Well that does sound interesting.

We're you thinking about something established with existing factions, etc? Or a colonization mission with a fresh start??

BlueDwarf's "Voyages of the Dastavka" game:
link to another game

"This game is set in the year 2173 in the GURPs Interstellar war period. Players can play a number of characters that are associated with an eccentric businessman Andrew Kalishnakov, head of Kalishnikov P/L, as he set out from Terran space to pass through Vilani territory to areas on the other edge of the Vilani border in the Capella Subsector. Whilst known as a weapons dealer, the company primarily manufactured vehicles in it's massive mobile base. Now, however, having come all this way, he is setting out to colonize a planet Aegir in the name of the Russian Federation...and also in his own name. Players get to play either the characters that man his small freighter or military captains of small vessels working in the same area as they deal with the Fourth Interstellar War and the aftermath."


There was a particular planet that he has had players coming and going from for years and he's repeatedly been coaxing them to it as a point of interest. That planet is essentially a prehistoric Earth with dinosaurs and the like. I came back to GURPS recently looking for game opportunities, found his game, and put him through an endless wringer of questions and sensed his desire to do more with this planet compared to other story options, so rather than being another roving ship captain, we've been working on a full-scale colony development concept. I've been going hard at all of the details to make sure we get it right in game and out, including sitting there for days doing actual astrophysics calculations and determining that the planet in question wasn't ideally suitable, so we're scanning the galactic map for better locations where we can plug and play the concept on a planet at an appropriate distance from an appropriate star so we don't have to significantly fudge science so we can properly imagine the location.

To the original question, colonies can be very much isolated, not only from the rest of the galactic players, but even from their own origins. That origin planet was settled with a corporate-owned logistics depot about 5 years ago and the company, AK, has now moved further on the galactic spiral arm and the planet is now more valuable to them if other companies and governments move in and develop not only there, but in the region. That particular company and their outpost isn't inherently necessary for the prehistoric earth colony concept to be replicated, but it shows that there're both corporate and government interests at play with colonization.

The concept currently has the first outpost government funded by the Terran Confederation, and administrated by a famous consultation and management firm of German hardasses called Behmer AG. The joint government/corporate venture, TeBag, has put together a team of leading professionals across a multitude of fields and disciplines to be able to tackle the lush but hostile planet's challenges with the initial purpose of establishing a fortified outpost to assess and exploit resource opportunities on the planet. Due to the extreme flora/fauna presence on the planet the initial R&D is heavily tilted into biomedical R&D with undertones of environmentalism present in the mindsets of the first wave of outpost staff. Later timeline developments will bring in resource exploitation ethics drama points among many other proposed story branches. Outposts will turn into colonies, more colonies will be founded, etc etc. There's absolutely nothing that stops a wide variety of colony themes from establishing in such a system or even on the planet in question; though, the planet in question has a storyline timeline so secondary outposts should probably be delayed for quite some time until the first is established. It's entirely possible to play as crewmen in the roving ship game model currently up and running and prepare for colony-side adventures as that framework gets developed adequately for primetime.

Colonies and/or Missions can be run by multiple separate GMs working together to expand the narrative. We'll probably need a fresh board for the new style of static locations and groups which would otherwise require a significant overhaul to the post form of the original game.

Interesting.

I would be interested to see it in practice. Seems like there is a lot going on, kind of a "bigger picture" theme with multiple colonies, ships, etc rather than a focus on one colony, where everybody is more or less starting in the same place and trying to get established.

Even with the one colony model, we'd still need to spread to outposts and starports etc, so there's no reason we couldn't house a few other colonies to share some community resources such as post framework, narrators, players, etc. BlueDwarf's Voyage game already has some of the players playing multiple characters. Certain colonies could cater towards certain gameplay for various moods.

Just to get the first new storyline up we've got a lot of work to do to get the first system/planet selected, then some maps of sorts made, and a team designed, statted, inputted, and staffed. Though, I figured if there's a resurgence of GURPS player interest/energy it might be a good time to throw the project out there so folks know it's in the works and might align with some interests. If lots of people are jonesing for a touch of westerns, and we've got a lot of activity around a sci-fi colony project, it's real easy to combine the two in a compelling way, as the ever popular Serenity showed us :)  We're already using a bit of inspiration from Avatar and Terra Nova for the one planet and storylines.

