GURPS Basic Set: Characters, Fourth Edition

I use to just follow this rule I knew for that game, another for this one etc, to make my own mash-up of things I liked, because I tend to like simple statistics, but that can become complex. I also do this because I tend to make my worlds more "realistic" or to a player who likes to do crazy things...maybe more "cruel". However, with this book, I have no need for that. It covers everything I need to know, and has that simplicity, but still with detail. It is a great book, and it covers just what the title says, Characters. This is the skills, advantages, disadvantages. Some basic magic, armor, and weapons. It says how to do the stats (str, dex, IQ, HT, etc) and some basic scales to go by (that are judged by human, and tell you how to modify). This book doesn't really cover much combat and/or damage.The reason however is because this book is meant to be bought along with the GURPS: Campaign, which continues it. This book (GURPS: Characters) even references quite a few things that are in the other book. However, if you REALLY just need character creation, and can use your imagination a little, they do give a combat LITE edition, that gives you the basics. If you like to roleplay however, I definitely would recommend getting this book, and I intend to get the second half to this book, Campaigns. If it is even half the worth of GURPS Basic Set: Characters, it will well be worth it.some extra information:I didn't really like a few of the D&D books, and compared on understanding and readability, these are much better in my opinion.I also do not like exactly how skills are acquired, but as well as it covers everything else, this was just a minor setback, and still well worth it.

Those of you who don't know about the basic concepts of GURPS should go to the marvelous review that somebody wrote for the 3rd edition basic set.I'm a game master with 25 years of experience who turned to GURPS about 7 years ago because the game systems I was using didn't support cross-genre play very well. I loved the 3rd edition in spite of its problems, which could be daunting at times. The biggest problems were that the stat generation system encouraged "gaming" the system, there were an awful lot of little loopholes in the skills that the players could exploit, the psionics system was overpowered, and the game system had kind of sprawled over the years. I've got a good group of players and we worked around the problems but kept encountering new ones as we delved further into the world of GURPS.Enter 4th edition! It solves the gaminess of the stat generation system with such a simple rule I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it. The loopholes in the skills have mostly been resolved (I haven't finished checking them over yet) and the Psionics system has been dumped in favor of a different simpler system that still seems to get the job done. This book sticks with the character generation system so I can't address the rules sprawl issue yet.I had concerns about spending so much for a single book (I've only gotten Characters so far but I'll be buying Campaigns as soon as the budget allows) but one of the little secrets is that you really aren't buying a single book. The Characters book includes all of the rules from the following 3rd edition books: Basic Set, Compendium I, Martial Arts, Supers, and Psionics. No more digging through multiple books! Furthermore you are saving a lot of money by buying a single book at $23.00 on Amazon vs. buying 5 books at $12.00 each! I also need to congratulate the editors on doing a MUCH better job of organizing the material in this book than the 3rd edition. The use of language is only slightly clearer than in the last version but it is still greatly appreciated.Another thing that was greatly appreciated was the hardcover format, I'm hard on my roleplaying books and was about to buy another copy of the 3rd edition book when I saw the fourth edition come out. The improved artwork and use of color was also nice.The sole caveat that I offer is to the GM's who are thinking of converting to 4th edition. I've run a few games and it runs very smoothly but this game system has the potential to be even MORE complicated than the last version. You need to think very carefully about how detailed you want your campaign to be and then STICK WITH IT! The players may well complain bitterly about not being allowed to use all of the little extras that are now available but the game can bog down quickly if you use everything that this system offers. My group of players were pretty insistent until we ran a game with all of the options and it took 10 times longer to generate characters and to resolve a fight scene than normal and it didn't change the results at all.My sole complaint is that the index is good instead of being GREAT like it was in 3rd edition. Of course it used to take several tries to find the right index in 3rd edition because there were always several books to choose from...Final note, I HIGHLY recommend getting GURPS Character Assistant, it is does a much better job of remembering all the little ins and outs of the character generation rules and does a much better job of formating the character sheet and... best of all... no more messy handwriting!

