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    giorgis 9:18 pm on January 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply
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    GURPS Hammer S03E01 

    Feeling the need to switch to a less pulpy system, I’m taking the plunge and going with GURPS. I’m mostly using Dungeon Fantasy as a base, but without using the Professions from Dungeon Fantasy Adventurers, and doing a freeform conversion from my Savage Worlds characters.
    I gave each character 150pts to spend, plus 25pts for each finished adventure, with the exception of Elhali who had suffered a permanent injury according to SWADE rules and had to re-increase her Attribute to catch up. She got only 175pts.
    For the most part, the conversion went flawlessly, including traits, skills and gear. I’m quite happy as to how it turned out.
    I did go back and corrected some things that fit more closely to WHFRP instead of SWADE, as they were lost during the initial conversion.
    I am getting some ideas from existing GURPS Hammer conversions, but not using all of the material, and will be adjusting also on the go.

    As for gear costs and prices, the WHFRP prices struck me as odd. Gold Crowns were too easy to find and spent.
    https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com/2018/11/21/all-that-glisters-is-not-gold/ explains very well the problem with WHFRP prices.
    I’m not here to solve this.
    I’ll be using the Harnworld prices instead, as these fit directly with the WHFRP coin economy.
    Harnworld has 1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 (silver) pennies
    The Old World has 1 Gold Crown = 20 (silver) shillings = 240 (brass) pennies
    In case an item isn’t listed in Harnworld (for example due to the TL difference) or the aforementioned historic prices list, I’ll use the DF GURPS Gear prices, where the 4$ will correspond to 1d.
    Finally if the only source available is WHFRP, I’ll do a direct conversion of 1 GC = 1 d which will come handy for future adventure rewards, by bringing them down by a reasonable factor.

    The cost of living according to Dungeon Fantasy is approximately $150 per week. Unless the circumstances deem otherwise, I will be considering a week of downtime between adventures. Therefore in this case, they have spent between the two adventures, about 75d each.

    Revising my party’s wealth, they have:

    • Abenzio 59d 2f
    • Elhali 100d 1f
    • Greta 55d 1f
    • Wolmar 108d 2f

    With that out of the way, I’ll be proceeding with the downtimes and the next adventure.
    My core oracle will be the Plot Unfolding Machine

    I really want to run the Enemy Within Campaign, but being down south in Nuln where The Oldenhaller Contract put me, going to Bogenhafen where the first adventure takes place will need more than a simple nudge, as proposed in the Shadows over Bogenhafen.
    Instead, I will try to nudge them towards Ubersreik, wherein I can run the Ubersreik adventures from the WHFRP 4e Starter Set. Perhaps they could then head north to reach Bogenhafen, or avoid it altogether and run various adventures across the Reikland, perhaps visiting Marienburg or Middenheim before going to the Enemy Within.

    I roll 4 BOLD Waylays and apply them to my party as I see fit:

    Wolmar: (illusory the strange overcome by weak attribute)

    Wolmar is in the market, when he notices a group of people shouting and placing bets and yelling. Drawn closer, he notices a man, playing cups and ball. The man seems to be losing money, and Wolmar, relying on his keen senses is ready to step in and place a bet.
    “A shilling for the ball!” he shouts. “Find the ball under the cap, and you get it back double!”
    Then Wolmar, although a meek herdsman, remembers his father’s trade lessons. That when his eyes tell one story, he should always trust his gut. And Wolmar’s gut tells him that there’s no way this man operates a business on a loss. For sure the man loses his money to a partner just for appearance. Wolmar cautiously steps back away, and leaves.

    Abenzio: (provoking mooks overcome by favored ability)

    Abe is sitting in The Bull, drinking a pint of ale in peace, when a bunch of thugs enter and start causing a ruckus. Their attention soon is turned to the Tilean pit fighter, his scarred skin and foggy eye. They start giggling between them, and pointing at him, exchanging words.
    Unfortunately for them, they don’t know when to stop and Abenzio’s first move is to bash two of their heads together, smash a pewter tankard of ale at the third, and swing a fist at the fourth.
    Despite being at the right, his appearance and outsider background don’t sit well with the owner, who calls the watch at him, and he has to make himself scarce.

    Elhali: (irritating rival overcome by faction intervention)

    Elhali is at the docks, trying to establish some new connections, to get some coin smuggling things on the side. She’s trying to work new contacts, when a non-distinguishing woman, 5’8″ 140 lbs, in her thirties, sienna hair, light brown eyes, bumps into her.
    “These commodities that you want to move out of Nuln, they’re subject to taxes you know.” she says “You wouldn’t want the city watch to catch you trying to sidestep customs officials. They’re quite…zealous.”
    The woman stares Elhali right in the eye, and opens her jacket, just enough to show off the hilt of her pistol.
    Elhali realizes that she stumbled on another smuggler, but just in time, she sees a city watch patrol, and she takes the opportunity to shout.
    “Five kegs of blackpowder for half the price? What would I need that for? Do they have the Nuln seal of commerce?” She yells loud enough for all the dock workers and the city watch to listen. The rival smuggler stares like a deer in torchlight for a moment. Then her ear graps the clanking sound of plate armour by the city watch soldier. In the brief moment it takes her to look around and see the city watch running at her, Elhali has disappeared.

    Greta: (provoking lover overcome by favored skill)

    Greta is shopping at the market trying to find components for her potions, when someone grabs her arm tightly.
    She turns around to see her husband Wolf.
    “There you are! witch!” he yells. “You’ll come back with me now.” He grabs her scarf, revealing her bald head, and big ears.
    “No! let me go!” she shouts back, but her strength isn’t enough to escape the man’s grasp.
    “The town council will see that you’re tried for heresy. If you’re exonerated, you’ll be lucky to stay alive locked in the kitchen forever after what you did to us and yourself.” He says and starts pulling her through the crowd.
    She puts her hand in her pocket, gets out a small potion, takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and smashes the glass vial on the ground in front of them.
    A loud thundering boom accompanied by a flash of light stuns and disorients everyone around, including Wolf, who releases his grasp.
    Greta quickly runs off, trying to hide her features.

    I took GM liberty to apply the downtimes where they fit best in the backstories, and worked them in such a way to give reason for the party to leave Nuln.
    So for the future I’m considering working the downtimes in a different manner.
    I will be using the Scene Unfolding Machine parallel matters assigned randomly to each PC, and will roll one BOLD Waylay to be assigned to a party member or the entire party. I’m thinking that these could be mini-scenes as well to be solo-rped, but I’ve not yet decided on how much focus there should be.

