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One of the most common Infinite Worlds type things that people like doing is ISWAT, but I don't have any experience with it. If you wanted to do a fanciful type of Infinite Worlds scenario such as Spelljammer etc. then probably Savage Worlds would be more up your alley. Getting people to be really truly on the same page, especially in a PBP, takes a lot of work, and any high point GURPS game, not just Infinite Worlds, has that kind of issue.
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Aug 1, 2011 17:35
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aldantefax posted:One of the most common Infinite Worlds type things that people like doing is ISWAT, but I don't have any experience with it. If you wanted to do a fanciful type of Infinite Worlds scenario such as Spelljammer etc. then probably Savage Worlds would be more up your alley. Getting people to be really truly on the same page, especially in a PBP, takes a lot of work, and any high point GURPS game, not just Infinite Worlds, has that kind of issue. IIRC The only issue with infinite worlds is that TLs don't scale well. A 600 pt master swordsman will die to a couple of competent (say 50 pt) soldiers with an m249. It starts evening out a bit if you have a magical teleporting swordsman, but there can still be some balance problems.
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Aug 1, 2011 18:27
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I tried to recruit people for a sane 150-pt IW game where all the players were from Homeline. The premise was that Infinity's cliodynamics had advanced to the point that they were going to actually start interfering with echoes. One person expressed interest.
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Aug 1, 2011 20:00
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Kwyndig posted:The problem with requiring people to only use established IW worlds is that all GURPS Worldbooks are IW worlds. So you've got a Yrth Elf Archmage over here, a Reign of Steel Robot, an OGRE, a Lensman, a Black Ops agent, an entire spaceship crew from Traveller, an Atomic Lich, and a motherfucking Tyrannosaurus as your party. I've been in plenty IW games that were free for alls. Even with the options from GURPS books, people still made characters that weren't from GURPS books. At best people would pay lip service to the books. I guess I should have been more specific about which GURPS books. I meant just IW, AE 1-2, and maybe Banestorm. That would curtail the problems. However Cardinal Ximenez makes a good point about what would happen if someone were to run an IW game without making an ISWAT team. No one would show up (I don't think there's been any other attempts to do a game like this, so results may vary). John_A_Tallon posted:Hey now, I think Valerius' Iron SWAT game started out fine. Would have been better had we gotten to run the mission, but it started just fine. There's no way of telling how the game would turn out. All that happened was the characters meeting each other and some talking. I don't think that's a good indicator of how the game would turn out. A lot of games seem promising when they first start.
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Aug 1, 2011 23:21
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Has anyone tried doing a game where the PCs are working for someone other then Infinity, like Centrum or the Cabal or something?
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Aug 2, 2011 04:14
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NovemberMike posted:IIRC The only issue with infinite worlds is that TLs don't scale well. A 600 pt master swordsman will die to a couple of competent (say 50 pt) soldiers with an m249. It starts evening out a bit if you have a magical teleporting swordsman, but there can still be some balance problems. A 600 point master swordsman with one point in Guns (Rifle) is going to destroy almost anything, even before they get close enough for sword work. There's only a balance problem if your players are idiots and refuse to play along with the setting's goofy theme. At any rate, the problem with ISWAT games is well understood: people want to make a stupid gimmick character and don't think about anything else until after they find the GM swinging from a noose, their character sheet open on his computer. Most people don't even know about/like the setting itself other than it's a chance to inflict the latest stupid idea they had on other people. Which is actually pretty unfortunate because other than the moron factor there's a lot about the setting to recommend it.
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Aug 2, 2011 04:52
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I live in Longmont, CO, and after Googling like mad for game-finders and the like, have found maybe 4 people in a 50-mile radius who play GURPS, none of whom are GMs. I really want to get my foot in the door and play at least enough games to be a competent GM, but I can't do it locally; are play-by-posts a decent idea? Bear in mind I'm totally new to tabletop games.
