GURPS Everything

I describe my GURPS Everything campaign from the 1990s. By "everything", I mean I allowed the players to use any skill or ability from any GURPS sourcebook. Fun times ensued.
Videos I reference:
How Fallout was made SPECIAL: • How Fallout was made S...
An "Off The Rails" TTRPG Campaign: • An "Off The Rails" TTR...

[@chaosmeisters6781]

Man, GURPs is so underrated. Its such a fun system to tinker with. The Gurps Conan book was SO GOOD.

[@Spiderboydk]

I personally like GURPS a lot, especially for the features it *doesn't* have - like classes and XP.

[@godkingwashington]

This is actually how my friends and I play GURPS. We just thought playing it this way was normal. Love this system.

[@KeiNovak]

[Dramatic Pause] *Abby Snores* lol

[@Gadzinisko]

Dog Vader

[@darkbrandon94]

The GURPS licensing deal for Fallout falling through has to be one of the biggest business blunders in the history of tabletop RPGs. Imagine how much bigger GURPS would be today if it had been in Fallout from the first game.

[@S....]

Can't get much bigger without changing itself. And they don't want it. There's a limit on popularity for some things.

[@FabioBittar]

GURPS has two major flaws: excessive dice rolling and Steve Jackson's refusal to allow third-party companies to publish content for it. If GURPS had an SRD and an open licence-or better yet, a Creative Commons licence-it would likely be far more popular. But he just won't budge.

[@kolardgreene3096]

Agreed. I don't have a lot of rolling in my GURPS games these days because I just changed when I ask for rolls and what those might mean for an encounter, but when everything is quantified, it means lots of die rolls and modifications start flying around (the latter of which drives potential players away more than die rolls).

[@peterd9698]

Hey do you understand anything about the licence that Cepheus Engine is published under? I thought it was open as in public domain version of Traveller, just the old stuff that had fallen out of copyright.. but I saw some recent discussion claiming mongoose changes were going to end it, which implies it still exists only with their permission?

[@chaosmorris5865]

I'd say a major one is that GURPS has no hot IP attached to it, there's no definitive GURPS setting like Forgotten Realms, the World of Darkness, Night City, or Glorantha. GURPS is just GURPS and it's hard to advertise a set of tools to anyone who doesn't strictly need them. There's also no GURPS representation in other media, no GURPS Edruners or 2077, no GURPS The Masquerade Bloodlines, No GURPS movie, no GURPS merchandise. Nothing to help draw people into the system naturally. GURPS has no real larger cultural impact, it's just there, only reason I knew about before I found some copies at thrift store was because of Fallout fun facts video talking about how Fallout 1 was originally a GURPS game. Makes me wonder how GURPS would be perceived no if the Fallout deal never... fell out.

[@wesss9353]

If Fallout had gurps, we wouldn't have special.

[@kolardgreene3096]

@@chaosmorris5865 Things were not always so. In its heyday, games that had started as their own product had their settings and systems converted to GURPS as the market changed while popular book and television series got setting guides. This meant Vampire and other WoD stuff, Discworld, Traveller, Deadlands, Conan as Tim said, and much more. For a while, this was the only place some of these settings were getting any material. My point is that GURPS had many hot IPs attached to it but it didn't launch the game to greatness. So I don't think popular IPs would bring in the numbers they'd need to stay relevant. As for unique in-house IPs, D&D's numerous settings may have sold books, but they are often cited as one of the reasons TSR struggled at the end of its life (debatable). Regardless, the settings are not why so many people still play it. If we compare GURPS to something more like RuneScape, I would still be a bit skeptical that a special setting would improve the game's reputation when Mythras seems to get more praise and attention than Roleplaying in Glorantha.

[@kahrnivor]

My favorite system. Its always been a challenge to find anyone to play.

[@ToyokaX]

Oh man what I would give to have been a fly on the wall watching you guys play out this campaign, it sounded absolutely awesome!