    Before beginning the gameplay, I’ll roll for BOLD connections.

    actiongerundsubject
    ponderdivulginga decision
    endorseconcludinga love
    digressexcludingallies

    Q: Does the group regroup back at the Reaver’s Return at the same time?
    A: No, but without long periods of time between them.
    Q: Who returns first?
    A: Elhali
    Q: Does anything happen while she waits? (unlikely) – the time period is short
    A: It depends (on skill)
    Elhali will try to avoid attention, and use her Stealth skill.
    Elhali: Stealth: 7: Success
    Nothing happens, as Elhali avoids drawing attention.
    Q: Who returns 2nd?
    A: Greta
    Q: Does anything happen while she waits? (unlikely) – the time period is short
    A: Don’t know, can’t tell.
    So it’s a no.
    Q: Who arrives 3rd?
    A: Wolmar
    Q: Does anything happen while they wait? (unlikely) – the time period is short
    A: Yes, apparently.
    Random Prompt: Play a scene filler catalyst: Deal with PCs basic needs

    Elhali is back at their room, and starts packing her few belongings, she has everything ready, and goes downstairs to Rudolf, and orders a hot meal. Her hunger is insatiable at the moment. Something to do with the running she did.
    She is served and starts eating a plate of hot soup, when Greta bursts in. She is not wearing her scarf, and the lack of hair is evident on her head. Elhali is taken aback only for a moment.
    She sees her, and rushes to her. “We have to leave. Where are the others?” Greta says in a hurry.
    “Girl, what is wrong. Come take a seat. Tell me everything. I can’t go anywhere on an empty stomach.” Elhali says.
    Greta rolls her eyes. “Come on Elhali, give me a break.”
    “I’ve just made a sprint from the docks to here. Some lowlife thug though I was trespassing on his turf. Set the city watch on him, but I had to outrun them as well.” Elhali smiles. “I need the food. What’s your story?”
    “Wolf” Greta replies.
    “The Oldenhaller’s dude? what about him?” Elhali asks.
    “No, not this one, my abusive husband. He found me. I barely escaped.” Greta leans in and whispers to Elhali. “He’s accusing me of witchcraft and heresy.”
    Elhali nods as she gulps down a good spoonful of soup. “That some serious trouble. I’m thinking we had our share of Nuln, you want to leave? I’m with you. Don’t know about the guys though, but don’t worry, I’ll talk them into it.”
    “Thank you” Greta whispers, and heads upstairs to cover her features, and pack her things.

    I’m deeming that Greta worked the endorse, divulging, a love BOLD connection.
    Q: Does anything else happen until Abenzio’s arrival? (unlikely) – the time period is short
    A: No, but, they don’t have much time until trouble comes knocking.
    Q: Has Elhali finished her meal? (likely)
    A: No, not yet

    Wolmar is with Elhali and she’s trying to convince him that they should make haste, while at the same time, she’s dipping the rock-hard bread into the soup to make it softer – as if that is possible.
    “I’m telling you.” she speaks with her mouth chewing a piece of hard bread. “City watch and smugglers after me, crazy husband and witch hunters after Greta. We should leave.”
    Wolmar sits in silence for a moment.
    “We have good word with the city watch. We’ve helped them twice already. And we have Oldenhaller, a rich and powerful man on our side. We can still make it work here.” Wolmar counters.
    “I’m just saying, it seems to me that the more I think about, the more they’ll figure out that we are all together, and charges of heresy aren’t easily countered. It’s best to not be there when such things are uttered, than try to make a defense.” Elhali gulps some soup.
    Abenzio enters. His clothes a bit torn. His knuckles bloody.
    “Abe!” Wolmar exclaims. “What happened?”
    “Some weaklings at The Bull thought I’d sit and listen to their insults. I let them know what it means to be a pit fighter.” the massive Tilean answers.
    “Are they alive? did anyone see you?” Wolmar asks.
    “Don’t know, I left when I realized somebody had called for the watch.” Abenzio replies.
    Elhali looks at Wolmar. “Let me finish this lunch I paid for, then we’re out of here.”

    I’m deeming that Elhali worked the ponder, concluding, a decision BOLD connection.

    Q: Does the city watch arrive before they leave?
    A: Yes, but, they have heard them in time.

    Elhali’s keen senses, catch the metal rattle of armoured soldiers, and the pounding thud of many feet in the city streets. She abandons her almost finished meal and heads upstairs to the room where her companions are gathered.
    “The city watch is here, and I won’t sit around to find out for which one of us they are. The thief showed us the way out.” She bolts the door behind her, opens the window and exits through the rooftop.
    Without thinking twice, the rest of her friends grab their gear and follow her.

    Q: What time is it? (4d6)
    A: 13.00
    Q: What is the Weather? (Harnworld)
    A: Freezing, Overcast, Steady Rain

    That’s a -2 modifier to climbing/running/jumping
    Let’s see if they make it across the rooftops.
    Elhali: 5(13-2):Success
    Abenzio: 11(13-2):Success, just made it
    Greta: 11(13-2):Success, just made it
    Wolmar: 9(13-2):Success
    They jumped to the first building across, following the rooftop escape of Bertoldo previously (see Oldenhaller Contract).

    Now they will jump on the rooftops across the canal
    Elhali: 14(13-2):Failure: DX:4/13:Critical Success: She grabbed the far side ledge and pulled herself up
    Abenzio: 14(13-2):Failure: DX:15/13:Failure: He falls down in the canal. Not hurt, just filthy and wet.
    Greta: 11(13-2):Success, just made it
    Wolmar: 12(13-2):Failure: DX:15/13:Failure: He falls down in the canal. Not hurt, just filthy and wet.

    Elhali and Greta have jumped across the canal, and try to jump at the Merchant’s house
    Elhali: 7(13-2): Success
    Greta: 7(13-2): Success
    They jump down from the porch to the street.

    Q: Have the city watch seen them?
    A: No, not yet

    Greta and Elhali rush to help Abenzio and Wolmar get out of the canal, and they make it towards the nearest coach station.

    They remember the thief several nights ago doing the same route, so, they carefully jump across to the rooftop across a narrow alleyway.
    Then they have to jump across the canal. The very same jump that the thief failed, and they caught up to him. Elhali jumps first, but she doesn’t make the distance. Thankfully, with agility, her hand grasps the ledge across, and she pulls herself up. Abenzio jumps next, and his massive frame goes down in the filthy canal, with a loud splash, the water stopping his fall.
    Greta makes the jump and helps Elhali up, while Wolmar meets the same fate as Abenzio.
    In the few moments it takes for the men of the adventuring company to recollect themselves, the women have made yet another jump, and get down safely. Seeing that the city watch hasn’t considered to check out of the window yet, they help Abenzio and Wolmar out of the canal, and rush to their escape.

    once they catch up their breath, they need to decide, coach or boat, or foot.
    Elhali doesn’t want to go to the docks, as twice she made the wrong impression while there, and would like to avoid the risk of being recognized.
    Greta wants to leave the fastest route possible, and since the docks are in the opposite direction of the gate, she agrees with Elhali.
    Abenzio doesn’t really care much, but would like to get away the fastest route possible.
    It’s only Wolmar that isn’t convinced he’s to be blamed for anything, and that’s a challenging time for him whether he’ll stick with this party or abandon them?

    “Where to now?” Abenzio asks. “North to the gate or south to the docks?”
    “I’d rather not show my face in the docks soon.” Elhali says. “To the northern gate.”
    “We could stop by the coaching house on the way. If we’re lucky there could be a coach available.” Greta adds.
    The three of them are looking to Wolmar. He’s the most talkative guy in moments like these, but he seems awfully silent.
    “Do we really have to go?” he mumbles. “I mean, you all have these issues, but we don’t really know which one of you is the person they’re after…and it sure…”
    “…isn’t you?” Elhali quickly fills in.
    “We’re all in this together Wolmar, are we not? If I recall you made a sound speech not two weeks ago in the river barge. You wanted the adventuring life? well, you got it.” She responds.

    I deem that the last of my BOLD connections is striked out now.
    I’ll use A Heated Argument optional rules from Keeping Contact.
    I’m considering that the two adventures they had together, will give them at least a +1 Attitude Level (perhaps even a +2).
    Heated Argument: 6+1=7: Officially, there’re no grudges. In practice: 5: Sometimes, theory and practice go hand in hand, and this’s one of those times! There are no further consequences.

    Wolmar nods. “I am a man of my word. We’re in this together. Let’s go to the North Gate and stop by the Coaching House on the way.”

    Q: Do they want to go towards Ubersreik? (vs say Altdorf?)
    A: Strong Yes to Ubersreik
    Q: Have they seen a job poster already?
    A: No. It’s just that it’s a big city which will have plenty of opportunities.

