflydescribed.Muchoftherestofthebookwasadescription,notsomuchofthegameworld
(Cirdi),butrathermoregenericaspectssuchasemployment,law,guilds,andencounters.
GURPS1stand2ndeditions
GURPSfirstandsecondeditionwerebothboxedsetscontainingtwobooks,oneforcharactersandonefor
adventuring,alongwithbookletsforsoloandgroupadventures,chartsandtables,andacollectionof"cardboard
heroes",thecheapandpracticalalternativetometalminatures.Whilstsecondeditionincludedmarvelssuchas
cardstockcovers,therulessetandlayoutwereprettymuchidenticalbeingpublishedinquicksuccessionofeachother
(1986and1987,respectively).ItwasherethatGURPSmadeitscoreclaims,whichareworthyofserioustesting:
Generic,meaningauniversalsetofrulesthatsatsifieddifferentstylesofplay;Universal,withanexplicitclaimto
realismand"realitychecking;RolePlaying,where"therulesarewrittentomaketrueroleplayingpossible";and
Systemasetofruleswhichwerepresentedasauniversalwhole.Thegamealsomadeclaimofinfluencesfrom
Champions(certainlytrue),Tunnels&Trolls(onlyinthesensethatGURPSproducedsoloadventures),andEmpireof
thePetalThrone(notintheleast).Tobeperfectlyhonest,GURPSwasasynthesisandelaborationofTheFantasyTrip
andChampionsbutcertainlycontainingmorethanthesumofthoseparts.
Attributeswereextendedtofour(Strength,Intelligence,Dexterity,andHealth),thelatterprovidingafoundationforhit
points,andrepresentativeofphysicalsize.ExplicitlydefinedAdvantagesandDisadvantageswereaddedwitha
sometimesincoherentmixbetweenrealismandandcombatorientatedgameplay;CombatReflexes,whichprovideda
modestbenefittoinitiativecamewithacostof+10points,whereasapackageof+10toallmusicalskillsbringing
superheroicskilllevelsintoplayalsocostthesameamount.Nevertheless,mostoftheseexamplesofcharacter
individualisationhadadegreeofrealismandbalancewitheachother,plustheywereveryenjoyabletoplay.Itiswith
somefondnesswhenIrecallayoungD&DplayerencounteringGURPSandthelookofsurpriseonhisfacewhenthe
GMinsistedthatthecharacterhadtoroleplaytheirpsychologicaldisadvantagesandthatthishadingameeffects.
TheskillssystemgeneratedavaluebasedalmostalwaysonDXorIQasabase,withanexpenditureofcharacter
points,withtheactuallevelsbasedonthequantityofpoints(from0.5pointsupwards),andthedifficultyoftheskill
(Easy,Average,Hardand,inthecaseofmentalskills,uptoVeryHard).Notablyphysicalskillshadamaximum
increaseof8characterpointsperlevel,whereasmentalskillshadamaximumof4perlevel.Theskillsystemalso
allowedforspecialisations(sometimerequired,sometimesoptional,sometimesbasedontechnicallevel),andadefault
systemeitherfromcharacteristicsorfromotherskills.Approximately150baseskillsweredescribedinacoupleof
paragraphseach,oftenwithparticularresolutionmodifiers.AswithothertasksinGURPS,resolutionisbasedona3d6
rollunderskillleveltest,withroomforcontestedrolls,criticalsuccessesandfailures,etc.Itmustbesaidherethatthis
particularresolutionmechanichasasignificantbellcurvewhichradicallydistortsmodifiersandgivesmeaninglessdie
results.Therehavebeenseveralarticlestosmooththiseffect(e.g.,RPGReview#4,SemiLinearUniversalRole
PlayingSystem).
AlotofrealisticfeaturesofGURPSarederivedfromtheattributelevelsinalinearmanner.Encumberancecapacityis
basedasadirectfunctionofStrength,andhasquickreductionsinspeed(itselfafunctionofDexterityandHealth),but
ahighoverallpotential.Likewisethecapacitytolift,throw,dig,jump,climb,perceiveetc.Itisobviouslyunsurprising
todiscoveradirectrelationshipbetweenStrengthanddamageaswell,althoughthegamedistinguishesbetween
"swinging"damageand"thrusting"damage.Theseratingsareapplieddirectlytoweapons,soinsteadofatheweapon
formingthebasedamageroll,modifiedbyStrength,asiscommoninmanygames,GURPSstartswithStrengthandis
modifiedbytheweapon,whichactsasaleverorfocussedpoint.Weapondamageisfurthermodifiedbythedamage
type;impaling,slashingetc.Themostdangerousweaponsareswungandpiercing(e.g.,apick)andtheleastarethrust
andcrushingdamage(e.g.,apunch).Rangedweaponshaveanincrementalnegativeonskillresolutionandahalf
damagerange.
Asmentionedintheintroductionthecombatsystemismodular,althoughthatishardlysufficientitselftojustifythe
claimofbeinggeneric.Broadlyspeakinghowever,thecoredifferencesbetweenthebasicandtheadvancedcombat
systemsisthatthelatterconcernsitselfwithhexbasedmovement,reachofweapons,hitlocations,andclosecombat.
Thesecondbysecondcombatturn,whichparticularlyallowsforrealisticactiontimes,hasaninititivebasedon
characterspeed.Ontheirturncharactersareentitledtoselectfromawiderangeofactions,whichincludeimportant
tacticalchoices(e.g.,doyouriskallandgoforanalloutattackbutloseactivedefenses?),whichisalwaysagood
feature.Defensesareeitherpassive(e.g.,armour)oractive(dodge,parry,orblock).Thecombinationofactiveand
passivedefensesequatewithatotaldefensewhichisrolledagainstasuccessfulhit.Thusthereisuptothreerollsfor
everyturn(attack,defense,anddamage)whichisfairlyaverageforresolutionspeed.
Afterarmourreducesrolleddamage,theeffectsofvariessignificantlybylocationandtype;apiercingblowtothe
vitalsorbrainisabsolutelydevastating,andalotlessdisconcertingtoalimb.Breakpointsexistforcrippledor
permanentlydamagedlimbs,forbeingstunned,knockedout,orknockeddown.Oncecharactersarebroughttoless
thanhitpointstheybecomeunconscious.Atnegativehitpoints,thecharactermustrollagainstHTordieandfor
every5hitpointsthereafterupto5*HT,whendeathisautomatic.Healingdependssignificantlyontechnologylevel
andtheavailablilityofskilledmedicalstaff.Asacorrelatetoinjury,thereisalsotheaccumulationoffatigue,basedon
StrengthratherthanHealth.Thisisacquiredthroughoverexertion(e.g.,battle),longdistancemarchingorrunning,
spellcastingetc.
Finally,GURPS1stand2ndeditionsconcludedwithbriefdescriptionsofrunningthegame(goodadvice,logical,but
nothingparticularlyspecial),gameworldsandespeciallytechnologylevels(arbitrarilychosen),andafewpageson
specialcharacteristicsofanimals,albeitwithveryfewexamplesthemselves.Ofparticularnoteischaracter
development,whereadditionalcharacterpointsareawardedfornarrativecontributions(tobeappliedtothe
simulationistcharacter),butwiththerealisticoptionoflearningbytrainingorwork.Someofthemajorandunexpected
gapsincludedatleastasomewhatmorecomprehensiveselectionofanimals,andequipment.
GURPS3rdEdition
ThethirdeditionofGURPSwasreleasedamereyearaftertheprioreditionthreeeditionsinthreeyears1986,1987,
1988.Originallyinasoftback,itreallyreacheditsheightwiththerevisedhardbackedition.Whilstinonesensethe
releaseofthreeeditionsinasmanyyearswasasignofafastandpopulardevelopinggamesystem(RuneQuest,for
example,hadafairlyrapidsuccessionbetweenfirst,second,andthirdeditionstoo),thiswasbecomingalittlehardto
keepupwith.Inadelightfulmove,SJGreleased"GURPSUpdate"whichincludedprettymuchallofthechangesfrom
2ndto3rdeditioninonehandybook.Thiswasquiteaseriouseditionchange;whereasthedifferencesbetweenfirst
andsecondeditionrequiredafinetoothedcomb,thethirdeditionsincludedsomefairlysignificantelaborationsand
systemalterations.
Firstly,therewerehoweverawidecollectionofchanges
andtweakstoexistingadvantagesanddisadvantages
(e.g.,DoubleJointednolongerprovidedabonusto
Acrobatics).Inaddition,thenumberofAdvantagesand
Disadvantageswasincreasedtoincludesuchstaplesas
Allies,MilitaryRank,LegalEnforcementPowers,Code
ofHonour,Intolerance,andVows,etc.Therewasalso
theintroductionofsomefiftynewskills,manyofthem
technologicallyrelated,butalsoincludingnewgeneric
skillssuchas"AreaKnowledge",alongwithmanyminor
modifications.Likewisetherearetechnological
elaborationsinequipment(weaponsandarmour,
primarily).Therewastheintroductionofmaterialfrom
someofthesourcebooks,suchasFrightChecks,along
withchangesinmovementsandmaneuvers,suchasthe
veryshortchapteronFlight.
Thethreebigchanges,whichreallyconstitute"editional
levelchanges"ratherthanmererevisions,wereto
combat,magic,andpsioncs.Apartfromsomefairly
minorchangesandadditionstocombatmaneuvers,
massivechangeswereintroducedtorangedweapon
attacks.Thisincludedtheintroductionofacombined
speed,size,anddistancemodifiertable,theintroduction
ofaccuracybonuseswhichkickinafteraturnofaiming,
andtheintroductionofasnapshotnumber,andadditionalpenaltywhichapplieswhenacharacterfireswithoutaiming
(anannoyingfiguretocalculateduringthespeedofactualplay).Thereareadditionalrulesforautomaticfire,thetype
ofdamagethatbulletsdo(nolongercrushingbydefault),andthecapacitytoretainconsciousnesswheninminushit
points.InadditionthereisanewchapterforMountedandVehiclecombat,additionalmovementratesaccordingto
terrain,andoptionsforcinematiccampaigns.
TheMagicchapterislargelyderivedfromtheearlyGURPSFantasybooks.Eachmagicalspellistreatedasaseparate
skill,collectedintocolleges,witharangeofprerequisites(themostimportantbeingthelevelsoftheadvantage
"Magery"required),andwithacastingcostofFatigue.Thereisadditionalrulesforparticularlypowerfulmagicsinthe
formofceremonialmagic,plusrulesforcreatingandusingmagicitems.Whilstanecessaryinclusioninthewider
GURPSsystem,themagicsystemdoesnothaveany"realistic"historicalassociation(althoughthe'realworld'Earthis
describedasa"magicpoor"location!),isratherunexcitinginflavourandslightlyannoyinginthelevelofoutofgame
accountingrequiredtoensureprerequsitesaresatisfied.
ThePsionicssystem,incontrast,isalotclearerandmoreflexibleinactualplay.Likeanadvantage,theclassicationof
apsionicabilityisboughtinlevels,whichdeterminestherawpower.Forexample,Telepathy10atacostof50
characterpointsgivesanyTelepathyskillarangeof50yards.Incontrast,individualskillswithintheabilityare
boughtasnormalmental/hardskills(e.g.,telesend,telereceive).Itistruethatsomepsionicskillshavererequisites(e.g.,
mentalblowrequirestelesendat12+)butthesearerelativelyfew.Aninterestingsystemeffectofthewaythatpsionics
areimplementedisthatitallowsfor"wildabilities"highpower,butquiteunskilled.
GURPS4thEdition
Afteroveronehundresupplementsmadeforthirdedition,thefourtheditionofGURPScamecrashingfromtheskies
in2004withamassiveBasicSetconsistingoftwo,verylarge,hardbackedbooks,oneforCharactersandtheotherfor
