Previous thread: >>97011891GURPS is a modular, adaptable system, capable of running a wide range of characters, settings, and play styles, with a level of detail varying from lightweight to completely autistic.Optional rules allow you to emulate different genres with a single system, or even switch genres within a single game.A nearly complete archive of GURPS books can be found by using the image. Never post direct links to the archive anywhere in plain text.If you're wondering where to start:- The Basic Set covers everything, including a lot of optional rules you probably won't use.- A genre guide can be found in the archive, under Unofficial/GURPSgen. It tells you what extra books and articles you may find useful for many common genres.- How To Be a GURPS GM is a good read even for players.- GCS (gurpscharactersheet.com) is an excellent character-builder software, with page references to all the books and the option to export to both Foundry and Fantasy Grounds.Thread question: How often does Bulk come up in your games? What do you do to make it interesting?
>>97111514>How often does Bulk come up in your games?Not very because my players don't want to play modern or scifi, and Move and Attack bafflingly doesn't use a form of Bulk stat. Is there a Pyramid article for an alternate treatment of it?
>>97111533*melee move and attack
>>97111514Bulk comes up a lot as we play a lot of modern games. It doesn't really need much to make it interesting, works as intended. We use the CQB skill from Tactical Shooting and the gun mod rules, so a lot of weapons can be made move and attack safe with the right mods and training.
>>97111533>>97111538Since close combat penalties for ranged weapons are based on Bulk, it might be acceptable to reverse-engineer the close combat penalties for melee weapons into Bulk. That gives a Bulk penalty of -4 per yard of reach. That seems like a lot, though; it's almost always going to be a worse penalty than usual unless you're using a close combat weapon or fighting unarmed. But if it ignores the skill cap on Move and Attack, then that might be fair?
>>97112390Probably better to figure melee bulk from length and weight.
>>97111533>and Move and Attack bafflingly doesn't use a form of Bulk statIt doesn't because there's no reason to. Melee weapons aren't nearly affected by movement as a firearm/bow would be. The only stupid thing is the 9 skill level cap.
>>97112578Move and Attack is basically full sprint speed, you don't think that affects your accuracy with melee weapons?
>>97113274Not to the point of a 20 skill master, or even 14 skill veteran only having a 50/50 shot of actually hitting someone.
>>97113357Actually, adding onto this. I think the bigger problem is that while ranged weapons have to handle Bulk, which can be harsher than the flat -4 you get from move and attack. They also have access to techniques and advantages that minimize or completely negate the bulk penalties. While, as far as I know, there's no advantages or innate techniques for cinematic melee masters to remove the 9 skill cap. They have to spend FP to do it.
>>97113621>As far as I know, there's no advantages or innate techniques for cinematic melee masters to remove the 9 skill cap.It's been mentioned before that Martial Arts p. 91 allows you to create a "Better Move and Attack" technique that adds a −1 skill penalty in exchange for removing the cap on effective skill.
>>97113621>>97113650Personally, I just swapped the skill cap of 9 for a -1 penalty to skill as a campaign feature for everyone. Same thing with Wild Swings and shooting a target outside your Arc of Vision. The only time I enforce a skill cap is when Hitting the Wrong Target; but even then, I still allow Rapid Fire bonuses to raise the skill cap for that.
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>>97114032That makes sense if you're doing some sort of anime swordsman game
>>97114407Running a campaign set in 40k. So yeah.
Was the new gun book worth the wait?
>>97116099Yes if and only if you cared about the official numbers behind GURPS guns
>>97116117I'm not really sure if I did or not.
In THS the low skill levels of personal AIs have always baffled me - what the shit do I do with an AI with Tactics-9? Or the rather hilarious Savoir-Faire-7 of the Bhisti from THS:CT. I dislike the Visualization duct tape solution (introduces an extra roll) so is my only choice to just pump an insane amount of points into social skills like Savoir-Faire or roll at +4 for basic info to make them at least marginally useful?
>>97116117How viable is it to make custom guns? I want to make a TKB-059 with caseless ammo for an alt-hist game I'm running.