    Let’s see if they can avoid the city watch and reach the coaching house.
    Elhali: Urban Survival (Per-5): 7/(12): Success

    Following Elhali, they quickly reach the coaching house without needing to ask passersby and draw attention to themselves.
    A big sign outside reads “Ratchett Lines”, and they enter.

    Q: Are there any coaches at the ready inside?
    A: Yes, apparently

    I’ll use both UNE and Scene Unfolding Machine to establish some information on the NPC.
    UNE: uncouth entertainer
    UNE: conversation mood: helpful
    UNE: bearing: scheming means
    UNE: focus: community
    SUM: Attitude: they seem to… Act doubtful, questioning, distrusting, disagreeing
    SUM: Outside Impression: they appear to… Be important, waiting for you, tell you something
    SUM: Filler talks: they talk about… Dreams, aspirations, distant or impossible goal

    A man sits behind a desk, he looks up to the party entering. His clothes are dirty, and his hands and nails covered in dirt. He smiles, and reveals a mouth with several bad teeth.
    He immediately stands up. “How may I help you my lords?”
    Wolmar looks around, he’s never been called a lord before.
    “Ah yes, every potential customer is a lord to me. That’s what I say!” he adds. “Though some people think I’m joking. Perhaps I was never a good jokester. The rest of the coachmen don’t appreciate it.” He sighs. “So what is your destination? do you all travel together? and oh my, I see you’re downright wet to the bone. You’ll surely catch a cold if you travel like this. In a hurry are we?”

    There are some controversies between UNE and SUM, as there is some overlap, but I think I made it work. Time to use Let’s Talk.

    Wolmar’s Hand: Charming, Worried, Sad
    He’ll try to discern the actual mood of the NPC: Per: 14/13: Failure
    So, without knowning, he’ll use the Charming card
    NPC’s Reaction is: Somewhat positive
    The actual mood is: Angry, which makes the reaction Somewhat negative, so he is Questioning, hah, doubling down on the initial approach

    Wolmar laughs. “I find your remarks to the point. Lords and Ladies. It’s nice to be addressed as such. You have a coach ready? We are on our way north to Ubersreik, or Stimmigen or Dunkelburg if you don’t make the trip there.”
    “You still haven’t answered my question. What’s the hurry. The morning coaches have all left. You don’t want the night to catch you outside of a coaching inn. Brigands and others abound. And we have to be careful as to whom we trust.” The coach man snaps.

    Wolmar will use Worried.
    NPC’s Reaction is: Somewhat positive
    The actual mood is: Angry, which makes the reaction Somewhat negative, so he is Worried

    “We were to get the morning coach, but we were delayed by urgent matters in the city, and on our way here, a stumble and fall into a canal. If you can also give us a towel to wipe, it would be best, but we would like to hire the coach and be on our way. We’ve lost much of the day as you said already.” Wolmar tries to lean to his good side.
    “It’s dangerous to travel so late. It will be night already in a few hours. I can’t tell if we can take you.” He responds.

    Wolmar will finally use Sad
    NPC’s Reaction is: Negative, he is Neutral

    “It’s not what we had hoped to hear. We may have to do the journey on foot in this weather if you can’t take us.” Wolmar replies.
    “Then that’s your call. This doesn’t concern me.” The man replies.

    So now I’ll roll for Diplomacy with a -2 penalty due to the bad way the dialogue went.
    Wolmar has Voice and Charisma 1 which give him a +3 bonus on reaction rolls and +2 on Diplomacy.
    Wolmar: Diplomacy: 12/15: Success
    Reaction Rolls: 13,14: Good.
    Q: Does the coach go to Ubersreik?
    A: Don’t know, can’t tell.

    “Look, we’ll pay the required amount for a coach for four passengers. We have good coin, and we’ll pay upfront. Will you let customers go spend their silver elsewhere?” Wolmar asks.
    The man thinks it over for a few seconds. “Alright. 10 pennies for each of you.”
    They all pay up. The man counts up the pennies. “Alright, Frederich and Hugo will be your drivers.” He turns to them. “Frederich, Hugo, get the coach ready to go.”
    They dry their clothing as good as possible and remove any water from their boots, and once the coach is ready, they get onboard, and soon they begin.
    They make themselves comfortable inside, but Wolmar feels like something wasn’t defined.
    “Will they take us all the way to Ubersreik?” Abenzio asks, and Wolmar realizes what he failed to establish.

    Q: Does the coach leave Nuln without any incident? (Likely)
    A: Yes, absolutely

    So, I’ve looked at various maps of the empire that are abundant in the internet, and distances are different, road routes are different, even the locations of settlements differ sometimes. At first I was confused and was wondering on how to deal with this, but then I realized that it’s just perfect. This variance works excellent for solo roleplaying as it gives me the freedom to apply Oracle results as they fit.

    Q: Do they reach Segeldorf?
    A: No, definitely not.
    This calls for a Random Prompt.
    Random Prompt: Put Characters in a Situation: Find something of value.
    Focus: Plan/Blackmail.

    The definitely not, leads the scene. Something stops them completely from reaching Segeldorf, and they’ll have to resolve it before progressing further.
    During this scene, they will find a plan or blackmail material.
    But what could make a coach stop. Perhaps someone in need of help?

    Q: Is there someone in need of help?
    A: Yes, but there’s danger that could also affect the party.

    I’ll take the adventure hook from the Ubersreik starter set. It’s a courier on the way to Ubersreik who broke their leg.

    It’s only been a few hours on the road, when suddely the coach stops. The horses neigh, and the adventurers almost fall on top of each other due to the sudden halt.
    “Get out of the way!” they hear Frederich yell.

    Let’s roll for the weather first: remains the same.

    Each of them grabs their hand weapons, and they pull the curtains of the coach to look outside.

    Time to put the Terrain Randomizer to use.

    I’ll generate a Small Area.
    It has: 3 Zones: a small, a medium an a large zone.

    There’s a field which narrows down in the middle, with woods on the left side and a pond on the right side. The road passes right in the narrow passage, and with the constant heavy rain the pond has overflown, so there’s only room for the one coach with the two horses to get through.
    Blocking this narrow strip of road is a man, lying in the middle of the road, covered in mud.
    “What happened? why did we stop?” Wolmar yells.
    “There’s this man in the way. He refuses to move. He keeps yelling to help him” Hugo answers.

    Abenzio and Wolmar will step down and get to the man.
    This could be an honest accident, but it could also be an ambush. Also something could have caused the accident, something could have startled the horses. They’re too close to Nuln though, for anything mightily dangerous, but… who knows.

    Wolmar: Perception: 10/13: Success.
    Q: Does Wolmar notice anything dangerous around?
    A: No, definitely not.
    How did this man break his leg?
    A: Unrelated, just coincidence

    The two men approach the man.
    “Thank Sigmar! Help me please. I lost control of my horse, and it kicked me down. My leg is broken.” The man says, gritting his teeth in pain.

    Wolmar and Abenzio support him to the coach.

    Q: Are there any things on the ground where he fell?
    A: Yes, but, they’re spread all over the mud.

    “My, my belongings. They’re important, can you get them?” He pleads on the way.
    Elhali gets off the coach and starts gathering the things.
    “He rides, he pays.” Frederich says as they bring the stranger towards the coach.

    Elhali: Perception: 9/(17-2): Success

    Elhali picks up the various items spread all over the mud, missing nothing.

    According to PUM, I need to roll once more for a Random Prompt because PCs get out of comfort to face the unknown.
    Before that I need to resolve a few more things.