This book details how to create a character for the GURPS (Generic Universal RolePlaying System) game system, but does not contain any rules on how to play the game itself. If you want the actual rules (minus the character creation part) you'll want to purchase the GURPS Basic Set Campaigns book, which this book references extensively.GURPS endeavors to give gamers the tools necessary to create literally ANY roleplaying experience imaginable. With only a few cartoonish exceptions, it feels as though Steve Jackson has succeeded with his game system.The GURPS system uses only three six-sided dice (d6's) for most of the rolls you will be making, and encourages you to make use only of the rules you feel comfortable in order to make your game as streamlined or intricate as desired.Character stats, rather than being randomized, are purchased with a point system, as are skills and attributes pertaining to your character. This actively replaces the leveling system familiar to most other RPG's, in that you don't have a level 15 Cleric, but rather a 1750 point character that has purchased traits that a cleric would have, with no penalty if he/she wanted to dabble in magery or barbarism as needed in the future.Attributes (advantages or disadvantages) range from the mundane (Honesty) to the fantastic (Unkillable) and many rely heavily on Game Master approval. When generating or upgrading a character, advantageous traits can be purchased for points and disadvantages will reward you extra points, so I imagine a lot of power gamers giving their characters a fear of the dark so that they can also be able to fly or something.Units in the game are given in real world terms, and so combat "rounds" actually last one second each, and moving distance is given in yards. The game is also set up so that most of the calculation is done during character creation, and so everything is spelled out on your character record ahead of time.All in all, it's a very well thought out gaming system. I can't wait to try making a Flatworld-themed campaign using it!

It's great, but you need to get both Basic Set Characters and Campaigns because the two books reference each other. Really they're one book with two parts, even continuing the page numbers between them.

Ich kannte bisher nur die dritte Auflage von GURPS (ich hab vor vielen Jahren mit RPG aufgehört). Die Neuauflage find ich einfach nur gelungen. Das konsequente Anwenden der Enhancement- /Limitation-Modifier bei den einzelnen Fähigkeiten (eingeführt bei GURPS 3e mit dem "Supers" Handbuch) gefällt mirsehr gut. Man braucht allersding natürlich noch den zweiten Band ("Campaigns") und nach Möglichkeitauch noch den quasi "3." Band ("Powers").

This is definitely the best "old wave" role playing system. It truly gives you the freedom to play any setting (it has some pretty good settings of his own, especially if you dive into the 3th ed stuff), the rules are flexible and fairly easy to learn, and you can download all their library in PDF format from their website. You can create any character you imagine, and many more. There are no classes, no levels, no "video game" mechanics. Grab this book, the Campaign one, and you won't need to learn another set of rules. The two main downsides are: 1) the pictures on the manuals are nothing special... they are "ok" but not D&D level (not even close, tbh), and 2) the character building phase can be long, veery long. Personally I find it super fun, but I know that some players can be bored after 5 hour of writing down the stats and researching their ultra tech-cyborg-assassin guy. I did played some GURPS one-shots, so I can assure you that speeding up the process is possible, but is not your typical GURPS game. Bottom line, this is my favorite system, I am never going back.

La cuarta edición del libro básico de GURPS se divide en dos tomos: El Manual de Personajes y El Manual de Campañas. Desde que cayó en mis manos una, por desgracia fallida, edición de La Factoría en la tercera versión de la edición norteamericana, he caído rendido a los pies de este monstruo de los juegos de rol. La cuarta edición del juego (no publicada en castellano y que únicamente podemos adquirir en su edición original) es una auténtica pasada. La distribución y organización del contenido es una maravilla. Con los diferentes capítulos separados por colores, un indice analítico y una maquetación perfecta y extraordinariamente legible (que ya quisieran muchos manuales roleros para sí). Este primer tomo del básico, dedicado a la creación de personajes, amplía con creces el contenido y las posibilidades (que ya eran muchas) de la tercera edición. Con más de 400 ventajas y desventajas, decenas de modificadores, limitaciones y el genial añadido de las rarezas y los beneficios puedes diseñar prácticamente cualquier personaje que te puedas imaginar... el único límite es ese precisamente: tu propia imaginación (bueno tu imaginación y los puntos que te permita el director de juego para crearlo claro, pero eso ya es otro asunto). El número de habilidades a escoger es casi ilimitado y también perfila el desarrollo del personaje de forma extraordinaria. Un capítulo dedicado a la magia y otro a los poderes psíquicos (que aquí se contemplan como ventajas) completan una edición extraordinaria que ningún rolero de pro debería dejar de poseer en su biblioteca.El señor Jackson nos regala (a cambio de sus dólares claro) una obra maestra de los juegos de rol sin lugar a dudas.

Excellent book, logically laid out with nice illustrations and the material itself is well thought out and engaging.The game takes a bit of time to get the hang of. As a person starting out with no previous experience I started by only using the most necessary rules, I found it intuitive after a few practice plays. Reading the books gives you the theory but only in playing it do you realise how it all fits together.As it's a universal system, the game is only limited by your imagination; though, if your imagination sometimes needs a kick-start (as mine does), you can find a lot of what are called 'source books' that describe numerous genres like fantasy, space and horror.I think it's one of those games that grows with the player; the more time you invest in it, the more rewarding it becomes.For those that are unsure, do a web search for GURPS-lite - this is a free, minimal overview of the game and the rules in PDF format - it should allow you to assess if the game is for you.