Campaigns(ratherlikefirstandsecondedition).Combinedthesetomescametoalmost600pagestwicethesizeof
thepreviousedition,producedinveryslickglosspaper,fullcolourartthroughout,colourcodedchapters,andwitha
GURPSLiteandGURPSUpdatetohelpmakethetransitioneasiertothenewedition.Alsonotablewastheadditionof
DavidPulverandSeanPunchasdevelopingthegamesystem.
Significantdifferencesappearstraightaway.InpreviouseditionsStrengthwasconsideredalinearattribute.Infourth
edition,thevalueshadaquadraticrelationship;acharacterwithStrength20couldliftfourtimestheamountthata
characterwithStrength10could,althoughbasicdamagefollowedamorelinearincrease;thishadaparticularly
significantchangefortheStrengthscoresofanimals,especiallythosenotablylargerthanhumans.Characterpointcosts
forattributesradicallychangedaswell,withtheskillheavyDXandIQnowcosting20pointsperlevel,ratherthan10.
Pointcostshoweverwerenowlinearforattributes.Therewerenew,explicit,secondaryattributesaswell;includingHit
Points,Will,Perception,FatiguePoints,SpeedandMove,Damage,andLife.ThecoreattributeforFatigueandHit
Pointschangedaswell;StrengthnowdeterminingHitPoints,HealthdeterminingFatigue.Relatedmodifiers(age,
appearance,societaltechlevel,reputation,culture)wereplacedrightatthestartofcharactergeneration.Itisimpossible
nottonoticethatthedefaultcharacterhasincreasedfroma100pointcharacter(exceptionalheroic)to250points
(largerthanlife).
Thechaptersforadvantagesanddisadvantagesweremassivelyincreasedwithanattempttoincludeasmuchas
possiblefromvariousgenresandsourcebooks,includingspecialnotificationofpowersconsidered"exotic"and
"supernatural"comparedto"mundane".Thisissomewhatofaquestionabledecision;whereaspreviouseditions
providedonemostofwhataplayerwouldneed,GURPS4eattemptoprovideeverythingandthekitchensink.Thus
therearepagesandpagesofmaterialthatisreallyonlyusefulforparticularcampaigns(e.g.,characterswithAltered
TimeRate,CompartmentalisedMind,ElasticSkin,Hyperflight,andsoforth).Thereare,ofcourse,anumberofrules
tweaksaswell;MusicalAbilityfinallycosts5points,ratherthan1pointperlevelandEideticMemoryisreducedtoa
mere5/10pointcost,howeverwithoutanybonustoskillsthatwasprovidedinpreviouseditions.
InGURPS4e,thedivisionbetweenphysicalandmentalskillsisremovedasishalfpointskilllevels,theformer
sacrificingrealismforplayability,thelatterflexibilityforinternalconsistency(what'sthepointofhavingabasegame
currencyiftherearefurtherdivisions?).Allskillsnowhavea"controllingattribute"withpointexpenditure
determininglevelandadivisionintoEasy,Average,Hard,andVeryHard.Anumberofskillshaveundergonename
changes(e.g.,AppreciateBeautybecomesConnoisseur,Agronomy/TLbecomesFarming/TL),whereasothershave
beenalteredintechnology(e.g.,OrienteeringbecomesNavigation(Land)/TL).Liketheattitudetowardsadvantagesand
disadvantages,theskillsysteminGURPS4eappealstowardscomprehensiveness,howeverasskillsareusuallymore
prosaictheexperienceislessjarring.Oneotherintegrationistheinclusingofparticulartechniquesinaskilllike
fashion,forexamplemartialartsmaneuvers.Onesubstantialchangeisthetreatmentoflanguagestoensurethathigh
IQcharactersdidnothavebetterthannativelanguageskillsafterashortperiodoftraining.
Themagicsystemandthefrightchecksystemunderwentveryfewchangesin4e,whichisopportunitymissed.In
contrastthereweresomefundamentalchangestopsionics.Psionicpowersarenowdefinedasbroadcategories
representedbyparticularadvantagesthattheyaremanifested.Aparticularlimitation,whenappliedtoallthese
advantages,becomesapsionicabilitywithinthepower,andfinallyaTalentmakesiteasiertousetheabilities.The
equipmentlistisslightlyincreased,albeitsplitoverthetwobooks,asisthecollectionofanimals.Successrollsalso
remainedprettymuchthesame,althoughtherewasahintofindirectnarrativismwiththeoptionforbuyingand
guidingsuccess.
Surprisingly,therearefewchangestothecombatsystemaswell,althoughtherearesomeelaborationssuchasthe
extensivereferencetononhumanhitlocationcharts.Onecannothelpbutbeimpressedbytheabilitytosqueezeinan
enormousvarietyofanimalforms(includingararchnoid,cancroid,wingedquadrupedetc)intoa3d6range.A
significantelaborationwastheintroductionofvehiclehitlocationwithabetterreferencetooccupanthits.Theprevious
distinctionbetweenbasicandadvanceccombatisremovedinfavourofstandard,tactical,andspecialsituations,with
"standard"and"tactical"prettymuchtheequivalentof"basic"and"advanced".AsamajorchangePassiveDefense
(PD)hasbeenremoved,althoughsomeprotectiveitemsprovideaDefenseBonuswhichaddstoactivedefenses.Also
notableisthatthe"somewhatdifficultinplay"snapshotnumberhasbeenremoved.Theeffectofshockfrominjuries
hasalsobeencappedtoamaximumof4perturn.
AnAssessmentandBeyond
ItisimpossiblenottorecognisetheextraordinaryinfluencethatGURPShashadonroleplayingstandardsasawhole
anddevelopingitsownparticularniche.Forhistoricalroleplayingthereissimplynobetteralternativecurrentlyonthe
marketanditcertainlysetastandardforsimulationistgamingofsomescopethatremainswithintherealmsof
playability.Havingsuccessfullygeneratedaloyalmarketbecauseofsuccessinthesecharacteristics,itisextremely
probablethatGURPSwillcontinueasamajorgamesystemformanyyearsyet.Indeed,GURPSlikegamesystems(of
whichCORPS,TriStatDX,andSavageWorldsmustbementioned)haveacquiredadegreeofpopularityoftheirown.
ItisalsonotablethatafterGURPSthetwomajorothergenericsystems(HeroSystemandBRP)havebothbeen
releasedasinglesystembooks.
Neverthelesstherearesomeissueswhichattentionmustbedrawn.Firstly,thereissomedebateovertherelativevirtues
ofGURPS4eover3e,withasubstantialportionoftheGURPScommunityremainingwiththeearlieredition.Partof
thisreasoncomesdowntoefficiencyoftherespectiveproducts;GURPS3eprovidesmostofwhatanyplayerwould
needinasingleaveragesizedgamebook.GURPS4eprettymuchcoverseverything,butwithtwicethepagecountas
itattemptstodealwithcornercasesinthesamedetailasgeneralcases.IntroducinganewroleplayertoGURPSusedto
beeasy;nowitisseriouslyintimidating.
GURPShasmadesomeveryminorstepstowardsnarrativistplay,anareawhichismissinginthecurrenteditionand
wasvirtuallyunknownwhenitwasfirstcreated.Acarefullyconsideredintroductionofsuchplaymaybroadenits
scopeandpopularity.Inadditionreconsiderationofthe3d6rollundermethodmustcomeintoplay;thevariationof
effectthatthishasondierollmodifiersisdissonanttothesimulationistapproach.Seriousconsiderationofwhatdoes
thedierollactuallyrepresentandwhattheresultrepresentsneedstobecarriedout.
DespitetheseminorcriticismsGURPSremainsthehighestexpressionofacomplete,realisticandplayablegame
systemthatisavailableonthemarkettoday,withanabsolutelysuperbcollectionofsourcematerialwhichiseasily
translatabletoothergamesystems.WithsometwentyfiveyearsofplayingGURPSitstillmanagestobeadefault
optionamongalocalgaminggroupdueitsflexibilityandconceptualease.Notsobadforagamewithagoofycode
name!
NarrativisminGURPS?
byLevLafayette
GURPShasalwaysbeentheepitomeofexcellenceinsimulationistgaming.WhilstadvocatesofGURPShaveoften
arguedyoucandoanythingwithGURPS,anacceptableretortincontemporarytimesisGURPScan'tdo
narrativism.Howeverinthefourtheditionthereisjustthetantalisinghintsthatthisprocessmightbechangingin
favourofallowingalittlebitofanarrativistinfluenceinthegame.Specifically,thereistheoptionalrule(p347)which
allowsPCstobuysuccessbyspending2characterpointstoturnacriticalfailureintoafailure,1characterpointto
turnafailureintoasuccess,and2characterpointstoturnasuccessintoacriticalsuccess.
Thisisaverygoodidea,andisalreadymuchusedinotherRPGs(e.g.,fromHeroWarsonwards)andis,ofcourse,
fullyendorsedajustlittlebitofplayerbuyin.However,itshouldalsobeexpandedtoincludebeingabletospendthe
characterpointsonotherstochangetheirsuccessorfailureinthegameworld.Thecostforthishowever,giventhatit
isnotthePCscharacter,shouldbeincreasedbyanadditional50%(yes,youcancauseotherstocriticallyfailfor
eightcharacterpoints).ForGM'sifyoureallywanttogiveyourplayersthewillies,assignapoolofcharacterpointsto
NPCsaswell.Thefollowingshouldmakeagoodruleofthumb:
PlotImportance
Example
CharacterPoints
None
Variousextras
Minor
Afewlines,acharacterwithaname
Moderate
ArecurringNPC,sidekick,orminor
antagonist
Major
MajorNPCcharacter,antagonist,
majorallyetc.
10
Notethatthishasnothingtodowith
thepowerorabilityofthecharacter
inquestion.PodoandKodowere
merelyapairofferretsinthemovie
Beastmaster(1982).Theyhadvery
fewcharacterpointsintheclassic
GURPSsense.Butbygoodness,they
playedacriticalpartinthestory.
ProbablymorethatRipTorn's
characterforthatmatter...
Ratheroddlyhoweverthesame
optionalrulesuggestschargingPCs
2characterpointsforaddinginstory
elementsafterasuccessfulroll,or1pointforacriticalsuccess.Thisisaratherincomprehensiblepriceforwhatis
effectivelycolourtothestory,andindeed,playersshouldbeencouraged,notpunished,forengaginginsuchnarrative
addition.Inthisview,regardlessofwhetheraplayersucceedsorfailsintheirtaskattempt,theyshouldalwaysbegiven
theoptionforprovidingexplanatorynarrativeinadditiontowhateverthegamesystemprovides,atnocost.
ThisdoesleadintowhathasbeenalongstandingincoherenceintheGURPSsystem;theawardingofcharacterpoints
forgoodroleplayingandstorydevelopment,between0and5pointspersession(p498).Thisiscertainlyan
exampleofencouragingplayerbuyintothestorydevelopment,butitdoesnotmakesensethatthisplayeraward
translatesintocharacterimprovement.Itisaratherincongruousgamerule,especiallyconsideringthattimeusesheets
arealsoavailable.Indeed,accordingtotherulesplayercharactersdevelop,allotherthingsbeingequal,twiceasfastas
nonplayercharacters.Somuchforrealism.
Asaresult,asimpleruleofthumbistoallowcharacterpointstobeusedonlyfornarrativepurposes,whilstallowing
timeuseformsaloneforcharacterdevelopment.Thissimultaneouslyencouragesplayerbuyintothestory
developmentfordramaticpurposesanditalignsthecharacterdevelopmentsystemwithahigherdegreeofrealism.
Narrativepurposesdoesnotmean,ofcourse,onlyspendingcharacterpointsforthepurposeofsuccessesinskillrolls.
Itmeansanychangetothegameworldwhichtheplayerenforces,suchasbuyingoffdisadvantages,adding
advantages,andsoforthanythingofthesortwhichisnotexplicableintermsofsomethinggainedwithinthe