    Q: Is the man soaked wet?
    A: It depends (on skill): I roll for his survival: 7/10: Success. He isn’t soaked wet, but not due to the rain, rather than because he managed to tuck himself in his cloak properly despite his condition.
    Q: Can he be moved?
    A: Yes, apparently. As long as he doesn’t step on the foot, he can withstand the pain and enter the coach.

    So to recap, Elhali is picking up the belongings, Wolmar and Abenzio are bringing the man back to the coach, while Greta counts 10d to pay the coachman.

    Random Prompt: Meet or learn about someone new.
    Either of those could fit.
    Meet or Learn?: Learn.
    So, it’s the adventure hook as described in the starter set. However, I’ll roll for a Modified Proposal: Add hope or some relief.

    They put the man inside the coach, while Greta pays the fare. They remove his cloak first so that he doesn’t soak the interior of the coach.
    “Sigmar bless you strangers.” The man says. “My name is Edgar Muller. I am a messenger, delivering the post to Ubersreik’s Bridge House Inn . However I also have an important letter from Isabella Dahmbach, a lawyer from Nuln. My company will pay you at least two shillings for the delivery of my mail. Double that if you get me safely to the nearest city as well.”


    Session Summary

    Hitting an abrupt pause here.
    I’m overwhelmed to the point of losing fun in this solo campaign, and I pinpointed this to the overabundance of Old World lore and information.
    Seriously, if you start going down the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rabbit hole, you’ll end up the other side of the Atlantic.
    There’s so much information available both online and in official and unofficial supplements, websites, modules, that I spent more time reading it (which I enjoyed!) than actually solo roleplaying.
    The thing is that this is really dense, and with retcons and contradicting information, it just simply doesn’t work for me as solo.
    All the Solo tools I’ve used in these games are absolutely fantastic, but I find that I limit their usefulness trying to make them fit in a well defined world.
    This has been a fantastic learning experience for me, as I wanted to also solo in Harnworld, but now I fear that I might face the same problem.
    I had a similar issue when running the Trollshaws campaign and was reading online about the various details of Middle Earth.

    Instead of making the world mine, I resorted to reading about existing information, and that’s because I want to learn more about the Old World, as Warhammer is one of my favourite settings back from when I played the Fantasy Battles 4th edition.

    The way I approached it is like a GM doing research to create their adventure. But you can’t do that and play the game at the same time. It’s just exhausting, and takes away all the fun. At least for my game style it doesn’t work. I like to run my solo adventures as a player first, and GM second. But you can’t have it both ways. Can’t be a player learning the ropes of the world and at the same time GMing it freely.
    And particularly for Warhammer Old World the written approach for the supplements focuses a lot on the details, which helps really to flesh out the world, but leaves little creative freedom.

    As soon as I stepped a bit outside the limited framework of the adventure module I hit this wall of immense information. Therefore I will stop this here, as I need to realign on what kind of adventures I want to play.

    But before I do that, I’ll review the tools I used.

    The Plot Unfolding Machine and Scene Unfolding Machine have a lot of potential. I can see that they need to have free reigns and allow repeat rolls to give immediate portents to generate usable content. Looking forward to trying them out in a different premise.
    Dungeon Fantasy GURPS is just great. The Profession templates are a bit too strong at 250 points, but I think they’ll do just fine for a single PC accompanied by henchmen. Looking forward to trying it out further as well.
    BOLD, UNE, Let’s Talk and Keeping Contact, I’ve well established in my previous games, and will continue to use them in the future.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    giorgis 8:28 pm on October 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: GURPS,   

    A Call to Glory S08 – GURPS 

    Continuing at the same challenge in the Level 1 dungeon A Call to Glory from TSR’s Dragon Quest, introductory adventure game, I aim to try more of the RPGs in my collection, this time with GURPS Lite.

    I’ll be using a party of 4 characters created using GCS. They’re 150 points builds. They’re meant to be a Rogue, a Scout, a Knight and a Wizard. Gurps Lite 4th Edition didn’t include any Magic Examples, but I could find one in GURPS Lite 3rd Edition, so I made a pyromancer (Ignite Fire, Create Fire, Shape Fire and Fireball spells).

    There’s also an extensive database of converted D&D monsters to GURPS, so I expect the playthrough to go smoothly. My main issue with GURPS is that it is way too modular. When creating a character you can choose pretty much anything, which can be a problem if you don’t know what you’re doing. Should I have given more points to base stats? more to skills? did I miss something important? No clue. There’s a learning curve based on player experience here, that I have yet to conquer. It could be a reason for a TPK.


    The Party

    • Sherwood Gaugler, Rogue
    • Luis Chuc, Scout
    • Caprice Chehebar, Knight
    • Glen Klitzing, Wizard

    The Adventure

    The heroes have been called before Gustovan, the Burgomaster of Torlynn. Torlynn is a small village set in a quiet, hilly area near the mountains. The heroes have lived here for many years and think of Torlynn as home. Gustovan is known as a wise and kind mayor.
    He asks of the heroes to go explore the old, abandoned, dwarven, iron mine, because strange lights and sounds come from within. They’re to find out if there is something wrong there or if the reports are false.

    The heroes enter the dungeon. It’s entrance is a rough cavern, cut from the stone long ago by dwarves. They check their weapons and start down into the mine, with the wind blowing in their backs.


    A. Tunnel

    Wandering monster check: None
    Wandering monster check: Gnoll

    The wind fades away as the heroes move into the mine. A long tunnel leads onward, to the next room.

    I’ll be using the Orc Hunter stats for the Gnoll.
    Gnoll readies throwing axe.
    Sherwood readies sword.
    Caprice readies sword.
    Luis readies readies spear.
    Glen waits behind Sherwood.

    Gnoll aims throwing axe to Caprice.
    Sherwood waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice moves towards Gnoll.
    Luis waits behind Sherwood.
    Glen waits behind Luis.

    Gnoll throws axe to Caprice. 13/16+2-5: Hit. Caprice: Block: 13/12: Fail. Damage: 2+4-4=2×1.5=3. Hit at: 8: Right Arm. 11/14 Hit Points remaining.
    Sherwood moves behind Caprice.
    Caprice moves towards Gnoll.
    Luis moves behind Sherwood.
    Glen moves behind Luis.

    Gnoll readies another axe.
    Sherwood moves behind Caprice.
    Caprice move and swing sword at Gnoll. 6/14-4: Hit. Gnoll: Parry: 12/12: Success. Attack Parried.
    Luis moves behind Sherwood.
    Glen moves behind Luis.

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 11/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 10/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood moves behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Gnoll: 6/14: Hit. Gnoll can’t Parry as the weapon is unwieldly. Gnoll: Dodge: 9/10: Success. Attack Dodge.
    Luis moves behind Sherwood.
    Glen moves behind Luis.

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 15/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 10/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood waits.
    Caprice swings sword at Gnoll: 12/14: Hit. Gnoll can’t Parry as the weapon is unwieldly. Gnoll: Dodge: 12/10: Fail. Damage: 9+1-0=10×1.5=15. Gnoll HT Roll: 12/11: Fail. Gnoll is dead.

    In the dimly lit dungeon, the tension was palpable. The gnoll raised its throwing axe, eyes fixed on Caprice. Sherwood stood ready with his sword, and Caprice mirrored his stance. Luis held his spear in readiness, while Glen, ever watchful, waited behind Sherwood.
    The gnoll hurled its axe toward Caprice. The weapon struck, landing a hit on her right arm. Caprice winced but pressed on. Sherwood and the others closed ranks behind her.
    Caprice, undeterred, advanced on the gnoll. She swung her sword, connecting with the gnoll’s unwieldy axe, but the gnoll managed to parry her attack skillfully.
    Gnoll, now determined, swung its axe at Caprice once more, but her quick reflexes allowed her to block the blow. The dance of combat continued.
    In the end, Caprice’s relentless assault paid off. Her final sword swing found its mark, bypassing the gnoll’s defenses. The gnoll fell lifeless, its threat extinguished in the dark dungeon.