>>97118617I haven't really played with that part much, I guess you could mostly stat the TKB-059 through pure extrapolation from HT guns so it's definitely doable with Gun Stats
>>97118690I've got to do a number of soviet prototypes so I'll see how it plays out. I downloaded it yesterday. Given how you already need all the relevant information I don't quite know how this is better than just taking the closest HT variant and adjusting accordingly.
>>97119246Personally I don't think it's much better, but if you need precise ½D calculations or have to have the official word on what your gun's Bulk is, there you have it. It has an official formula for calculating multiple projectiles n shit too, that may be useful, but HEAT round damage and such I have done by the penetration in mm/1 inch in mm*DR 70/10 and so on method for ages and ages already
>>97118690 Does it fire the barrels one by one on semi or all three in one go?
>>97118397Like modern 'AI' they essentially function as a combination of:>low-competence but quick and cheap worker who can perform simple tasks>prosthetic mind for stupid people>prosthetic friend for isolated peopleTactics 9 is bad for someone who is commanding a small military force, but it's much better than normal human default, and a bit better than a dim-witted (IQ 9-10) and barely-trained (1-2 points) NCO, which many units may have as their leader, especially in third wave countries. Savoir-Faire 7 is fine for something which is basically a smart animal, not intended to do much socialising.
>>97120851I'd say the AI's job when it comes to Savoir-Faire is just to remember basic protocol for you, in which case I could see dropping the -3 for Low Empathy as logical as long as you aren't doing more than that. Earlier today I guffaw'd spontaneously thinking how a failed skill roll might mean it starts making shit up à la ChatGPT, but I'd like to think AI in 2100 are a bit better than that.
>>97120882Tl9 started in 2025 anon. So yes, we’re currently seeing the result of having an AI rolling at default for a large variety of skills.
>>97120978I mean sure but THS is TL10.
>>97120840All three at once only since it was only meant to be a testbed for the concept
>>97120882Savoir-Faire 7 is probably just enough that:The AI can 'socialise' with the user as a 'fellow soldier' rather than a piece of equipment.It can help genuinely incompetent users (i.e. those with no points in savoir-faire, low IQ, and/or serious disadvantages) avoid embarrassing themselves.It can churn out basic paperwork in 'military language'.While an LAI-6 isn't likely to outcompete an intelligent, well-trained, sober, well-rested human at social skills during everyday situations, as soon as you start changing any of those variables, it begins to look more appealing. Compared to a terrified raw recruit who hasn't slept for days, a reliably calm, polite, and rational entity can seem quite appealing even if it lacks some human qualities. Even if it isn't as good as a human, it's at least better than nothing, which might be the alternative if you get separated from your unit or your buddy gets his head blown off.
>>97122299In game terms a skill level of 7 is abysmal. Actively useless. It's going to fuck up basic shit even a recruit would learn in a week or two, and that's why I don't really buy it. SF is an Easy skill so even a retard should have a skill level above 7.
>>97122439It defaults to IQ-4, so 7 is better than average human default. Someone who hasn't trained in it will need to be well above average (IQ 12) to do better than the AI. I suspect that a lot of enlisted men haven't actually 'put a point into' Savoir-Faire (Military) especially if they are a little dim and struggled to learn the essential skills of being a soldier during training (i.e. had to put more points into non-social skills to pass testing, leaving none for savoir-faire). Humans can also have penalties for Clueless, Oblivious, or Shyness. So while it might be useless as a 'safety net' for the average soldier, it will help those who are below average.Skill 7 is also a lot better than skill 3, which is what the AI would have if it wasn't trained. That's probably enough of a difference to build some emotional attachment even if isn't exactly the most socially adept piece of software.
>>97125352I think for that kind of use you could entirely replace it with a software program that shows you the basics of how to act in a military organization and it would work better than the AI here. But the relationship between software and AI stuff is kind of poorly defined anyway, IMO
>>97125417Not really. AI acts like a character, who then uses software. So a military advisor AI would also have Savior Faire, and Tactics software, likely providing +1 or better. If you're already spending money on an AI high quality software is pennies in comparison. Also the AI would be making complementary rolls to assist the dumbass conscript or professional soldier using it.