unfoldingofthenarrativeitself(whichcomesforfree,cf.,p291)orwhichisacquiredthroughtherealistictimeuse
training,learning,andotherwiseoffscreendevelopment.Thesame+50%ruleforothercharacterscanevenapplyhere;
iftheplayerwantstoturnabadtemperedantagonistintoonewhichsuffersfrombloodlustaswell,byallmeansletthe
playerspendthosecharacterpoints.
Oneoftheresultsofthisdistinctionbetweennarrativeanddevelopmentcharacterpoints(heck,callthemnarrative
pointsanddevelopmentpointsjusttomakeitabundantlyclear)isthenecessaryremovalofacoupleofthemost
popularadvantage/disadvantagesinGURPSnamelyLuckandUnluckinessinthegeneralsense.Suchastatuscan
stillbeacquiredbymagicofcourse.Butintermsofarealisticgameworldtheirnarrativeeffectisprettymuchreplaced
bythenowexistingnarrativeinput.
Remembertheruleofthumb:it'stheirgametoo.TheoftquotedwordsfromRobinD.LawsinOverTheEdgecometo
mind:
GMswillfinditfruitfultoapproachdecisionsasanartistcreatingacollaborativeworkwithplayers.Theideaof
collaborationisimportant:theGMisnota"storyteller"withtheplayersasaudience,butmerelya"firstamong
equals"givenresponsibilityforthesmoothprogressofthedevelopingstory.
TheGMisnotamoviedirector,abletoorderactorstointerpretascriptagivenway.Instead,heshouldbeseeking
waystochallengePCs,touseplotdevelopmenttohighlightaspectsoftheircharacter,inhopesofbeingchallengedin
return.
For years, roleplayers have been simulating fictional narratives the way wargamers recreate historical military
engagements.They'vebeenmakingspontaneous,democratizedartfortheirownconsumption,eveniftheyhaven'tseen
itinthoseterms.
LillianSt.John
AParanormalInvestigatorfromtheRoaringTwenties
byEricaHoehn
LillianSt.Johnhasseveralcharacteristicswhichmakeheranextremeexampleofherageandathreattothe
establishment;she'sindependentlywealthy,welleducated,intelligent,andrunsherowndetectiveagency.Surprisingly
nonplussedbyencounterswithparanormalandotherworldlymonstrositiesthatsheencounterswithsurprising
regularity,shehasthegoodsenseofwhentoinvestigate,andwhentoturnandrunandactivitywhichsheisquite
competentat!
Byallstandards,LillianSt.Johnistheepitomeofaheroineofhertime.Shedoeshoweverhavesomeweaknesses;
withapropensitytowardshedonism,Lilliandisplaysslightlytoomuchinterestinpowderinghernose,andhas
outragedconservativesectionsofherhomecity's(Melbourne)establishmentthatshehasbeenincontactwith.The
combinationofthesefactorswillundoubtablybeherundoing;ifsheisn'teatenbysomecreaturebeyondspaceand
timefirst!
Notabene:VariationsofLillianSt.JohnhaveappearedinGURPS3rdedition,Cthulhud20,andCallofCthulhu.This
particularincarnationisavariationoftheGURPS3echaracter,redevelopedfor4 theditionandthesamecharacterfor
CallofCthulhu(1920s).LillianSt.JohnhaspreviouslymadeanappearanceinRPGReview(seeissue#7,Leopold's
Crypt),althoughthatsettingwasinthemid1960s!IsthisprescientthatLillianiscapturedbytheGreatRaceofYith,
andtransportedforwardintime,withhermemoriesaltered?
LillianSt.John(GURPS,4thedition,150characterpoints)
ST10(0points)IQ13(60points)DX12(40points)HT10(0points)=100points
Dam:1d2/1dBasicLift:20lbsHitPoints10Will14(5points)Perception14(5points)Fatigue10Speed5.5Move5
Height5'8"Weight100lbsAge28FashionSense(5points)
English(Native),French(Accented)(4points)
IndependentlyIncome(10points)
Reputation(AmongConservatives2,largeclass)(5points)
Attractive(+1)(4points)Charisma(+1)(5points)
Clairsentience(Sightonly10%,ReducedRange*1030%,Unconscious20%,Uncontrollable10%)(15points)
CompulsiveCarousing(5points),Addiction(Cocaine,Expensive,10points),Curious(5points),SenseofDuty
(fellowinvestigators)(5)
=18points
Acting13(2points),AK:Melbourne15(4points),FirstAid14(2points),Guns13(2points),Lockpicking13(2
points),Occultism14(4points),Persuade14(4points),Psychology13(4points),Research14(4points),SaviorFaire
14(2points),Stealth13(2points)
=32points
LillianSt.John(CallofCthulhu,5thedition)
STR10DEX12INT13(Idea65%)CON10APP12POW
14(Luck70%)SIZ10SAN30%EDU15(Know75%)
SanityPoints30DamageBonusnilHitPoints10Magic
Points14
CreditRating85%CthulhuMythos20%FastTalk90%
FirstAid90%Handgun80%Hide80%Locksmith80%
LibraryUse90%Occult90%Persuade90%Psychology
80%
RPGCulturalAppropriation
byJonathanKorman
Geekculturehasrecentlyseenaseriesofheatedandmessy[1]onlineconversationsabouttheintersectionsofgenre,
culturalappropriation[2],sexism,andracism.Longoverdue.Theracismimplicitinourculturalsymbolsneedsagood
hardlookandavigorousresponse,andIfeeldelightedthatthispartoftheworldhasstartedhavingtheconversation.
Thatsaid,Ihavetoconfessmyownambivalenceaboutsomeoftherhetoricofculturalappropriation,whichimplies
thatGroupXownssomeideas/images/practices/etcsuchthatifGroupYemploysthemthisconstitutesstealing
fromGroupX.ThiscarriesawhiffofMaintainingCulturalPuritywhichspooksme.Plusitseemstosuggestan
unrealisticconceptionofculture,whichinpracticealwaystransmitsitselfacrossbordersofallkindsandmanifestsa
stewofcrisscrossinginfluences.Onecannotsimplysay,forinstance,thatWhitepeoplestolerocknrollfromBlack
people.ThatsuccinctsummarypointstoinjusticeswhichbirthedrocknrollasaWhitegenre,butacloselook[3]
revealsamuchstrangerandmorecomplicatedstory.Rocknroll,likesomuchculturalinnovation,comesnotfrom
withinaunifiedpeoplebutoutofanencounterbetweendifferentpeople,embeddedinahistoryofinjusticebutnot
whollyauthoredbyonegroup.
Plus,ifaWhiteguylikemeenjoyingStevieRayVaughnplayingthebluesiswrong,Idon'twanttoberight.
WhileIhavenoshameaboutenjoyinghearingaWhiteguylikeVaughnplaytheblueswell,Ialsorecognizetheneed
tofacetheunderlyinguglinessofthestoryofhowahecametoperforminamusicalstyleprimarilydevelopedby
Blackpeopleinacontextofhorrifyingoppressionindeed,largelyasanexpressionofthathorrifyingoppression
andhowaWhiteguylikemeendsupenjoyingtheresult.Iconfessthatmypleasurecomesbornofahistoryof
injustice,andattheveryleastImustnotshrinkfromthatawareness.Evenasweenjoysomethings,wecanwemust
criticizetheproblemsinherentincultureevenwhileweenjoyit.RachaelatSocialJusticeLeaguehasaterrificpiece
Howtobeafanofproblematicthings[4]whichtalksaboutthisproblem.
Likingproblematicthingsdoesntmakeyouanasshole.Infact,youcanlikereallyproblematicthingsandstillbenot
onlyagoodperson,butagoodsocialjusticeactivist(TM)!Afterall,mosttextshavesomeproblematicelementsin
them,becausetheyreproducedbyhumans,whoarewellknowntobeimperfect.Butitcanbesurprisinglydifficultto
ownuptotheproblematicthingsinthemediayoulike,particularlywhenyoufeelstronglyaboutit,asmanyfansdo.
Weneedtofindawaytoenjoythemediawelikewithouthurtingotherpeopleandmarginalisedgroups.
Thatconstitutestheveryleastapersoninapositionofprivilegemustdo.Sometimesawarenessoftheproblemswith
thingsweenjoydoesnotconstituteastrongenoughresponse.Sometimeswehavenotjustproblematicculturebut
minstrelsy,inwhichapeopleandaculturebecometwistedintocartoonparodiesofthemselves,andIthinkwehaveto
rejectthatcompletely[5].SoIsupportandtakeseriouslythegrowingcritiquewhichtravelsunderthebannerof
culturalappropriationdespitemydiscomfortwithsomeofitsarguments.
Thefomentoverthisingeekkulturreflectsinlargeparthowthegenreliteraturewhichgeekslovehasracistsymbolism
sewndeepintothetradition.Canweclearawaytheproblematicimplicationsofgenreliteraturewhileretainingas
muchaswecanofwhatpeopleloveaboutthosestories?Weneedtofigurethatout.Isuspectthatinmanyplacesitwill
turnoutthatwecannotsquarethecircle.PerhapsthecharmsofsomethinglikeStarTrekdependtoomuchuponthe
elementsofthecolonialnarrativetorescue,andadecadeortwofromnowwewillfindithardtoenjoyitatall.AsI
havesaidbefore[6]:
IsometimesreflectthatAlJolson,thefamedblackfacesingerfromthedawnofrecordedmusic,isinaccessabletous.
Hewasreputedlyamasterofhisart,brilliantandmoving,buthesanginblackfaceandlikemostcontemporary
AmericansIjustcan'tgetpastthat;itgoespastoffensiveallthewaytobaffling.Sohisartistryislosttome...andI
insistthatitisaloss.Anyartist'sworkthatwecannolongerenjoydiminishesus.ButIwouldhaveitnootherway.
Thedignitywhichthatlossbuysusismorethanenoughcompensation.
IhavethisonmymindbecauseinrecentyearsIhavemadeamiddleagedreturntooneoftheverygeekypursuitsof
myyouth,tabletoproleplayinggames.Itturnsoutthatmiddleagedsocialskills,plusdrinkingbeeratthetable,make
thismuchmorefun.ThoughIwillnotdenythedeeplygeekycharacteroftabletoproleplaying,itowesmoreto
improvisationaltheatrethanmostuninitiatedfolksrealize.Inordertomakethestoryofthegamework,playersneedto
shareanimageoftheworldinwhichthestorytakesplace,soRPGstendtorelyheavilyongenreimagery.The
granddaddyoftabletoproleplayinggames,Dungeons&Dragons,ofcoursedrawsontheheroicfantasygenrespawned
byTolkien'swork.OthergamesimagineworldsdrawnfromWesternsorcyberpunkorspymoviesorpostapocalyptic
sciencefictionorsuperheroesorothergeekygenres.Soifwebringthecriticaltoolsthatlookforracismandsexism
andculturalappropriationandsoforthtothegamingtable,asweshould,sometoughquestionsstarttosurface.
MyreentryintotabletoproleplayingcamewhenafewyearsagoIstartedgamemasteringasteampunkgameabouta
zeppelinbornegroupofadventurersinanalternatehistoryVictorianera.ItriedtododgetheKiplingesquecolonial
tropesthatlurkinthatspace...mostlyunsuccessfully.SoIhavehadthiscollisionbetweenRPGsandgenreandculture
onmymindforawhile.
Othermiddleagedguyslikemehave
startedaskingthemselvessimilarquestions
aboutgamesandwhatstoriestheytell,and
havehadtheinternetasatoolfor
discussingthem.Asaresult,thelastfew
yearshaveproducedanenergetic
movementofexperimentalindiegames
createdbyhobbyists;weirdandwonderful
gamesaboutcopsinafantasticalversion
of19thCenturyUtah[7]andthe
hardworkingminionsofmastervillains[8]
andchivalrictragedyattheendoftime[9]
andacademicsusinganevilalien
cockroachtogettenure[10]andmore.
WithH.P.Lovecraftlurkingonthe
bookshelvesofmanyofthepeoplemaking
games(andCallofCthulhuahugely
influentialearlyroleplayinggame)we
haveseenseveralrecentattemptsat
Lovecraftiangames.
TheracisminLovecraftpresentsaproblem.
AllhorrorliteraturehasfearoftheOtherasapartofhowitworks,andmanyofthemoveswhichplayonthatcarry