    B. The First Lair

    As the heroes enter the room, they notice a couple of beds. Probably used to be the miners’, but now they have new occupants. A kobold and a goblin get up, pick their weapons and attack.

    Sherwood waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice moves and swings sword at Kobold: 14/14-4: Miss.
    Luis waits behind Sherwood.
    Glen waits behind Luis.
    Kobold thrusts halfspear at Caprice: 13/12: Miss.
    Goblin moves and swings cleaver at Caprice: 12/12-4: Miss.

    Sherwood moves in the room.
    Caprice swings sword at Kobold: 12/14: Hit. Kobold: Parry: 4/9: Success. Attack Parried.
    Luis moves in the room.
    Glen moves in the room.
    Kobold thrusts halfspear at Caprice: 12/12: Hit. Caprice: Parry: 9/12: Success. Attack Parried.
    Goblin swings cleaver at Caprice: 13/12: Miss.

    Sherwood move and swing short sword at Goblin: 15/15-4: Miss
    Caprice swings sword at Kobold: 12/14: Hit. Kobold: Parry: 11/9: Fail. Damage: 7+1-2=6×1.5=9. Kobold HT Roll: 12/10: Fail. Kobold is dead.
    Luis move and thrust spear at Goblin: 10/14-4: Hit. Goblin: Parry: 11/9: Fail. Damage: 6+1-2=5×2=10. Goblin HT Roll: 8/11. Success. Goblin stands.
    Glen waits.
    Goblin swings cleaver at Caprice: 13/12-4: Miss.

    Sherwood swings short sword at Goblin: 7/15: Hit. Goblin: Parry: 14/9: Fail. Damage 2-2: 0.
    Caprice swings sword at Goblin: 10/14: Hit. Goblin: Parry: 12/9: Fail. Damage 5+1-2=4×1.5=6.
    Luis thrust spear at Goblin: 13/4: Hit: Goblin: Parry: 9/9: Success. Attack Parried.
    Glen waits.
    Goblin HT Roll: 8/11. Success. Goblin stands. Goblin swings cleaver at Caprice: 10/12-4: Miss.

    Sherwood swings short sword at Goblin: 10/15: Hit. Goblin: Parry: 11/9: Fail. Damage 4-2: 2. Goblin is at -7 HP.
    Caprice swings sword at Goblin: 4/14: Critical Hit. Damage 4+1-2=3×1.5=4. Goblin is at -11 HP. Goblin HT Roll: 16/11-1: Fail. Goblin is dead.
    Searching, the party finds a Pouch Belt and a Mace.

    The battle in the miners’ resting quarters was intense. Caprice and her companions faced off against the kobold and goblin assailants.
    Caprice’s initial swing at the kobold narrowly missed, and the goblin’s cleaver attack also failed to find its mark. But Caprice soon got her revenge, her sword striking the kobold. Despite the kobold’s attempts to parry, Caprice’s blow was too much, and the kobold fell lifeless, vanquished.
    Luis joined the fray, thrusting his spear at the goblin. The goblin tried to parry but couldn’t, suffering a significant hit. However, it managed to stay on its feet.
    In the end, it was Sherwood and Caprice who sealed the fate of the goblin. Sherwood’s short sword and Caprice’s blade struck with precision, ending the goblin’s threat. Their thorough search afterward revealed a Pouch Belt and a Mace among the spoils of battle.


    C. Jagged Cavern

    Wandering monster: Kobold

    The Kobold appears as Caprice opens the door to Jagged Cavern.
    Sherwood moves and waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Kobold: 11/14: Hit. Kobold: Parry: 11/9: Fail. Damage: 5+1-2=4×1.5=6.
    Luis waits behind Glen.
    Glen swings quarterstaff at Kobold: 7/11: Hit. Kobold: Parry: 16/9: Fail. Damage: 3+4-2=5. Kobold HT Roll: 11/10: Fail. Kobold falls unconscious.

    As Caprice pushed open the door to Jagged Cavern, the narrow stone corridor revealed nothing of interest, except for the echoing sound of water dripping from the ceiling.
    However, their tranquility was short-lived as a kobold suddenly emerged. Caprice, with quick reflexes, swung her sword, striking the kobold who failed to parry. The kobold’s health diminished, but it was still standing.
    Then, Glen stepped forward and brought down his quarterstaff upon the kobold, rendering it unconscious and no longer a threat.


    D. Orc Lair

    Sherwood moves and waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Orc: 14/14: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 12/7: Fail. Damage: 8+1-2=7×1.5=10.
    Luis moves and waits next to Sherwood.
    Orc readies falchion.
    Glen moves and waits behind Sherwood.

    Sherwood waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Orc: 9/14: Hit. Orc: Parry: 10/13-4: Fail. Damage: 11+1-2=10×1.5=15. Orc HT Roll: 13/11: Fail. Orc falls unconscious.

    Luis: Observation: 10/13: Success.
    Luis notices a loose stone slab on the floor. Pushing it aside he finds a bag of gold, probably spoils belonging to the defeated orc.

    The stench of decaying meat overwhelmed the heroes as they entered the small room. In the corner, they spotted the looming figure of an orc, and battle was imminent.
    Caprice swiftly swung her sword, connecting with the orc as it failed to dodge the attack. The orc staggered under the blow, but it remained standing.
    In a coordinated effort, Caprice struck again, this time overpowering the orc’s parry. The orc collapsed, unconscious and defeated.
    Luis, with a keen eye, noticed a loose stone slab on the floor. He pushed it aside, revealing a hidden bag of gold, likely the spoils belonging to the now-defeated orc. A rewarding find for their efforts.


    E. Trapped Room

    Caprice: Dexterity: 14/11: Failure: Damage: 4-4: 0.

    A small empty room, with a funny smell. Black ash and soot cover the floors and walls. A steel door with an iron handle sits in the middle of the floor.
    As Caprice tries to open the door she hears a clicking noise. She’s not fast enough to avoid a jet of greek fire, but her armour protects her.


    F. Gnoll Lair

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 12/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 8/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood moves behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Gnoll: 14/14: Hit. Gnoll can’t Parry as the weapon is unwieldly. Gnoll: Dodge: 11/10: Fail. Damage: 4+1-0=5×1.5=7.
    Luis moves behind Sherwood.
    Glen moves behind Luis.

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 6/18-4: Hit. Caprice: Block: 13/12: Fail. Damage: 4+4-4=4×1.5=6.
    Sherwood waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Gnoll: 9/14-4: Hit. Gnoll can’t Parry as the weapon is unwieldly. Gnoll: Dodge: 10/10: Success. Attack Dodged.
    Luis waits behind Sherwood.
    Glen waits behind Luis.

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 7/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 11/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood waits behind Caprice.
    Caprice swings sword at Gnoll: 11/14: Hit. Gnoll can’t Parry as the weapon is unwieldly. Gnoll: Dodge: 3/10: Success. Attack Dodged.
    Luis waits behind Sherwood.
    Glen waits behind Luis.

    Gnoll swings axe at Caprice: 8/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 16/12: Fail. Damage: 2+4-4=2×1.5=3. Caprice is reeling from her wounds.
    Sherwood steps back to let Caprice move out.
    Caprice moves out.
    Luis waits in the corridor.
    Glen waits behind Luis.

