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.

(Youtube version with graphics and audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq4s5fQZDW4 )

All over the world (or at least where Christianity or capitalism has spread) on Christmas, some fairy-tale character brings gifts to children. In the vast majority of places, it is Santa Claus. Poland is no exception here - or at least most of its territory. However, there are regions where a different character reigns - specifically in the Poznań region, the Lubusz region, Kujawy and Warmia (specifically in those parts of them that were under the Prussian partition), Kashubia and Kociewie, and the Bydgoszcz region. This giftgiver is known as Gwiazdor (which means “Starman”, “Man of Stars”).

Nowadays, very often his disguise looks identical to Santa's, leaving only the name as a distinguishing factor. But its traditional appearance is slightly different and quite specific. Traditionally the person portraying the Gwiazdor wears a mask or has his face smeared with soot (we warn Western readers - there is no reason to believe that it has anything to do with blackface, there is not the slightest suggestion that the Gwiazdor has anything to do with Africa). He is dressed in either a sheepskin coat or clothing made of tar. Sometimes he is accompanied by a female figure, called Gwiazdka (“Little Star”) - she, in turn, traditionally has her face covered with a veil or simply a piece of cloth.

There are other star motifs in Polish Christmas rituals. In Poland, the most solemn day of the holidays is not December 25, but Christmas Eve, or specifically its evening. This day is popularly called "Gwiazdka" (yes, like the female character mentioned above). We sit down for the evening supper when the first visible star appears in the sky. In the old Polish tradition, it is the day when the veil of the worlds becomes thinner and ghosts appear among people. The tradition of the empty plate is related to this - in addition to the plates for each person participating in the feast, there should also be one additional plate on the table. In ancient pagan times, this plate was intended for deceased relatives. Later it became a symbol of waiting for loved ones who were sent to Siberia by the Russian occupiers. Nowadays, this tradition is translated as "a place for an unexpected guest" - in the sense that no one should be alone on Christmas Eve, so this plate is in case some strange, poor person from the street shows up at the door and you can invite him.

And after Christmas there was a tradition of young people visiting houses with the big symbol of the star and demonically looking creature called Turoń.

How to connect it all – together and with the Lovecraftian Mythos? Who is the Gwiazdor? Well, its name obviously points us to a creature that came from the stars. Perhaps he is an avatar of Nyarlathotep - the giver of strange joys and the one who brings celestial wisdom? A version with a face covered in soot would fit here, which could be considered an imitation of the Black Man. Or maybe Hastur/Yellow King? The Gwiazdor wears a mask, something that is often an attribute of this creature. Sometimes he dresses in a sheepskins coat - Hastur is sometimes worshiped as the "god of shepherds" - and sometimes he dresses in straw (which is the simplest way in which poor old villagers could dress an "actor" in a yellow outfit). And if someone wants to throw in reindeer... Maybe it's actually a byakhee? And who is his veiled companion? I'll leave that to your imagination.

Let's say the children come across a book that describes how to summon the Gwiazdor. Of course, the stars must be right - so the summoning ritual should be performed on December 24, a moment after dusk, exactly when the first star appears in the sky... Perhaps the plate will play some role in this ritual? But if the ritual is successful, the children may see that the Gwiazdor... the unexpected guest... is very different from their fond imaginations. Like the gifts he brings with him.

This is just small part of the full, free brochure full of Lovecraftian inspirations from the real life, science, history and culture: https://adeptus7.itch.io/lovecraftian-inspirations-from-real-life-and-beliefs

i have only just realized now that these two systems are different, but i wanted to ask since path and book magic feels more thematic since rpm is basically just magic where everything goes, how path book magic actually works? i understand there is an energy cost and skill roll with penalties but in the examples it has people taking arbitrary steps to gain bonuses or lose penalties but unlike rpm in gurps monster hunters where it gives a simple step by step in how to do things when making and paying for spells i cant find that for paths and books, it just says that effect lead to penalties but doesnt talk about actions or where that energy comes from since its explicitly not fp or ep, can somone please explain to me in steps the same way rpm is explained how paths and books is actually supposed to be used?

also which system do you think is just superior in terms of overall magic? the last question is one im having now actually reading over rpm and thats is their a cap on magery and does the magery add to the skill level of the ritual skills? cause in the example it uses magery 5 when typically its capped at 4, and it never mentions a bonus to the path rolls but magery has always been like the defacto magic talent, im having a hard time understanding path and books, and also want to make sure im fully understanding rpm right cause it does seem interesting

Holiday Adventure Time!