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Aug 2, 2011 05:14
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The Oldest Man posted:A 600 point master swordsman with one point in Guns (Rifle) is going to destroy almost anything, even before they get close enough for sword work. There's only a balance problem if your players are idiots and refuse to play along with the setting's goofy theme. Not if he doesn't have a gun. The point is that mixing TLs doesn't work unless you think about it pretty carefully and most of the random Infinite Worlds stuff people do isn't well thought out.
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Aug 2, 2011 05:18
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NovemberMike posted:Not if he doesn't have a gun. The point is that mixing TLs doesn't work unless you think about it pretty carefully and most of the random Infinite Worlds stuff people do isn't well thought out. If your PCs don't have guns and they try and fight someone at range who has guns, they probably deserve to get shot.
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Aug 2, 2011 05:36
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It's less an issue of PCs with swords vs guys with guns and more an issue of one person wanting to play a swordsman and another player wanting to play a space marine (aliens style). This is a feature, not a bug, but you still need to understand it if you're going to try and mix genres.
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Aug 2, 2011 05:53
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NovemberMike posted:It's less an issue of PCs with swords vs guys with guns and more an issue of one person wanting to play a swordsman and another player wanting to play a space marine (aliens style). This is a feature, not a bug, but you still need to understand it if you're going to try and mix genres. If one of your PCs wants to play a guy who only uses swords and refuses to use guns in a game that is going to have a lot of gunfights in it, punch him in the face. If the game suddenly involves a lot of gunfights and he stubbornly refuses to have his character pick one up and start blasting, punch him in the face. If this player wants to play something that is completely out of genre and refuses to bend even a little bit to make the concept work in a reasonable way, punch him in the face. But really, this player doesn't exist. This player is a figment of your imagination. The player with the "600 point master swordsman" in an ISWAT game is like two or three changed character points away from being completely fine. The problem with ISWAT isn't a guy with a swordsman, it's a guy who wants to play a psychic dragon or an alien with a mind control beam or an energy ghost or some other nonsense that isn't even in any of the GURPS worldbooks that IW explicitly allows because none of those books are retarded enough for this guy. Edit: and by the way, one of the stock archetypical characters for ISWAT is an elven archer who switched her bow for a sniper rifle after she joined up.
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Aug 2, 2011 06:46
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Sam. posted:Has anyone tried doing a game where the PCs are working for someone other then Infinity, like Centrum or the Cabal or something? There has been a swagman game. No Centrum or Cabal games. Of these two, I think Cabal might be more interesting for people. Jabarto posted:are play-by-posts a decent idea? Bear in mind I'm totally new to tabletop games. If you don't mine a slower pace and having to write, they can work. To each his own though. Some people really don't like Pbp games, while others tend to play them exclusively. A middle option might be IRC games or live games done over the internet.
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Aug 2, 2011 07:00
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The Oldest Man posted:But really, this player doesn't exist. This player is a figment of your imagination. The player with the "600 point master swordsman" in an ISWAT game is like two or three changed character points away from being completely fine. You do realize that I'm not putting out complaints, right? I'm explaining where you can run into pitfalls with the game. A lot of people I've seen notice the whole "GURPS is really well balanced" thing and don't notice that this assumes that you maintain certain setting assumptions. This was mostly a response to the guy talking about having an atomic lich and a tyrannosaurus rex in the same party. That stuff doesn't tend to work because the different players are working on different paradigms.
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Aug 2, 2011 07:13
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Here is where ISWAT falls apart: people making snowflake characters fail to realize that ISWAT would probably train them into basic competency on certain things, like shooting guns and driving cars and using computers. Instead you get super-specialized gimmick characters who can only do one thing and are completely useless the rest of the time, which puts more strain on the GM and pisses off everyone else. I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else, though. As far as PbP, I did that for a year before I started my IRL game. It was a really good idea, too. PbP is especially good for GMing practice, since you can stop and think and look up the rules before you go.