    Gnoll moves and attacks Caprice: 11/18-4: Hit. Caprice: Block: 11/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood thrusts shortsword at Gnoll. 7/15: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 12/10: Fail. Damage: 2-2=0: 1×2=2 Damage.
    Caprice swings broadsword at Gnoll. 11/14: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 8/10: Success. Attack Dodge.
    Luis thrusts spear at Gnoll. 13/14: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 11/10: Fail. Damage: 6+2=8×2=16. Gnoll HT Roll: 10/11. Success. Major Wound HT Roll: 9/11 Success. Gnoll Hit Points @ -11.

    I ruled that in order to hit the gnoll diagonally from the sides of the opening only thrust attacks are possible.

    Gnoll HT Roll: 8/11: Success. Gnoll still stands. Gnoll attacks Caprice: 12/18-4: Hit. Caprice: Block: 8/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood thrusts shortsword at Gnoll. 13/15: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 7/10: Fail. Success. Attack Dodged.
    Caprice swings broadsword at Gnoll. 8/14: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 14/10: Fail. Damage: 7+1=8×1.5=12. Gnoll HT Roll: 12/11-1: Fail. Gnoll falls.

    Searching the creature, they find an invigorating honey-like potion. Glen recognizes it for a potion of healing. Kur’s Drink. Caprice drinks.

    Caprice: Heal: 8 Hit Points. Caprice is back at 10 Hit Points.

    In this room, the heroes encountered a swarm of biting flies, and a large gnoll, axe in hand, ready to attack.
    The gnoll swung its axe at Caprice, but her quick reflexes allowed her to block the blow. Caprice retaliated with a precise sword strike, inflicting damage on the gnoll.
    The gnoll’s next attack landed, causing Caprice to reel from her wounds. Sherwood stepped back to allow her to retreat, and Caprice moved out to regroup.
    In a coordinated assault, the heroes took down the gnoll. Sherwood’s shortsword hit, but the gnoll dodged Caprice’s broadsword. Finally, Luis’s spear thrust struck true, inflicting a major wound on the gnoll. Though the gnoll attempted to stand, it ultimately succumbed to its injuries.
    After the battle, the heroes found a potion of healing on the gnoll, which Glen recognized as “Kur’s Drink.” Caprice drank it, and her wounds healed.


    G. Empty Room

    Wandering Monster Check: No monster

    I decide no to search the pile of dirt in the room.

    The heroes go through a rough room like a cave, a small pile of dirt is at one corner of the room. The party moves onward.


    H. Broken Room

    Caprice: Dexterity: 8/11: Success.
    Sherwood: Dexterity: 17/14: Fail. Hit: 2-2=0 Damage.

    Caprice: Dexterity: 13/11: Fail. Hit: 2-4=0 Damage.
    Sherwood: Dexterity: 12/14: Success.
    Luis: Dexterity: 7/12: Success.
    Glen: Dexterity: 13/10: Fail. Hit: 2 Damage.

    As the party goes through this large chamber cut from the stone, they notice the walls and ceiling are cracked, and huge chunks of stone have fallen on the floor. Their vibrations cause some more to fall as they pass through, with Glen receiving a minor bruise from a chunk of rock.


    I. Narrow Tunnel

    Orc moves and swings his black axe at Caprice: 4/13-4: Critical Hit: Damage: 6+5-4=7×1.5=10. Caprice HT Roll: 9/12: Success. Caprice stands. Major Wound: Caprice HT Roll: 7/12: Success. Caprice stands.
    Sherwood waits in the previous chamber.
    Caprice swings sword at orc: 10/14-4: Hit. Orc Parry: 14/10: Fail. Damage: 8+1-2=7×1.5=10. Major Wound: Orc HT Roll: 8/11: Success. The orc stands.
    Luis stands in wait in the previous chamber.
    Glen stands in wait in the previous chamber.

    Orc swings his black axe at Caprice: 11/13-4: Miss.
    Sherwood waits in the previous chamber.
    Caprice moves back in the previous chamber.
    Luis stands in wait in the previous chamber.
    Glen stands in wait in the previous chamber.

    Orc moves and swings his black axe at Caprice: 15/13-4: Miss.
    Sherwood thrusts his short sword at the orc: 13/15: Hit. Orc: Parry: 12/10: Fail. Damage: 5-2-2=1×2=2.
    Caprice swings sword at orc: 13/14: Hit. Orc: Parry: 9/10: Success. Attack Parried.
    Luis thrusts his spear at orc: 9/14: Hit. Orc: Parry: 12/10: Fail. Damage: 5+2-2=5×2=10. Orc HT Roll: 13/11: Fail. Orc falls unconscious.
    Caprice takes the black axe of her opponent. The craftsmanship isn’t orcish, and she intends to put it to good use.
    Caprice drinks another sip of Kur’s Drink… and another. She’s back at 12 Hit Points.

    The heroes advanced down a narrow tunnel, with Caprice leading the way. Suddenly, the door at the end of the hall swung open, revealing a foul orc wielding a gleaming black axe. It wasted no time and launched a devastating attack at Caprice, landing a critical blow. Caprice withstood the hit, showing remarkable resilience.
    Caprice retaliated with her sword, striking the orc, which was unable to parry the blow. The orc, despite its major wound, remained standing.
    In a desperate attempt, the orc swung its axe at Caprice again but missed. Caprice decided to step back, and the orc pursued her.
    Sherwood seized the opportunity, thrusting his shortsword at the orc, landing a hit. Caprice swung her sword but her attack was parried. Luis’s spear thrust struck true, causing the orc to fall unconscious. Caprice, victorious, took the black axe, noting its fine craftsmanship.
    Caprice also drank more of the healing potion they found earlier, and her injuries were further mended.


    J. The Story Room

    I’m not rolling a wandering monsters check since the next room has a major fight.

    The heroes enter a large chamber that has been polished smooth. Ancient dwarvish runes are carved into the walls. Glen reads them out aloud. They tell of the story of the digging of the mine and the work that the dwarves did there. Near the end, it mentions that the dwarves found a vein of glowing iron unlike anything they had seen before. They mined this strange ore, which they called eisenmond and found they could make weapons of great magic with it.
    As they mined for more eisenmond they discovered some dark and evil secret about the mountain, without saying anything more than that they packed up and left overnight.
    The story ends by saying that they left behind a large nugget of eisenmond which glowed brighter than the rest, in the care of someone called the Stone King.
    The heroes realize that this is the key to the secret of the mountain, and what Gustovan sent them there to find.


    K. The Iron Mine

    The heroes enter a vast chamber that is roughly carved and still being worked. Small veins of iron ore still line the walls. Four monsters work the mine, and as they see the party they howl and attack.

    Gnoll move and swing pickaxe at Caprice: 11/18: Hit. Caprice: Block: 4/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Sherwood wait behind Caprice.
    Caprice move to the side to allow the group to enter, and swing sword at Gnoll: 12/14: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 14/10: Fail. Damage: 8+1=9×1.5=13. Major Wound. Gnoll HT Roll: 14/11: Fail. Gnoll is Stunned and Prone and drops weapon.
    Luis waits for Sherwood to move.
    Glen waits for Sherwood to move.
    Orc move and swing pickaxe at Caprice: 9/13: Hit. Caprice: Block: 8/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Goblin move and swing pickaxe at Caprice: 11/12: Hit. Caprice: Block: 6/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Kobold move behind Orc.

