Hobby #7: GURPS

Generic Universal Role Playing System, or GURPS for short, is the “role-playing game” that I prefer to play over such things as Dungeons and Dragons or Alternity. Put simply, it’s the most flexible roleplaying system out there. There are no “classes”, no certain list of monster races, no set in stone spells or weapons or races or anything. Everything (or most everything, they still have books upon books of rules for the game, but most rules are optional) is limited to your imagination, sort of.

For those poor souls who have never heard of Role-playing, here’s a sample scenario involving one person as the game master (explained in a bit, his words are in italics) and two “player characters”, or PCs, named Jad and Kyle (when the PCs are doing something it will prefaced by the PC 1 or 2, just for example). The parts that are done by the game’s rules and system, like the rolling, are in grey.

You all enter into the forest, where the fabled Amulet of Yonder has been told of, hoping to find it or some other treasure.
PC 1: “So, Kyle, what was it you were about to say before we had that run-in with a group of monsters?” Jad inquires as they walk slowly at a northernish direction. “It seems that you almost cut off purposefully.”
PC 2: Kyle seems to flinch as he walks. “N-none of your business,  Jad…”
PC 1: Jad finds this strange, and prods more with his average laid-back demeanor. “Woah, what’s with the hostility? I was just askinga question. Ease up, you can tell me anything, buddy!”
PC 2: “I said I don’t want to talk about it. I mean, I didn’t say that… you know what I mean…” Kyles greenish hair seems to deflate and cover his eyes as he speaks.
Here, the GM makes a secret roll with 3 dice (the normal) against both the characters’ “Sense” skills. Since Jad does not have the “sense” skill, he counts that roll as a failure. Kyle’s Sense skill is DX+1, and since his DX is 12, the the GM rolls 3 dice against Kyle’s Sense skill. 4, 5 and 1 are the outcomes of each die for the roll. Since the total of those is 10, which is lower than his Sense skill of 13, Kyle succeeds to sense something – but the GM doesn’t tell the PCs any of this. Now, we get to find out what Kyle sensed but Jad didn’t…
Suddenly, Jad feels a sharp pain in his back, and falls to the ground face-first. Kyle, turning quickly enough to see a robed figure lunging at him with a weapon of some kind (he didn’t manage to make that out in the rush), dodges to the side.
PC 2: Kyle pulls out and readies his blade, ready to dodge the blow he knows is coming. “Who are you!?” he manages.
The hooded, robed figure makes a roll against his weapon’s skill of 10 (with three dice as usual, this is done by the GM in secret) – a 3, 6 and 2, which is 11, higher than the weapon’s skill – he misses.
The hooded figure lunges once more at Kyle, too quickly for Kyle to dodge, however he misses him by a hair anyway.
The hooded figure is exactly one hex away from Kyle after his lunge.
PC 2: “You’re going to pay for this!” Kyle says, putting on an unusually angry face.
Kyle rolls three dice against his weapon’s skill of 12 – 5, 5, 1. Total is 11, which is less than 12, thus a hit.
Kyle then rolls 1d6-1 (which means 1 6 six sided die with 1 subtracted from the outcome). 5, which totals to 4.
PC 2: Kyle swings his blade at the figure’s right leg.
4 damage, enough to cause minor leg injury – the figure starts to favor his left leg and limp with the other.
The figure has 8 out of a maximum 12 Hit points left (once he runs out, he dies).

I think that should suffice for an example, eh? If you don’t know, by the way, a PC is a person that participates in the story as a made-up character. They usually have a “character sheet” which is basically everything that defines the character they play as a being. A “game master” is basically the narrator, and explains what the characters see, hear, taste, etc. Also, he makes most of the rolls, and like in the example sometimes

It’s a very in-depth system, soooo much more than walking, talking and stabbing and lunging wildly at your foes. A system full of magic, strategy, narraration and much much more. I’m not exagerrating when I say it’s limitless.

Also, general rule: if you’re having fun, you’re winning. And there hasn’t been a GURPS moment where I haven’t had fun.

Pros of the system:
It’s very fun and limited pretty much to your imagination
Even my Role-playing game DESPISING brother loves it (also, I just recently found him playing an RPG video game on the internet o_O)
No preset dungeons, monsters, races, classes and more! Yay not-D&D!
Like I said, flexible
It’s a roleplaying game, so it’s more fun the more friends you have playing with you
The books give you plenty of ideas for spells and such
You can be creative too, like in a building trapping your enemy against the wall with a spell, then throwing aa dagger at a loose brick on the ceiling so the building collapses – but you’ve got to escape from the building, too!

Cons:
If your GM is mean or extremely bossy (they have to be somewhat bossy, though), it won’t be especially fun

Overall score – 10/10 – better than any roleplay system I’ve tried, and believe me I’ve tried a lot

You buy the books at http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/, or maybe your library, but remember to get the Basic Set book if you’re a beginner!