In reply to Drake Steele (msg # 142):

Actually, I should update that, because the date is now 2177, but it make negligible difference to this aspect.

I am actually not opposed to fudging the science a little...we have hyperspace drives, plasma guns and antigrav vehicles, but computers comparable to today with no AI after all!

But there are several new planets, and one ship exploring new worlds, and another having done so in another direction, so there are lots of opportunities.

Including one planet that has human population that is about TL5 now. That would make it perfectly suited to the Cowboy style game though.

But yes, there is the entire universe going on, and though it does not have to have any impact on the local politics, it probably will to some degree. But the more remote colonies are not likely to see much impact, other than having trade or outside influence cut off. Orbital bombardment would be rare, but always possible.

That was kinda how this whole project got started. My return to GURPS came with the knowledge of knowing I never really did GURPS combat and it only gets more complex as you go up in TL, so I despite the campaign being set in "Interstellar Wars", I gravitated towards a tucked away colonization sim where most combat can be well written cinematic freeform for the most part. More likely to get an angry/hungry swarm of reptile birds than a swarm of Vilani pirates etc.

Ah, so it's a continuation of the current game, not a new game it itself?

Both :P in some respects. Same game world setting, and content from the first gameboard is fully transferable. The board structure's very different when locations are static with colonies vs when the location can just endlessly move with you as your ship goes. Won't be too hard to keep synchronized, just copy paste updates when going in between with any changes.  Simultaneous gameplay can easily be done. Hell, I've got plans for the first colony group to actually exist in 3 timelines at the start.

1) Your personal origin story, what brings you to the project. Why you?
2) Preparing for the colonization. The meetup, the training, the trip.
3) Establishing the colony with survey, construction, supporting operations.

4) Possibly, a limited 'future' timeline that allows general colonist players to engage in compatible activities before the initial phases of setup complete, as those can be very closed access to specific types of characters. We wanna be inclusive :)  So rather than wait a couple years of realtime gameplay of missions and so on, a version a decade on could be running. Throw Destiny on your character and know you'll be around in the future or something, and you could be RPing in multiple stages of life :)

Gotcha, thanks for the explanation.

Yeah, I'd be interested to see it come together.

Also posted in general RPoL Interest Check thread with slight changes.

---

Napoleonic Naval Chronical

Hoping to gauge interest in a GURPS 4th Edition game set at the dawn of the 19th century.

The game would aim for historical accuracy, but not to an excessive degree. The characters may be involved in major historical events, and could even have the potential to alter the course of history going forward.

The game would require players to have a superior grasp of the English language, and would require a basic knowledge, or a willingness to learn, about the societal conventions and culture of the period.

This game would roughly adhere to the notions of the period, including prevalent racism, sexism, colonial expansion, and class distinctions. The characters would of course be free to hold their own views on these and any other matter, but the players should expect these concepts to be widespread.

The game would revolve around a group of young Midshipman in the service of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The characters would start their careers together, and likely stay together for many years, forming relationships between themselves, their shipmates, pursuing their education and developing prospects.

The game would likely start with a limited but "deep" cast of characters represented by the ships crew. Chapters would be broken up by individual threads between voyages as character return home to family, attend to situations at home, convalesce, or take up pursuits in-between commissions.

If the game is successful and long running, possibilities may open up down the line for characters to pursue things like promotion into their own ships, and expansion of the game to take on additional players in various roles.

Ideally this chronical would cover several years of the characters lives, and include travel to far off and "exotic" locations. "Time jumps" of months or more are planned to help "get to the action" and other important events, and to move the timeline along.

Interested parties should expect a degree of "Risk vs Reward" and the possibility of their characters being maimed, killed or traumatized during the course of the chronicle. Mechanics will be in place to avoid characters being killed "out of hand" in action. In other words, do not expect to put in years of play only to have characters killed unexpectedly by a stray bit of grapeshot. It would be a collective story, not a "mil-sim"

This would be an Adult rated game in order to include graphic violence and other Adult situations. This game would not include graphic sex scenes. Given that the characters would likely be minors at the start of the game, it is of vital importance to reference the RPoL Adult Games Policy.

Thanks for your time.

In reply to Anachronist (msg # 148):

I would find it interesting, though my posting style is usually short posts often, as opposed to long detailed posts. As someone interested in medieval ship design, and involved in both ship design and in the Navy itself as an offer during my younger years, there would be some familiarity.

