This is a monthly r/GURPS thread for anything and everything related to your own campaigns. Tell us how you and your friends are making out. Update us on the progress of your game. Tell us about any issues you've run into and maybe we can help. Make suggestions for other players and GMs.

This is a monthly r/GURPS thread for anything and everything related to your own campaigns. Tell us how you and your friends are making out. Update us on the progress of your game. Tell us about any issues you've run into and maybe we can help. Make suggestions for other players and GMs.

Hi so bit of a wild reach but in the 3rd edition Mage the ascension book it keeps mentioning the Sphere skills that the spheres are based but it doesn't mention what the Skills themselves are based for the purpose of buying them.

Further, what penalties might i receive if I call the ground a coward if this isn't allowed? Thanks.

(Believe it or not, this is a genuine question)

Hello,

I just posted a new article with a step by step combat example for my space opera campaign. I have tried to make it accessible to players who are new to GURPS, but I would welcome any feedback or corrections to improve it!

https://thewabatuckian.wordpress.com/2026/09/02/round-one-fight/

UPD: edited thanks to u/Worried_Gold7870, added pre-radio and doubled the cabin and passenger seating numbers

GURPS Spaceships

Medieval Castle (TL3)
SM+11, Unstreamlined (30k tons, 150 yards, dHP 200)

Systems:
Front hull
[1-4] Stone Armor (dDR 20, semi-ablative)
[5] Tertiary battery (30 catapults, 4cm, 200 shots, 1 min fire rate, 30 workspaces)
[6] Smaller systems:
+Habitat (120: 100 bunkrooms, 5 luxury, 15 cages. 30 workspaces.)
+Hangar bay (300 tons, 100/min, 10 workspaces)
+Passenger Seating (1200 seats, 30 workspaces, 50% of both to great hall and 50% to temple)

Center hull
[1-4] Stone Armor (dDR 20, semi-ablative)
[5] Control Room (15 stations)
[6] Tertiary battery (30 catapults, 4cm, 200 shots, 30 workspaces)
[7] Smaller systems:
+Habitat (120: 90 bunkrooms, 10 luxury, 10 cages, 10 sickbay. 30 workspaces)
+Cargo hold (500 tons)
+Cargo hold (500 tons)

Rear hull
[1-4] Stone Armor (dDR 20, semi-ablative)
[6] Tertiary battery (30 catapults, 4cm, 200 shots, 30 workspaces)
[7] Smaller systems:
+Habitat (120: 49 bunkrooms, 15 cages, 15 office, 1 lab, 40 stables. 30 workspaces)
+Cargo hold (500 tons, door)
+Open space (5 areas, 10 techs, for hall and fresh water source)

Pre-radio: no comm systems

No life support: ×2 cabins

Not sealed: materials don't hold air

Lacks automation: +1 HT, ×10 workspaces

No computer: Attacks are made at a -5 penalty. Point-defense fire is realistically impossible, but the GM may allow it at a further -5 penalty (total -10).

catapult: sAcc -10, Range P, Rcl 3, d-damage 6d*10

Gun ports

A design feature, added to any ship's hull. Reduces dDR of all armor systems in that hull by 10%, also adds +10% armor cost if the ship is sealed (proper mini-airlocks). The number of gun ports is equal to 2× the number of seats 1 appropriate-SM Passenger Seating.

The ports may face anywhere the weapon battery system may face, including "only in specific directions". The dDR reduction applies only to these directions. It's possible to add fewer gun ports, with proportionally lower dDR loss and cost increase, rounded to integer dDR.

Allows the crew to fire their hand-held firearms through the specialized ports.

Crew at the gun ports suffers appropriate damage if the hull's innermost (or laying the last in the list) armour system is damaged.

Quoting the rules for conversion: "Damage is dDamage multiplied by 10. Accuracy is sAcc+18. The space range modifiers assumes an Acc 18 weapon fired by a gunner performing All Out (Dedicated) aimed attack with 3+ seconds aim assisted by a +9 vehicular targeting system for a net +30. As point-blank range is actually assumed to be 100 miles for a -30 range modifier, the sAcc and Point-Blank modifiers are assumed to cancel out providing a net 0 modifier for Acc 18. Range will vary, as these values are abstractions, but P is about 100 miles, P/C is about 100/300 miles, C range is 100/300 miles, C/S 300/1,000 miles, S 1,000/3,000 miles, S/L about 3,000/10,000 miles, L about 10,000/30,000 miles, L/X is about 30,000/100,000 miles, X about 100,000 miles."

So the magic expansion says that you can buy the formulas themselves but it doesnt list the cost anywhere?

So I've been looking into mounted combat a bit and was thinking about the following situation: an mounted enemy charges my players, they brace with spears. They are able to evade the enemy lance point with a dodge roll and manage to land a spear hit on the charging enemy.

What's the damage? Do I calculate slam damage as if the enemy slammed into a wall or something and add the spear's imp damage on top? Or is there another formula?

Also: does a lance charge on a horse count as move and attack with the associated -4 penalty?