Here we are going to deal with the beginnings of implementing the Setting and the Campaign settled on at the Session Zero in the system, namely the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPS) 4th Edition by Steve Jackson Games. First we are going to discuss what books we will need to use. I may reference other books and supplements later in other articles, but these will be the prime system resources used.
Firstly we’ll need the Basic Set, which is divided into two books: GURPS Fourth Edition Basic Set: Characters and GURPS Fourth Edition Basic Set: Campaigns. The intent in this Fourth Edition, in my opinion, was to have a “Players Book” and a “Gamemasters Book”, like many other RPGs. This is kind of misleading and doesn’t work. You do have most things you need for character creation in the Characters book, but the system is so interrelated that essential context is lost by not organizing the rules differently.
A theme that will be expounded upon by me, probably through the life of this site, is that GURPS really isn’t a “system” per se. Systems are hardwired to settings. GURPS by its very nature is not. It is a toolset, a malleable one, that can be altered to fit any particular setting. But GURPS core processes fit certain types of settings and tones of play better than others and thus requires less work, preparation and expertise regarding the toolset for certain settings and tones of play. Its the nature of things. Most of implementing the GURPS toolset to enable a Setting and a Campaign revolves around what you don’t use from its many supplements. For those new to GURPS this is a point not generally made effectively to them and the list of supplements you could buy (and read) seems daunting at first.
For my purposes GURPS is the perfect choice to enable the Twilight: 2000 setting. GURPS combat and skill-based core processes in a modern setting fit like a glove. And the lack of any supernatural or paranormal elements in the setting mean I won’t have to deal with magic, psionics, powers, or anything beyond what we would call a range of “human norms.” So the list of supplements needed are light. The first one is GURPS Fourth Edition High-Tech.
GURPS, as a toolset, defines different settings, technologically, in terms of a comparison to human history on earth and speculative fictional technologies. They are: TL0 – Stone Age (Prehistory and later). Counting; oral tradition. TL1 – Bronze Age (3500 B.C.+). Arithmetic; writing. TL2 – Iron Age (1200 B.C.+). Geometry; scrolls. TL3 – Medieval (600 A.D.+). Algebra; books. TL4 – Age of Sail (1450+). Calculus; movable type. TL5 – Industrial Revolution (1730+). Mechanical calculators; telegraph. TL6 – Mechanized Age (1880+). Electrical calculators; telephone and radio. TL7 – Nuclear Age (1940+). Mainframe computers; television. TL8 – Digital Age (1980+). Personal computers; global networks. TL9 – Microtech Age (2025+?). Artificial intelligence; real-time virtuality. TL10 – Robotic Age (2070+?). Nanotechnology or other advances start to blur distinctions between technologies . . . TL11 – Age of Exotic Matter. TL12 – Whatever the GM likes! (GURPS Basic Set Campaigns p.511).
They also deal with nuanced permutations involving Transportation, Weapons and Armor, Power and Biotechnology/Medicine. Speculative fiction ages badly, especially speculative fiction about the near future. The Fourth edition was released in 2005 and we can see above already here in 2024 we are slipping into TL9. But our baseline, as defined by GURPS, is TL8 today.
But the important takeaway here is that despite there being good, solid TL8 (the TL for the Twilight: 2000 setting) and prior equipment in the basic books, to evoke the setting I really want the equipment and weapon choices (as well as definitions of how a lot of equipment works) for TL8 as a maximum. So GURPS Fourth Edition High-Tech is a must have for this setting. GURPS has three basic Tech Supplements: one for TL0-TL4 called GURPS Fourth Edition Low-Tech; one for TL5-TL8 which is the aforementioned GURPS Fourth Edition High-Tech and GURPS Fourth Edition Ultra Tech-Tech for TL9+ (Sci-Fi).
The second and last “must have” supplement I felt I needed for this Campaign and Setting was GURPS Action 2: Exploits.
GURPS has its strong points and weak points. Its combat system uses a basic conceit of one second rounds. Every round you can do one thin. Fire a weapon, draw a weapon, aim, etc. One thing. Simple to implement. No secondary actions etc. It is magnificent in many situations. However this approach can lead to situations, especially with more modern weapons and long ranges, where the combat ceases to be a Sam Peckinpah-esque exquisite slow-motion combat affair (a strength) and becomes instead a slog. As well, GURPS combat system doesn’t handle vehicles accelerating and moving to high speed well due to the one second conceit. GURPS Action 2: Exploits adds a set of optional chase rules that allow for the use of a range-band system and a more abstractly handled set of rules for any mobile situation whether the participants are on foot, in a helicopter or both! It uses a more fuzzy conceit centered on approximately a minute per turn. Both can be used interchangeably, perfect for when you want to alter between slow motion style combat to something more mobile and fluid creating a Walter Hill sort of experience.
There are some other smaller rules or toolsets from other supplements I used and looked up because I owned the books, but, really, the above is all I needed to do what I wanted to do. That’s enough for now. I will discuss “The Process” Templates, Lenses and final Player Character creation soon.