[@Rizouge]

I didn't know what GURPS was so I didn't immediately check out this video. The story was super interesting, so I'm glad I watched it. I think you're a great story teller.

[@Topcatyo.]

“Lights go out, a gunshot is heard, lights come back on, there’s a dead body” is for some reason one of my absolute favorite tropes

[@GypsumGeneration]

As the forever DM I can safely say this is an incredibly brave undertaking

[@SethStoker]

I love these videos, I would love to see more table top RPGs tales

[@teh1archon]

That video was bonkers. One of your best videos 😊

[@allluckyseven]

GURPS is a great system, loved by those who've played it, but not as popular as it should be. Maybe because the books aren't that eye-catching as the books from other systems, or because in the latest version there's just toooooo muuuuch in them, so the barrier to learn it got higher. (Yes, I'm aware of Lite... They should do a better version of that too.) That sounded like a fun adventure! A bit less (no, way less) crazy than what I thought it would've been, and it seems like it worked just fine!

[@Ricolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Definitely need more vids like this Tim!

[@SergioLeRoux]

My issue with GURPS is that I bought several books including GURPS Vehicles and GURPS Robots. Then I spent way too much time having fun constructing vehicles and robots, that I forgot to play the game!

[@joshuakahelin6524]

I didn't just liked it. I loved it. More table top stories.

[@CefasHeliSathler]

I DM using all books available! We just don't care! Sometimes we have issues but it doesn't matter for our fun! Was nice to watch your comments about it!

[@buddyrhyno]

Wait! I need closure on that anecdote! Lol

[@ianmoone1412]

that was awesome. wish you had done more sessions. also if you have any other rpg stories could you share those too. love hearing them.

[@punishedsnake492]

GURPS is the best TTRPG system I was ever seen. With all its flaws it is still the best.

[@Nolinquisitor]

My GURPS Supers campaign back in 92 used everything as well. 😁

[@thekaxmax]

My fantasy game started that year. Uses about half the books. Still running that.

[@Nolinquisitor]

@@thekaxmax Fantastic. 👍

[@elizabethviolet8448]

Scheduling: the final boss of GURPS

[@thrahxvaug6430]

That's a pretty great story. And it's got me intrigued to ask. Do you have or could you do a video on how you go about constructing a investigative mystery? I am really good at solving the puzzle that an investigative mystery is. But it's tough for me to build out everything past the basics of the story. I want the players to actually feel like they are solving things and figuring it out, not so much as being railroaded like games that put a marker right on top of an objective that's "Find the hidden thing".

[@RamblingZhen]

This is like when you start a show and it only gets one season! Haha, I enjoyed the video. Did the other players ever find out one of them was crazy after the fact? As an archaeologist and historian, I am unfortunately used to being told the answer is "aliens," not usually by other historians or archaeologists though. I blame Ancient Aliens, and also von Däniken and Graham Hancock in particular, it can get frustrating honestly haha. I love the X-files and Stargate though and this sounds like it would have been a really fun campaign. I would have loved to play a Daniel Jackson or Mulder type of character in the setting. I am curious though, did you have plans for what kind of aliens were going to show up (aliens trying to save humanity, the Goa'uld/pawns of evil gods or cosmic horrors, explorers, unknowable higher beings, exiles from Earth etc) . I am just curious to find out more about the specifics of the setting you had in mind at the time.

[@wesss9353]

"Aliens"

[@paulie-g]

The reason it,s so pervasive is that although "aliens" is not the *right* answer, it is usually one of the most *fun* answers. In a world where there is substantially less mystery for the average person, answering "yes" to "is it possible, that... aliens?" (the usual shtick in those cable shows) reintroduces a sense of mystery and wonder.

[@S....]

Better plot than 98% of the computer games in these days ;)

[@UlissesSampaio]

GURPS 👀. Btw, I once played a goblin with a split personality, whereas one of them was a compusive liar. It was caos 😂 (We need a GURPS CRPG)

[@pretzelthedude]

This story had me rivited. Wish it could have been finished!

