+Douglas Cole tossed down a gauntlet (as he usually does) while I was ill (I hurt my back about 2 weeks ago and it’s just now that I’ve been able to type or write for extended periods of time). While I was laid up I got to thinking, Evaluate is kind of a “special maneuver” […]
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GURPS101: There Is No “I” In Team
As I am sure you are aware of, I’m currently playing in +Douglas Cole‘s Alien Menace campaign. So far, it’s been a blast. But after our first mission was completed I asked about how others felt about the Teamwork perk and Doug said (and I’m paraphrasing) “Yeah, every character who completed the mission gets that […]
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Boil and Bubble: Cthulhu Mythos Spells, Part I
I’m a fan of the Mythos (which you probably know), thanks to Chaosium’s license, even though the Mythos is up for grabs to be used (most of H.P.’s stories are public domain) – it’s not for RPGs. Since I tend to use them (or a variation of them) in my games I figured I’d share […]
Continue readingBoil and Bubble: Personal Greater and Lesser Effects
One of the more interesting mechanics of Ritual Path Magic is the “Lesser vs. Greater” effect. Basically, if it’s a “realistic” magical effect then it’s probably a Lesser effect – otherwise it’s a Greater effect. Now, what is and isn’t a Greater effect depends on the campaign…but what if it were dependent on the caster, […]
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Boil and Bubble: My Thoughts on the Social Implications on Ritual Path Magic
Ritual Path Magic is the new kid on the block as far as popular magic systems go. It’s got a lot going for it: flexibility, self-consistency, ease of use, well you get the idea – I’m a fan. But I’m also a advocate. For every person who says “No, this doesn’t work because I can […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Split Power Levels
GURPS fosters a play environment where all player characters are created equal. Where everyone has a specific budget for their character and all is right with the world. But what about having player characters with different point totals? After all, not everyone is created equal in the “real world” – some of us start out […]
Continue readingBoil and Bubble: Ritual Path Magic Material Enchanting
Sean Punch’s The Material Difference from Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic is an exciting new system looking at a common videogame trope: “Resource Farming.” Though the article is geared toward the basic magic system it could be easily adapted to Ritual Path Magic. The Basics First, a few assumptions. Let’s assume that enchanter’s work […]
Continue readingMelee Academy: Predictably Unpredictable
The Joker, Jack Sparrow, Murdock…you ever wanted to play that guy, the crazy bastard who comes up with quirky schemes in the middle of combat and then some how pulls them off? Besides buying a lot of Luck there are a couple of other ways you might be able to pull it off. The Big […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Ritual Mass Combat
Today is Patreon Day and the topic selected by my patrons was “Ritual Path Magic and Mass Combat.” So…what do I have to say about that. A lot it turns out – I playtested both books rather extensively and got a writing credit for GURPS Thaumatoloyg: Ritual Path Magic. I’m going to make a few […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Master of None
Jack of All Trades is one of my favorite GURPS Talents and is among my favorite character archetypes. The everyman, with every skill is, after all, an awesome motif. Partly inspired by this post, I got to thinking how I’ve used Jack of All Trades in my own campaigns and what characters (PC or NPC) […]
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