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Aug 2, 2011 07:25
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King Hotpants posted:Here is where ISWAT falls apart: people making snowflake characters fail to realize that ISWAT would probably train them into basic competency on certain things, like shooting guns and driving cars and using computers. Instead you get super-specialized gimmick characters who can only do one thing and are completely useless the rest of the time, which puts more strain on the GM and pisses off everyone else. I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else, though. Just give a bonus starting package of skills. Hell, balance it out with a sense of duty obligation, you could make it cost a total of zero points. Guns, driving, computer use, whatever would be something the character needs to be competent in. I mean, guns are easy, one point and a rifle and that 600 point swordsman probably still has like 15-18 in guns, and can fight at range until he gets close, or whatever. Here's the thing: GURPS, more than anything, needs everybody to be on the same page. I don't think that's a flaw of the system per se, but if it doesn't happen, the game will fall apart when your hard boiled detective has no ranks in drive or whatever, and crashes when driving to a crime scene. Give standard packages, work with the players to smooth out wrinkles, and it'll be fine. CCKeane fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Aug 2, 2011 |
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Aug 2, 2011 15:23
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Isn't there a standard ISWAT package in the Infinite Worlds book already? e: I got confused, there's a standard I-Cop package but no ISWAT package, but you could probably use the I-Cop package as a base.
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Aug 2, 2011 15:28
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CCKeane posted:
This is especially true if you're the GM. If you want to run a soldiers of fortune game where the players cause havoc with explosives, cool vehicles, and firearms, and everybody builds former military guys... all with primarily noncombat skill sets (like logistics or sigint), you're going to run into problems in your first adventure. Or my own example, where I ran a Science Fiction survival horror game and took, a poorly optimized Psi Ops, a bunch of technicians with wildly different core skills, one security guy, and a diplomat  . It ran about as well as could be expected, everyone ran like hell from the enemies while the one guy with real combat skills was constantly just barely outclassed.
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Aug 3, 2011 01:39
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Kwyndig posted:Or my own example, where I ran a Science Fiction survival horror game and took, a poorly optimized Psi Ops, a bunch of technicians with wildly different core skills, one security guy, and a diplomat Isn't that about how you want a survival horror game to run?
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Aug 3, 2011 01:48
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Locus Cosecant posted:Isn't that about how you want a survival horror game to run? Only if the players are having fun, but they weren't. Mostly because I pulled a bait and (partially veiled) switch. edit: And even then you want all the PCs to have like, at least a point in Guns or something. Most of them had no combat skills whatsoever. Because I kind of shorted them points as it was one of my first 4e games.
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Aug 3, 2011 01:50
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Kwyndig posted:This is especially true if you're the GM. If you want to run a soldiers of fortune game where the players cause havoc with explosives, cool vehicles, and firearms, and everybody builds former military guys... all with primarily noncombat skill sets (like logistics or sigint), you're going to run into problems in your first adventure. Again, do a standard package. If the direction of the campaign changes again, give a five point package to guns, solider, driving, whatever. Anybody that spent points in those skills gets them back. Base competency is easy enough to get, and four guys with 12 in guns and a bunch of support skills can still be effective.
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Aug 3, 2011 04:16
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I'm just saying that ISWAT really begs for a template but fairly few GMs demand one. It's an easy enough problem to fix, just no one seems to be fixing it.
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Aug 3, 2011 08:09
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Worst case scenario, you arm-lock the 600-point swordsman's player until he grudgingly agrees to spend like 20 points on bow skills and some Imbuements. Maybe if you stick some bamboo splinters under his fingers you can convince him to let his character wear lightweight TL9 anti-ballistic armor that has the same weight and looks exactly like samurai/paladin armor.
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Aug 3, 2011 09:10
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Glad the topic is on Infinite Worlds, as I have a question about it. I'm planning on running a game some time in the future in the setting, with a basis on an ISWAT team that focuses on preventing timeline shifts. What I would want is some large source of important events that could easily cause such a shift, is there any easy way to find tons of them or will I just have to use their examples and attempt to come up with my own. I'm not as much of a history buff as this seems to require, so hopefully there's some book I'm missing as the idea of shifting quantums intrigues the hell out of me.