racistsymbolism.ButLovecraft'sworldpresentsbiggerproblemsthanthisfundamentalnoteinhorror,andmany
peoplehaveremarked[11]onhowracismanimatesmuchofhiswork.Itcontainsoogaboogacultsofsavagesand
fearofmiscegenationandmore.Lovecraftwasanexceptionallyraciallybigotedman[12],evenforhistime.So
contemporarywritersandgamedesignerstrytoavoidsurfacingthataspectofhiswork.
AgroupofdesignersrecentlyannouncedaKickstarterfortremulus:astorytellinggameoflovecraftianhorror[13],
andIthrewinafewshekels.Thefundraiserhasbeengoingwell,soasthepledgeshavepileduptheauthorshavebeen
offeringexpansionstothegameasstretchgoalsifthegamereachesahigherfundingtarget.Soacoupleofweeksago,
theycirculatedthisannouncement[14]toprojectbackers:
WeshallnowturnourattentionawayfromthecreepylitletownofEbonEavesandcastoureyestostrange,foreign
soilswithTheCongoPlayset.That'sright.You'llbeabletoquicklycreateaframeworktoletyourcharactersexplore
theheartofdarkness.Anditcomeswiththreeplaybooks:TheCaptain,TheGuide,andTheWildMan.
Whoa.
Seeingthat,ItriedtogathermythoughtsandcommentontheKickstarterpageabouttheproblemswithit.BeforeIgot
toit,otherbackerswerealsoonthecase.
Just...becarefulwiththisone.ReadingthephrasesCongo,HeartofdarknessandWildManmakesmeworry
thatyou'recomingdangerouslynearsomeculturalthirdrailslikeracismandcolonialism.Obviouslytheoriginal
materialoftheMythosisfullofthatstuff,butLovecrafthadtheexcuseofwritinginthe1930s(andConradin1899).
Revisitingthosetropesnowadayswillrequiresometrickybalancebetweenfaithfulnesstotheoriginalworks,respect
fordifferentcultures,andhealthyfearofcreatingashittonofbadfeeling.
Anyway.SorrytogoallEdwardSaidonyou,andmaybeyou'vealreadythoughtthroughallthis,butIthoughtitwas
worthbringingup.
....
PutmedownasanotherpersonwhoseredflagswentupuponhearingTheCongo
....
Ah,sotheCongoisallaboutexoticism,goingtotheOtherPlace,andexperiencetheprimalaliennessthere.And
thehomeyoureturntriumphantlytoispresumablyanindustrializednation.WithTarzan.
....
Ihavetosay,I'mreally,really,REALLYnotcoolwiththisplayset,andtheupdate/commentintendedtobereassuring
reallyisn't.Takingsomeone'shome,andthensayingwellpretendthePEOPLEaren'tthere,andjustthecoolexotic
placeis,andit'sallokay...no.That'snotokay.I'mgoingtohavetoreconsiderthis.
Sothegamedesignersdroppedit[15].
Weprideourselvesonplanningandforesight,yetnoneofusanticipatedthestrongreactionbysometoourannouncing
thelateststretchgoalofTheCongoplayset,sowehavehadsomemeetingsoverthelastfewdaystodecidewhatwed
do.Yousee,wearenttryingtoadvanceanysecretagendasnorisitourdesiretooffendanyone,soatthistimeweare
presentlysettingasideTheCongo....
Thecritiqueofculturalappropriationhasreachedthegeekysphereofroleplayinggameenthusiasts,aterritoryrichin
middleagedWhiteguys.
Littlevictories.Wedon'thavethisworkedoutyet,butweareworkingonit.
[1]http://fanlore.org/wiki/RaceFail_%2709
[2]http://www.racialicious.com/2008/09/18/culturalappropriationhomageorinsult/
[3]http://miniver.blogspot.com/2007/06/hearthatlongsnakemoan.html
[4]http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/howtobeafanofproblematicthings/
[5]http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2012/09/paulfrankpowwowpartyupdateami.html
[6]http://miniver.blogspot.com/2007/02/chief.html
[7]http://www.lumpley.com/dogsources.html
[8]http://www.halfmeme.com/master.html
[9]http://swingpad.com/dustyboots/wordpress/index.php?page_id=243
[10]http://www.bullypulpitgames.com/games/roach/
[11]http://www.contrasoma.com/writing/lovecraft.html
[12]http://nnedi.blogspot.com/2011/12/lovecraftsracismworldfantasyaward.html
[13]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1227949612/tremulusastorytellinggameoflovecraftianhorro
[14]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1227949612/tremulusastorytellinggameoflovecraftianhorro
[15]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1227949612/tremulusastorytellinggameoflovecraftianhorro/posts/307007
RQIII:SpeedcastandMultitarget
byPeterMarcani
I'vebeenrunningamultigenreclassicRuneQuestIIIcampaignforayearnow,andoneofthePCsisplayinga
sorceress.We'vebeenusingthestandardsorceryrules.Iknowalltheobjectionstothestandardsorcerysystem,andmy
campaignhasanumberofalternatemagicsystemsinuse(includingonesthattranscendthesystem,operatingona
strictlyconceptualbasis).
Butthesorceressisbasicallycrippled.Ittakeshermorethanaroundtocastasinglespell,sinceadecentVenomor
Palsyrequiresafairlyhighnumberofmagicpoints.Shestandsthere,tryingtocast,andatbestonlygetsoffoneortwo
spellsbeforethecombatisoverandoften,herspellshavenomeaningfulimpactonthecombatatall.Herlongterm
enhancementspellsareveryhelpfultotheparty,ofcourse,butthosedon'trequireherpresenceindangeroussituations.
Andshe'snotgettingashotatPowergainrolls.
SoIrecentlyaddedtwonewsorceryskillstotrytobalancesorcery.Botharetreatedinthesamewayastheother
standardsorceryspells;theydon'tincreasefromexperience,forexample,andthecastingrollmustbeundertheskillas
wellinordertoapplytheskilltothespell.
Withoneexception:IknowthatsomepeoplehavenousefortheRQIIIsorcerysystem.Idon'tneedtobetoldonce
againaboutthemanyalternatives.Iusealternativeshell,Iwroteone,andhavecreatedmanyothersbutI'm
interestedinadaptingTHISsystem,notreplacingitoutright.
Herearethenewskills:
Speedcast:EachmagicpointusedinSpeedcasthalvesthecastingtimeofthespell,withaminimumcastingtimeofone
strikerank.ThemaximumnumberofpointsofSpeedcastthatcanbeusedislimitedto1MPperfull10%intheskill,
soasorcererwithaSpeedcastof37%wouldbelimitedtonomorethanthreepointsofSpeedcastallowinghimto
reducecastingtimeto1/8thoftheoriginaltimeneeded.Ofcourse,eachmagicpointspentonSpeedcastdoescount
towardsthetotalcastingtime!
Example:AVenomspelliscastwithIntensity10andRange3byasorcererwhoseDexSRis1.ByaddingSpeedcast3
tothespell,heupsthetotalcostofthespelltoto16MP,butifhiscastingrollisunderhisSpeedcastpercentagehe
halvesthecastingtime(9SR),halvesitagain(4SR),andhalvesitagainforafinalcastingtimeof2SR.Ifhisrollis
overhisSpeedcastskillpercentagebutunderallotherskillsusedinthespell,thespelltakes17SR.TheMPspenton
Speedcastmuststillbepaidforeveniftheskillfails,andincreasethecastingtimeby1SRperMP.
Multitarget:EachMPspentonMultitargetincreasesthenumberoftargetsbyone.AswithSpeedcast,thepointsthat
maybespentarecappedtofull10%incrementsoftheskill,soacasterwithMultitargetat43%couldn'ttargetmore
thanfiveenemiestotalinasinglecasting.
Thespellbeingcastmustbethesameforalltargets,includingallsorcerymanipulations;inotherwords,Intensity,
Range,Duration,andanythingelsemustbetheidentical.ThefullMPcostisrequiredforeachtarget,i.e.ifaPalsy
spellisbeingcastontwotargetswithIntensity6andRange2,thetotalmagicpointcastis178foreachspell,plusan
additionalMPfortheMultitargetitself.Thecastermustdesignatetheprimarytargetbeforecasting,sinceiftheyfail
theirMultitargetrollbutsucceedotherwisethespellwillbecastontheprimarytargetonly.
OnlyonePOWvs.POWrollismade.Itisappliedagainstalltargets,soit'spossiblethatnotalltargetswillbe
overcome.IfcombinedwithSpeedcast,theSpeedcastskillisappliedtothecombinedspellsratherthantoeachspell
individually.
Multitargetcouldbeusedtosimulateanareaofeffectspell.AGlowspellcouldbecastonfiveenemies
simultaneously,forexample.
TheRecentRuneQuests
byLevLafayette
IntroductionandProduct
Afteranumberofordinarytopositivereviews,thefolkatMongoosePublishingdecidedthatitwastimeforasecond
editionofRuneQuest,whichitmustbeadmittedwasaverygooddecisionandshowsthatthecompanywaslistening,
evenifalittlelateinsuchanexecution.Bringinginauthor'sWhitakerandNashwasalsoawisechoicegiventheir
priorwritinghistories.OntheotherhandthedecisiontocalltheproductRuneQuestIIwasabitofamarketingdisaster.
ClearlytheywantedtocapturethepopularityofRuneQuestsecondeditionfans;insteadtheyannoyedthegrognards
fromthateralose0.1pointsofstyle,rightaway,fornotbeingcool.
Theproductitselfisaaverypleasinghardback,fauxbrownleatherstampedwithagoldrune(eitherluckorfate).Itis
verywellbound,stitchedandgluedandshouldlastalifetime.Theinternallayoutisprettytight,withthinmargins
albeitwithoutchapteridentifiersandwithtoosmallpagenumbers.Whilstmostlyhavingagoodcontenttowhitespace
ratio,therearesomeexceptionsespeciallyinthecreatureschapter.Withasummarytableofcontents,andagood
index,thewritingstyle,intwocolumn,justifiedserif,isconciseandformal.Mostoftheinternalartiscontextual,
fairlygoodinexecution(albeitquiteinconsistentinstyle),buttherearesomenotableexceptionsthatsimplyshouldn't
have made it in to the book. At under two hundred
pages,thisdoesbacktothe"allyouneedisthisbook"
schoolofgaming,almostasgoodasRQIandII,with
subsequentsupplementsbeingtrulyoptional.
AdventurerGeneration,SkillsandSystem
Afterabriefandinterestingintroductiontoroleplaying
andRuneQuestoneisintocharactergenerationbythe
thirdpageofcontent.Helpingusthroughtheprocessis
thesageofEdricTheRestless.Thecharacteristicsare
Strength, Constitution, Size, Dexterity, Intelligence,
Power, and Charisma, determined by either random
rollsorpointallocation.Attributesincludeage,combat
actions(derivedfromDEXandINT),damagemodifier
(STRandSIZ,needs"etc"attheendofthetable),hit
points(CONandSIZ),magicpoints(POW),strikerank
(SIZ, INT, and DEX), and movement. There are are
twentythreecorecommonskills,eachwithastarting
percentage chance equal to the sum of two
characteristics. These are augmented by background
experience, derived from "culture" (either primitive,
nomad,barbarian,orcivilised)andbyprofession.Each
oftheculturesprovidesasetofcommonskillbonuses,
combat styles, advanced skills, and starting money.
Professions are restricted by culture with increasing
levels of labour differentiation, and provide common
skill bonuses,andtheopportunitytoopenadvanced skills,aswellasanopportunitytolearnmagic.Inaddition
charactersreceive250freeskillpoints.Thiscanbeextendedwiththeoptionofadvancedstartingcharacters,which
alsoiincludesbonuscharacteristics, status,andheropoints.Characters alsobeginwithcommunityties,including

