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Post by Houndin on Mar 8, 2014 6:50:23 GMT -8
So, I'm starting a modern day "parting the veil" game using GURPS at my players' request (all members of our douchey community mind you). But I have never run GURPS before.
I've done horror in most genres, from fantasy to sci-fi, so that's not my issue. What I'm most concerned about is overloading the tension since the system is so deadly.
Running a good horror game requires that tension be raised and lowered in cycles with the apex rising each time and the trough not going as low.
I'm concerned that I'm going to end up killing or disabling a character without intending to.
What are "outs" I can use in GURPS to avoid that, without overly upsetting a very rules knowledgeable player?
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D.T. Pints
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Post by D.T. Pints on Mar 8, 2014 7:20:32 GMT -8
Couldn't you start with a higher pointed character >200 ? And encourage players to take advantages/skills/etc that would enable them to resist "some" of the horror. But eventually 1000 point mythos monsters show up (or whatever the antagonist is...) and no higher point buy will save the PCs. And again if a horror game is often devolving into a combat or a threat of combat I wonder how horrific it might be ? But I could talk about that shit for days... Horror games and player agency
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Post by Houndin on Mar 8, 2014 7:48:14 GMT -8
The idea of the game is not that they're so much fighting it as discovering it.
They're all mundane humans living in the "real world" when they start noticing things that don't jive with that.
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Post by HourEleven on Mar 8, 2014 8:26:37 GMT -8
It's not unusual to create a "lens" package that every character will get for free that will set the style of game being played.
For example, I run a light hearted Gurps monster hunters game (My players specifically asked for the Supernatural TV show mixed with the movie Practical Magic). The "Hunter Lens" that every hunter character starts with included 2 levels of "Hard to Kill" and the players are not allowed to take any more levels than their base 2. This is to prevent unfair deaths that would be against the flavor of the genre we were playing.
For anyone who doesn't know off the top of their heads, each level of "Hard to Kill" gives the character a +1 to Health rolls made to survive with negative Hit Points - or any other Health roll where failure is instant death. Instead, they are knocked unconscious in a very cinematic way.
I recommend building a Lens of advantages that will set the tone for you game. Don't be afraid to make things up. The Hunter lens also had the made up Advantage "Hospitals are not fun." This advantage made it so that any injuries not deemed "story injuries" would heal between sessions. Eventually we would have had a party of people who looked like they were in multiple car wrecks, or 6 in game months between sessions for broken bones to heal.
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Post by Houndin on Mar 8, 2014 8:34:34 GMT -8
I'm definitely trying to keep the power level down. It is horror after all, not action adventure, or slasher.
But I like the idea of the 'lens' I may look into that.
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Post by HourEleven on Mar 8, 2014 9:04:57 GMT -8
Tell us more about the type of horror game it will be and we might be able to help a bit more.
For instance, if they are playing "normal people," and don't have any combat training, you can always use the "untrained fighters" rules from martial arts where combat is scary so characters must pass a Fear check (with a +5 because their life depends on it) or drop their shit and run. They also have limited maneuvers available. The possibility of dropping their weapon and running away screaming (or just going fetal position) makes combat much more frightening - or knowing the best case scenario is that wave the kitchen knife around like an idiot hoping to cut the thing in front of you (like a normal person would).
My favorite way to slow ramp the tension is what I call the "tension roll." Periodically, have the players (let them choose who) roll. Every time, increase the negative modifier so it gets harder for them to pass. They will assume that it's really bad, but if it starts super easy (like 17 target) then you have a good 3 or 4 checks before there is a good chance of failure. What happens if they fail? A worried look on your face and a couple of scribbled notes... Let them wonder.
A lot of times in a Gurps horror game, much of it can be player background driven. I love to include in my Horror Game Lens that everyone needs a Secret. It might be a family curse or maybe they killed a man, or have an opium addiction. No other player gets to know their secret, unless they discover it in game. The game starts with suspicion and the third time that opium addict sneaks away... the party is going to start to assume things (wrong things).
