No comments about GURPS Old West (GURPS: Generic Universal Role Playing System).

3 comments about GURPS Infinite Worlds (GURPS 4th Edition Roleplaying).

1. But the scale only goes up to 5 stars!
   
   I bought this book because it is advertised as the new "official" setting for GURPS fourth edition. The first thing I need to do is dispel that myth. This book contains that information but it contains so much more that you have troubles believing that the authors managed to cram so much information between the two covers without it exploding.
   
   This isn't really a "background" book that describes a single well thought out campaign, it is more of a "background generator" book that provides the basis of literally thousands of possible campaigns. The scope of this book is so gigantic that I have troubles believing that the authors managed to finish this project anywhere near on time.
   
   Want cross-time adventuring? It's in there. Want alternate histories? Boy is it EVER in there! Want Time Travel adventures? Yep, it's there too. Don't want to have to worry about blowing up the space-time continuum? There's suggestions on how to suspend disbelief without damaging gameplay.
   
   Say you want to create your own alternate history but don't want to deal with all the icky stuff of guns vs. swords. There's a very detailed chapter that assists you in filling out your vision before your players go mucking around and spoil things by emphasizing the one thing you didn't think of.
   
   My head was spinning by the time I was 90% of the way through the book. There was too much to grasp. The scale of the author's efforts had caused my brain to go into meltdown and I couldn't figure out whether I wanted to:
   1) Run screaming from the room (did I mention that there's lots of Cthulu-oriented stuff in here as well?)
   2) Ignore the book for a year or so until I could clear my head enough to think logically
   3) Introduce my players to a tiny spoonful of this fascinating universe (my head ached from the thought of even trying to work out all of the causality-related issues)
   
   Then I hit Chapter 7 (Infinite Campaigns) and the authors addressed all of my concerns and self-doubts in a few clever paragraphs. They pointed out that the big thing that the GM needs to do first is figure out what he and the players want to do. This needs to be in alignment or the game won't work (trying to force a locked-room Agatha Christie mystery down the throats of a bunch of combat-oriented gamers is a recipe for disapointment for everybody). Once you've got that down, determining which rules to follow becomes much more obvious. My sole complaint is that the authors didn't introduce this concept much sooner in the book.
   
   I haven't checked the index yet but I suspect that it isn't that good compared to the normal GURPS standard simply because it is 2 pages long and this book should have at least a 20 page index.
   
   The artwork is up to the usual very high standard for GURPS 4th edition and the authors have included a small selection of example stories that help you envision the possibilities (my favorite is about a group of Roman Legionaires who are attacking Rommel's tanks in the desert. You think the struggle would be uneven until you realize that all of the Legionaires have genetic modifications). I wish there were more stories, those stories made a huge difference in my appreciation of GURPS Magic but there's so much here already I can easily understand why the authors made the decision they did.
   
   This book will help a GM enhance just about any campaign you can think of; fantasy, modern, science fiction, supers, horror, etc.
   
   In short, buy this book!



2. I was so excited to get this book. Imagine a book that combines all of the GURPS time travel books and information from 3Ed. Everything looks beautiful down to the hard back spine and cool new look and layout. When it arrived from Amazon I cracked it open and started to read. When I got to the section on explanations for time travel my heart sank. Could the idiot writers not come up with anything more original than a demon abusing you in the most fowl way in order to time travel? Steve Jackson should be ashamed. I love roleplaying books but not that much. I still have some values I'd like to live up to. Oh how the mighty have fallen. I'm glad Amazon let me return mine. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.



3. GURPS Infinite Worlds is truly one of the best tools created by GURPS. It comes with descriptions of dozens of worlds to use, and gives every thing you need to make new ones. Infinity, the corporation that travels through the worlds (and the books main route to exploration)is incredibly detailed, all the way down to day-to-day operations. It evens includes a handy guide for timetravel. And, of course, infinite enemies to run into are described, complete with templates to use. It deserves its award.

No comments about Alien Races 2: Aslan, K'Kree, and Other Races Rimward of the Imperium (GURPS Traveller).

2 comments about GURPS In Nomine.

1. "GURPS: In Nomine", the game that proclaims: "Earth is the battleground for Heaven and Hell", allows players of GURPS to make characters that are Angels and Devils.