family and family connections, allies, contacts, rivals, and randomly determined background events. Finally, the
character(withGloranthabeingthedefault,magicrichsetting)receivessixpointsofcommonmagic.
The game system is the classic rollunder percentile method, with four levels of result (critical, success, failure,
fumble).Therearemodifiersfordifficultyandhaste,expressedinasingletable,withahandfulofdifficultyexamples.
Criticalsareachievedat10%ofthemodifiedskilllevelorless,witha01alwaysbeingacritical.Fumblesoccurat99
or00,or00iftheskillisover100.Anrollof0105isalwaysasuccess,and9600isalwaysafailure.Ifcircumstances
permit,adefaultadvancedskillcanbeattemptedat20%.Skillscanaugmentotherskills,andgrouptests(teamand
sorting)arerecommendedasatimesavingdevice.Opposedskillsareresolvedbydegreeofsuccessandthenby
highestroll.Skilldescriptionsthemselvesarepresentedwithafewparagraphseach.Timeisexpressedincombat
rounds(fiveseconds)orvariablestrategictime.Charactersgainthreeimprovementrollspersession,modifiedbyCHA
(communityties,etc).Asperprioreditions,skillimprovementsoccurond100+INT,seekingtoachieveabovethe
currentskillrating,resultinginabenefitof1d4+1points,oronly1ifbelow.Improvingcharacteristicsrequiresan
expenditureofanumberofImprovementRollsequaltotheexistingcharacteristic,andtherearesensiblerulesfor
training.Aging,poisons,disease,andotherenvironmental issuesaregivenspotrules,alongwithsomeimproved
encumbranceandmovementrules,fatiguerules,andaprettyunrealisticoddjobstablefordowntime.FinallyHero
Pointsareofferedasanexcellent narrativistcurrency,rangingfrom0to4persession,allopwingforlastchance
actions,secondchances,heroicinsightetc.
EquipmentandCombat
Thecurrencysystemisprimarilybasedoncopper,silverandgold;10copperstothesilver,20silverstothegold.
Armourprovidesbetween1(softleather)to6points(plate)ofprotection,reducedfromanydamagescored,alongwith
encumbrance,andpenaltiestostrikerankandmovement.There'salengthylistofclothingitems,alongwithmeleeand
rangedweapons,foodandlodging,andgeneralitems,mountsandotheranimals,andtransportation.Oddly,onlythe
generalitemsareexpressedasbeingculturallyspecific.Aparticularlyinterestingcomponenttotheweaponlististheir
combatmaneuvers,specialeffectsthattheycanachievedependingonsuccessfuldegreesofopposedsuccess.
Weaponskillsareexpressedasstyles,whichprettymuchcomedownto(a)twohandedweapon,(b)onehanded
weaponand..,or(c)missileweapon.Theideaisontherighttrack,butinsufficientlyelaborated.Combatitselfis
conductedinshortrounds,withinitiativederivedfromstrikerankandanumberofcombatactionsperround.Most
actionsoccuratinitiativevalue,butsomecanoccurinreaction(parry,evade).Therearesimplerulesforweaponlength
andreach,andsuccessful parries candeflect all,some,ornoneofahit,dependingoneffective size(shieldsare
useful!). The degree of success, as mentioned, allows for the implementation of offensive and defensive combat
maneuvers,suchasimpale,bleed,sunder,andsoforth.Thereis,unsurprisingly,arangeofmodifierstostylechances,
alongwithspotrulesforcover,knockback,multipleopponents,surprise,etc.Assumingasuccessfulhit,locationis
rolled,followedbydamage,andthenarmourprotectionissubtracted.Anythingthatdoesn'treducethelocationtozero
hitpointsisaminorwound;beyondthatthewoundsbecomeserious,renderingthelocationuselessinsomecases
(resiliencetest),andatnegativehitpointsormore,thewoundismajor,"severed,transfixed,shatteredorrippedoff",
whichisfairlyseriousifthatisthecharacter'shead,chest,orabdomen.Athreepage(!)exampleillustratesallthe
componentsofcombat.
MagicandRunes
FourtypesofmagicareavailableinRuneQuestII,withrunicassociation;commonmagic("theechoesoftheRunes...
ubiquitousbutweak"),divinemagic("powergrantedfromthegods...becomingaRune...strengthfromscalability),
spiritmagic("incorporeal entities..fracturedincarnationsofaRune'ssentience...coercingaRune....strengthfrom
sustainability),andsorcery("studyandcomprehensionofhowtheRuneswork..emulatingaRune...strengthfrom
flexibility).Therunesareexplainedasthesourcesofpoweranddifferentiatedbyelements(earth,air,fire,etc),forms
(beast,man,chaos,dragon,spirit,etc),thepairedoppositesofpowerrunes(deathfertility,fateluck,movementstasis),
andconditions(magic,mastery,infinity,etc).Charactersbecome"runetouched"byinitiation,spiritdreams,studious
insightetc.,providingarunicpowerwithvisibleeffects.Typicallycastwitharelatedskill,spellscanoftenberesisted
bypersistenceorresilienceskillschecks.
Charactersimpartenergyviamagicpoints,equaltotheirPOW,andregainthiseverytwelvehours,orsixifresting
whichiscertainlyquitefast.Magicisratedinorderofmagnitude,thepowerandthemagicpointcostbehindthespell.
Common magic is relatively cheap and easy to learn, consisting of about sixty quick utility spells (befuddle,
bladesharp,disruption,heal,secondsight,etc)thatwereoncecalled"battlemagic","spiritmagic",oreven"rune
magic"inprioreditions.Spiritmagicnowisthelocationandbindingofspirits(limitedbycultrankandCHA),whilst
divineandsorcerymagicsareasperprioreditions.Divinemagicispoweredby"dedicatedPOW",reducingtheamount
offreemagicpointsthatthecharactercanuse,butprovidingapoolfromwhichthedivinespellscanbecast.Divine
spells,ofwhicharoundfiftyaredescribed,areparticularlynotedfortheirpower,andthesizeofthepoolislimitedby
thestandingofthecharacterwithinthecult.Incontrast,sorcerershaveagrimoireskillforeachbookfromtheselection
ofaroundfortyspells,andarelimitedbytheirINTonhowmanytheycanholdintheirmemoryatanyonepointin
time. Their ability to modify spells depends on the manipulation skill, which determines limits to changes to
magnitude,range,duration,targets,andcombination.
Cults,HeroicAbilities,Creatures,andGMs
Cultsarethoseorganisationswhichprovideinfluence,magic,andtraininginreturnfordevotionanddonations,andare
associatedwithcompatiblerunes.Cultsalsohavemythologies,whichacharactercancallupon(usingtheirculture
skill)togaininspiration(e.g.,bonusestoskillrolls)andinsight.Threesamplecultsareoffered,whichdescriptionsof
theirassociatedrunes,magic,skills,coremyths,andmembership.TheseincludeOrlanthTheDragon(atheistcult),
TheFireDancer(aspiritcult),andtheBlackSerpent(asorcerycult).Ofparticularnotehereishowthegameincludes
astepbystepprocessonhowtointeractwithamyththroughaculticritualfinallysomecorerulesinprintfor
HeroQuesting!
DerivedfromthepreviouseditionofRuneQuest,thenextchapterincludeexamplesHeroicAbilities,extraordinary
abilitiesthatrequireHeroPoints,andminimumabilityscores.Theseareeffectivelysuperhumanfeats,andcouldbe
justaseasilyrepresentedbyextraordinaryskilltests.HeroPointsarebetterspentonnarrativeeffects.Immediately
following,thecreatureschapternotestheclassicdistinctioninRQbetweenvariableintelligenceandfixedintelligence,
andprovidesasmallcollectionofcreaturetraits(darksight,poison,etc),beforeallocatingapageeach(withfartoo
muchwhitespace)toashortcollectionofameretwentyonecreatureswithGloranthanflavour(alas,noducks,nor
rubblerunners).
ThefinalchapteronGamesmastering,isashortsetofadvisorynotes,whichstartswithemphasisingthecorethemesof
RuneQuestbeingcommunity,magic,quests,andcults.Intermsofplotdevelopment,itoffersthesuccinctobjectiveof
"a good story, well told", before moving into the support material for campaign planning, bookkeeping, and the
dramaticmomentsofrisk.Aselectionofscenarioaidsisofferedaswell,includingweather,travelconditionsand
expenses,andencountertables.
Evaluation
Mongoose RuneQuest II is a significant improvement from its predecessor, and the ratings provided reflect that
evaluation.Indeed,onasystemlevel,ifIweretolisteverycomplaintIhadwiththeprioredition,itisalmostlikea
checklistwasmadetoensurethattheywerefixed.Thegreatestproblemasmuchasitisaproblemisthatthebook
comestoahalt.Withanalready existingexcellent ratioofcontent topagecount,itwouldhavebeenabsolutely
spectaculartohavejustafewmorepages(andtighterlayout)ofcreatures,alittlemoreelaborationonguildsandcults,
ashortGloranthachapter,andsoforth.Asitis,thereisacompletegamehere,withanexcellentsystem,greatscope,
thoroughlyenjoyable,andnicewrappedupinaphysicallygoodbook.
Style:1+8(layout)+.5(art)+.7(coolness)+.7(readability)+1.0(product)=4.7
Substance:1+.7(content)+.8(text)+.9(fun)+.7(workmanship)+.8(system)=4.9
RuneQuest6thEdition
IntroductionandPhysicalProduct
We're now into a sixth edition of RuneQuest (seven if you include the unpublished RuneQuest: Adventures in
Glorantha),andnolessthanthreeinsixyears,whichisaprettyrapidturnaround.Onecanbealittleforgivingofgame
designerschurningoutmultipleeditionsinquicksuccessionintheearlyyearsofthegameastheytrytofindtheir
"sweetspot"intermsofdesign.Dungeons&Dragonscertainlydid,asdidRuneQuest,andGURPS,andthevarious
WhiteWolfgames;butthisisagamethat'shadoverthirtyyearsofbackingdesignanditisnotablethatthismost
recent edition comes from a new publisher, and one
which is a little closer to the grognard RuneQuest
community. It is assumed that the reader has some
familiaritywithpreviousiterationsofRuneQuest,orat
theveryleast,hasreadreviewsofsuchproducts.
ThelatestiterationdoescomeasadesignfromPete
Nash and Lawrence Whitaker, two pretty solid
contributorstorecenteditions,andwithaprefaceby
StevePerrin.TheattractivecoverbyPascalQuidaltis
reminiscent of the first two editions with a female
warrior fighting off a dragonnewt; except we are
informedthistimeit'saslargr.Theinternalart,black
and white line drawings, is contextually appropriate
andshowsamodicumofskillandcreativityinmost
cases, certainly an improvement from more recent
editions. The massive text, weighing in at over 450
pages with heavy grade paper, uses a twocolumn
justifiedseriffontthrougoutthemainbodywithfartoo
muchwhitespace,uncommonlyusedsidebarnotes,and
occassional boxed text. Page numbers are very clear
andeachpageindicateschapterasatopbar,alongwith
aruneindicator.Thereisagoodtableofcontentsand
oneofthemoreextensiveindicies.Thewritingstyleis
formal, but quite verbose and lacking in excitement.
Despite its thoroughly unwieldy size in a paperback
format,thebookseemsverywellboundandglued.
CharacterGeneration
Ratherthangiveanintroductiontoroleplayinggames,thereisanintroductiontoRuneQuest,anorganisationsummary,
aglossary,anddiceusage.AsperpreviouseditionsofRuneQuest,thecharacteristicsareStrength,Constitution,Size,
Dexterity,Intelligence,Power,andCharisma.Characteristicsaredeterminedbyeitherrandomrollsorpointallocation.
Aseriesofexamplecharactersareintroduced,usedthroughoutthebook(Anathaym,Kara,Zamothis,etc)inthefine
traditionofRurikRunespearandCormacthePictet.al..Inadditiontocharacteristics,thereareattributes,derivedfrom