[@Kroogles]

It's him, Tim! 🥰

[@Krashnikov]

monday is kinda like friday :D

[@wesss9353]

Like modding Monday's with GamerPoets usually Tues or Wed video drops

[@chaserseven2886]

Hey I’ve asked this before but I was wondering how do you make choices in RPGs believable? What I mean is how do npcs know you made the choice you made without making it like the npcs magically know you made whatever choice you made

[@CainOnGames]

I think it boils down to believable reactivity, which means the NPCs react to the results of the players actions as much as to the actions themselves. This probably deserves a video.

[@CainOnGames]

I couldn't stop thinking about this question and my answer, so I have already made my video response, coming in December.

[@wesss9353]

​@@CainOnGames how about turning off NPC dialogue? Example from Skyrim Npc: If you have the aptitude... Yeah I'm the archmage of the Winterhold College. It been months since I became the archmage.

[@TheGreatCigma]

I am reminded of the demo module in Arcanum, I think it is Vormantown.

[@simulacrumgames]

GURPS!

[@thatradiogeek]

It would be really interesting to play in a TTRPG run by you, and also one run by John Carmack.

[@LastofAvari]

Somebody should make a game or a movie about this!

[@parpaquetdesix7275]

I saw that some people didn't like having to add 3d6. But you can play it with 1d20, you just have to reroll 1,2,19 and 20.

[@wesss9353]

Cliff Hanger! Great video.

[@wesss9353]

I can watch the whole video now, had to watch a part during first break, and the rest for last break.

[@ashuggtube]

This is amazing 😮

[@rafaelramires5883]

But but but... WHAT WAS THE THING??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂

[@thiagoaraujosilva2058]

i have been very excited to make a game inspired on cypher system, its as generic as gurps is, but it less heavy handed with the tactics elements of gurps and dnd, it has been quite interesting to think of a digital game around its principles, since much of what we have in the crpg space is derived from dnd and gurps

[@thekaxmax]

You can turn most of the tactics off and it's still playable

[@boo-boothealmighty6893]

How can you leave us on such a cliffhanger, Tim?! What did the device do? I need to know!!

[@kirglow4639]

No!!! Not the cliffhanger!!!

[@Superman0308]

What was the plan for the device?

[@CainOnGames]

It was going to summon aliens. I hadn’t decided if it was an a FTL radio or a star gate.

[@FathDaniel]

​@@CainOnGamesbut not a time gate? Would be ironic to have someone so crazy, be almost correct.

[@hechticgaming7193]

Nightspawn (yes fuck you Seth, its Nightspawn) was a great GURPS setting

[@Skiad-OpsGash]

Nooo! What a cliffhanger... What is the blueprint for? Please give us a goal we can achieve as a community so you will tell us your plan : )

[@tomhassomethoughts]

ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH YOU CAN'T STOP THERE I NEED CLOSURE ON THIS CAMPAIGN Seriously though kudos to pulling in so many influences. You mentioned GURPS Horror - - have you ever connected with Ken Hite? I think the two of you would get along fabulously and have a lot of stuff to talk about

[@Glorp1997]

This might be a little off topic for your channel but id love to know how you handle a player not being present at a ttrpg for a session

[@CainOnGames]

I used to have another player take over their character, but people didn’t like that. So I just said they stayed behind at the inn.

[@cybercop0083]

15:17 You sacrificed an intriguing role-playing game for the Atari LYNX??I wrote it in all-caps, out of respect, but come on!

[@DarinM1967]

Gama World.

[@backslashzero]

I forgot about daylight savings time. Panicked a little when this video was an hour late wondering if Tim was okay. 😂

[@fitz394]

They are scheduled weeks in advance, so if he wasn't it would be weeks until it showed

[@sigurdbjohansson]

Fnord!

[@davidcohen4518]

Bro thats literally just And Then There Were None