Gurps

[KhybersGhost]

I've recently been taking a peek at the GURPS rule set as well as the Rifts rule set. There doesn't seem to be any automation at all for either. (click as I may on fields on the character sheets, I can't seem to get a single dice roll) Are the rule sets primarily cosmetic at this point?

[Isembard]

Steve Jacksons Online Gaming Policy forbids automation, which is why it hasn't been included with the ruleset.

Rolling dice is handled by dragging from the character sheet to the chat window.

[Saith_mobile]

Gurps has a minimal automation.and success/failure/criticle checks as well as handling rapid fire of ranged weapons. The goals in development are to smooth play while maintaining the policies set by SJGames. You can lean more at https://enhanced.vlexofree.com
Which is where I currently maintain the ruleset with the.help of the community.

[YAKO SOMEDAKY]

I understand how the rules of SJ Games, but I also believe they should rethink this regard, because as we are in an age of information, where people from distant places can interact almost instantly, automation would give us the feeling of playing a game Gurps of truth.
And yes it would change anything in my system like, my desire for new books and of course the fact that I could meet with my friends, eat snacks and take a lot of soda, but when automation facilitates to have that tremendous desire but we can not play together and always know that even in the rare exceptions that could move in are available for play via internet.
Remember that this is only a dream and a humble opinion.

[Trenloe]

I understand how the rules of SJ Games, but I also believe they should rethink this regard, because as we are in an age of information, where people from distant places can interact almost instantly, automation would give us the feeling of playing a game Gurps of truth.
And yes it would change anything in my system like, my desire for new books and of course the fact that I could meet with my friends, eat snacks and take a lot of soda, but when automation facilitates to have that tremendous desire but we can not play together and always know that even in the rare exceptions that could move in are available for play via internet.
Remember that this is only a dream and a humble opinion.

I'm sure everyone here agrees with you. Let SJ Games know how you feel! :-)

[Gigermann]

Actually, I don't agree, for the very reasons SJG created that rule—if you automate everything, you don't need the books to play, so you stop buying the books. Bad for business.

[Trenloe]

Actually, I don't agree, for the very reasons SJG created that rule—if you automate everything, you don't need the books to play, so you stop buying the books. Bad for business.

I don't think allowing more automation of online GURPS gaming would stop people buying books. I'd argue that it would attract more people to GURPS if there were a few well constructed VTTs out there aiding people to play GURPS online by automating core aspects of the rules. I'm not talking about any of the supplements, just stuff from the basic set that is needed to run the games online. It wouldn't need to cover character creation (this can be imported from the GURPS character generator) or players can create them manually - still requiring players to buy books.

Being even more free with their data (i.e. publishing under the OGL) doesn't seem to have stopped Paizo selling lots of their Pathfinder core books, despite every single bit of the data in these books being available online for free: https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/

It's always a subject for debate as to whether being a bit more lenient with rights will help or hinder a company's commercial development - but it certainly helps reach more people if there are portions that can be re-used (like game mechanics) by the community at large.

[S Ferguson]

I don't think allowing more automation of online GURPS gaming would stop people buying books. I'd argue that it would attract more people to GURPS if there were a few well constructed VTTs out there aiding people to play GURPS online by automating core aspects of the rules. I'm not talking about any of the supplements, just stuff from the basic set that is needed to run the games online. It wouldn't need to cover character creation (this can be imported from the GURPS character generator) or players can create them manually - still requiring players to buy books.

Being even more free with their data (i.e. publishing under the OGL) doesn't seem to have stopped Paizo selling lots of their Pathfinder core books, despite every single bit of the data in these books being available online for free: https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/

It's always a subject for debate as to whether being a bit more lenient with rights will help or hinder a company's commercial development - but it certainly helps reach more people if there are portions that can be re-used (like game mechanics) by the community at large.

I'm on the automated side over the issue. GURPS is also at a lull in it's sales period. The game has wandered away from the simplicity of 2e or 3e revised. I can't really see how you can hinder sales by making the ruleset automated, that's why you need to buy the books: to learn the game. As there is no text from the rulebooks available in the ruleset, unless you know what you're doing it's pretty much useless, automated or not. An automated system in a VTT often advances sales as the players would probably pick up at least the Player's Handbook, if not more, if the GM really turns them on to the system. I know from personal experience that I've bought games after playing them online. The books fill the vacuum between the player's and the GM so everyone's on the same playing field. On the other hand SJ is rather particular about the intellectual rights of his products. He just isn't comfortable with the modern-age of electronic gaming yet.

[Mellock]

Actually, I don't agree, for the very reasons SJG created that rule—if you automate everything, you don't need the books to play, so you stop buying the books. Bad for business.

I can't speak for anyone besides myself, ofcourse, but Fantasy Grounds has been the major drive for me to keep buying books. Automated or not. It's what keeps me into gaming. I mostly play 4e, which is one of the most possibly-automated rulesets out there. I have four GURPS books with 2 more on the wish list. If saithan hadn't said "Hey, I'm doing a GURPS game, and we're a player short, you wanna join?" I wouldn't have bothered. Same with Savage Worlds. I have a heap of books for it now, and haven't even played it for ages. But it's well supported on FG2, and so when I find a book that strikes my fancy, I think "This may come in handy, and it looks cool" instead of "I'll never get to play it anyway, better get another one, or just leave it."

It's not books I pass over, it's things like physical battlemats, miniatures, scratch paper and markers and dice. Okay, I may buy some dice now and then.

[S Ferguson]

It's not books I pass over, it's things like physical battlemats, miniatures, scratch paper and markers and dice. Okay, I may buy some dice now and then.

You buy dice? Haven't you already accumulated enough dice to give 15 people and their respective mothers a set? For shame....