characteristicsoracombinationthereof(exceptMovementRate,whichisspeciesbased).TheseincludeActionPoints,
DamageModifier,ExperienceModifier,HealingRate,HeightandWeight,HitPoints,LuckPoints,MagicPoints,and
StrikeRank(SIZhasbeendroppedasacontributingfactor).Eachofthesearesetuptoscale,andmostlydosoina
linearfashion.Eachcharacterhassometwodozenstandardskillswiththebasescorederivedfromthesumoftwo
characteristics(e.g.,Athletics=STR+DEX),representingapercentagechanceofsuccess.Inadditionthereisa
numberofCombatStyles,allbasedonSTR+DEX.
RuneQuest hasalwaysemphasisedcultural issues,andthiseditionisnoexception.FollowingtheLewisMorgan
inspired categories of primitive, nomad, barbarian, and civilised, RuneQuest since the third edition has assigned
particularprofessions,equipment,magic,andbeliefsaccordingtothesebroadculturaltypes,albeitwithMongoose's
initialRuneQuesteditionmakingsomeratherincoherentvariations.CulturesinRuneQuest6provideaselectionfroma
setofskillsandPassions,anoptionalrulewhichallows(inthiscase)"ingrainedpreferencesandprejudices",which
reallycomesdowntoaloyalty(toleader),aloveinterest,andahatred.WiththeadditionofCustomsandNative
Tongue(bothat+40%),effectivelythereisa+100pointsofskillpercentagesacrossculturalstandardskills,cultural
combatstyles,andprofessionalskills.Charactersalsoreceiveanoptionalrandomlydeterminedbackgroundeventsroll,
whichcanactasaspurtocharacterdevelopment,andalsovaryaccordingtoage.Thereisagoodsetofcharactersocial
classtablestodeterminestatusandwealthrelativetoeachculture,althoughitismorethanalittleweirdtorollthis
randomlyafterselectingculturalskills,especiallyprofessional skills.Followingthisisseveral chartstodetermine
familyandsiblings,anicetouch,familyreputation,andallies,contacts,rivals,andenemies.
Added to this are career paths according to culture. Appropriately, as cultures become more technologically and
sociallycomplex,thereareincreasingdegreesofspecialisation.Charactershavethreeskillsfromtheprofessionalskills
availabletoaparticularcareer,andmayallocate100skillpointstothoseskillsandstandardskills.Thesuggested
professionalrangehasacoupleoferrorsinlabourdifferentiatione.g.,suggestingliteratescholarsforthepaleolithic
primitivecultures(averyloosedefinitionofliteracyisgiven),officialsinnomadandbarbariancultures.Thecareer
chapterisalsoanopportunitytodetermineacharacter'sage,plusadditionalskillspointsifrelevant,andexample
startingequipmentaccordingtosocialclass.AlsointroducedatthisstagearethemagictypesofRuneQuest6;folk
magic(petty,aka"spiritmagic"or"battlemagic"fromearlierversions),Animism(spiritcontrol),Mysticism(inner
mastery),Sorcery(natural manipulation),andTheism(deificpower).Itispossibleforcharacterstojoinacultor
brotherhoodatthisstageaswell.
SkillsandSystem
Skillsaredividedintotwocategories:StandardandProfessional.Everycharacterhasthesamesetofsometwentytwo
corestandardskills(notincludingcombatstyles),withanadditionalthirtysixcoreprofessionalskills(whichincludes
allthemagicskills).Skillresolutionisrollunderpercentile,with0105beinganautomaticsuccess,withacriticalat
onetenthofaskill'svalue,automaticfailuresat9600,andfumblesat99or00,exceptistheskillrankingisover100,
thenitis00only.Adifficultygradefrom"automatic"to"hopeless"hassomestrongvariation(e.g.,"Easy"isaddhalf
againtoskillvalue),butwithamorememorablesimplifiedmethod(e.g.,"Easy"is+20%).Asperotherrecenteditions
ofRuneQuest,thereisnocharacteristicrollsoruseofa"resistancetable".Mechanicallyputtingeverythingunderthe
aegisofskillsmakesthingseasier,butitdoesmeanthatcharacteristicslosesomesimulationistimportance.There'sa
fewpagesonskillsinspecialcircumstances,suchasopposedrolls(bestlevelofsuccess,thenbyhighestskillroll),
augmenting(add20%ofthesecondaryskill),andgroupskilltests(teamrollsandsortingrolls).
Agamemechanicschaptereffectivelycoversarangealmosttwentyspotrulesinalphabetical orderfrom acidto
weather.Ofparticularinteresttheprogressivedecrepitudeembodiedintheageingrolls,thecharacterimprovement
rollswhichdoallowskillsabove100%,butat1%increments,asimplebutprogressiveencumbrancesystemwhich
allowsaverygenerousfree allowance,albeit withspecific movement restrictionsduetoarmour.Theprogressive
approachisincludedinhealing,withminorwoundsbeingcuredinmultiplesofdays,seriouswoundsinweeks,and
majorwoundsinmonths.ThePassionspotrulesallowforaugmentationandarepronetosignificant'deepeningand
waning'accordingtoexperience.Incontrasttheweathercharts,whilstprovidingmechanicalanddescriptiveeffects,
contributeverylittletoworlddesignissues.
EquipmentandCombat
Theequipmentchapter(oddlylocatedbetweenskillsandgamemechanics),startsoffwithancoinagestandardand
ratio(silverpiecestandard,100silverstothegoldaboutanorderofmagnitudeoff).Abasicstandardoflivingtableis
providedwithslavesat1spperday,freemanat2,allthewayuptorulersat250perdiemwhichreallydoesn'twork
atallwiththerelativelyegalitarianprimitivesocietiesasnotedincharactergeneration.Thesubsequentpricelistends
upalittleoddaswell;whilstahardworkingfreemanhasthesortofdailystandardoflivingthatcoststhesamea
chicken,orevenaduck,theycanforgetaboutbuyingapigorgoatthosebeastscost25sp!Asfora2800spdraught
horse,theyareclearlyfornoblesonly.Thisaside,theequipmentlist,whilstmakinganofferingonlivestock,tools,
clothing,vehicles,andfood,isprimarilyaboutweaponsandarmour,whichmakeupthebulkofthematerial.Therange
ofarmourmaterialisupto1to8again,asperRQIII.Theweaponlistisquiteextensive,providingallthenecessary
gamedetail,including"combateffects",suchas"Bleed,Impale,Sunder"foragreatsword.Inadditiontherearerules
forhaggling(contestedskillrollsgivingvariantprices),andsomefairlyeasyrulesformanufacturing,repairing,and
enhancingequipment.
Thecorecombatskillisoneofmanystyles,ofwhichsomewhatvaguedesigndescriptionsareprovided,alongwitha
moreusefulsetofrulesforweaponsimilarityoutsideofthestyle.Unfortunatelyonlytwoactualstylesareprovidedas
sidebarexamples.Thisisquiteunacceptable;inabookthat'sonthissideof500pages,thepresenceofseveralsuch
combatstylesshouldbethebareminimum.Thisaside,thecombatsystemisablowbyblowaffairfoughtoverfive
second rounds, where characters have a number of Action Points, which determies how many actions they have
(includingreactions,suchasparriesandcounterspells),andStrikeRank,whichdetermineswhenthoseactionsoccur.
Dependingonthedegreeofsuccess,theattackerordefenderreceivespecialeffectsbonuses.Asperallprioreditions,
rolleddamagedisabsorbedbyarmour,orbyparryingweapons.Damagethatgetspassedthesedefensivebarriersis
appliedtospecificlocationswhichcarrytheirownhitpoints.Uptothehitpointlevelisaminorwound,beyondthatis
aseriouswound,whichusuallyincapacitatesthelimb,andbringingthelocationtonegativehitpointsistypically
destroyedinsomemanner.Thisisparticularlybadnewsifitisthecharacter'shead,chest,orabdomen.Asawhole,the
combatsystemisverycolourful,interesting,andwithplentyoftacticaloptions.
Magic
Thesixmagic chapters (magic, folkmagic,animism,mysticism,sorcery, theism)take upover100pages of the
rulebook. RuneQuest magic comes from runes, "the archetypes of creation", divided into elements, forms, the
diametricallyopposedpowers,andconditions,andispoweredbymagicpoints,aprimarysourcebeingthecharacter's
Power.Asanexampleofmanyoftheoptionalruleswithinthegame(achecklistwouldhavehelped),thereisnoset
rateofreturn formagicpoints,althoughthe"medium"isapainfullyslow1magicpointperday.Likewise, the
consequences of a complete loss of magic points is also open to several options, ranging from fatigue to death.
Developingaconsciousrelationshiptoarunegivesacharactera"RunicAffinity",whichisprettymuchcolourforhow
thedisciplinesoffolkmagic,animism,mysticism,sorcery,andtheism,areimplemented.Ineachcasethedegreeof
poweravailableinmagicisoftenstronglydifferentiatedbythesocialstatusofthemagicuser.Forexample,inTheism,
theavailablemiraclesarelimitedbywhethertheworshipperisaninitiate,acolyte,orpriest.Likewisesoistheirability
todrawadditionalmagicpointsfromtheDevotionalPool.Animistshavevariabletrancepreparationtimeandabilities,
dependingonwhethertheyarefollowers,spiritworshippers,shaman,orhighshaman.
Folk magic, the"lower discipline" iswhat was previously called "common magic". It allows relatively easy and
immediatecastingsfromaselectionofsomeseventyspellssuchasBladesharp,Demoralise,Heal,andalltheold
classics.ThenewAnimismisprettymuchwhattheoldshamanusedtodo,thatiscontact,negotiate,combat,exorcise,
andbindspirits,usingtheskillsofTrance(enterandtravelinthespiritworld)andBind.Mysticisminvolvesachieving
ahigherstateofconsciousnesstotranscendnormalphysicallimitswithalmostthirtyspecialabilities,usingtheskillsof
Meditation(maximisespellintensity),andMysticism(invoketraitsandabilities).Incontrast,sorceryinvokesmagical
effectsthroughthe"understandingandapplicationoftranscendentknowledge"fromselectionofjustoverfiftyspells.
TheirkeyskillsareInvocation,theabilitytocast),andShaping,theabilitytomanipulate.Thelatterdoesn'tsomuch
actasaskill,butrathersetsthedegree bywhichasorcerer's spellcanbemanipulatedintermsofcombination,
duration, magnitude, range, and number of targets. The powerful Theism, what was once called Rune Magic, is
associatedwiththeskillsofDevotion(definespotentialintensityofspellsanddevotionalpoolofmagicresources),and
Exhort(basechancetocallfromsomesixtyfivemiracles).
Cults,Creatures,andGMs
RuneQuesthasalwayshadatraditionofsocialrelationshipsingamesettings,andthiseditionisnoexceptionwitha
chapter dedicated to "Cults and Brotherhoods", with a listing of organisational types (magical orders and cults,
companies,colleges,gangsandguilds),andmembershipprocesses,progression,benefits(training,protection,aidetc)
andrestrictions,andrunicaffinities.Animportantaspectoforganisationsistohaveanorganisationalbase,andinthis
casemeaningtemples,shrines,monastries,andschools(guildhallsandthelikecouldhavealsodonewithamention).
Templefacilitiesaredescribedinsomedetailintermsofsize,staf,library,lodgings,stables,andtrainingfacilities.A
handfulofexamplecultsaredescribedinsomedetail,alongwithsummaryinformationforamuchlargernumberof
welldefinedgenericcultsandorders.
Theheftycreatureschapter(102pages)startsoffwiththeinnovationofInstinct,abonustofixedintelligencebeatsfor
whentheirlowintelligenceratingsaren'treallyappropriatetosimulatetheanimalcunning.Followingthisisseveral
pagesofspecialcreatureabilities,suchastheabilitytofly,breathefire,regenerate,ortrample.Creaturecharacter
generationisdiscussed,alongwithanoptionforPCcreatures.Thereisfewpagesofcombatconsiderations(tactics,
reach,naturalweapons),beforemovingintothesixtyorsodetailedcritters.Althoughprovidedfromabouthalftoa