    Gnoll HT Roll: 9/11: Success. Gnoll is no longer Stunned.
    Sherwood swing shortsword at Orc: 8/15: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 15/9: Fail. Damage: 5-2=3×1.5=4.
    Caprice swing broadsword at Prone Gnoll: 11/14: Hit. Gnoll: Dodge: 10/10-3: Fail. Damage: 3+1=4×1.5=6. Gnoll HT Roll: 14/11: Fail. Gnoll falls uncoscious.
    Luis thrusts spear at Orc: 6/14: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 13/9: Fail. Damage: 2+2-2=2×2=4.
    Glen cast fireball level 3: 5/16: Success. The fireball missile is at Glen’s hand will be ready in 2 more seconds.
    Orc swing pickaxe at Caprice: 16/13: Miss.
    Goblin swing pickaxe at Caprice: 9/12: Hit. Caprice: Block: 10/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Kobold move and swing pickaxe at Caprice: 9/12: Hit. Caprice: Block: 10/12: Success. Attack Blocked.

    Sherwood swing shortsword at Orc: 18/15: Miss.
    Caprice swing broadsword at Orc: 10/14: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 7/9: Success. Attack Dodged.
    Luis thrusts spear at Orc: 15/14: Miss.
    The fireball missile is at Glen’s hand will be ready in 1 more seconds.
    Orc swing pickaxe at Caprice: 5/13: Hit. Caprice: Block: 17/12: Miss. Damage: 6+4-4=6×1.5=9. Major Wound. Caprice HT Roll: 10/12. Caprice Stands.
    Goblin swing pickaxe at Caprice: 10/12: Hit. Caprice: Block: 11/12: Success. Attack Blocked.
    Kobold move and swing pickaxe at Caprice: 6/12: Hit. Caprice: Block: 16/12: Fail. Damage: 6-4=2×1.5=3. Caprice HT Roll: 13/12. Caprice falls unconscious.

    Sherwood swing shortsword at Orc: 13/15: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 16/9: Fail. Damage: 2-2=0.
    Luis thrusts spear at Orc: 13/14: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 9/9: Success. Attack Dodged.
    The fireball missile is ready at Glen’s hand.
    Orc swing pickaxe at Sherwood: 9/13: Hit. Sherwood: Parry: 16/10: Fail. Damage: 6+4-2=8×1.5=12. Major Wound. Sherwood HT Roll: 12/11: Fail. Sherwood is Stunned, Falls Prone and drops his Spear. Sherwood HT Roll: 13/11: Fail. Sherwood is unconscious.
    Goblin moves next to the orc near the opening.
    Kobold moves next to the orc near the opening.

    Luis thrusts spear at Orc: 13/14: Hit. Orc: Dodge: 17/9: Fail. Damage: 3+2-2=3×2=6. Orc HT Roll: 13/11: Fail. Orc falls unconscious.
    Glen aims the fireball missile at the Kobold.
    Goblin moves inside the room and swings his pickaxe at Glen: 10/12: Hit. Glen: Dodge: 8/8: Success.
    Kobold moves behind the Goblin.

    Luis thrusts spear at Goblin: 8/14: Hit. Goblin: Dodge: 11/9: Fail. Damage: 6+2-2=6×2=12. Goblin HT Roll: 5/11: Success. Goblin Stands. Major Wound. Goblin HT Roll: 14/11: Fail. Goblin is Stunned, Falls Prone, and drops it’s pickaxe.
    Glen shoots the fireball missile at the Kobold: 5/10+1: Hit. Damage: 8-2=6. Major Wound. Kobold HT Roll: 6/10: Success. Kobold stands.
    Gobliln HT Roll: 10/11: Success. Goblin is no longer Stunned.
    Kobold waits behind the Goblin.

    Luis thrusts spear at Goblin: 12/14: Hit. Goblin: Dodge: 16/9-3: Fail. Damage: 3+2-2=3×2=6.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at Goblin: 7/11: Success. Goblin: Dodge: 7/9-3: Fail. Damage: 3+4-2=5. Goblin HT Roll: 6/11-1: Success. Goblin Stands.
    Goblin HT Roll: 9/11-1: Success. Goblin Stands up from being prone.
    Kobold waits behind the Goblin.

    Luis thrusts spear at Goblin: 15/14: Miss.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at Goblin: 16/11: Miss.
    Goblin HT Roll: 12/11-1: Failure. Goblin Stands falls unconscious.
    Kobold moves inside and swings it’s pickaxe at Glen: 9/12-4: Miss.

    Luis thrusts spear at Kobold: 16/14: Miss.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at Kobold: 13/11: Miss.
    Kobold swings it’s pickaxe at Glen: 7/12: Hit. Glen: Parry: 8/10: Success. Attack Parried.

    Luis thrusts spear at Kobold: 6/14: Hit. Kobold: Dodge: 9/8-4: Fail. Damage: 6+2-2=6×2=12. Kobold HT Roll: 9/10-1: Success. Major Wound. Kobold HT Roll: 14/10: Fail. Kobold falls prone, is stunned and drops it’s pickaxe.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at prone Kobold: 10/11: Hit. Damage: 4+4-2=6. Kobold HT Roll: 8/10-2: Success.
    Kobold HT Roll: 9/10: Success. Kobold is no longer stunned. Kobold HT Roll: 5/10-2: Success. Kobold stands.

    Luis thrusts spear at Kobold: 10/14: Hit. Kobold: Dodge: 9/8-3: Fail. Damage: 2+2-2=2×2=4.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at prone Kobold: 10/11: Hit. Kobold: Dodge: 3/8-3-4: Critical Success. Attack Dodged.
    Kobold HT Roll: 8/10-2: Success. Kobold stands up.

    Luis thrusts spear at Kobold: 12/14: Hit. Kobold: Dodge: 10/8: Fail. Damage: 5+2-2=5×2=10. Kobold HT Roll: 6/10-3: Success.
    Glen swings his quarterstaff at Kobold: 15/11: Miss.
    Kobold HT Roll: 12/10-3: Failure. Kobold falls unconscious.

    Searching through their opponents belongings, they find a cool silver ring, and a coil of rope. Luis takes the rope and Glen takes the ring.

    The heroes entered a vast, roughly carved chamber, still showing signs of ongoing mining operations. Small veins of iron ore lined the walls, but the real concern was the four monsters working the mine who now howled and charged at the party.
    A gnoll swung its pickaxe at Caprice, but she expertly blocked the attack with her sword. In response, Caprice’s own sword strike landed true, causing the gnoll to falter, stunned, and prone, dropping its weapon.
    Sherwood moved into action, his shortsword connecting with the orc as it failed to dodge. Caprice took advantage of the prone gnoll, delivering another blow that rendered it unconscious.
    Luis thrust his spear at the orc, and Glen prepared a powerful fireball spell. However, the orc’s attack missed Caprice, and the goblin and kobold’s pickaxe strikes were deftly blocked by her.
    In the heat of battle, Sherwood’s shortsword swing missed its mark, but Caprice’s broadsword strike, although dodged by the orc, was still a menacing presence. Luis’s spear thrust was an unfortunate miss.
    Glen’s fireball was almost ready, but before it could be launched, the orc landed a fierce blow on Caprice. Although it was a major wound, Caprice’s determination allowed her to stand her ground. The goblin’s pickaxe attack was skillfully blocked, but the kobold managed to wound Caprice, causing her to fall unconscious.
    Sherwood’s shortsword hit the orc, but the orc dodged Caprice’s sword. Luis thrust his spear, but the orc dodged that too. Unfortunately, the orc struck back, hitting Sherwood with a severe blow that left him stunned and unconscious.
    The goblin moved into the room, and the kobold followed suit. Luis managed to thrust his spear into the goblin, causing a major wound, but the goblin was still standing, albeit stunned. Glen unleashed the fireball missile on the kobold, dealing significant damage.
    The goblin eventually recovered from being stunned, and the kobold remained standing, despite its injuries.
    Luis’s spear thrust found its mark, and Glen’s quarterstaff strike hit the goblin. Despite the goblin’s determination, it eventually succumbed to its injuries and fell unconscious.
    The kobold, on the other hand, managed to evade Luis’s spear but couldn’t escape Glen’s attack. It too was stunned and fell prone. Afterward, Luis thrust his spear again, causing a major wound, but the kobold managed to stand up, although its condition was critical.
    Their relentless assault continued, with Luis finally landing a lethal blow on the kobold. Unfortunately, Glen’s quarterstaff swing missed, but the kobold couldn’t withstand the damage, falling unconscious.
    Upon searching their fallen opponents, Luis found a coil of rope, and Glen discovered a cool silver ring. They divided their spoils, ready to press on in their quest.


