Why no GURPs adaptation to CRPG?

[Cryomancer]

• We have adaptations from D&D 1 and 2e on late 80s and 90s, all of the long Gold Box series, Dark Sun Shattered Sands, Wake of the Ravager, and even an dark sun mmo, had baldur's gate 1/2, icewind dale 1

• D&D 3(3.5e) received nwn1/2, iwd2 and other adaptations.

• We had some adaptations of vampire the masquarede : redemption and bloodlines, a recent visual novel, and will get vtmb 2 soon.

• D&D 5e got BG3 and Solasta(which is not a D&D product, only uses 5e rules)

• The Call of Cthulhu got a adaptation(not sure if faithful)

Gurps however, got no adaptation. FL1 used GURPs system but it was changed on late development. The main advantage over GURPs is that you can use it on anything. Is possible to make any type of adventure with GURPs, from no magic and low tech roman historical RPG to ultra high magic, ultra high tech techomancers creating an android army armed with railguns and terraforming planets while fight an race of extra dimensional aliens.

I have heard that most GURPS spells are also hard to translate into a CRPG. For eg, a wizard/mage reaches lv 5 and memorizes a fireball on D&D. GURPS is not a game where you learn how to cast fireball. You first learn how to ignite fire, then create fire, then shape fire and only after you can create and shape the fire, you can learn how to make a fireball. All things that you can make with shape fire alone are near impossible to translate into a CRPG. Of course, a GURPS adaptation doesn't need magery. You can even make a ice age campaign on GURPS campaign, but I was reading a little about it and the system seems extremely promising.

For eg, Geyser spell. Requires :: Six Water spells, including Create Spring, and either four Earth spells or four Fire spells

Geyser on g2 - returning to illustrate + GURPS partial spell description - source - GURPS MAGIC - PAG 190

And the "water spell tree"

GURPS water college tree

GURPS seems to have a unique system that can be used on no magic, low magic, mid magic, high magic, from stone age tech to intergalactic sci fi tech, has rules for weapons from a machete to a railgun. Why no game uses this complex and amazing ruleset?

 

[Sinatar]

It seems to be because Steve Jackson is a giant pain in the dick to work with.

 

[moraes]

No interesting setting under GURPS, really.

I think the copyright on RPG rules is nonexistent, so you wouldn't need a license to use a system similar to GURPS, just steer clear of the trademarks. I think the system shines when you use it for a more simulationist approach, otherwise you are only replacing a D20 for a bunch of D6s, but game designers generally have avoided emphasizing simulationism in CRPGs. Most of them hide simulationist aspects of their games from the player: they don't expose it as the system that the player plays with, instead they use it for presenting where the player plays on. For example, they almost always hide how weather systems or hunger systems work, if those systems exist.

 

[agris]

It seems to be because Steve Jackson is a giant pain in the dick to work with.

I've heard as much. It's one of the reasons GURPS was dropped from Fallout iirc - Jackson didn't like the violent intro video and wanted it (along with other items?) changed, so they dropped GURPs. I don't know if contractually he had that sway or not, but either way I think Jackson the man was the impetus for dropping it.

For those who have played Munchkin throughout the decades, I think his "pain in the ass" reputation rears up in that community as well.

 

[Cryomancer]

Jackson didn't like the violent intro video and wanted it (along with other items?) changed, so they dropped GURPs. I

Jackson strict controlling what they do with his game, meanwhile, WoTC has no problem with Sword Coast Legends and mobile cashgrabs...

 

[Butter]

What would be the point of a GURPS video game? Most RPGs are marketed on their setting or story, not on their systems. Even if you decide to use GURPS for your game, you then still have to make an interesting campaign, and that's the part that people are going to care about. I'd rather just use a bespoke system that suits the specific needs of my game.

 

[Cryomancer]

you then still have to make an interesting campaign, and that's the part that people are going to care about. I'd rather just use a bespoke system that suits the specific needs of my game.

Yep. But GURPS rules seems amazing ans is not overcomplicated as I was thinking. Despite not having a "fix" setting, has a lot of good settings build upon gurps ruleset, like Cyberworld, GURPS Werewolf the Apocalypse, GURPS Locations: Hellsgate, Nordlond Sagas, GURPS Technomancer...

 

[samuraigaiden]

GURPS is awesome and more RPG developers should take inspiration from it.

 

[Wysardry]

Out of curiosity, I enquired about computer game licensing for GURPS back in 2018 and received the following reply:-

You would need to submit a detailed project proposal with information about the project timeline, costs, projected sales, price point, and target market. Then we could discuss whether your project seems viable and profitable, and what the costs and royalties would be. When you have a proposal ready, you are welcome to submit it to me for review.

It seems that you would need to be an established software company to be able to provide remotely accurate information to them.

