RPG Design Patterns

Damage Resistance, Game Master, Generalized Contest, Hit Points, Last Man Standing, Point Spend Attribute, Rank, Skill Tree, Success Reward, Trauma Gauge

GURPS characters are designed using a system based purely on “Character Points.” Character Points are a resource that players spend to customize their characters. Different “Skills” and “Advantages” cost varying amounts of Character Points depending on their difficulty and overall usefulness. Additional Character Points can be gained by accepting various “Disadvantages” and “Quirks.” Characters have four primary attributes of “Strength,” “Dexterity,” “Intelligence,” and “Dexterity,” “Intelligence,” and “Health” whose values are adjusted based on the character’s chosen race. These attributes usually range in value between 1 and 18, but can extend even higher if a player is willing to sacrifice elsewhere. Their values are set depending on the number of Character Points spent and the costs are based on a table lookup. Unusually low scores earn a player more points to spend elsewhere. Characters also have “Hit Points,” which are based on the Health attribute.

Skills are ranked. Like everything else in the game, skill ranks are determined by how many Character Points are expended on the skill. The rating also factors in both the skill “Difficulty” and the primary attribute of Dexterity or Intelligence, depending on whether the skill is physical or mental in nature. Although the skill rank, or “Level,” takes into account all these various components, the rating is essentially a primary attribute added to a skill adjustment purchased with Character Points.

Characters also have a “Move” attribute that is derived from Health and Dexterity. This score represents the number of yards a character can run in a second. Characters have a number of other derived attributes as well: “Dodge,” “Parry,” “Fatigue,” “Block,” “Damage Resistance,” “Encumbrance,” etc.

Conflicts are resolved by rolling 3d6, summing the numbers, and then comparing the total to a set threshold. The threshold generally equals a character’s pertinent attribute or skill rank, but may be adjusted due to circumstances. If the rolled sum is less than or equal to the threshold, the character succeeds. Otherwise, he fails.

If two characters compete against one another, the resolution technique is different based on whether the contest is “quick” or “regular.” A quick contest is one that is over is about a second. Both sides of the contest roll as above. The winner is the character who succeeded by the most or failed by the least. If the roll results in a tie, neither side wins. Regular contests take more time. If one side succeeds on his roll and the other fails, the contest goes to the winner. If both fail or both succeed, the contest is not yet decided and both sides must re-roll until one side is victorious.

For conflicts involving combat, GURPS is a traditional “roll-to-hit, roll-to-damage” system. If an attack hits, dice are rolled to determine how much damage is inflicted. This value can be altered by armor via its “Damage Rating,” which is subtracted from the rolled damage. The remainder is subtracted from the character’s hit points (Health).

The order of combat actions is purely Karma-based. The Move attributes of characters are compared. Those with higher Move scores go first. Once everyone has gotten his turn, the cycle repeats until the conflict ends.

Since GURPS is entirely based on Character Points, it is no surprise that the game’s sole reward system consists of the game master awarding these to players. This is done at the end of every gaming session and represents a reward for “Good Play.” The award incorporates the GM’s judgment of the quality of role-play and his assessment of the characters’ progress toward their stated missions. The amount awarded can range anywhere from -5 to 5 points per character, so the “reward” can actually be a penalty if the players do a particularly poor job.