Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first edition of the Generic Universal Role Playing System was released in 1986 by Steve Jackson. This release marked a quiet revolution in the world of tabletop gaming by introducing a single engine capable of running any genre imaginable.
The GURPS system defines a character by four primary attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Health. Each of these attributes begins at a baseline of 10, representing typical human ability, and players spend a pool of points to raise or lower them.
The Austin, Texas, offices of Steve Jackson Games were raided by the United States Secret Service on the 1st of May 1990. The agents seized computers, files, and game materials because they suspected the author of the GURPS Cyberpunk supplement of possessing stolen E911 Emergency Response system documents from Bell South.
The core mechanic of GURPS relies on the roll of three six-sided dice known as 3d6 to determine the success of any action. Players must roll equal to or less than their skill level to succeed, creating a bell curve of probability where extreme results are rare and average results are common.
The fourth edition of GURPS was released on the 19th of August 2004 and promised to simplify and streamline most areas of play. Changes included the modification of attribute point adjustments and the clarification of the differences between abilities from experience and from inborn talent.
In 1995, the computer game publisher Interplay licensed GURPS as the basis for a post-nuclear war role-playing video game that became the Fallout series. However, Interplay replaced the GURPS character-building system with their own SPECIAL System late in development, leading to the end of the licensing deal.