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Aug 19, 2011 08:01
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Bear Enthusiast posted:Glad the topic is on Infinite Worlds, as I have a question about it. I'm planning on running a game some time in the future in the setting, with a basis on an ISWAT team that focuses on preventing timeline shifts. You could start by familiarizing yourself with the published alts. I don't think you have to be a history buff. Just read the synopsis of Turtledove alternate history novels, and read The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, edited by Turtledove and Greenberg, and you'll already hit the high notes. If you don't have the Infinite Worlds setting book, I recommend it. It's a great book, includes many alternates, and has a bibliography, to boot. After that, hey, my advice is to become a history buff. It doesn't have to be boring. Get on Netflix and watch Ken Burns's series, those are lots of fun, and cover many pivotal events. You can also pick any "historical" Hollywood movie you like, then hop on Wikipedia and read about the numerous inaccuracies (which in turn will lead you to some real history-- or you can steal the Hollywood version for your GURPS game, that works, too).
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Aug 19, 2011 10:52
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Another idea is an old book called GURPS Timeline it's basically a list of interesting historical events and some adventure ideas attached to those, and then you can just hit up the library or wikipedia for more details. It's a little bit out date, but it's still a decent resource.
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Aug 19, 2011 14:16
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Barring that, you could also ask your players about events in history they find particularly interesting (their characters would probably know about it as a hobby too, maybe) and research those a little more as part of fuel for the fire.
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Aug 19, 2011 14:36
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Make them go rescue Gavrilo Princip from a well-meaning interloper. I always thought the idea of having to save someone bad to prevent screwing up the timeline was really cool. You could get a lot of fodder out of stuff like that.
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Aug 19, 2011 16:33
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I think the book specifically says it's hard to tell what's going to shift a timeline anyway, I would just pick some cool event to get mixed up in. Also, quote:In the early period (from the 14th through the late 16th centuries), the Ottomans practiced open succession, or what historian Donald Quataert has described as "survival of the fittest, not eldest, son." During their father's lifetime, all of the adult sons of the reigning sultan would hold provincial governorships. Accompanied and mentored by their mothers, they would gather supporters while ostensibly following a Ghazw ethos. Upon the death of their father, the sons would fight among themselves until one emerged triumphant. How remote a province the son governed was of great significance. The closer the region that a particular son was in charge of the better the chances were of that son succeeding, simply because he would be told of the news of his father's death and be able to get to Constantinople first and declare himself Sultan. GURPS: Race to Constantinople
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Aug 19, 2011 20:09
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Twobirds posted:I think the book specifically says it's hard to tell what's going to shift a timeline anyway, I would just pick some cool event to get mixed up in. Some of the best ideas involve introducing uncertainty as to what "really happened" in Homeline history.
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Aug 19, 2011 20:36
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I was thinking about buying GURPS Villains, googled a bit and found a review on rpg.net.rpg.net posted:
What's that Who's Who book series he is talking about? EDIT: Mmkay, found it. Surprisingly it's called GURPS Who's Who. If you know of any other book featuring different character types, I'd be all ears. mike12345 fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Aug 21, 2011 |
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Aug 21, 2011 11:10
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Alrighty, I'll be sure to look into these ideas thanks people. I had another thought while reading more into the Infinite Worlds book itself, and it seems like some disadvantages (Social Stigma, Unattractive, Odious Personal Habit, and Delusions come to mind) would change heavily depending on what world the character was in. Should I have them not claim points for them, maybe lower the points for them, or just let it slide and hope that if in one world a disadvantage doesn't come up something equally bad happens? Guh, I am just so full of questions I forgot I had another! In Ultra-Tech under "Non-Rechargeable Power Cells" it says that all power cells are assumed to be rechargeable, but then I can't for the life of me find any reference to how power cells are recharged and the costs/times involved therein. Am I missing something or is this deliberately vague? Bear Enthusiast fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Aug 22, 2011 |
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Aug 22, 2011 05:31
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Bear Enthusiast posted:Alrighty, I'll be sure to look into these ideas thanks people. Why would Unattractive change, unless the characters spend a lot of time in the United States of Lizardia or whatever? Social Stigma should almost certainly be relative to Homeline, especially members of the IP, unless you are playing a campaign where they are stuck somewhere. Being a black man in an unreconstructed South isn't a Disadvantage, it's a cover identity.