    L. Tunnel of Death

    Luis: Observation: 12/13: Success.

    The heroes enter a smooth and straight tunnel. The floor is marked with the dark stains of dried blood. As they reach the door to the other side, Luis detects a mechanism, that upon opening the door, releases several rocks to their heads.

    They try to open the door carefully.
    Luis: Dexterity: 10/12: Success
    Glen: Dexterity: 10/12: Success

    They manage to get through without being hit.


    M. Mysterious Fountain

    In the center of the room is a stone fountain, carved in the image of a large dragon that coils around itself and sprays water out of its mouth. The water lands in a polished stone pool that has been cut into the floor around the statue. The air is sweet with the smell of fresh water. The heroes drink from the water to quench their thirst, and in a magical way, all their wounds and fatigue disappear.
    They look around the room and see that there are no more doors, and it appears to be the end of the mine. But knowing that they haven’t found either the Stone Kind or the large lump of eisenmond, they start searching for a secret door.

    Luis: Observation: 13: Success

    They find the secret door.


    N. Sloping Passage

    The tunnel has been cut downards at a sharp angle. Walking down is very dangerous, but with the rope, the heroes descend it with great care.


    O. The Eisenmond Mine

    The heroes finally enter a rough stone chamber, with flakes of a mysterious glowing ore flickering in the walls, floor and ceiling, making the dark walls shimmer like a starry night.
    In the center, sitting on a small stone pedestal, is a short statue carved from a single granite block. It depicts a dwarf with a pick and other mining gear, missing it’s head which is tossed in the corner. The head sports a rusty crown, fashioned from iron, The statue’s hands are open and held out as if it was holding something.

    Okay, so here’s a puzzle concerning players and not characters, but it can be resolved with Int checks, which I will test.

    Luis: Observation: 13/13: Success. He finds a secret compartment with two nuggets of eisenmond, that fit perfectly on the eye sockets of the statue’s head.

    Glen: Intelligence: 12/13: Success. He considers placing the head back on the statue.

    Searching around for secret doors, Luis finds a small compartment in the pedestal that contains two nuggets of eisenmond. His keen senses tell him that they fit perfectly to the head, and he proceeds to place them there.
    The party looks at the head. Then Glen decides to re-assemble the statue.
    As soon as the statue is assembled, a strange light fills the room. The stone body of the statue glows and the mouth moves slowly. In a voice deep and old as the mountain around, the statue speaks.
    It says about how the mine belongs to the dwarves, and how good it is that the heroes have arrived because a great evil has tainted the spirit of the place. The priceless magical stone called the Eisenkern was stolen, and along with it, the power to trap the beast that lives at the heart of the mountain. If the Eisenkern is not returned, that terrible beast will be freed, and a horrible evil will come upon all who dwell in these lands.


    Ending the Adventure

    The heroes return and report their story to Gustovan, who seems troubled by it. He rewards them and takes thought of the matter.


    The System

    GURPS has a reputation for being a very crunchy detailed system that is hard to master. I was a bit intimidated by it, and the layout didn’t really help in reading through the system.
    But I was pleasantly surprised.
    The system itself is very streamlined. Combat is fast, but also interesting. The choice of thrusts versus swings and different damage per attack type and weapon type is very carefully laid out. There are some neat equations that take place, but the math are very simple and quick to run during the game.
    Despite not having hit locations (at least in LITE), and using hit points, the combat results are interesting. Major Wounds can happen easily and they will drop an opponent. You are also temporarily shocked (to a max of -4) when you’re wounded. Finally, you can keep standing against all odds if you roll well, just like the little Kobold at the end.
    I also love the 3d6 core mechanic for resolution. The probability curve it provides is really cool. This part just won me.
    Perhaps the last part was the most tiresome, where you have multiples of of hit points to see where you make HT death rolls. Also I might have mixed up a bit the type of rolls (unconsciousness vs death) but it didn’t have much of a difference in a dungeon crawl.
    What I also was not a huge fan of, was the character generation process. I like to have the opportunity for some randomness, and not only points application, otherwise there’s a good chance (as I expressed early) that I might make a character that just doesn’t work as I expected.

    What about the Dungeon Crawl?

    There are no Luck Points or similar metagaming currency to make the party survive, but I feel like they’re sturdy enough as it is. Yes, there can be that really strong lucky hit that will bring you reeling down, but usually there’s no such thing as instant-kill. You’ll need to take a few hits first. I haven’t tested this out with more dangerous opponents, but against the common minions this seems to be the case.
    With some healing, GURPS (lite) is very well suited to dungeon crawling. My party survived with 2 members standing, and 2 unconscious but alive.

    Summary

    GURPS Lite was a very nice experience. I will certainly be revisiting it in the future in other solo ventures, and will keep my eyes peeled for the core book as well.

     
    • Bob's avatar

      Bob 9:36 pm on October 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I’m so glad you tried GURPS. I’ve become a huge fan of it over the years and have basically used it as a tool box to make my own solo rule set. In GURPS, you only need to use what you need and there is a lot of flexibility you can have without breaking the system. I had similar issues as you (and actually ran A Call to Glory like you’ve been doing too) and I’ve come up with my own way of randomly generating an adventurer that feels close to old school DND without killing a character at creation.
      One thing to keep in mind with points is that they exist so a table full of players can all have equally interesting characters. They’re not really exclusively about balance the way character levels might be. You could create a character descriptively too, i.e. someone who is as strong as a bear (ST 14) and professionally competent with an axe (skill level 12). In fact that’s how I roll up NPCs on the fly.
      Another strength of the system is you can get rid of or replace some things, especially solo, without breaking the game. For example, there’s an optional rule called Conditional Injury (published in Pyramind 3/120, one of their zines) where you ditch tracking HP and make injuries into status effects. I used this because I wanted to have larger skirmishes like in 5 Leagues from the Borderlands where I could use wargame style counters to track injuries, rather than track HP (and related penalties) for a couple dozen units in the fight. Was a ton of fun.
      One last thing: metacurrency. You can use character points as a metacurrency per a GURPS publication called Impulse Buys. Basically 1 point buys you a success (so you could save your life on a dodge roll) but its a tough call because you’re slowing down your character’s progression. I just give every character 1 unspent point to start and then I have a separate system for earning character points in play.
      In short, I’ve hacked the heck out of GURPS (I’ve made my own magic systems too) and its a blast. Welcome to the club, I wish I had more time to play. Hah

      Liked by 1 person

      • giorgis's avatar

        giorgis 11:45 pm on October 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks for the detailed reply!
        These are great pointers and many of them are close to what I like to have in my games. I’m currently in A Call to Glory dungeon with Sword of Cepheus which uses the Traveller SRD. I’m not too happy with the system, but I adore the character generation mini-game. I was thinking I could hack this into GURPS. Love to hear how hackable and modable GURPS is!

        Like

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