pagepercreature,withamodicumofdiscussionoftheirecologyandappearance,butmainlytheirrelativecapacityin
conflictsituations.Severalpagesinparticularisspentonthevarioustypesofspiritsandelementals.
Thefinalchapteris"GamesMastery",asetof"tipsandtechniquesforrunningenjoyablegames".Itstartswiththe
assertionofthewellknownRule0,thefiveprinciplesofgoodgamingfromSandyPetersen(ofwhichIagreewith
about1.5),followedbynotesonpreparationandgameaids,charactercreationissues,socialintegrationforcharacters,
investigation scenarios, combat, encounter pacing and challenges, cults and mythologies. Overall, it is a fairly
disappointingconclusion;whereitisagooditisobvious,andforthespaceittakesup,fartoolittleusefulinformation
isprovided.
OverallEvaluation
Overall,thereisnodoubtthatRuneQuestsixtheditioncanbedescribedasangoodgame.Mosterrorsoromissions
raisedinthisreviewintermsofcontent,workmanship,andsystem,arerelativelyminortowhatitgenerallyprovides;a
consistentanddetailedgamesystemofplayablerealism,withangoodstyleforfantasysettings.Themoresubstantial
issuethatarises,isthatitreallyisstandardontheshouldersofgiants,beingpreviouslypublishededitions.Onewill
foundthemselvesalittleatalosstoexplain,withsubstance,toagaminggroupwhytheyshouldplaythisparticular
editionofRuneQuestcomparedtopreviouseditions(especiallyMRQII,whichithassignificantsimilarity),particularly
givenitslackofdevelopedsettinganditsvarietyofoptionsofferedforcoresystemmechanics.
Themostpunishinggradesgiveninthisreviewrefertothepoorsignal/fluffratio,someofthelayoutdecisions,and
whatisgeneralunwieldinessoftheproduct.Thisishowever,itmustbeemphasised,afungame,onethatislargely
welldesigned,thatcoversalotofground.Thereisgreaterflexibilityincharactercreation,theinclusionofPassionsis
anecessaryquasinarrativistinclusion,andthecontentious"legendary/heroicabilities"havebeendropped.Theseare
certainlyallpositivesthataddtotheclassicfeaturesthathavemadeRuneQuestapopulargameoverthedecades:
classless,percentileskills,culture/religionratherthanabstractalignment,creatureequality,grittycombat,evocative
andinterstingmagic,withaflexibleandadaptivesystem.
Style:1+.4(layout)+.7(art)+.8(coolness)+.4(readability)+.6(product)=3.9
Substance:1+.9(content)+.3(text)+.7(fun)+.7(workmanship)+.8(system)=4.4
Thesereviewswerepreviouslypublishedonrpg.net(http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15689.phtmland
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15688.phtml).
ConsoleGamesReview
byMattLindus
Cogs:http://www.cogsgame.com/
Thissimplelookingpuzzlerhassomequitetrickyproblemstosolveinit.Italsohassomefrustrationlevelswhere
timingisjustasimportant(ifnotmoreso)thanorderofmovement.
Thisgametakestheoldslidepuzzleandchangesthenumbersintocogs,whichyouhavetogettoturninordertodo
somework.Sometimesit'stodriveawheel,ormakethecontraptionfly,orevenplayatune.Thetexturesareverynice,
andalightsteampunkfeeltotheobjectshelpswiththefeelofthegame.
Thedifficultyincreasesnicelyasyouprogressthroughthechallenges,andhavingspeedandmovecountchallengesto
makeaswellasjustsolvingthepuzzlemakesforadditionaltargetstoaimforotherthanjustgettingthepuzzleout.
Thereare50differentpuzzlesinthegame,whichisn'tahugeamount,butitisenoughtogetvalueforthemoneyyou
willspendbuyingthegame.Itretailsforjustunder$10,thoughitwasincludedinaHumbleBundleearlyon,whichis
howIgotitandI'veenjoyedatleast10hoursoffunandfrustrationfromit.$1anhour(orlessifyoupickeditupinthe
bundle)isquitegoodvalueformoneyI'dsay.
TheBall:http://www.theballthegame.com/
Thisgameisanexplorationpuzzlegame,withsomecombatusingtheballasyourweapon.
Aspartofanarcheologicaldig
exploringthearea,youhavefallen
intoacavernandareseparated
fromtherestofyourgroup.They
goforhelptellingyouthatifyou
areok,youshouldatleastusethe
timetoexplorethearea.Itdoesn't
takelongbeforethestardeviceof
thegame'TheBall'isfoundand
somesimplepuzzlesare
completedtoteachyouhowto
controlthislargesteelmass.The
Ballislargerthanyoubythe
looksofit,andgoesmostly
transparentwhenyouarelooking
topushitawaysoyoucansee
whereyouarepushingit.
Whenitcomestoitthough,youcanpushaway,orattracttheball.Forthemostpart,that'syourtoolsandtherearea
decentamountofchallengestocompleteasyougothroughthedifferentareasofthecavesystem.Andtheygetmore
difficultasthegamegoeson.Theyalsogetmorecomplexandtimeconsuming.
I'veputover20hoursintothegame,completingthemainstoryandallofthechallengesinit.Ihavestruggledatthe
survivalmapsthough,ascombatreallyisn'tsomethingthatIfoundeasywiththis,andIstruggletogettoround7of9
inanyofthesurvivalmaps.Havingsaidthat,Istillenjoyitfromtimetotime,andmightevenreplaythemainstory
againatsomepoint,althoughIdon'tthinkitwillholduptoowelltoreplay,sincethechallengeswillbethesameand
it'sjustamatterofrememberingthesolutionsandordertodothingsininsteadofhavingtofigurethemout.
Overall,thisisaverygoodgame,andIthinkanyonethatlikespuzzlegamesshouldatleastcheckitout
SpaceChem:http://www.spacechemthegame.com/
ThisisaneatlittleChemistrypuzzlegamebyZachtronicsIndustries.Youplaythepartofamanufactoringcompany,
whereyouneedtoproducecertainchemicals.Initiallyyouwouldgetjusttherightbuildingblockstomakethe
compoundthatisneededinjustasinglestepandallwassimple.Asthingsmovealong,andyougettosomeharder
problems,youneedtobeproducing2or3differentthings,butyouarestartingwithacompoundalreadythatcontains
thebuildingblocksforallofthem.Youneedtoworkouthowtostriptheelementsofftheinitialcompound,and
combinethemintotheappropriatetargetcompounds.Thedifficultycomesfromschedulingthemovementssothatthe
componentsdon'tcollide.Thisisabadthing,andhastobeavoidedforfactorysafety.Also,tofinishthelevel.
OfallthegamesI'vereviewedso
far,Ihadhopesthatthiswouldbe
goodandhelpwithchemistry
understanding.However,whileit
doestrytobeeducational,alotof
thisisglossedoverormissed
totally.Italsodoesn'treally
explaintheconceptsproperlyor
howtheelementsarebondedand
split.Also,most(all?)ofthetime,
theHydrogenatomsarejust
assumedtoexist,whichisfine,
butseemstobementionedonce
andthenignored.Thestoryisnice
enough,butIthinkthegametries
todotoomanydifferentthings,
anddoesn'tactuallysucceed
greatlyatany.Itisafinegame,
butitcouldhavebeensomuch
morewithalittlebitoffocus.
I'mhopingtofinishthegameatsomepoint,butcurrently,it'ssittinginthepileof'takeanotherlooklater'gamesthatI
have.IfIreturntoitandcompleteit,I'lllookatreviewingitagain,orjustupdatingthisreview,butfornow,ifyoucan
pickitupfor<$2.50,certainlygrabitandgiveitafewhoursplayandseewhatyouthink.
Scoregasm:http://www.scoregasmgame.com/
ThislittleindiegamefromCharlie'sGamesismostlikeanAsteroidsvariant.Agameofittakesyouthroughupto15
levelsprovidedyousurviveinanefforttodefendtheEarthfromtheinvadingcraft.Youcontrolaspaceshipthatby
defaultfiresatwhereverthemousecursoris,thoughyoucanstopfiringifyouwant,andisrequiredforacoupleof
achievements.Youarealsoequippedwithanexplosivedevisethatdestroysanythingwithinasmallrangeofyourcraft,
butithasalimitedchargewhichisonlyrechargedwithtimeandshootingenemies.
Usingtheseweapons,andsteeringyourcraftoutofdanger,youneedtokillalltheinvadersofeachlevel,orwaveas
theycallthem.Duringeachlevelthough,thereareadditionalgoalsthatneedtobeachievedtoreachotherharder
levels,aswellastounlockachallengemodeforeachlevelandsomeawardstoo.
IhavefoundtheNormaldifficultylevelsvaryfromveryeasytonottoobad,thoughstillmanagetodieregularly
enoughtohaveonlycompletedthe15levelssuccessfullyonce.Theharderlevelsdoindeedgetmoredifficult,and
mostofmygameshaveendedineitherahardorinsanelevel.Withaverysimpleinterface,andniceclearaimsand
goals,thisiscertainlyawellconstructedgame.Itisonlyashortgame,takingmearound2030minutestogetthrough
allthelevelsandwinthegame,andlesswhenIfailtosuccessfullydefendtheEarth!Itishoweverfullofreplayability
options,withatotalof43levels,withasinglestartdifficultylevelandthen14levelsineachofNormal,Hardand
Insanedifficulties.Youcanonlyplayalevelbyachievingtherequiredgoalsinthepreviousleveltoaccessit,orby
selectingitasyourstartlevel.Onceyouselectalevelofaspecificdifficultythough,youwillstillhavetheabilityto
accessanyofthe3difficultiesforthe
nextlevel,providedyoureachthe
requiredtargetforthatdifficultyon
thatlevel.
Outsideofthestandardgamemode,
thereisachallengeavailableforeach
level,whichhasaveryhightargetto
completeit,whichIhaven'tactually
managedtomeetforanyofthe
levels.Theyarethemostchallenging
formatofthegame,thoughitisset
uptorepeatedlyplaythesamelevel
ifyouwant.Thisallowsforquitea
quickrunofattemptsatthesame
challenge.
Istillhavealongwaytogowith
regardstoalltheachievementsthatcomewiththegame,andtherearen'tactuallythatmanyofthem(19)soIcansee
meplayingitforareasonableamountoftimestill.Itisanicequick,fairlymindlessgamewhereyoujustdestroy
anythingthatcomesnearyou.Lotsoffunwhenyoujusthavehalfanhourtokillbetweenthingstoo.
MovieReview:DarkKnightRises
byAndrewMoshos
TheDarkKnightRisesdir:ChristopherNolan
TheDarkKnightRisesisaverygoodfilm,letsjustgetthatoutofthewayrightfromthestart.ItwaslikenothingI
expected,andexceededwhatwereinsanelyhighexpectationsrightfromthebeginningandespeciallyattheend.Its
notaperfectfilm,butitsthebestBatmanflickwereevergoingtohaveaccesstointhisuniverse.
Inthatotherparalleluniverse,theyllkeepmakinggreatBatmanflicks,HeathLedgersstillalive,andthelawof
diminishingreturnsdoesntapply.We,ontheotherhand,arestuckhereinthissuckyonefortheduration.
Eh,itsnottoobad.Afterall,
wehavetwogreatBatman
films,atleast.
IdidntlikeBatmanBeginsthat
much,andIhadacoupleof
issueswiththesecondonetoo
(overedited,visually
incoherentattimes),butthis
thirdonenotonlygets
everythingright,butitis
entrenchedwithinthestorytold
bythefirsttwomovies.It
doesntstandentirelyalone,and
isthebetterforit.
Itsinterwovenwiththeother
two,withactionsanddecisions
madeinthefirsttwofilms
comingbacktohauntallthe
maincharacters.Withinthatisa
lotofstuff,toputitmildly.It
doesntfeeloverstuffed,butit
doesfeelliketheyretryingtoencompasseverysinglelevelofseriousnessandcomplexityanyoneeveraspiredtohave
inasuperheromoviebutwastooafraidtoaskfor.
IfBatmanBeginswasYearOne,justtodrawanalogueswiththecomicbooksfromwhichthesestoriessprang,and
DarkKnightwasablendofKillingJokeandTheLongHalloween,thenDarkKnightRisesissomethingofameldof
TheDarkKnightReturns,theKnightfallstorylineandCataclysm/NoMansLand,whichseesbothGothamandits
protectorbroken.Astartingpointdoesntdictateanending,though.ThetwoNolanbrotherstookthosestorylinesand
transformedthemintosomethingcompletelytheirown,whichisagreat,greatthing.
InBatmanBegins,themainvillainRa'salGhul,leaderoftheLeagueofShadows,decidesthatGotham,likeCarthage
beforeit,mustbedestroyed.It'spartofthenaturalbalancingoftheworldfunctionthattheyliketothinktheyprovide,