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Aug 22, 2011 05:34
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Bear Enthusiast posted:Alrighty, I'll be sure to look into these ideas thanks people. While previous editions of Ultra Tech had extensive rules for recharging power cells, it doesn't look like 4e bothers with that. To be fair, a power cell charges off external power anyway, and if you're in a situation where they're going to charge you for juice on a temporary basis, power cells are probably the least of your concerns.
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Aug 22, 2011 06:06
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mike12345 posted:I was thinking about buying GURPS Villains, googled a bit and found a review on rpg.net. What do you mean by different character types? The Who's Who books are just stat blocks for actual historical figures, and there aren't really any other books like them.
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Aug 22, 2011 06:17
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GURPS Warriors http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/warriors/ "Mighty barbarians hacking away with massive broadswords and battle-weary grunts with cordite-stung eyes come to life! GURPS Warriors expands upon the template system introduced by GURPS guru Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch in GURPS Wizards so you can get on with the game!" These books basically introduced the templating approached used in 4e.
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Aug 22, 2011 07:42
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JohnWilkesGoonth posted:What do you mean by different character types? The Who's Who books are just stat blocks for actual historical figures, and there aren't really any other books like them. Yeah, sorry for being a bit vague, but it's a bit hard to explain in full. I don't RP but use GURPS as a sort of brainstorming device for writing fiction. The books manage to break down most topics into tiny modular bits, perfect for trying out different narratives or discovering some historical fact you weren't aware of. The villains-book seemed interesting as a lexicon of bad guys and their character traits. I've bought the Who's Who series and like it a lot, it's a good intro to different historical periods and their personalities. So yeah... that probably didn't clarify very much, lol. Basically I'm looking either for books with a historical background (e.g. Rome, Japan, Suppressed Transmission), or books dissecting fiction itself (Mysteries, Fantasy, Horror, Villains).
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Aug 22, 2011 08:30
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Silentman0 posted:GURPS is pretty great, people should play it.
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Aug 22, 2011 19:54
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Bear Enthusiast posted:Glad the topic is on Infinite Worlds, as I have a question about it. I'm planning on running a game some time in the future in the setting, with a basis on an ISWAT team that focuses on preventing timeline shifts. I have not run an Infinite Worlds game but have been bouncing it around in my head for awhile. I found an excellent source for shift ideas can come from "this day in history" on Wikipedia. For example, today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_22 You will see that: in "1963 – American Joe Walker in an X-15 test plane reaches an altitude of 106 km (66 mi)." My simple idea from the article: ISWAT has learned of a plot to sabotage the flight to delay US rocket powered flight. Which Centrum has calculated (or so we believe) will shift this Quantum 6 echo to Quantum 5 or 7. Why we don't know but it can't be good, so STOP THEM! These types of missions could also be run as diplomatic missions (for more RP heavy groups) to various Senate committees and defense contractors to keep the project from having its funding pulled, it could be fun playing up the Red Threat mentality of the era.
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Aug 23, 2011 00:24
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GURPS is loving awesome, I never got into Dungeons and Dragons, ironically enough, because I thought it was too complex, but a friend of mine made me play on a Dungeons and Dragon program with a bunch of friends he had and I played GURPS, its a fuckload of fun to roleplay a character, give it disadvantages to get points and legitimately play those characters. I bought the Basic Set even though that campaign ended months ago and I have no other friends to play GURPS with. I should probably test this whole "Play By Post GURP" thing, will give me back my weekly GURPS fix I have been missing
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Aug 28, 2011 22:29
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Alright; kinda an off topic question, but how is everyone keeping their fighter likes interesting? Compared to DnD 4e or Pathfinder, which in melee types have alot of interesting options (Rage powers in pathfinder, or really anything in 4e (Not essentials)); while GURPS kinda still has the 'I attack it.' I have some things in place thats allowing fighter-types to have more 'tools' for combat (Like a mage's spell list), but I feel its a bit far away. How's everyone else handling this problem?
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