Having said that, I would be concerned that my experiences and yours may vary. Are we taking about 'Master and Commander: the far side of the world' type Era?

Correct. That movie is set in 1805 amid the earlier years of the Napoleonic Wars. Roughly the same period this game would cover.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Sun 11 Oct 2020.

Like Blue Dwarf, I am interested, but do not write paragraphs as much as short posts.
I am conversant with the period and have some knowledge of the Naval matters, have about 18" of books on the age of sail including  Nelson's Navy and other books on the period between the 7YW and about 1820. Can't remember when I got into them last, as other interests have come up, but they are there.

I've been posting over in GP,I,A but I thought I'd bring it up here, too, as this is the central GURPS community.

I've got a tabletop game I've been running that involves the use of a massive fictional timeline that incorporates a ton of different media - movies, games, tv shows, comics, from Doctor Who to Star Trek to Godzilla to Resident Evil, and since I have the resources at hand I figured I might as well run a game here too.

This is a bit shorter in scope than my usual open-ended game plans because I want to actually finish something. Depends on posting rate and the choices the players' make, but I'm envisioning a solid 3-4 months of play at the short end.

I've narrowed it down to two premise built around the same theme of a massive crossover mashup game:



In the "psychic" game, players will be 100 point ordinary (mundane) modern humans with a 50 point package of psychic powers from GURPS Psionic Powers; ideally every player has a different package. One TK, one Telepath, one Esper, etc.

In the near future game, it's TL 9, everybody is a 100 point pro-gamer BUT they have an additional "virtual package" in each tournament game, dreampark style. If you're not familiar with Dreampark, when you start a new "game" you'll basically get to choose from different enhancements; in a superhero themed "game" these might be powers, in a fantasy "game" it might be spells and magic weapons.

Anyway, that's it, that's the pitch, let me know if you have any interest or feedback or questions.

In either case the games I run are pretty Rules As Written, somewhat grounded, somewhat gritty.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:18, Mon 26 Oct 2020.

Looking for a Few Good Gnomes!

Who’s interested in playing the role of a Gnome paratrooper who is part of an elite Special Forces team whose mission is to parachute behind enemy lines; ambush the Queen’s guard; kidnap their Princess escort; and spirit her through the wilderness back to the Gnomeland to be held as a political hostage?

This will be a one-shot, high-action, high-combat, all-Gnome adventure set in a somewhat modified version of the Greyhawk world.

I have a year’s experience with the Gurps system and online text RPG.  My goal is to have the Players generate their characters and then, going forward, I as DM will handle all game mechanics and dice rolls behind the scenes.

My current adventure I’m running is almost concluded,so I’m just checking to see if this game idea (not my own original idea -- it was suggested to me and inspired by another player acquaintance) is something people would enjoy playing enough to warrant me starting up a new game. I’d also like some suggestions on how to keep the second-by-second combat sequence move more fluidly and speedily, without losing the granular, detailed tactics Gurps offers that we all know and love.

There’s more secret stuff brewing with this game, but you Gnomes will not be privy to it...

Hidden dice rolls and mechanics?  Hard pass.


Post once per day, minimum.  Make a firm and hard "I will post everyday at [TIME}, have your proposed turns posted by then or you forfeit your combat turn and either Do Nothing, Aim, Evaluate, or All-Out Defend, whichever I feel is most necessary".  Provide maps and detailed explanations of the situation.

You'll find that a 5-10 second combat will flyby in five to fifteen* days instead of bogging down and taking a month.


* Sometimes even with the best descriptions and maps, a Player will ask a question that requires an answer before combat can proceed.


[Cross-posted here as well in case anyone wants to have a GURPS conversation rather than a "Interest Check" conversation.]

Hey Evileeyore, enlighten me on why the 'rules behind the scenes' is a hard stop and do you think that's typical of Gurps players on RPOL?

I'd be interested.  Will magic be allowed?  Or will be strictly a martial game?  Since it's special forces, will guns be available?

Magic is available in the campaign world, though very, very rare as the vast majority of the area of operation is in a LOW MANA zone.  That said, this particular kingdom of Gnomes forbids any use of magic. They embrace technology and science. And yes, the gnomes, alone, have primitive gunpowder weapons.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:41, Mon 03 May 2021.