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Post by HourEleven on Mar 8, 2014 9:12:36 GMT -8
Oh! I almost forgot, Fright Checks. If you follow all the rules for Fright Checks, the players will be making A LOT. A handy rule of thumb, if the check would break the mood at the moment: -Just put a mark down on a piece of paper -Assign d6 points of stun if it's that kind of moment -and clear up all the stacked fright checks once it isn't going to ruin the mood.
Also, the fright rules, as written, do not take into account repeated fright checks. Using their stun rules can easily leave your entire party unconscious on the ground for dozens of combat rounds. Use the "Not Just Stunned" rules in Gurps Horror if you want to go down that path (also more advanced rules for stress and derangement).
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Post by mook on Mar 8, 2014 9:19:08 GMT -8
My first thought would be for all PCs to have the Luck advantage (p. B66) -- this would allow them (once every 60/30/10 minutes of real time, depending on the level of Luck you give them) to avoid disastrous results by either forcing opponents to reroll twice and take the worst of the three rolls, or by rerolling their own failed defenses twice and taking the best of the three rolls. It's a bit more fiddly, but you could also give the PCs a number of unspent Character Points for influencing how things affect them in the game (first discussed on p. B347, "Buying Success," expanded greatly in the PDF supplement, " Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys," one of my favorite releases). (From a more story-based perspective, maybe the creepy crawlies have a reason to want to terrify the humans before actually attacking them physically? I.e., fear makes them more powerful or weakens the veil between worlds or whatever).
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Post by HourEleven on Mar 8, 2014 9:38:02 GMT -8
mook. Ooo, good call on the Luck, I forgot about that one. I only have Power Ups 1-3, didn't know there was a 4 and 5. Better fix that.
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Post by mook on Mar 8, 2014 15:02:48 GMT -8
Number 5, "Impulse Buys," is basically 20 pages of how to let your players use unspent Character Points to do cool shit. It's a delight.
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maxinstuff
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Post by maxinstuff on Mar 8, 2014 16:34:53 GMT -8
I suppose it depends on the role you want death to play in the game. If it is survival horror then killing players is the point It sounds like you want to avoid that though. The good thing about GURPS is it is actually fairly easy to tell what might kill you, because reality is the yard-stick. This can really inform decisions if the characters are in the right frame of mind. And that IF tends to be the rub. Players rarely actually think that way. They are more likely to in a horror game though, so it might actually be EASIER.... Here's a nice example that you can explain to players (which I just made up). "Bruce felt much better after his shower, and he felt some spring coming back into his step. He stepped out and reached for his towel, not noticing the soapy water that had been leaking out onto the marble tile. He slipped, and lands badly." Bruce slips and falls onto the marble tiles of his bathroom, hitting his head. He falls a total distance of 2 yards, for a velocity of 7 yards per second. His head impacts the tile with a sickening crunch, doing 1d of crushing damage (2 x 10 x 7 / 100 rounded down to 1). The roll is a 5, minus the skull's natural DR of 2, leaving 3 points of penetrating damage - which is multiplied by 4 because it is a head wound. 12 points of wound to the head - which is both a major would AND a crippling injury. At the very least Bruce has brain damage of some sort, and a fractured skull. He must roll immediately to stay conscious, and again if he tries to do anything but lay there. He could also be bleeding, which could be fatal if he isn't seen to in the next few hours. Too bad he's all alone...... DO THAT IN DND FUCKERS!
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Post by Houndin on Mar 9, 2014 7:20:20 GMT -8
So some great ideas about mechanics. And I think it gives me what I need to sidestep any "rules" discussions during play.
As far as the feel of the game, I'm holing my cards a bit close right now, since all four players are active here on the forums.
Is it alright if I pm/email you guys regarding GURPS?
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Post by HourEleven on Mar 9, 2014 7:28:14 GMT -8
Feel free.
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Post by mook on Mar 11, 2014 6:38:46 GMT -8
PMs/emails are fine, yessah.
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