Let's gooooo! We got a new contest up for the GURPSers. Write a short #GURPS "Holiday Adventure" (ideally a Nov-January 1 one) in 500 words or less.

https://forms.gle/yjjt32ZvHz4bg8Ky7

thaumatology is a book i always hear getting reccomended as somthing to read before customizing rules and making your own magic system, and powers even suggest using it to add to powers systems, but i have a hard time understanding why.

there is no hiding the fact its definitely an older book, which mainly explains ways you can change magery and the implications of each type of change, but i dont understand what advice it gives that makes it worth reading now, it seems like alot of gurps later books focuses on advantages as a more balanced and mechanically easier thing to customize and play with, even though munchkin exists so nothing is truly perfect, but ive found myself rereading this book alot and i dont know what im missing

so i wanted to ask about what magic systems you people have made using advice and or help from thaumatology, AND OR powers.

im sure in reading what other people made using its advice wil help me better understand why its so often reccomended, it just seems like magery+ the book, which feels outdated considering all the newer releases always fixate on powers?

so i was watching some hxh with my sister and there is a point where a character is explaining to the audience in narration that the reason a particalur character is so hard to fight is because his internal energies are quiet so its hard to tel which part of his body is being focused on to detect the on coming attack.

i know this is a common trope, it has shown up in jjk, dragon ball, hells paradise, but i was wondering how mechanically you could simulate it in a game.

yes there are deceptive attacks, feints, manuvers, but its just not the same thing because a big part of this trope is in hiding their attack they arent making it more difficult to throw, Example Netero aura is naturaly quiet he isnt waiting at the alst minute to relelase it to throw somone off, that reads more as a trait, yuta from jjk has so much ce that when reinforced its so big you cant tel lwhat is imbued or what isnt, also reads as a trait

so i was wondering if this was somthing youd have to setup as a detect vs obscure, or if detect could be used as a part of defensive combat the way precognitive parry is, or if this means when running systems like this they are better modeled as magery so you can play with alot of optinol rules
that arent necessarily fair with cp based advantages

sorry about spe.ling my keyboard is janky

So, imagine superman in GURPS. Not fit to his most impressive feats, but more to the vibes of his average appearance. The superman who gets stuck in alien goo and needs batman to save him with the adhesive.

It takes a LOT of points to be Superman-lots of no-weakness DR and a VERY high ST. Flight and heat vision don't come cheap either. I'd put him at about 800-1000 points.

Now say we want him to have a nemesis. Lex Luthor. The Brains. He's got high IQ and a lot of points in skills. He's rich as god, has some useful allies hired on retainer, has a few powerful friends who watch his incriminated butt for him. Oh, and he's President of the Goddamn United States (The rules for pricing this are a little vague, but its safe to say it WON'T cost more than superman's DR.)

But here's the thing. If I wanna match Lex to Supe's point total? Lex has like, 300 points left to spend. There's a reason for this.

For all Lex's world-shaping power, supes can zip into his office and splatter him into red mist before ANY of that power can stop him. Of course, Supes has code of honor. Lex as well has a sort of "Narrative deterrent" given the fallout that would fall on supes's head if he killed him. But still. Supes can ice him in one round.

The higher the stakes get--the closer Lex gets to "winning" in some way besides surviving superman--the less these "soft" protections start to matter.

This is all well and good, if that's the tension you want in your game. GURPS takes a realistic perspective on Superman and it's showing you how that kind UNHEARD OF physical potency would threaten entire institutions.

But what if you're NOT trying to run a game about two giants with their hands on the throat of the world? What if you imagine a WORLD of super-powers, where superman isn't unique, just kinda high-tier? In this world, if Superman beelines the oval office, he'll have 3 super-powered-secret-servicemen on him in seconds.

This is probably closer to the kind of game you'll want at your table; dueling giants is less compelling if you have a party of PC's to worry about.

***Here's where Setting-level discounts come in. I'd give characters in this world something like 20% off the point value of straight-forward "super powers." What will that do for my setting, and my players' character gen?

My superman player gets 20% off almost everything. He's a lot stronger now.

This is fair! In a world filled with NPCs with super-powers, the fact that superman has his powers isn't NEARLY so EARTH-SHATTERINGLY important. The simple fact that super-powers aren't THAT SPECIAL means random people everywhere either have them or are at least better prepared to deal with them. That alone simply makes these powers less practical and impactful for a PC to have.

But how's Lex doing? He doesn't get the discount at all--but his character sheet is still quite different.

His allies benefit from the discount, making them stronger even though he hasn't spent more points on them. Being president of a US with super-powered soldiers is even more expensive--but that's because it's simply a stronger advantage now.

Lex's abilities to lie, bribe, and manipulate are all unchanged on paper--but with all these powerful NPC's just flying around everywhere, those social skills are a LOT more valuable in this world. For this reason, a player can pay full price these abilities without feeling bad about missing out on the powers-discount.