What does GURPS stand for?
GURPS stands for Generic Universal Role Playing System. It is a tabletop role-playing game published by Steve Jackson Games, designed to support any genre using a single set of core mechanics.
Questions about GURPS
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was GURPS first published?
The Basic GURPS set was first published in 1986 and 1987. The combat system appeared a year earlier in 1985 as Man to Man: Fantasy Combat from GURPS, released to meet the deadline for Origins 1985.
How does character creation work in GURPS?
GURPS uses a point-buy system. Characters are built using character points spent on four basic attributes (Strength, Dexterity, IQ, and Health), advantages, disadvantages, and skills. A beginning character in an average-power game in the fourth edition typically starts with 100-150 points.
What is the GURPS dice mechanic?
GURPS uses three six-sided dice for most checks. Players roll and try to score equal to or below their skill or attribute rating. A roll of 3 or 4 is always a critical success; a roll of 18 is always a critical failure.
Why did GURPS get raided by the Secret Service in 1990?
Federal agents raided Steve Jackson Games' Austin, Texas offices in 1990 because the author of the GURPS Cyberpunk supplement was connected to E911 Emergency Response system documents stolen from BellSouth. The incident directly contributed to the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and was later litigated as Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service.
What is the connection between GURPS and the video game Fallout?
Interplay licensed GURPS in 1995 as the basis for Fallout, a post-nuclear war role-playing video game. Late in development, Interplay replaced the GURPS system with their own SPECIAL system after Steve Jackson objected to the game's content, particularly its opening cinematic.