>>97125511I for one think social skills are useless for AI in THS, or at least should have a hell of a lot of points in themUsing Visualization for them just sounds silly, like present-day AI trying to guess at human behaviour
>>97122439>In game terms a skill level of 7 is abysmal.Remember, outside of stressful situations you get a bonus to skill. Mundane tasks usually get +5.
>>97127620Does this apply to influence skills?
>>97127664Yes, see Everyman Tasks (Pyramid 3/65) which explicitly lists Savoir-Faire+4 as an example.
>>97127620Seems a bit pointless to roll for skills at all then, unless it’s under stress.
>>97128397You can always crit fail or crit succeed.
>>97128397That's kind of the point. "Stress" doesn't necessarily need to be life or death. Just sufficient enough that it's an actual test of your ability. An example they give is day to day driving down the road, which is at +4. When most people have a 10 or 11 in their drive skill, the odds are good they'll drive down the street with no issue. But if a kid jumps in front of their car chasing a ball, suddenly they need to roll at unmodified drive skill or even at a penalty to avoid the kid and probably another check to prevent a crash.
>>97129571I mean yeah, that's what it says in Basic Set somewhere. It's just less clear cut regarding Influence skills if you don't look up that Pyramid issue
>>97129945Well, if you think of it like "Are the stakes or consequences for what I'm attempting relatively low?" then it's a bit easier to figure out.Like for acting, lying to your boss to call out sick is at a bonus. Just passively blending into a social event gets the bonus. Using diplomacy to talk a helpful person into doing a not particularly risky task that'd require them to go out of their way would get the bonus.
>>97128397If you assume everyone has high skill levels and you think that 98% is a 'sure thing', then yes. But since neither of those are actually reasonable, no. Even highly competent heroes sometimes have to try to do things they aren't trained for or aren't good at which would be trivial for someone who had actual relevant training to even a basic level. A skill 12 passenger jet pilot can generally land his plane without any trouble (bonus of +4 or better) while it would be a dramatic moment with serious risk if done by someone who had never flown a plane, or even one who was only familiar with a completely different type of plane. Making friends with someone is a task which an average person can do fairly reliably given enough time (some social skill at 10 or so, bonus of +4 or better) but soon become challenging when you're not as good as the average person (low IQ, relevant disadvantages) and/or operating in an situation with protocols you don't know (default savoir-faire instead of the social skill you have one or two points in).The sub-human LAI isn't likely to reliably manage to socially manipulate humans, or understand all the dynamics of a social situation. It has got just barely enough to form the most trivial of interpersonal relationships under very favourable circumstances within fairly narrow parameters. Ask it to engage in anything demanding or outside its 'comfort zone' and it will likely fail, just like a modern chatbot will very rarely be able to perform complex social tasks. Even at very basic levels of interaction, it will often be less good than a typical human. That's fine, because its not meant to fully substitute for a competent human, but instead to be a very basic companion and assistant which operates some of your equipment for you.
>>97130549>The sub-human LAI isn't likely to reliably manage to socially manipulate humansNothing prevents LAI PCs from having relatively good social skills, the question is rather what kinds of levels pure assistant AIs should have
>>97130629As much as you pay for, and run.
>>97131022They can't really help much face to face, can they? Unless you use a puppet implant and take direct control. I imagine in virtual environments, over radio, etc. you can just let the AI do its thing
>>97131106Complementary Rolls. Probably like having it feed you lines over your HUD, or earpiece. Or like people already do with translator apps on their phones.
>>97131180The translation part is funny, because I can see how an external virtual interface could have a speaker to let the AI translate and communicate directlyNot sure how it would work with an implant interface
>>97131239It tells the user what to say, and do, then the user says, and does those things.
>>97131312But the user can't suddenly start e.g. speaking a different language he doesn't know but the AI does unless puppeted, can he?
>>97131361>What is phonetic pronunciation?
>>97131523It's going to sound like ass, dude. Try phonetically pronouncing Chinese, it's going to be unintelligible. I think a VII could still have some sort of external terminal for this sort of thing
Finally, some proper fucking dinosaurs and not gay pygmy llamas or some shit.
>>97131578SHI shi SHI shi shi SHi Shisee I just spoke perfect chinese.