gratis,ofcourse.Gotham,notreallyastandinforNewYork,andmorethemetropolisofallMetropolises,isseenas
beingwaytoobigforitsbritches.ArrogantandhubristiclikeanAmericancollegestudentonholidaysoverseas,the
Leaguedecidesthecityandeveryoneinitmustburn.
Thecity'sprotector,whoseesmorethananyonethelevelofcorruptioninitsheart,fightstosaveitandthepeopleinit.
Anddoesso,naturally.ThesecondfilmhasBatmanseeminglikehe'sgettingsomewhereinhisbattleagainstthe
cancerofcrimewithinthecity,asevenpettydealersthinktwiceaboutdealing,andtheheadsofthecrimesyndicates
growsoworriedabouttheircontinuedexistencethattheyhireamaniactotakehimdown.
ButLedger'sJokerdidntcareaboutearninghispay.Hisonlythought,toquotemydaughtertalkingaboutoneofthe
kidsatherschool,isthatofviolence(chaos).HemocksGotham'ssenseoforder,andislessconcernedwithkilling
BatmanthanheiswithshowingtheDarkKnightthatwhenOrderfliesoutthewindow,thebraveandinnocentsoulsof
Gothamwillturnoneachotherandhiminaheartbeat.
To'save'Gothamthesecondtime,Batmanelectstoprotectthereputationofakiller,andtakestheblameforseveral
murders,includingtheblameforHarveyDent'sdeath.ThisiswiththecomplicityofPoliceCommissionerGordon
(GaryOldman),whogoesalongwiththeliebecauseitwillrestoreOrdertothecity.
Well,theygotwhattheywanted.Batmanhangsuphiscape,hobblesaroundwithacane,ashadowofhisformerself.
Hedoesn'tneedtofightcrime,becausethereisn'tthatmuchcrimetofight.Dent'sLaw,passedinhishonour,hastaken
mostofthecrimsoffthestreetandkepttheminBlackgatePrison.
That'stheworldtheywant,whereLawandOrderinGothamCityareinthecompleteascendant,andthey'vemadetheir
sacrificesandupheldthenecessarygrandliestoachievethisend.
Inthisthirdfilm,alongcomesaMan,aManwithaPlan,longinthemaking.HethinksthepeopleofGotham,blessed
withsuchpeaceandorder,deserveevenmoreOrder.HewantstogivethemOrderuntilit'scomingoutoftheirears.
Andhe'snotafraidtobreakafeweggsforthisorderlyomelette.Infact,itseemshelovesbreakingeggswithout
havinganyintentionofmakinganomeletteatall.
Bane(TomHardy)isthisMan.HisvoiceisacuriouscrossbetweenDarthVaderandthepimplyteenswhousually
serveatfastfooddrivethrus.Heisamonstrousbruteofaman,butnottoosadistic.Hesnotamaniac,forgodssake.
HisplantobreakGothaminvolvesfirstcoaxingitsprotectoroutofdormancy,isolatingGothamfromtherestofthe
world,andthengivingthemallaglimmerofhopetomaketheireventualdespairallthemorebrutal.
Themaskishorrifying,butstylish,anditsetshimapartfromtheothermenheleads.PowerfulmenofGotham,who
bringhiminandthinkBaneworksforthem,don'treallyunderstandwhothey'redealingwith(theyneverunderstand
whothey'redealingwithinthesetypesoffilmshowhardisittofigureoutthattheverycreepyhugeguywiththebad
technologywherehismouthshouldbeisnottobetrustedandwillprobablymurderyoumostbrutally?).
BenMendelsohn?BenMendelsohnisinthis?Howthehelldidhemanagetogetintothisflick?Didhesneakontothe
set,thenstartwearingasuitandquotingthelinesofthecharacteruntileveryonejustbelievedhewasmeanttobe
there?WasitbasedonthestrengthofhisperformanceinAnimalKingdom,orMullet,orTheBigSteal,orTheYear
MyVoiceBroke?IliketothinkitwasMullet.WhoknewChrisNolanlikedfilmsaboutmopeswhoreturnbackto
theirhometownsmuchtothedisinterestofeveryonewhowashappytoseethemleave?
BenMendelsohnplaysasneakyMittRomneylikecorporateraidercalledRolandDaggettwhoplotstotakecontrolof
WayneEnterprises.Buthe'sontheboardofdirectors,sowhatcanyoudo?That'sworsethanhavingtenure.Notonly
doeshewanttoconsumeBruceWayne,he'salsosmoothingthewayforBaneandhisfanaticaldevotees,whoare
makingkeychangestothecity'sinfrastructure,inthewaythattheFrenchRevolutionmadekeychangestopeople's
necks.
SeewhatIdidthere,Imadeahistoricalfunny!ThereareafairfewbitsofimageryandcallbackstotheFrench
Revolution,notleastofwhichistherhetoricBanespinstomakeitseemasifhe'sliberatingGotham'soppressed
peasantsfromtheirevilaristocraticmasters.Lot'sofrichpeoplegetsoaked,butlet'snotignorethefairandbalanced
waytheyaretriedinacourtbytheirpeers.Iffoundguilty,andtheyrealwaysfoundguilty,thewealthyaregivena
choicebetweenDeathandExile.
Youcan'tbefairerthanthat.AndwhobuttheScarecrow(CillianMurphy)couldbeafairerjudge?IftheAmerican
Idoljudgesarelookingforareplacement,theycoulddoworse.It'dbeablasttowatchperformersperformtheir
performanceafterexposuretoScarecrowsinsanefeartoxin.
Atleastthentheirgeneralbehaviourwouldmakesense.
WhenGothambecomesatransformedcity,wherepraytellisBatman?Him?Oh,heslonggone.Yousee,Banesplan
issowatertight,andsowellthoughtout,andheissobrutalasafighterthatGothamanditsprotectordidntstanda
chancefromthestart.HecomesfromadarkerplacethanBatman,andwhentwotraumatisedpsychoticsfight,surely
itsthemosttraumatisedwhowins.
Ohsure,therestechnologythisandthatinvolved,andaconvolutedplanthatwouldmakeataxreturnlookstraight
forward,buttherealproblemisthatBaneistoogoodatwhatheintends,andBatmanhorriblyunderestimateshim.
Alfred(MichaelCaine)didntunderestimatehim,though.Hespendsmostofthefilmtearingupandbegging,outright
beggingBrucenottobeBatmananymore,andintheendusestheonlytrumpcardhepossesses.Apersonwatching
himchokeupwhodoesntchokeupthemselvesisaharderpersonthanme,withaheartfullofgranite,andaninner
voicethatsoundslikeBanes.
PoorBruce,poorpoorBruce.Hereallycopsithardinthisone.Iwonderedhowfartheyweregoingtogo,andthey
tookitaboutasfarasaPG13filmcango.Sure,manyofthepeopleofGothamsufferworsefates,butyoucanthelp
butfeelsorryforhim,andeven,despitetheknowledgeofhowfilmsofthistypeusuallygo,forawhile,evenourhope
isextinguishedthathewillsurvive,letaloneprevail.
Sure,therearewaytoomanycharacters,andthemainvillainsplotisoverlycomplicatedwhereasimplifiedversionof
thesameplanwouldhavegottenthemwhattheywantedwithnoone,includingBatman,muchthewiser,andalldead.
Butwhoquibbleswithsuchmajesty?Whatchurlishchurlcomplainsaboutthecinematicmanafromtheheavens
delivereduptothem?Iknowtheresaworldfilledwithpeoplewhocomplainandwhineforthesakeofhearingthe
soundoftheirowncomplaintsemanatingfromtheirowncryholes,butIamnotoneofthem.
Ofthemultitudeofcharactersonoffer,thetwoothersthatdeservesinglingoutareplayedbyAnneHathawayasSelina
KyleandJosephGordonLevittasayoungcoployaltobothBatmanandGordon.Levittperhapsstrugglesforscreen
timeinthisepic,buthischaracterownsthesceneshesin,especiallywhenGothambecomesafascistdictatorship
underZod,ImeanBane.Withmostofthecopsoutofthepicture,someonewhobelievesinthelighthastolookoutfor
thecitysorphans.Whoelseisgoingto,otherwise?
Hiscoprolehasabitofacharacterarc,anenjoyableonethatfeelsearned,whichleadstoaplacethatsperhapsnottoo
surprising,evenasitperhapsevokesafeweyerollsrightattheend.
TosaythatHathawayplaysherrolebroadlywouldbeanunderstatement,butIguesstheyweretryingtoshyaway
fromcamporthefetishaspectsofthecharacter.IftheresamorefetishisedfemalecharacterintheBatmancomicsin
their73yearhistorythanCatwoman,Ihaventseenheryet.Theykindofavoiditabit,butthentheystillhaveher
swanningaboutinskintightclothingsoskintightIthinkIsawherovaries.
Sheskindoffunnyandkindofevil,inthatmuchoftheflicksmiseryoccursdirectlybecauseofmanyofheractions.
Akindreadingofhercharacterwouldbetosaythatgenerallyshelooksoutfornumberone,beinghorriblyselfish.She
fightslikeadervish,lovesstealing,andisnotaboveactinggirlytogetherway.Willshefinallysidewiththeforcesof
niceness,orisshegoingtobetrayBatmananinthandfinaltime?
Sheisasexperiencehasmadeher,andsheisBanestoolasmuchfromfearasnecessity,anditisfitting,inaway,that
sheplayssuchacrucialroleineventstocome.
Whoknows?Nospoilershere,thankyouverymuch.OftheelementsofthefilmthatIappreciatedthemost,themain
oneistheediting.Imnotsurewhatpromptedit,butNolanabandonedthechaoticovereditingthatrenderedseveralof
theactionsequencesintheearlierfilmslooklikedanceroutinesfromMoulinRouge!Here,especiallyinthefirstbrawl
betweenBaneandBatman,thestrongemphasisisonlongsequencesofBanebeatingtheabsoluteshitoutofthe
Batman.Whenitsfilmedandputtogetherlikethis,itsbrutalityisimpossibletoignore.
Wereallgrownupshere,whocantellthedifferencebetweenrealityandfantasy,atleastmostofusare,unlikethat
vilemoronwhoshotupthecinemainAurora,Coloradoatamidnightfirstscreening,soweknowthisfightisntreal.
Ontheotherhand,itfeelshorriblyreal,andhasanintensitylackingfromotherflicksofthistype.
BruceendsupintheworstplaceonEarth,allegedly,andwearenotsurehowhesgoingtocomebackandsave
Gotham.Howshegoingtodoit?Whatdoeshehavetodo?Whydowefall?Whatwillhedoafterhefalls?
HehastoRise,ofcourse.
Cheesy,Iknow,butthefilmwalksthefinelinerequired,andIthinkmostlystaysontherightsideofit.Itbuildsand
buildsandbuildsintoanimpossibleclimax,onewhereIcouldntseewherethesolutionsweregoingtocomefrom,
and,also,toaplotrevealthatmadesensebutwouldntbetooobvioustopeoplewhohaventreadthecomics(tothe
restofusdatelesscomicbookreadingtypes,itwasobviousfromtheopeningcredits).Scenesandsetpiecesare
lovinglycrafted,witheverythingfeelingasifitsexactlywhatNolanwanted,exactlywhatheforesawinhis
imagination.
So,visually,itsstunning,
thestoryisintricateand
intense,thesoundtrack
pummelsyouinto
submissionlikeBanes
fists,andtheculmination
ofthethreemoviesinthe
endingissoappropriate,
soemotionallysatisfying
forthecharacters
concerned(fortheminmy
eyes,ofcourse)thatI
canthelpbutcallthisone
oftheclearbestfilmsoftheyear.ItsnotasfunentertainmentwiseasTheAvengers,butthenitwasnttryingtobe.It
insteadsellsaverymature,verydarkvisionofwheresuchstoriescangoonthebigscreen,andIfeelitwas
tremendouslysuccessfulatdoingso.
Andwiththat,Idontwanttoseeanymoremoviesbasedoncomicbookfilms,okay?Theyrenevergoingtobeupto
thislevel,sodontbothertrying.AndnoBatmanmoviesforatleast10years,noneofthisembarrassingrebootstuff
beforethepopcornfromthelastfilmisstalecrap.Knowwhentosayno.Gooutinstyle.Havesomeclassaboutit.Be
theheroesIknowyoucanbe.
9timesdontbeafraidtouseyournails,boys,outof10
"WhenGothamisashes,youhavemypermissiontodie"that'smightygenerousofyouTheDarkKnightRises
Originallypublishedat:http://moviereviews.com.au/content/darkknightrises
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RPG REVIEW

Issue #17, September

Initiative and Turn Sequence

Punch damage is figured from Combat ST x 2/3

Thisnewlocationchartisshowninthe ComprehensiveCombatChart. Italsoincludesnotesonwhatadditional

Long Term Fatigue

Basic Damage from Strength Chart

Armor Type Table

Hard Leather: Thick leather or animal hide, of

Jezeraint or Scale: Made of either sewing or

(Chain) Mail: Flexible, allmetal armour of

Dwarven Mail: Highquality mail produced from

Laminated: Metal strips which are

Standard Combat Procedure

alsoiincludesbonuscharacteristics, status,andheropoints.Characters alsobeginwithcommunityties,including

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