   The plot is very simple - Angels are real, and so are Devils. God created the Universe with the aid of a Symphony - sort of like music that then controls things that go on in the world. Thus by using their own music, Angels, Demons, and even some people, can control parts of the Symphony and turn it to the cause of good - or evil. I must say, as a music fan, the idea of using music to create and manipulate the world appeals to me. This music is then used to influence events - from simple events like whether or not you go to the store today, to much more complex events such as a war. And =both= can cause a ripple effect that can influence the future.

   With their almost magical powers and miraculous songs, both Angels and Devils can attempt to manipulate the events on Earth - possibly bringing about Armageddon. But such manipulation can cause a wrong note in the Symphony that can be detected by higher powers. It is only the efforts of other ArchAngels and ArchDemons that keep Ragnarok from occurring today. But there's always tomorrow.

   It's yours to decide - do you want to play a fanatic Angel following the cause of light and good by attempting to keep the Symphony in balance, or do you want to play a fallen angel that is trying to regain their position in Heaven, or do you want to try a Demon that creates havoc wherever they go, or something in between? There are rules for creating several types of Celestials or Angels, and Infernals or Devils. You can even play a Corporeal or human, although they have a smaller part to play in this world.

   It's loads of fun for players - they can try to use their powers and abilities to influence current events in the game world while trying not to cause dissonance - which would attract the attention of their bosses. And it's a lot of fun for the Game Master - they can look at current events and try to see how those events might have been caused by Angels and Demons fighting on Earth over humans and territory and then try to put that into campaigns.

   If you want to try this game, be prepared. Some of the subject matter is very controversial. Some religious people may find the idea of pretending to be an Angel unusual, and the idea of pretending to be a Demon disturbing. However, having said this, I'd like to give this game four out of a possible five stars. I would have given it five had they included more material from the original sources, but interested game masters and players can purchase standard "In Nomine" books and easily convert that information to GURPS. I'd recommend the "Angelic Players Guide", the "Infernals Players Guide", the "Corporeal Players Guide", the "Game Master Guide", and the "Ethereals Players Guide" at least.

   "GURPS: In Nomine" is based on the regular version of "In Nomine", which is also published in the US by Steve Jackson Games. "In Nomine" is, in turn, based on an earlier French RPG called "In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas" published by Siroz Productions. Try those if your appetite isn't quenched by "GURPS: In Nomine".




2. In the world of In Nomine, two great forces struggle for control of the world: Heaven, the great hierarchy of angels that serve God, and Hell, the chaotic mass of demons that only serve themselves. Players can create characters from either side and battle for control of the hearts and minds of humanity -- those battles more often being spiritual or social in nature than physical.
   
   Superiors 3 gives complete descriptions of some of the big movers in Heaven: Blandine, the Archangel of Dreams; Gabriel, the Archangel of Fire and Prophecy; Khalid, the Archangel of Faith; and Yves, the Archangel of Destiny.
   
   Khalid's writeup in particular is interesting, since he is the patron Archangel of Islam. In his previous appearance in The Final Trumpet, he was portrayed as paying lip service to Heaven but unknowingly serving Hell ... it was blatantly racist and anti-Muslim. Superiors 3 fixes this, presenting both the original material and a revised writeup that more accurately portrays the Muslim idea of an Archangel (or, at least, as close as one can get without tons of research).
   
   The remaining writeups are excellent. Blandine's is a bit, well, bland, as well as kind of pointless since you absolutely need the previous book she appeared in, The Marches, to get much use out of her. Still, there are a lot of good ideas, and the Menunim, her own private choir of angels, have strong story potential.
   
   Gabriel's and Yves's writeups explore the major mysteries surrounding both characters as well as the connections between them. Yves, in particular, is one of the characters around whom the entire setting pivots, and a good understanding of him is absolutely vital for an In Nomine GM.
   
   The whole book is very easy to read and clearly presents all four Archangels as three-dimensional characters, making it easy for the GM to run them. Normally, I'd say that the book is still only necessary if you're going to use these characters -- but you can't run In Nomine without at least having Yves in the background, so this book is pretty much necessary, period.

No comments about Gurps Ice Age : Roleplaying in the Prehistoric World.

No comments about Conan: Moon of Blood (GURPS).

No comments about GURPS Scarlet Pimpernel.

No comments about GURPS Uplift: A Universe of Wolfling Terrans vs. Scheming Galactics Based on the Arawrd-Winning Novels by David Brin.

No comments about GURPS Swashbucklers: Roleplaying in the World of Pirates and Musketeers.

No comments about GURPS Update - Rule Changes from the 2nd Edition to the 3rd Edition.