How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

[Daeglan]

How compatable is GURPS to Hero? For example it looks like the skills system is nearly the same.

 

For example GURPS has an ACTION! sourcebook that has rules for handling lots of different things. I am curious how hard it would be to apply the rules.

[Steve Long]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

This is conversation topic rather than a rules question, so I've moved it to the Discussion board where everyone can participate.

 

What's your opinion on this issue, Herodom?

[Rei Malebario]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

Skill checks are prett much the only spot where the two systems have some degree of mutual compatibility. They both have skills in roughly the same range and use a 3d6 roll-under system, and difficulty modifiers in both systems have about the same range.

[Peregrine]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

One key difference is that Hero is explicitly effects-driven by philosophy, with the rules being designed to provide building blocks (of varying granularity) to build the game mechanic to implement a given effect. GURPS, OTOH, is not as much of a "building blocks" rules set. However, GURPS has some things that Hero doesn't, such as metagame rules (see: Enhanced Time Sense) that are deucedly hard to convert over (I've tried. )

[Daeglan]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

So if you are looking at Skills based stuff you can pretty much port right over. If its powers not so much. What about Talents?

[Ternaugh]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

Most, but not all, talents in GURPS can be constructed in Hero, or map over to a current Hero Talent or Perk. Like powers, there are a few metagame talents that would need extra work.

 

In response to your initial post, I should note that GURPS and Hero do share some things in common, but in general I leave most of the game specific rules in each individual system. I'm not above borrowing source material (and for GURPS 3e, there's a lot), but I do that with a lot of other games as well. My advice would to be to convert the concepts that you like over, and leave the specific rules behind.

 

JoeG

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

Most, but not all, talents in GURPS can be constructed in Hero, or map over to a current Hero Talent or Perk. Like powers, there are a few metagame talents that would need extra work.

 

In response to your initial post, I should note that GURPS and Hero do share some things in common, but in general I leave most of the game specific rules in each individual system. I'm not above borrowing source material (and for GURPS 3e, there's a lot), but I do that with a lot of other games as well. My advice would to be to convert the concepts that you like over, and leave the specific rules behind.

 

JoeG

 

Seconded.

[Arc Esu]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

The first superhero game that I ran in college originally started as a GURPS game, but once I was told about Hero I quickly fell in love with Hero and converted over (making the game much better in the process).

 

At the time, the points for character were 2 to 1; that is, a standard starting GURPS super was 500 points, and a standard starting Hero super was 250 (plus disadvantages), so it was pretty simple to convert things over. Just take a given ability, cut the points spent on it in half, and spend that many points on a similar ability in Hero. However, I have not played GURPS in years, so I don't know if this is still the case. And certain things (like death checks) don't convert over, but for a superhero game, it was a good thing not to roll to see if you die after taking a few shots.

[roberto]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

How compatable is GURPS to Hero? For example it looks like the skills system is nearly the same.

 

For example GURPS has an ACTION! sourcebook that has rules for handling lots of different things. I am curious how hard it would be to apply the rules.

Don't let the fact that both use a 3d6 roll fool you.If you look closely you will see that the skill lvl and difficulty modifier are higher in GURPS than Hero. For example a skill of 20 is not uncomon in GURPS with difficulty modifier of +/- 10 whereas the same skill could be a skill lvl of 12 in Hero and a difficulty modifier of +/-6

You can take the general idea but you have to convert the stats to Hero. You cannot port them just like they are in GURPS or you will seriously unbalance the game

[BNakagawa]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

The important synergy is that both rely heavily on the 3d6 probability curve.

 

Once you've internalized the feel for the 3d6 curve, you'll have a much better time figuring out where your PCs and villains need to be, stat wise, in order to function as you envision. A little too high or a little too low on the curve and a character is overpowered or useless.

[Daeglan]

Re: How compatable is GURPS to Hero?

 

Don't let the fact that both use a 3d6 roll fool you.If you look closely you will see that the skill lvl and difficulty modifier are higher in GURPS than Hero. For example a skill of 20 is not uncomon in GURPS with difficulty modifier of +/- 10 whereas the same skill could be a skill lvl of 12 in Hero and a difficulty modifier of +/-6

You can take the general idea but you have to convert the stats to Hero. You cannot port them just like they are in GURPS or you will seriously unbalance the game

 

My point was you can basically steal the skills and what they do. Slap the Hero rules on them. done. If you look at a skill encounter in gurps you port over swap for hero skill levels and modifiers and the skill encounter runs the same.