In reply to Girl Interrupted (msg # 157):

I would have to agree with evileeyore in that hidden mechanics is a tough one. I have had many times where dellving into the mechanics has revealed significant details the GM knew and would have been obvious to the character but I had not picked up on as the player. Perhaps it is my terrible communication skills, but the mechanics has also made it easier for me to explain what I want my character to attempt.

Well in that case, I guess I'll shelve the 'behind the scenes' stuff.  I'm just trying to avoid those situations where the story/adventure/narrative takes a back seat and the game becomes a forum for discussion/hashing/squabbling about rules.

In reply to Girl Interrupted (msg # 159):

I think a large portion of that squabbling actually stems from players and GMs having different ideas of what is going on. I have been guilty of that from both sides, and usually clarifying the situation deals with the issue. There are of course players who want to abuse the rules for advantage, but excluding those players, all that is needed then is clarity on the situation by the GM and clarity on the players side of what is being attempted.

Well, that is  just my 2c worth. Perhaps others see it very differently.

Well, I'm fairly new in the hobby, so I appreciate your pro tips.

Blue Dwarf nailed a few points, but for me Number One is trust.

I don't know you, I don't trust you enough to roll dice unseen* for or 'against' me.

Beyond that, I like to see when the GM is making things more or less complicated† within and outside of the rules, and that is 'impossible' when everything is obscured behind the GM's Screen.  I mean at that point, as far as I'm concerned, we may as well be playing free form.

Now, that's just me.  There are plenty here who are of the opposite opinion and would happily pile in on a game where all the mechanics and rolls are out of sight and they just focus on the rp.  So have a blast. (Seriously, no sarcasm.)


Also, it's fine if you're not running a game for GURPS newbies, but newbies cannot learn a system if the only time they interact with it is during chargen, and you'll find while there are a lot of GURPS vets here, there are far more GURPS neophytes and newbies.


* Yes, I know rolls can be Fudged and Skewed.  Don't remind me, if I'd have known that when I started gaming here 7 years ago I never would have started gaming here.  Luckily (?) I only found that out a few years into being here, by which time the GM for the game I've been in this whole time had earned my trust to know they let the die fall and play from the results.  I don't join many games here as the premise has to surmount that initial dislike of not being able to trust die results.  But as I mention above, that's a me thing.

† You can tell what a GM really gets into by what they focus on, and in GURPS that often gets expressed in how complicated they make the 'subsystem'.  Frex, if a GM is using no optional rules for combat, no maps, and barely using penalties or bonuses in fights, but they've dug deep into Social Engineering for every social subsystem, bonus, penalty, reaction roll result... well, you can tell they're more interested in social conflict play than combat.  So as a Player I'd know where to focus my energies and exps.

Also, if (for instance) my Character constantly misses rolls that should be 'pretty easy', I can see if the dice were just against me, or was the GM piling on every possible penalty.

Neither can be easily seen when that's all hidden away behind a GM screen.



On RPoL?  I... don't know.

From my experience... there are plenty who barely interact with the system as it is, constantly forget rules, constantly forget penalties to their rolls, constantly even forget what skills are for what, so for them, yeah, never having to deal with that might be a blessing, or a curse.  Depends on if the 'forgetfulness' is deliberate or not.

But on the flip side, I've seen what I take to be the average number of Gear Heads among the GM and Player base here, that is, the Players/GMs who like the crunch of the rules between their teeth.  They might not want to let that go in play.

I'm of that camp.  Sometimes I'm fine with letting the crunch go, I've done it before, but then it's for a game (and group) that brings enough to the table that I can let my preferences slide for the novelty of the campaign or the camaraderie of my fellows.




Well, even hiding the rules won't get rid of that.  For that you need hard, fast, strict, and up front rules on cross-table talk.  Let your potential Players know you won't put up with open discussion or questioning of the rules, and let the Players know that PM discussions with you are fine, like you'll listen to an appeal, but once you've ruled, that's it.*

I mean, even in a freeform system, you'll still get people arguing about how things went down, that's just the nature of "Bang! Bang! I shot you" and "Nuh-uh, you missed!"


* And with that you might get a Player who thinks the rules don't apply to them, this time, because of reasons.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:05, Tue 04 May 2021.

Thanks for your feedback, folks. I think I'll shelve this one for now. This is a great community! :)