 

[Cryomancer]

It seems that you would need to be an established software company to be able to provide remotely accurate information to them.

And bigger companies would't like to make a GURPS adaptation.

GURPS seems to have the lowest ammount of hp bloat on TT RPGs

Img took from https://imgur.com/gallery/OQ2RNKh

 

[Serus]

What would be the point of a GURPS video game? Most RPGs are marketed on their setting or story, not on their systems. Even if you decide to use GURPS for your game, you then still have to make an interesting campaign, and that's the part that people are going to care about. I'd rather just use a bespoke system that suits the specific needs of my game.

Yes, the "normal people" wouldn't care much about the system. They care about story and setting, as you said. It drives mass sales. This is why it shouldn't be a big production but rather made by an indie/average studio. For a niche of people, just like most good games including crpgs these days are.

Spoiler

I'm Captain Obvious aren't I?

 

[Cryomancer]

. They care about story and setting, as you said. It drives mass sales. This is why it shouldn't be a big production but rather made by an indie/average studio. For a niche of people, just like most good games including crpgs these days are.

As I've said, there are a lot of interesting settings FOR GURPS. For eg, GURPS Technomancer

"T
On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated at Trinity Site in New Mexico. The explosion ripped a hole in the fabric of space. (...)a tornado of seething magical energy.

(...)
Magic had come to the modern 20th century. But like the power of the atom on our own Earth, it would prove a Pandora's Box.

source http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/technomancer/

Tropes included

• Alternate History Wank: Special note goes to Argentina becoming a major technomagical superpower, due to the Antarctic manafall and the support of Nazi wizards. Mexico is also a fully first-world country due to being in Trinity's Shadow. And the United States is actually more powerful and dominant than it is in our world, due to being ground zero for the Trinity Event and the establishment of a technomagical society, an advantage that led to victory in Vietnam."
• Antimagical Faction:
  God's Own Army and the Army of God are anti-magical terrorist groups. The former are Christian (specifically, a splinter group who were too extreme for the Knights of the Apocalypse), while the latter are an Islamic terrorist organization.
  The Right Path are an activist group and think-tank who believe that magic is inherently irrational and unscientific and push for more mundane R&D
• Black Helicopter: The American government has mysterious, stealth black dragons.
• Cat Girl: It's a David Pulver book, so they will exist somewhere. In Technomancer, cat halflings (half-human, half-chimera) are Little Bit Beastly, and their females fit the trope - though they're, technically, puma girls.
• Fantastic Racism: Chimeras are the main target of discrimination in America. There's also a bit of friction between mages and mundanes, though it's more likely to be framed as a divide between haves and have-nots.
• Fantastic Religious Weirdness: Religion has had to adapt to the manafall. In general, mainline Christianity has accepted the coming of magic with good grace, but a few new sects have popped up (such as the Knights of the Apocalypse, who are the Klan for chimeras, and the Rachelites, an ecstatic branch of Christianity that seeks magical visions). Also, Wicca and other polytheistic religions (including Voudoun and Native American shamanism) are far more popular than they are on our Earth.
• Ghostapo: The Condor Group in Argentina are former SS wizards. Meanwhile, Wodinspear are a neo-Nazi group composed of extremist Asatru wizards.
• Inhumanable Alien Rights: Humans, dragons and chimeras have rights (though chimeras face Fantastic Racism). The undead don't; they're legally considered ambulatory corpses. Monsters, demons and creations are likewise not considered human.
• Magitek: Check the title. It turns out that atomic bombs are really useful for summoning Eldritch Abominations!It's ubiquitous and has profoundly shaped North American society (and the rest of the world to a significantly lesser extent). Architecture is neo-Gothic because it's cheaper to build skyscrapers out of elemental stone than glass and steel, medicine has been replaced with healing magic to the point that "old skills" like basic surgery are considered an elective, NASA uses teleportation in place of rockets,
• Who Shot JFK?: It is briefly mentioned that Oswald's use of a CIA developed "Magic Bullet" spell was covered up. The how and why he got his hands on the spell is left unstated.

Source of the tropes : https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer

 

[Harthwain]

Jackson strict controlling what they do with his game, meanwhile, WoTC has no problem with Sword Coast Legends and mobile cashgrabs...

I prefer when license holder allows a lot - maybe even too much - than when he doesn't allow anything. 100% of 0 is still 0. Conversely there are a plenty of Warhammer video games out there. Many may not be good, but considering the volume the good ones happen sometimes. Which beats having no games at all.

Yes, the "normal people" wouldn't care much about the system. They care about story and setting, as you said. It drives mass sales.

I disagree to a degree. Gameplay is important, because all players (normal or otherwise) have to engage with it, and the system is integral part of gameplay. Besides, it's not like you need the masses for your game to be profitable. Unless you are a big studio.